– I see what each stone block can become
Bertil Andersson drives a wheel loader at Minera’s quarry in Offerdal, Sweden. That he has ended up here is the result of a journey that began when he was a child.
Bertil Andersson drives a wheel loader at Minera’s quarry in Offerdal, Sweden. That he has ended up here is the result of a journey that began when he was a child.
– I remember we used to sneak off to the slate quarry near the town where I grew up. It was fun to play there; to ride our bikes and so on. It wasn’t always popular with mum and dad, but anything forbidden was the most fun in those days, Bertil Andersson reminisces.
Name: Bertil Andersson
Works at: Offerdal
Job title: Driver/handyman
Being born and raised in Lien, about a mile north of Offerdal in Jämtland, it’s almost a given that Offerdal slate will become part of your life. At least it was for Bertil. So when the time came to get a summer job, the name of his employer was, as it were, written in stone.
– My brother and a few other guys got work at the slate quarry and it was through them that I got my first summer job. Then one thing led to another and suddenly I had a permanent job here, he says.
One thing really did lead to another. The workplace may not have changed much, but he’s done a bit of everything during his 23 years at the quarry.
– I began by splitting stone. All the splitting is done by hand, so it’s a relatively demanding job. Now I drive wheel loaders, he says.
The best qualities of Offerdal slate:
I think Offerdal slate looks really good; it’s got a special shine. It’s also a very solid material that can be used for almost everything.
Bertil Andersson
Driving a wheel loader is significantly easier than using raw strength to split rocks with a hammer and chisel.
– These days it’s mostly loading, unloading and sorting, and a bit of clearing up, occasionally. I’ve become a kind of handyman, he explains.
After spending a quarter of his life at the quarry, Bertil has experience to spare, as they say. And it often comes in handy.
– I’ve developed a bit of an eye for seeing what a block of stone can become. As a stone splitter, it was important to know the stones, because each stone is unique. That makes the job exciting, he explains.
– It’s also great to be able to work on producing something that’s important for your hometown, and that also has a fantastic appearance.
– I think Offerdal slate looks really good; it’s got a special shine. It’s also a very solid material that can be used for almost everything. In my eyes, Offerdal slate is by far the best, he boasts, and then laughs:
– But then, I don’t have much experience with any other type of slate!
The process of dividing and shaping slate is so detailed and sensitive that it is still impossible to fully replace it with robots and technology. And the same tools and techniques that were in use hundreds of years ago are still in use today.
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