Mining ground support is only as effective as the equipment used to produce and install it. But production lines and installation rigs serve very different purposes—and choosing the wrong system can affect output, installation speed, safety, and overall project costs.

In this article, you’ll learn how mining ground support production lines compare with installation rigs, where each fits best, and what to consider when selecting equipment. Whether you’re a mine operator, equipment buyer, or contractor, this comparison will help you make a more practical, cost-effective equipment decision.

What "Ground Support Equipment" Actually Covers 

The concept of ground support can be defined as the equipment that keeps rock in place after its removal from the mine: rock bolts, mesh, straps, channels, plates, cable bolts, and standing support configurations. All of the steel needs to be manufactured before its delivery to the mines.

The distinction between them should be clearly understood: on the one hand, there are manufacturing machines that produce physical objects; on the other hand, there are installation machines that install them in mines. They are at different ends of the same chain, they are purchased by different people for different amounts of money, and confusing them in a specification list is very easy.

Production Lines: Manufacturing Ground Support Components

The production line refers to the production line that converts the raw steel coils into the final forms, which the mine uses for their operation, namely, channels, straps, mesh, plates, and support stands. With regard to this topic, the term "roll forming" denotes the manufacturing technique for most of those parts mentioned above. The raw steel coil is passed through a number of stations in which it is gradually bent into the desired profile in the form of a strut channel, C or Z section, and flat strap.

The roll forming technique is not unique to the mining industry. It is the basic manufacturing technique for manufacturing structural channels, cable trays, and support profiles within the construction and energy sectors. What makes it relevant to the current case is quite obvious: any mine that wishes to produce their own support structures will need such a line.

Core Equipment in a Production Line

A typical roll forming production line isn't a single machine. It's a coordinated set of systems working in sequence:

• Decoilers and material feed systems: unroll and feed the raw steel coil into the line at a controlled speed

• Roll forming stations: stations with tools that progressively shape the steel into the required profile

• Punching and notching units: adds holes and notches in the profile before it gets its shape

• Cut-to-length or shearing systems: cut finished profiles to the exact length required

• Automated stacking and packaging: groups and packages the components after finishing their production

• PLC controls: controls the speed of the line and order of the tools used in the line

BMS Group manufactures this category of equipment directly, including strut and channel roll forming machines, cable tray roll forming lines, and the hydraulic decoilers, cut-to-length lines, and slitting machines that support them.

Who Buys/Operates Production Lines

Production lines are typically owned by:

• Steel fabricators and OEM suppliers producing support components for mine operators

• Mining companies with in-house or regional manufacturing capability, often set up specifically to reduce dependency on imported products

• Distributors localizing production closer to the mines they serve, cutting lead times and freight costs

Key Evaluation Criteria for Buyers

If you're the one signing off on this kind of capital equipment, a few factors matter more than the sticker price:

• Throughput and line speed: How many meters/tons of the completed profile is produced by the line per shift

• Material flexibility: What gauge and grade spectrum the line can process without extensive retooling

• Changeover time: How long it takes to switch the line from one profile to another in case of producing multiple component types

• Automation level and labor requirements: How much operator intervention the line requires for maximum throughput

• Footprint and facility requirements: Whether your existing premises will be able to accommodate the line

• Total cost of ownership: How the price of the line relates to the price of continued imports of the components, taking into account transportation costs, lead times and foreign currency exchange rate risks

Common Mistakes When Specifying a Production Line

Buyers run into trouble when they:

• Underestimate changeover flexibility, then discover the line can't efficiently switch between the two or three profiles their site actually needs

• Ignore local steel supply variability, buying a line calibrated for a coil spec that isn't reliably available in their region

• Overlook tooling and after-sales support, only to find replacement tooling takes months to arrive when a die wears out

Installation Rigs: Getting Support Into the Ground 

What an Installation Rig Does

With the components fabricated, there is a need for their proper deployment. This is where installation rigs come into play—these are machines that provide mechanized operations of drilling, bolting, and installing ground support underground, normally immediately after a blast round or as part of a development progression.

These are different types of equipment from others discussed here since they have been designed with the ability to move underground and with sufficient drilling power. A rock bolting jumbo is an example, which features a drilling boom and a bolt installation system enabling a crew to install several bolts per round without drilling them manually.

Core Equipment and Rig Types

Installation rigs vary depending on the support method and the physical constraints of the heading:

• Single-boom rigs: ideal for narrow heading and low-volume development.

• Multi-boom rigs: can install several bolts at once, increasing the number of bolts installed per shift in bigger developments.

• Integrated drill-and-bolt systems:  integrate drilling and bolting in one mechanized operation

• Cable bolting rigs: designed specifically for long cable bolt installation as opposed to mechanical or friction bolts

• Mesh handling attachments:  allow a rig or crew to install mesh along with bolting in one go

• Mobility configuration: rail-mounted, rubber-tired, or low-profile chassis, depending on drift dimensions and site layout

Who Buys/Operates Installation Rigs

Installation rigs sit firmly on the operations side of the business. They're bought and run by:

• Underground mine operators, as part of owned equipment fleets.

• Contract mining companies, who often move rigs between multiple sites.

• Dedicated ground control and development crews, responsible for keeping headings safe ahead of production.

Key Evaluation Criteria for Buyers

The evaluation criteria here look almost nothing like the production line list above, which is part of why these two purchases shouldn't be lumped together in the same procurement conversation:

• Drift and heading clearance: physical compatibility between the rig and the size of the openings required.

• Cycle time and productivity: number of bolts set per shift, the primary determinant of advance rate of development.

• Compatibility with bolt and mesh types: whether or not the rig can handle the profile that you produce on your line.

• Operator safety systems: enclosed cab, remote and/or semi-automatic operation, and dust and vibration control.

• Maintenance access and parts availability: particularly important in remote locations, where the cost of downtime while waiting for parts is much higher than the part itself.

Common Mistakes When Specifying an Installation Rig

The recurring issues here tend to be

• Mismatched rig dimensions, where a rig purchased on spec sheets alone doesn't actually clear the real headings on site

• Underestimating maintenance lead times, particularly for remote or fly-in operations where a delayed part can idle a rig for weeks

• Compatibility gaps, buying a rig that can't efficiently handle the bolt or mesh profile your operation actually manufactures or sources

Production Lines vs. Installation Rigs: Side-by-Side Comparison

How the Two Systems Work Together

The complete process chain looks like this: the raw steel coil is delivered to the production facility, processed through a roll forming line, and emerges from the other side as fabricated channel, strap, mesh, or bolt stock. The fabrication process ends there, and the end product is shipped to the mine, where it is then installed via an installation rig as a part of the ground control cycle.

In such a way, local manufacturing facilities are gaining significance. In the case when mining companies depend on ground support components from the foreign producers, these operations are subjected to risks of transport delays, changes in the exchange rate, and customs clearance issues, which altogether may render an installation rig idle, despite being prepared to perform its duties, due to lack of parts. 

A local production line, even though it is not within the mine itself, would cut down this chain and reduce the chances of idling the installation rig because of the transport troubles. That is the reason for the necessity to understand both categories simultaneously and not separately.

How to Decide What Your Operation Needs

Before signing off on either category of equipment, it helps to work through a few honest questions:

• What stage of the supply chain am I actually solving for? There is a difference between manufacturing capacity and installation throughput.

• What's my current bottleneck? If your installation rigs are working faster than your materials are being delivered, more installation rigs will not solve this problem. If your manufacturing capacity is good, but your installation rig cannot install the bolts fast enough, a new manufacturing line will not be suitable.

• Do I need flexibility across multiple profiles? Multi-profile lines are more expensive and flexible. If your installation site uses several types of bolts or channels, changeover time becomes an important issue.

• What's my exposure to import risk?  The longer the transport lines, the greater the currency risks and customs formalities become.

Answering these honestly usually points toward one category or the other, and sometimes toward both.

Final Thoughts

"Ground support equipment" isn't one purchase decision. It's two. Production lines manufacture the components; installation rigs put them where they need to be. Understanding which problem you're actually solving, manufacturing capacity or installation throughput, is the difference between a procurement decision that fixes your bottleneck and one that just adds equipment without addressing it.

If your operation is evaluating manufacturing capability for mining-grade support components, BMS Group builds the roll forming production lines and auxiliary equipment that make up the upstream half of that supply chain. Get in touch to talk through what your site actually needs.

FAQs

What is the difference between ground support manufacturing equipment and installation equipment?

Ground Support Manufacturing Equipment is employed to manufacture, construct, and assemble machinery, while Installation Equipment is employed to mount and set in place these pieces of equipment into their ultimate operating setting.

Can one company use both a production line and installation rigs?

Yes, industries such as the renewable energy sector, oil and gas, telecommunication, and construction sector employ both production lines and installation rigs for several reasons. First, it is employed to give end-to-end services, field operations, and manufacturing divisions.

What materials are used in roll-formed mining ground support components?

Mining ground support components produced by roll-forming processes include such items as friction bolts (split sets), expandable rock bolts, mine straps, bearing plates, and roof panels. These components are primarily made out of high-strength, ductile steel alloys because of the ability of these products to endure great shifts in the ground without breaking.

How long does it take to install a roll forming production line?

The installation time for the basic production line is between 3 and 7 days for the assembly, wiring, and testing of the machine. For advanced, highly automated machines that have more than one punching station, flying shear, and auto stacker, the installation time is between 10 and 20 days.

What maintenance does mining ground support equipment require?

Ground support mining equipment such as rock bolters, scalers, and mesh handlers, which is used to reinforce underground mine shafts, needs organized maintenance due to their critical nature.