Rio Tinto’s procurement strategy sees Chinese tyres and conveyor belts head to Simandou
Attitudes to Chinese suppliers continue to change, with a growing number being seen as strategic long term partners providing agility in technology offerings, shorter lead times, plus logistical flexibility. But Chinese technology companies are also supplying sustainability and circularity solutions and options. A good example is in the case of mining tyres and mining conveyor belts and companies like BOTON and Sailun Group.
Just looking at Rio Tinto as a customer – the Tier 1 miner sees significant opportunities in bringing together the scalability, rapid innovation and R&D capabilities of Chinese OEMs together with Rio Tinto’s operational expertise and global standards – to the point of co-creating technology and equipment tailored for its future needs.
In June 2024,  leading Chinese premium conveyor belt supplier BOTON and Rio Tinto held a grand renewal signing ceremony, marking the official start of a new chapter of cooperation that spans eight years. This renewal BOTON said was not only an affirmation of the previous five years of collaborative achievements but also a firm commitment to future joint development. Up to that point, the total length of the conveyor belts supplied by BOTON to Rio Tinto exceeded 800 kilometres.
The cooperation dates to 2018, when BOTON provided Rio Tinto’s Dampier Port with its first trial conveyor belt, and since then supply has covered mines and new construction projects in various regions such as Australia, Canada, the United States, Mongolia, Guinea, and more. Moreover, the collaboration has expanded from single product supply to technological cooperation. In 2023, BOTON and Rio Tinto jointly developed a conveyor belt testing platform, optimising product design by simulating actual working conditions and jointly addressing early-stage conveyor belt damage issues.
BOTON says it is committed to technological innovation, driving the intelligent and unmanned transformation of the mining industry. During the 2024 visit, BOTON showcased its latest achievements in smart conveying, unmanned inspection, low-carbon materials, and circular recycling. Additionally, BOTON is actively exploring the recycling and reuse of worn conveyor belts, promoting the development of a circular economy.
In March 2024, BOTON officially began supplying SimFer – the Rio Tinto part of the Simandou iron ore mining project in Guinea which is mining Blocks 3 & 4 of the deposit. BOTON established BOTON Conveyor Services Guinea LLC and the BOTON Africa Technical Service Center in Guinea, providing 24/7 technical support to ensure project supply chain security and operational continuity. BOTON was already successfully supplying conveyor belt products to the Winning Consortium Simandou which is mining Blocks 1 & 2 of the deposit.
More recently in 2025, Chinese mining tyre major Sailun Group signed a five-year supply agreement and global framework agreement for the Simandou project in Guinea from 2025 to 2030 with Rio Tinto. The MAXAM brand, a subsidiary of Sailun Group, is providing a full set of tyre solutions for XCMG XDE260 230-ton class mining trucks – also fro China – and supporting additional ancillary equipment at Simandou iron mine, with a view to also gradually starting cooperation at other global projects of Rio Tinto Group.
Sailun said that the two sides have had extensive discussions on leading technologies and applications of tyres and rubber. Sailun Group “will rely on its comprehensive industrial chain advantages, accumulated R&D strength, and efficient and sufficient production capacity to ensure the safe and stable supply of Rio Tinto’s global projects.” At the same time, the two sides exchanged their respective ESG concepts and practical cases, and reached a preliminary intention on global cooperation in the recycling of waste mining tyres, jointly practicing corporate social responsibility, reducing corporate carbon footprint and environmental footprint, and making lasting contributions to the sustainable development of human society.
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