Epiroc has won a multi-year order that is its largest ever for digital solutions, from mining company Codelco in Chile. The package of advanced digital solutions it says will strengthen safety and productivity at the El Teniente copper mine.
Codelco, the world’s largest copper producer, has ordered a combination of digital solutions that will – among other things – optimise fleet management and ore production, provide visibility of people and machines underground, collect machine performance data, and help avoid vehicle collisions. The solutions will be used at El Teniente’s underground as well as surface operations.
The five-year project is valued at about MSEK250, and the first phase was booked in the fourth quarter 2023 at a value of about MSEK50. “Digital solutions are increasingly important to ensure mining companies can reach their full potential when it comes to safety and productivity,” says Helena Hedblom, Epiroc’s President and CEO. “Codelco has long been on the technological forefront, and we are happy to continue to support them as they further enhance their digitalisation to ensure operator safety and maximum operational efficiency.”
Epiroc, through its Digital Solutions division, says it is bundling together a wide variety of digital solutions that enhance mining companies’ operations. With this order, Codelco is upgrading its existing digital solutions and adding a collision-avoidance system and the ability to collect machine performance data.
“We are proud to expand our partnership with Codelco as they advance their digital journey, with an offering that provides an agnostic ecosystem across connectivity, automation, safety and productivity applications,” says Paul Bergström, President of Epiroc’s Digital Solutions division.
Key building blocks of Epiroc’s digital offering include Certiq, a telematics solution, which gathers, compares and communicates vital equipment information; MineRP’s enterprise mining data platform focuses on standards-driven integration of technical and business data, and interoperability of software applications; the Mobilaris product portfolio which has situational awareness at its core where real-time data and superior 3D visualisation enable transparency and awareness; and the My Epiroc digital fleet management solution for mining and infrastructure operations. My Epiroc, available for both web and mobile devices, aims at boosting fleet efficiency and safety.
On collision avoidance, Andreas Prill, Acting BLM, Digitalisation at Epiroc recently told IM: “The Epiroc CAS/PDS is very unique in the sense that it comprises of a number of sensors ranging from low frequency, sub GHz RF, time of flight, GPS, cameras and radars which can be freely combined to achieve the highest level of safety for various environments like underground or surface operations and for the individual use cases a mine wants to address.”