by Aleksi Autti, CEO,
Nina Valjus, HR Manager and
Laura Mämmelä, HR & Marketing Coordinator
at Arctic Drilling Company Ltd
The story of the Arctic Drilling Company (ADC) starts in 2004 when Juha Säärelä, the founder, was visiting the Suhanko exploration project near Rovaniemi in Finland. He had been building machinery for the asphalting business during the 1980-90s, so he understood the technology used in the drilling rigs. After the visit, Juha began searching the internet for any possibilities in exploration drilling. One ‘How hard can it be?’ turned into a decision to build the first drilling rig himself, with help from friends.
In 2005, Timo Kämäräinen, the owner, joined Juha to run the company. This helped a lot; Juha and Timo had years of experience working together in the same asphalting company. Their different characteristics supported the company’s success. By 2012, it had grown to over EUR 17 million in revenue.
In 2013, the global mining industry faced major challenges, which also caused the exploration market’s crash. Drilling activity was down in Finland and Sweden, sharpening competition in the market and crashing drilled meter prices. A new approach had to be developed.
ADC began focusing on growth in underground diamond core drilling. The company had already independently developed a mobile underground rig, which minimized downtime in underground drilling. The product was a success in every project, and ADC quickly doubled the number of underground drill rigs. Underground was more stable than the surface market at the time, so this helped gain the needed momentum.
Finally, after a few years, the market started to pick up again, and ADC had an opportunity to meet the demand with newly developed deep hole diamond rigs. From 2018 onwards, significant growth came from the Swedish market on the basis of long-term partnerships and the ability to reach the targets in deep drilling programs. Success in several projects and serving the customers’ needs helped the company achieve EUR 43 million in turnover by 2024.
Drill fleet
Currently, ADC is considered one of the biggest exploration drilling companies operating in Europe and has built a solid foundation to operate across Scandinavia as its home market. Since 2014, all our drilling services have been certified by DNV, a global independent expert in assurance and risk management, to ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and ISO 45001 standards. These certifications show our focus is not only on drilling meters and targets but also on delivering high-quality service, using environmentally friendly technology, and ensuring safe working methods throughout the company.
ADC’s drilling services include mainly diamond drilling, both surface and underground, RC drilling, and BoT sampling. We have 30 rigs in our fleet to serve various drilling projects.
Apart from the RC rigs, all rigs are built in-house in Rovaniemi, Finland. Great emphasis on research and development has allowed us to create our own drilling units as well as the software to run them. This has enabled efficiency on another level; it also means that every ADC surface rig can reach depths of up to 1800 m (5906 ft) in NQ size, while our deep hole fleet can drill down to 3500 m (11 483 ft). All surface rigs are mounted on rubber tracks to ensure minimal environmental impact.
ADC’s underground fleet has two different setups. The mobile underground drill rig for fast site transfer and quick setup before drilling is ideal for shorter holes and keeping high production rates at all times. This mobile rig can still drill NQ size down to 1200 m (3937 ft), which gives customers excellent versatility and serves the needs of most underground mines. The other setup is our deep hole underground rig, built to ensure safe and efficient drilling of up to 2100 m depth in NQ (6890 ft). This rig is designed with ergonomic working conditions in mind and keeps delivering good production rates in deeper holes.
Lastly, our own development has resulted in the BoT rig. This design and its features have been approved by Anglo American and ensure correct BoT samples within a safe and ergonomic working environment. The rig is extremely capable in difficult terrain; it will give even a snowmobile a run for its money in winter conditions. It is important to remember that even the best rig is nothing without an experienced crew. Diamond core is always diamond core, but a BoT sample can be anything if the crew does not have the necessary experience.
Directional drilling
In addition to the services above, we also offer directional drilling using Aziwell’s technology. Our approach to directional drilling includes handling planning, the traditional drilling, and the directional core drilling, all with the same crew. This creates more flexibility, allowing the customer to use directional core drilling even on smaller projects. By using the same crew for everything, we ensure high-quality service and excellent communication on every part of the project.
We have been growing our experience with directional drilling since 2018, and we have several long-term projects in Finland and in Sweden. Right now, we have four rigs operating on directional core drilling (DCD) projects with our own crew handling everything. Naturally, we have been Aziwell’s long-term testing partner in developing their directional core drilling tool.
Directional drilling project: Viscaria Ab in Kiruna, Sweden
Our largest directional drilling project has been operating non-stop for two years in the Viscaria Ab’s area in Kiruna. The project size varies between two and five rigs. Our supervisors and drilling team work closely with the customer: from the first steps of planning the targets, through changing the DCD plans based on surveys and natural deviation, to making suggestions if extra corrections might be needed. Having experienced personnel working with capable equipment means we have a solution that reaches the customer’s targets in all conditions.
‘We have worked closely with ADC for several years, and what we value most is the experience and problem-solving mentality of their crews and supervisors. At Viscaria, we are exploring deeper than ever before, with long and technically challenging drill holes in rock conditions that are not always straightforward. Their teams communicate well and work collaboratively to find solutions and efficiently get the hole to target. Their expertise in directional core drilling has also been a real benefit to our exploration campaigns,’ states Ross Armstrong, Head of Exploration, Viscaria Ab.
Other services and manufacturing
Apart from drilling services, we can offer customers drill site management and planning, route planning and maintenance, and much more. If there is something that we cannot offer, we have a variety of partners to deliver the services, while we will handle the management.
Research and development have always been a major part of ADC, which has led to interest in our rigs from other companies. Throughout the years, ADC has built and sold 32 diamond rigs internationally and we are still selling rigs to external customers. A new generation rigs, designed to meet underground drilling needs for years to come, is coming up in the pipeline.
Currently, our market focus spans Europe, but we are looking to expand into new horizons with a new generation of products and with our services. We have proven our ability to mobilize quickly for totally new markets, so if you have drilling needs anywhere, it never hurts to ask for our services.
Team
ADC’s growth has always been closely connected to its people and their expertise. Today, ADC employs 200 people. Most of the workforce, 158 employees, work in drilling operations, while 30 professionals work in production, maintenance, and engineering, and 12 are in administrative positions.
Many of ADC’s drillers have years of experience in the industry. The average length of employment in drilling operations is 7.7 years, providing continuity and a strong foundation of knowledge within the company. Experience is also shared in everyday work. For example, surface drilling is carried out in pairs, with a driller and an assistant driller working closely together. This allows employees to learn from each other and develop their skills through hands-on work across different projects and environments in the Arctic.
‘We want to give every new employee a strong start, regardless of their previous experience. Good onboarding provides the foundation for safe working, professional development, and becoming part of the team,’ says ADC’s HR Manager Nina Valjus.
Trust and safety are the cornerstones of ADC’s daily operations, from safe working practices to reliable equipment and its responsible use. ADC has a flat organizational structure, which supports quick decision-making and allows employees to contribute ideas and have an influence over their work. Sharing knowledge, helping colleagues, and succeeding together are important parts of the working culture.
Continuous learning is encouraged through regular training and relevant certifications. As ADC continues to grow, maintaining a skilled and experienced workforce will remain important. The aim is to develop the expertise already within the company, while also attracting new professionals to support ADC’s future growth.
For more information: Visit adcltd.fi/en
