Aramine on June 14 marked a serious milestone, celebrating its fiftieth anniversary with a particular occasion at its manufacturing unit in Gardanne, Provence, the place the Melkonian household’s journey in serving the underground mining sector started in 1975 with the founding of Continental Industrie.
Began by entrepreneurs Jacques and Angèle Melkonian – the corporate grew initially by its provide of underground mining companies to the French uranium business after which by its illustration of Wagner, which later turned Atlas Copco after which Epiroc, within the French and Francophone African markets. In addition they constructed up a major spare components enterprise by a warehouse in Aix-en-Provence. The corporate was taken over by siblings Genevieve, Marc and Christophe Melkonian in 1994, and since then they haven’t seemed again – establishing along with the earlier companies a profitable reman providing for tools second life.
Aramine’s new manufacturing unit and workplace area will open in Q1 2027
However arguably essentially the most notable growth was its evolution into turning into an OEM in its personal proper in 2006 with the launch of its personal underground loader, the L130D. Since then, in opposition to the percentages and with some doubters within the business, together with from the prevailing dominant massive OEMs, Aramine has managed to carve out a really profitable market within the OEM area, particularly slender vein mining, which was not notably effectively served with prime quality machines optimised for that function. Its fundamental energy has been in in loaders and vehicles and in 2016 it was an early mover into inexperienced powertrains with the L140B. Right now it has machines in 88 international locations.
Forward of the half century celebrations, at bauma 2025 in Munich, IM Editorial Director Paul Moore had the possibility to debate its progress as an underground electrical fleet supplier with Co-President Marc Melkonian. On the stand was its Vitality Module EM224 which powers its new L440B Mining Loader – the module on the present was the second to have been constructed by the corporate for its second L440B unit.
The primary L440B is already totally operational with its trial section having been accomplished in 2024. “Within the growth of the L440B, we initially took all of our electrical expertise, and put in it on the bottom body of our L350D machine – this was the prototype. In tandem with that testing {of electrical} functionality of this measurement of unit, we additionally then designed a very new machine, as a result of our purpose was not simply to transform a diesel machine, however to design a completely electrical loader from the bottom up for the aim of electrical operation. To take advantage of optimised electrical machine, you want to have the ability to calculate the most effective ratio of saved power, obtainable voltage and delivered energy; and after getting that you’ll know the utmost doable weight for the machine in addition to the doable velocity and tramming capability. So on the finish we produced the L440B to be as aggressive available in the market as doable to the equal diesel machine.”
The L440B is designed with the identical philosophy because the smaller L140B Mining Loader – particularly in relation to Aramine’s distinctive Fast Alternative System (QRS) for battery swapping, which is essentially the most compact available in the market. It’s self centering, self locking and doesn’t require any common upkeep. That’s what numerous underground mines need and wish in an electrical machine – a battery answer that’s extraordinarily sturdy and compact and can be utilized in present mines. The L140B was designed for 3 m by 3 m galleries – however even with the L440B, being compact is extraordinarily necessary.
The primary L440B is working in Canada in the present day, whereas after bauma 2025 the second unit went to work in Europe. Melkonian: ”Past that, the L440B order e book has a number of further machines that are earmarked for supply globally. It has numerous potential available in the market as a consequence of its 4.6 t capability – the place there may be numerous demand and other than our machine, there no different commercially obtainable choices at this measurement class. Our answer is sensible from a design, value and efficiency perspective.”
As with the L140B, the charger is onboard with the battery module, together with an impartial charging cooler, so the mine has no want for costly fastened exterior charging infrastructure – the battery requires a four-hour cost at 400V on any 32A socket. The client simply must have two battery modules for one loader to have the ability to obtain steady operation. The batteries are 224 kW lithium iron phosphate with one battery module in a position to function for 5 years of steady use.
One other level is how Aramine is approaching the market with its BEVs, as many mining clients at the moment are fairly but to make the electrification shift earlier than they’re able to kick the tyres and function the expertise first. “We settle for sending the machine, with a signed contract in fact, however the buyer solely makes a downpayment and solely pays for almost all of the machine after three months of operation. They try to take a look at it to allow them to belief in what we’re delivering. To this point we’re very glad with the consequence – and have solely had some minor electrical elements fail which we are able to rapidly and simply exchange.”
Is electrification levelling the taking part in discipline considerably within the underground tools market and helped give Aramine a step up by way of market share? “The fascinating factor concerning the market is that Sandvik, Epiroc and Aramine are all utilizing totally different applied sciences for electrical machines and that features in some circumstances totally different battery chemistries but additionally totally different battery swapping and charging methodologies. We consider based mostly on the success of the L140B that our method is essentially the most optimised as much as the 4.6 t class of machine we’re supplying with the L440B. Bigger than this, issues are totally different, however on this measurement class vary, we predict we have now taken the best path. It’s sturdy, versatile, doesn’t require any change in any respect within the mine; and within the case of the L440B has an ergonomic and enclosed cab.”
Melkonian did add that Aramine does have a long run plan to make bigger machines than the L440B, for which extra superior design work will begin in 2026, however will contain an entire new design expertise and battery chemistry suited to that measurement class. “We expect most of the bigger BEV loaders in the present day are usually not aggressive for a lot of mines from an battery energy density, machine effectivity, elements availability and total value perspective, and we predict we could have one thing to supply there. Taking the L440B for instance, a few of the main elements had been designed particularly for us by companions like Danfoss and Bosch Rexroth, which is a bonus from each a customisation perspective but additionally by way of availability.”
The success of the Aramine method is mirrored within the numbers – it has delivered over 60 models of the L140B, a powerful complete, with the L440B now together with two models and a number of other on order as talked about. These machines span 5 continents and all sorts of functions together with excessive altitude, -35 to +40°C temperatures, many alternative commodities and many others.
So after 50 years and with a serious transfer into electrification, what’s subsequent for Aramine? “The underground mining business is rising fairly quickly as many open pits face allowing difficulties and plenty of ore deposits nonetheless open at depth. Truly, we had demand for extra battery machines however our manufacturing unit capability meant we needed to allocate a few of that area simply to fulfill demand for diesel machines.”
Melkonian provides: “There may be a lot potential additionally for underground mining as a consequence of many important minerals that must accessed that approach – and the notion of underground mining as an choice, together with for mine house owners and their operators, is bettering as a result of the battery machines provide zero emissions – meaning much better operator circumstances but additionally far decrease air flow prices. It additionally opens up numerous mining curiosity in Europe, as battery powered mining underground is a lot extra palatable from a sustainability perspective.”
The upshot of the demand projection is that Aramine is taking some massive growth steps to take it effectively into its subsequent half century. Melkonian “Right now we’re an more and more necessary actor within the underground tools OEM stage, and we’re assembly that head on by constructing a very new manufacturing unit, solely about 1 km away from the prevailing Aix-en-Provence manufacturing unit near an previous coal mine shaft that was on our land. This manufacturing unit will enable us to triple our manufacturing – in the present day we produce round 70 models per yr – so we can produce effectively over 200 models a yr – a major proportion of which within the new manufacturing unit can be battery machines. We anticipate to open the brand new manufacturing unit in Q1 2027.”
Notably, to additionally mirror how the corporate is altering, the plan going ahead is to divide Aramine into two companies – Aramine spare components provide will type the vast majority of one firm, and the unique tools manufacturing the opposite. Watch this area.
