Kirkland Lake still remains in the dark on whether the northeastern Ontario gold mining town will host an underground battery-powered vehicle assembly plant.
Two months after Swedish engineering and technology giant Sandvik announced the acquisition of Artisan Vehicle Systems, a corporate decision still hasn’t been made whether the town fits into its plans.
Artisan was a privately-owned California manufacturer of battery-powered underground mining loaders and trucks.
In late 2017, Artisan selected Kirkland Lake to be its Canadian assembly hub for its Z-40 battery-powered haul truck to cater to its client, Kirkland Lake Gold and its Macassa Mine.
Sandvik acquired Artisan Vehicle Systems on Jan.22. The sale was finalized on Feb.11. The purchase price not disclosed.
Just days before the acquisition announcement, Artisan’s chief technology officer confirmed to the media during a stop-over in Sudbury that his company was still committed to Kirkland Lake.
Whether Sandvik is wedded to that development remains to be seen.
“We are still in an integration and development process. All decisions on our future setup haven’t been made yet,” said Sandvik spokesman Martin Blomgren by email, in echoing his earlier comments from January.
Wilf Hass, Kirkland Lake’s CAO and economic development director, said Sandvik has not been in contact with the municipality on the facility, originally slated for the town’s industrial park on Archer Drive.
To date, the town has received no site plans and issued no building permit.
The proposed 60,000-square-foot building would have featured an assembly shop, service centre, and R&D facility, creating 60 jobs over two years.
Artisan is slotted in the load and haul division within Sandvik Mining and Rock Technology. Artisan had revenues in 2017 of US$12.3 million and employed 60.
Sandvik, headquartered in Stockholm, has Ontario offices in Sudbury, North Bay and Red Lake, and is the world's largest underground hard rock mining original equipment manufacturer.
