Most people say that three things are transforming our industry. We say it’s four

When you read about our industry, you will find many claims that three things are fundamentally transforming the mining and construction industry.

Firstly, there is the shift from fossil fuels to electrification. Secondly, there is digitalization, resulting in increased safety, productivity, and more sustainable use of resources. The third factor is automation, which will also increase safety and productivity, as well as change the way we work.

However, what many forget is the fourth driver of change: the people behind solutions and innovations. For us, it all starts with people. Our vision, "Dare to think new", is a clear guide to what we want to achieve and shows we are not satisfied with following others.

Innovation is an essential part of our DNA. Our work with inclusion and diversity keeps us at the forefront of the industry because it helps us develop fresh ideas and innovative solutions.

We strive to nurture a culture built on trust. This includes creating an environment where everyone has a strong sense of belonging and dares to try new things, without fear of failure.

Oskar Lundberg is Head of Innovation for the Underground division at Epiroc. His job is to find future technical solutions for the mining and construction industry.

How does Epiroc create a corporate culture that promotes innovation?

- The company's entire philosophy is about daring to imagine new ways of doing things. You just have to look at our vision: "Dare to think new". Since new ideas always come from people, it's basically about creating an environment where you feel safe to think differently. We work a lot internally with behaviors, how we see each other as colleagues and understanding everyone contributes in different ways to the progress of innovations.

A new idea is often vulnerable, and therefore it’s important that it’s never dismissed immediately. Instead of dismissing, we listen and ask questions, which often leads to learning more about how other people think. It is clear from the management that everyone has the right to come up with an idea and, of course, it’s fantastic that all of us as employees can be involved in changing what the future mining and construction industries will look like!

Can you give an example of this?

- It’s important that everyone has a platform to make themselves heard and there are opportunities for pushing their ideas forward. So, all divisions have different systems for collecting ideas, which everyone can contribute to. There is also an Epiroc joint program called "Foster", which is available to everyone, regardless of their role.

What does your work look like?

- We look a lot at other industries to get ideas and inspiration, such as the computer game industry, and the automotive and space industries. When a space shuttle is launched, it vibrates a lot, so there is plenty to learn and follow in the drilling industry because we also have challenges with strong vibrations.

I work with Innovation Labs, where we run activities that are in the stage prior to making a product out of something. It is an unrestrained role, where we constantly explore possible new solutions, their potential value and the maturity of the technology that can be developed into a new function or a completely new product.

We often make mistakes, which is good because it’s at this stage that all errors and shortcomings should be discovered. In this way, we know which difficulties that must be tackled going forward. In our working method for ideas, we jointly evaluate how an innovation can fit into our product portfolio and whether there are synergies with other solutions.

Has the way you work with innovation evolved?

- A clear difference today, compared to when I started at the company in 2017, is that we have a more open collaboration with customers and external partners when we develop new solutions. The input we receive from the outside is very important to produce products that add value. Working in symbiosis with the customer, and guiding our future direction, is both fun and very rewarding.

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