NEW SMALL BUSINESS MEMBER: Brokk Australia
Brokk Australia: Swedish robotics transforming hazardous work
In 1976, an industrial challenge in the northern Swedish city of Skellefteå sparked an innovation that would change how hazardous demolition work is performed worldwide.
Workers needed a safer and more effective way to remove refractory material and clean the interiors of hot industrial furnaces. The solution developed by PE Holmgren and Rivteknik was the world’s first remote-controlled demolition robot—a compact yet powerful machine that allowed operators to work from a safer distance rather than standing directly inside the hazardous work zone.
That breakthrough marked the beginning of Brokk.
In 2026, Brokk celebrates 50 years of developing remote-controlled technology for some of the world’s toughest working environments. More than 10,000 Brokk machines now operate worldwide across construction, mining, tunnelling, metal processing, cement production, nuclear decommissioning, and security and rescue.
Small machine, serious power
A defining feature of Brokk technology is its combination of compact dimensions, low machine weight, and considerable demolition power.
Brokk robots can enter confined and difficult-to-access spaces, travel through doorways, negotiate stairs, and operate in locations where conventional excavators may be too large, too heavy, or otherwise unsuitable. Depending on the application, the machines can carry hydraulic breakers, concrete crushers, drum cutters, buckets, grapples, drills, and other specialised attachments.
Remote operation creates physical separation between operators and hazards such as falling material, unstable structures, heat, vibration, dust, and dangerous work faces. Electrically powered models produce no exhaust emissions at the point of operation, making them particularly well suited to underground mines, tunnels, industrial plants, and other enclosed environments.
The result is more than mechanisation. It represents a different approach to risk: placing the machine in the hazardous area while keeping the operator at a safer distance.
Engineering with a distinctly Swedish identity
Even the Brokk name reflects the company’s Swedish heritage. It is derived from Brokkr, the master craftsman of Nordic mythology who helped forge Mjölnir, Thor’s hammer.
The comparison is fitting: compact, powerful, and capable of producing an impact far greater than its size might suggest.
Brokk’s development also reflects qualities closely associated with Swedish industry: practical innovation, thoughtful engineering, workplace safety, and disciplined technological improvement over time. What began as a solution to a single dangerous industrial task has grown into an international group serving highly specialised industries worldwide.
Swedish technology at work in Australia
Brokk Australia is a wholly owned subsidiary of Brokk AB, providing Australian and New Zealand customers with direct access to the group’s machines, technical knowledge, and application experience.
The technology is particularly relevant to Australia’s mining and resources sector, where operators regularly face confined work areas, unstable ground, heat, dust, vibration, and the need to reduce human exposure to high-risk tasks. Applications include secondary breaking, underground scaling, drawpoint rehabilitation, excavation, refractory removal, concrete demolition, and other forms of zero-entry or reduced-entry work.
Brokk machines are also used in construction, civil infrastructure, tunnelling, heavy industry, and specialised emergency-response applications where conventional equipment cannot safely or practically reach the work area.
With facilities in Adelaide and Sydney, Brokk Australia supports customers through machine and application selection, demonstrations, operator training, servicing, spare parts, and ongoing technical support.
The Australian business also represents complementary specialist technologies, including Aquajet hydrodemolition systems and a selection of compact, battery-powered construction equipment. Together, these products support safer and more productive approaches to demolition, concrete remediation, material handling, and work in enclosed or emissions-sensitive environments.
Fifty years—and the original purpose remains
The technology has advanced enormously since the first machine was developed in Skellefteå. Today’s Brokk robots incorporate modern remote-control systems, advanced electrical power management, specialised attachments, and connected support capabilities.
The underlying purpose, however, remains unchanged: to solve difficult industrial problems, improve productivity, and move people away from danger.
From a Swedish smelter in 1976 to mines, tunnels, construction projects, and industrial plants across Australia and around the world, Brokk demonstrates what Swedish engineering does particularly well: turning a practical workplace challenge into an enduring global innovation.
Brokk Australia
📍 9 Colorado Court, Morphett Vale SA 5162
📞 +61 8 8387 7742
✉️ Sales: sales@brokk.com.au
✉️ Service & after-sales: service@brokk.com.au
✉️ General enquiries: info@brokk.com.au
Managing Director: Will Visser
Sales Manager: Stefan Mace
Find out more about Brokk Australia and its technology: Brokk Australia
