Hexagon’s Mining division has announced a partnership with Rio Tinto to deploy over 200 Hexagon Collision Avoidance Systems (CAS) at the Oyu Tolgoi copper-gold open pit mine in Mongolia, including on the 30-strong 290 t class Komatsu 930E-4SE haul trucks fleet as well as the loading tools which include two Caterpillar 7495HR rope shovels as well as Cat 6060 and Liebherr R 9400 hydraulic shovels, plus a range of smaller class Komatsu and Caterpillar haul trucks, in addition to a wide range of ancillary machines including wheeled and crawler dozers, graders, wheel loaders, drill rigs, plus service vehicles and light vehicles.
It is the first major CAS deployment in Mongolia, and Hexagon says its technology is now transforming safety and productivity at one of the largest known copper and gold deposits in the world. “The integrity of Hexagon’s product development is why we chose to build a partnership,” said Khorolsuren Ganzorig, Superintendent, Mine Support, Oyu Tolgoi mine. “Since deploying CAS in our operation, I have noticed a drastic change in our operators’ driving behaviour. This will help to fulfil Rio Tinto’s and Oyu Tolgoi’s strong ambition to keep people safe in our mining operations.”
Hexagon says it is dedicated to supporting the future of mining in Mongolia and is establishing a permanent presence there, adding: “This will allow us to fulfil a commitment to providing localised support for a growing partnership with Oyu Tolgoi and the broader mining industry in Mongolia.”
Simon Stone, Hexagon’s Mining division VP APAC: “Any industrial operation faces challenges. Safety and productivity need to come together and be effectively managed. I’m sure that you can appreciate that in a world where’s 10,000 people working in the one facility, in the open pit and in the underground, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week – that is a challenge – the management and the leadership of the Oyu Tolgoi mine are very diligent in identifying risks and mitigating them. Hexagon is proud to be a partner.” He also referenced the fact that this is just the latest development in an already long term partnership between Hexagon and OT: “We have had our mine planning technology here for a long time; we have our particle size distribution cameras; we have our survey equipment [IDS] GeoRadars – with the collision avoidance system rollout we are taking that safety proposition to a new level, making sure people go home safe at night to their families.”
Munkhsukh Bayar, Project Manager, Oyu Tolgoi Mine gave some more details on the deployment: “Currently we have deployed the system at Level 7 and 8…we have installed the collision avoidance system on over 200 equipment units as well as training over 1,000 people since we started deployment. We have also started receiving some positive feedback from the operators…we see the support in how it is helping them do their work even more safely.”
Ganzorig adds: “Rio Tinto Group and also Oyu Tolgoi have a really big ambition to eliminate fatalities related to vehicle interaction. To fulfil that ambition we looked for a good system that could contribute to our journey. The way Hexagon develops their products is very good; they do not just reflect the technology trends but they also try to incorporate industry trends but then also user needs.”
Hexagon has released a video about the CAS project at Oyu Tolgoi which can be viewed at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBHWC2ab1qA