On March 1, EACON celebrated a groundbreaking milestone together with industry experts, clients, and partners—its Autonomous Haulage Solution (AHS) has been successfully deployed on over 1,000 autonomous haul trucks, marking it says a first in the industry.
The adoption of autonomous haulage in brownfield sites progresses through three stages: autonomous haulage trucks (AHTs) in an isolated area for trial, AHTs sharing operation zones with conventional trucks, and a full roll-out. The biggest challenge arises in the second phase, where autonomous and conventional trucks must operate together.
EACON states: “Helping mining companies navigate this stage – while ensuring safety and minimising production disruptions – can reduce barriers to autonomous haulage adoption, a crucial step in scaling fleets in real-world use. This is exactly what EACON is committed to with its highly adaptable ORCASTRA® solution, enabling rapid, large-scale commercial deployment. Its distributed structure, multiple redundancy layers, and advanced prediction capabilities enhance both adaptability and safety in mixed operations.”
Additionally, EACON further upgraded its management platform in 2024 to encompass all systems across the entire production process, reducing both manual workload and operational complexity while leveraging AI for smarter, data-driven optimisation.
Experts at the event highlighted autonomous haulage as a game-changer in open-pit mining, redefining cost efficiency and productivity. With continuous advancements, it is driving a wave of smart transformations – streamlining operations, optimising management, and empowering the industry to reach new heights of efficiency.
Tian Aimin, former General Manager of Yanbao Energy at CHN Energy Group, also noted that haul truck drivers make up the largest workforce in open-pit mining, posing safety challenges. Autonomous haulage enhances safety by reducing human presence on site, achieving “safety through autonomy.” EACON’s solution has been widely deployed, demonstrating its maturity and adaptability across diverse mining operations.
At the event, EACON also signed strategic partnerships with nine mining contractors to accelerate the adoption of autonomous haulage and foster industry collaboration.
Looking ahead to the rest of 2025, EACON says it remains committed to working closely with industry partners to drive innovation, enhance safety and efficiency, and break new ground in autonomous mining – reshaping the future of the industry.