From Västerbotten in the north of Sweden to the most remote parts of the mining world
70 years of development
When the experienced miner Torbjörn Bask started his own mechanical workshop in 1948, he not only laid the foundation for what is now Jama. He also started a 70-year era of developing mining equipment, based on real knowledge of the mining industry.
This is the story of Jama.
1947
Torbjörn Bask seeks patent protection for a stand for the drilling technique known as “The Swedish Model” which would revolutionize mining worldwide. The technology led to a significant increase in the number of drill metres per driller and unit of time.
1948
Torbjörn Bask starts his own mechanical workshop in Mensträsk to manufacture mining equipment. During his many years as a miner at Boliden, he had realized what opportunities there were for efficiency and improvement.
1952
Bask Mekaniska moves to new, larger premises in Norsjö, with enough space to develop machines that could streamline production in the mines. In the following years, further expansions were made to cope with the growing business.
1957
The company now constructs the first unit for upward drilling for Boliden. It was designated BVU (Drill Wagon Upward Drilling). The product was a success and orders quickly came in from other mines, both around Sweden and in countries such as Italy and Germany.
1960
Launch of JOBA, which at this time was the first drill unit with more than one drill boom. JOBA had two or three drill booms and was in exports called “The Garp 3 Jumbo”. Jumbo became the big buzzword in underground drilling and the product was the company’s bestseller right into the 1970s.
1974
1974 Bask was bought by Linden-Alimak AB (today’s Alimak), which made it a wholly-owned subsidiary under the name of Linden Alimak Norsjö AB. However, the company continued to be called Bask by both employees and customers. During this period, the first self-propelled drill unit was developed, which was further proof of the height of innovation in the company.
1983
Nya Bask AB is now formed by seven former employees, after Alimak had chosen to close down operations in Norsjö a couple of years earlier. The new owners invested in customized machines such as narrow drill units and special vehicles, but also on what laid the foundation for the 21st century product line: heavy mechanical scalers.
1995
As a result of the recession of the 1990s, Bask goes bankrupt and the bankruptcy estate is bought by the small engineering company Jama Mekaniska in Boliden, which saw the value in the history and expertise that existed in the company.
1996
Jama Mekaniska receives an order for three prototypes of the new SBU 800, as well as an option for about ten more machines. The scaling machine had upgraded features, new chassis and impressive energy, which meant that about 30 units of the 800 series was built in different versions and it became the world’s most series-produced scaler.
2002
Under the new name of Jama Mining Machines, the company became part of the then Industriteknik AB in Boliden. In the years that followed,the first generation of the 8000 series was developed and in 2008 the SBU 8000 won an international award as the world’s best mining machine of its kind.
2010
Jama Mining Machines is once again an independent company and continues to develop existing and new products. The 8000 series has been further improved and surpasses its predecessors in the number of manufactured units. Within just a few years, the CSU 8000 concrete sprayer and the secondary scaler RBU 8000 were also launched.
2020
Jama strengthens its environmental initiative and launches the battery-powered SBU 8000E, the world’s first fully electric scaler with all the characteristic properties associated with the 8000 series.
2022
Launch of Jama Mid-Size, a customized, compact and ergonomic scaler developed specifically for customers in the global market. With a focus on creating a smaller and lighter machine, there are high hopes of reaching out to new international markets.
