Mining equipment manufacturer, Sandvik, is to close its manufacturing plant in Burlington, Ontario, Canada and transfer production to facilities in China, Finland and Australia. Sandvik Mining and Construction, a manufacturer of drilling and underground loading and haulage equipment for the global mining sector as well as other mining equipment, says its decision to close the plant follows a thorough assessment of the operation’s future financial robustness, an alignment of the global manufacturing capacity and of addressing a number of projects critical to its long-run profitability. Currently, underground hard rock mining low profile LHDs, light trucks, and underground soft rock rubber tyred vehicles are made there and it has been operating since 1981. The Burlington products, related R&D and engineering will continue and will be transferred to three existing factories in China, Australia and Finland. The factory’s decommissioning is scheduled to be finalised by the end of 2010 and affects all 114 of Sandvik’s Underground Mining employees on site.