What is the impact of FLS’ latest acquisitions such as Tipco and Farnell-Thompson?

For the last couple of years, we have been perfecting our technology portfolio. We purchased Thyssenkrupp Mining, adding high pressure grinding rolls (HPGRs) to our offering. We then acquired Farnell-Thompson, a milling design specialist in Canada, who had been working with FLS for a number of years. They had a very good name in the market when it comes to mill performance, and it improves our milling competence, as we now have their expertise in smaller-size mills for operations with a mine life of 15 to 20 years. Finally, we also acquired Tipco in Germany, a technology company that can help us improve the performance of pumps, cyclones and valves. 

How is FLS growing in Saudi Arabia? 

FLS’ Saudi operation has grown very significantly. We are a long-standing supplier to one of the largest customers in the kingdom and were selected to provide equipment and services for their phosphate mine. It is quite a comprehensive project for us. The country offers an excellent future for phosphates, so we could see further expansions and projects in the future. We are also present in Saudi’s gold segment. 

How are you transferring competences from other jurisdictions to Saudi Arabia? 

There is already good mining competence in Saudi Arabia, as operations are quite advanced. Of course, there are new companies that want to invest in mining and need support, so that is where companies like FLS can help invest in local education and enhance the country’s mining skills to support the industry’s growth. We have opened an office in Damman to build and train more local content, and we see the sector growing rapidly as the country plans to double or triple production quite rapidly. 

What is the importance of water use efficiency in mining? 

You have to minimize water usage from the beginning of the process, and then of course maximize the recovery rate of water to 90% and above. In places like Saudi Arabia, a big portion of the water comes from desalination, which has its own environmental impact and is energy intensive. FLS is one of the leaders in solid-liquid separation and efficiency in water usage. By reducing water consumption you very much reduce costs – water is very expensive – and you also reduce emissions, especially when it comes to desalinated water. Sustainability and cost reduction go hand in hand. 

What opportunities do you see in the copper segment? 

Looking forward, copper will continue to be a key commodity. We will need many new greenfield copper projects, and this is where a country like Saudi Arabia, with fast permitting, offers a key competitive advantage. Other more traditional copper producers have very long permitting processes –it takes an average of 20 years from discovery to construction, so this could shift investment appetite towards Saudi Arabia, where the permitting is much more agile. We would like to see more support from governments in Peru and Chile to their mining industries, as the slowness in decision-making and permitting is delaying new investments. The investment level there is a bit quiet at this moment, and we hope to see more activity in these countries in 2026 and 2027. 

Can you comment on FLS’ Global PerformanceIQ Hub in Salt Lake City?

We started linking some of our customers’ operations to the hub, in order to monitor the performance. Vt combining the information of sensors and the global performance of the plants, we can holistically identify issues in the process and target areas of improvement. For instance, if you can improve the recovery, even by a tiny bit, this has a big impact on the value of the asset. We have experts on different process areas that can analyze all this data. In the longer run, this PerformanceIQ Hub will significantly add to our value proposition. 

Finally, what does the divestment of the cement business mean for FLS’ positioning in the mining industry? 

We are selling our cement business to become a pure-play mining technology company, with the highest exposure to copper and gold, and a strong service orientation. We believe that we have the best portfolio for the process plant, so by selling our cement business we will complete the journey to become purely specialized in mining.