A changing world
Sandvik has defined some external factors and drivers that impact our company. Together with customers and other stakeholders, we will seize the opportunities they create in order to generate profitable growth, manage risks and minimize our environmental impact.
Materials development
New materials, such as innovative alloys, nanomaterials and advanced powder technologies are creating new opportunities. Lower weight, improved strength and anti-corrosion durability are examples of properties in demand.
Sandvik is a world leader in materials development and produces materials with customized properties for new applications. Metal powder can be used as a raw material in applications with high demands on hardness, strength or ability to conduct electricity and heat. Sandvik is strengthening its position in the rapidly expanding markets for metal powders and additive manufacturing (3D printing).
Resource efficiency
A growing global population and economy will require a transition to more sustainable energy and technologies as well as an increased degree of recycling.
Sandvik is contributing with new solutions, such as electric mining equipment, and is developing materials for solar panels and hydrogen-powered cars. We are developing new technologies in metal cutting that help to improve productivity and reduce environmental impact. We aim for resource efficiency in our own operations and have the ambition to achieve as high a recycling rate as possible to contribute to a circular society.
Digitalization and automation
Historically, design, machining and analysis have been three clearly defined phases in metal cutting. New technology and digitalization are leading to the integration of the three stages to form a seamless manufacturing process.
Sandvik offers digitalized solutions and services to optimize its customers’ and its own operations pertaining to costs, productivity and environmental impact. Data collection, for example in mining equipment, enables advanced analysis to optimize processes and to predict maintenance needs. Other examples include automated mines, intelligent tube systems and digital tools.
Economic and political developments
Macro factors such as globalization, urbanization, political governance, and cyclical conditions influence Sandvik. Changes in circumstances for trade, such as customs duties, Brexit or the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) also impact the industry. Our global presence, our decentralized work procedures and our regulatory affairs allow us to be flexible and adapt to changes in circumstances. All of our business areas have business and action plans in place to manage changes in market conditions.
New manufacturing techniques
The manufacturing industry is experiencing one of the greatest transformations ever, a transition often referred to as Industry 4.0, and involves a shift to digitalization and automation. Access to Big Data, sophisticated analytical tools, robotization and artificial intelligence are creating new business opportunities and resulting in better business intelligence, new ways for people to interact with machines and new opportunities to transfer digital instructions to physical products. The development contributes to reduced costs, increased productivity and improved management of fluctuations in demand.
Sandvik invests in additive manufacturing, or 3D printing, a technology that requires fewer manufacturing steps and reduces impact on the environment by producing lighter products with less raw material. Multi-axle technology, where you can machine a material from several different angles, improves efficiency and enables completely new types of products. Optimizing manufacturing processes reduces carbon emissions and costs and increases productivity.