Safety in the working culture and equipment operation is the foremost topic which is most important.

Asoktaru Chattopadhyay
President – Sandvik Rock Processing Solutions - India Pacific Region, Member Board of Directors, Sandvik Mining and Rock Technology India

How critical is training and skilling in today’s mining equipment industry? How has the approach towards workforce training evolved over the last few years?

The mining application is very critical and all weather working and process has to be considered while designing, offering, installation and operation of the equipment. This can be fulfilled through extensive and expertise training. We have conducted process wise as well as equipment wise training from respective experts and experienced personnel. Implementation of automation has been incorporated in these training for the safety and hassle-free operation of the equipment. Regular training batches and refresher training courses are being organized for conceptual and practice training.

What are the key skill gaps you observe among operators, technicians, and maintenance teams handling mining equipment?

Deep understanding of overall process, application requirement of the upstream and downstream processes. Tunning of the required automation with respect to the operation and production requirement. To reduce the downtime of the equipment with fast and effective approach through experienced and deep knowledge.

What are the major mining-related training and skilling initiatives undertaken by your company for your employees, operators, and customers? Kindly share details of any training centers, programs, partnerships, or certifications.

The Training modules are detailed and exhaustive with refresher sessions to inculcate the knowhow and regular practice in the trainee. In terms of Sandvik equipment training, our emphasis is to impart detailed knowhow of the upstream and downstream processes to overall impart the holistic approach. Safety in the working culture and equipment operation is the foremost topic which is most important. For the skills, we impart real time and on-field training in equipment operation along with the experience personnel. Factory tours are also being conducted to feel the equipment internal parts from the inception. Regular refresher course and competitive tests are being conducted for the same batches for deep understanding. We have conducted training to ITI and Diploma colleges in and around Mining areas to the students for building skills, which are part of social upliftment program. Whenever any equipment is installed and commissioned, detailed training session on application, operation, maintenance and troubleshooting are imparted to customer’s operators and officials. This is very interactive sessions all aspects like mechanical, Electrical & Instrumentation, Automation are prospects of AI driven application are also discussed. Certificates, takeaway notes, literatures, power point presentations and training videos are part of the coarse. 

What innovative training methods (e.g., simulators, VR-based training, online modules, hands-on workshops) are you using to upskill personnel? How effective have these been?

Simulator bases training are very much effective and we have following this since long in our training curriculum. Simulators of every equipment and its parts are covered. These high simulators are made by our global experts in a lucid manner to help the trainee understand easily. Whenever any equipment is installed and commissioned, detailed training session on application, operation, maintenance and troubleshooting are imparted to customer’s operators and officials. This is very interactive sessions all aspects like mechanical, Electrical & Instrumentation, Automation are prospects of AI driven application are also discussed. Certificates, takeaway notes, literatures, power point presentations and training videos are part of the course.  Online interactive session with global experts and multidimensional experts from different location from globes are being organized.

What are the major challenges you face in implementing effective training programs in India? (e.g., geographic diversity, varying education levels, technological adoption, etc.)

In today’s era, Geographical diversity is not at all a challenge. Our training courses are launched in language commensurate to the geography and multi language coarse materials are available. Even in diverse country like India, the training are conducted in local languages, common languages. There are different training modules for beginners, learners and experts. Thus, the trainee group assessment is done before the training sessions, to impart the particular training. It becomes difficult in impart training to a common customer’s personnel group, which has varies listeners from technicians to experts and management.

How do you ensure that your dealers and channel partners are adequately skilled to support mining customers across India?

Dealers and Channel partners are integral branch of Sandvik business model. Sandvik imparts separate training and motivational session to its dealers and channel partners. Again, these training are in several and regular sessions to bring their technicians at par with our service experts. We create an ambience of safety and team spirit to inculcate the Sandvik core values of Customer focus and innovations.

How do you see the role of government initiatives (like Skill India Mission) and industry collaborations in enhancing skill development in the mining sector?

I believe initiatives like the Skill India Mission, combined with industry collaboration, are key to building a future-ready mining workforce. With mining becoming more digital and automated, there’s a growing need for skilled operators and technicians. Government programs provide the foundation, while partnerships with industry leaders like Sandvik ensure training is aligned with real equipment, technologies, and safety standards.

By working together, we can bridge the skill gap, boost employability, and support India’s mining and infrastructure growth in a sustainable, efficient way.