This post was originally published on this site.
On September 14, conveyor belts and systems major BOTON and Guinea iron ore mine operator SimFer, controlled by Rio Tinto, formally signed a long-term intelligent operations support services agreement for the Simandou iron ore project in Wuxi, China. The agreement expands the partnership from conveyor belt supply and on-site installation to long-term intelligent operations support and lifecycle services. BOTON also announced the global launch of SERV, its new lifecycle service offering for mining conveyor systems.
Lizzy Wat, Rio Tinto’s General Manager for China and Simandou Procurement, attended the signing ceremony together with other senior procurement representatives. BOTON Chairman Bao Zhifang was joined by senior executives from the company’s global marketing organisation and Guinea operations.
The agreement represents a significant expansion of the partnership between BOTON and SimFer—from conveyor belt supply and on-site installation to long-term operational support and lifecycle services for conveyor systems. It also marks another step in BOTON’s development from a conveyor belt manufacturer into a global lifecycle service partner for large-scale mining operations.
BOTON’s cooperation with SimFer began in 2024. Over the past two years, the two sides have steadily expanded their collaboration around conveyor belt supply, on-site installation and operational services for the Simandou project. In late 2025, BOTON became involved in SimFer’s long-term operational support services project. Following multiple rounds of technical and commercial discussions and site visits, the two parties reached the agreement formally signed in September 2026.
As one of the world’s major iron ore developments, Simandou places demanding requirements on the safety, reliability and long-term performance of its conveying systems. Under the new agreement, BOTON will provide long-term intelligent maintenance and operational support for conveyor systems at the project, combining local service capabilities in Guinea with BOTON’s global technical and engineering resources. For BOTON, the project also provides an important platform for further developing its lifecycle conveyor services for large-scale mining operations.
At the signing ceremony, BOTON officially launched SERV globally as a core lifecycle service offering. SERV stands firstly for safety: BOTON uses AI-powered visual recognition, intelligent monitoring and early-warning technologies to support a more proactive approach to conveyor system safety. By integrating digital technologies with on-site operations, the objective is to identify potential risks earlier and provide maintenance teams with better information for decision-making.
Then efficiency: SERV applies data-driven operational optimisation and preventive maintenance to help reduce unplanned downtime and improve the efficiency of conveyor system maintenance and operation. These capabilities complement BOTON’s existing field service and technical support capabilities for mining and other heavy-duty bulk material handling applications.
Thirdly, reliability, as through digital twins, condition assessment and lifecycle data, BOTON aims to manage conveyor system reliability across different stages of operation. Rather than treating maintenance as an isolated activity, SERV connects inspection, condition assessment, maintenance and operational data to support more systematic lifecycle management.
Finally, value creation. Operational and maintenance data accumulated over time can provide a stronger basis for continuous improvement. By converting industrial data into actionable insights, BOTON aims to help customers improve asset performance while continuously refining its own service models. BOTON: “Together, Safety, Efficiency, Reliability and Value Creation define the core principles behind SERV and BOTON’s approach to long-term conveyor system services.”
Speaking at the ceremony, BOTON Chairman Bao Zhifang said: “SERV is an important step in turning BOTON’s service capabilities into a clearly defined and scalable offering. Through SERV, we aim to transform the global project experience, technical capabilities and service standards we have built over many years into a systematic service model that can be replicated and deployed across markets, creating lasting value for major mining customers worldwide.”
For the delivery of the Simandou agreement, BOTON has identified four priorities: benchmarking against world-class standards, combining global coordination with strong local delivery, applying intelligent technologies to support safety and efficiency, and using data to create value throughout the asset lifecycle.
BOTON’s current lifecycle service capabilities include condition assessment; preventive maintenance; conveyor belt splicing and repair; on-site technical support; operational optimisation; intelligent monitoring; and automated inspection.
These capabilities are already being applied across mining, port, steel and power projects in Australia, Africa, Southeast Asia and China. They also build on BOTON’s broader experience in mining conveyor solutions, combining conveyor belt technology with engineering, field services and intelligent monitoring. The long-term objective is not simply to respond when maintenance is required, but to build a more connected service system around equipment condition, operational performance and lifecycle management.
The post BOTON and SimFer sign long-term conveyor system services agreement for Simandou iron ore project appeared first on International Mining.
