On June 16, a Saudi Arabian National Mining Company (Maaden) delegation visited Chinese autonomous haulage system major CiDi in Changsha to conduct an exchange and inspection tour. It included senior members from Maaden’s technology and innovation team; as well as representatives from MMD’s Centre of Excellence – MMD is a provider of CiDi’s MetaMine AHS solution outside of China.
CiDi says the two sides engaged in in-depth exchanges on topics such as unmanned transportation in mining areas, the digitalisation of mining operations and global cooperation, with a view to jointly exploring application and development opportunities for intelligent mining technologies in a global contexts.
As one of the most influential integrated mining companies in the Middle East region, Maaden is a leading Saudi national mining company and a key implementer of Saudi Arabia’s ‘Vision 2030’ strategy. In recent years, Maaden has continued to promote the digitalisation and intelligent transformation of the mining industry. It has actively positioned itself in areas such as smart mines, automated transportation, and green and low-carbon operations, and has extensive potential for cooperation with CiDi in the fields of unmanned mine transportation and full-process digital operation.
During the visit, the delegation first went to the CiDi industrial park and testing grounds for a tour and experience. During the dynamic demonstration segment, CiDi highlighted its key products, such as cabless and autonomous mining trucks and remote controlled excavators, as well as their typical application capabilities. Through demonstrations of real-world operating scenarios, the system was showcased, highlighting its accumulation of capabilities in autonomous driving technology development, complex scenario adaptation, and large-scale operational implementation. Both parties expressed a willingness to collaborate in advancing potential pilot projects.
CiDi points out that technological research and development will continue to facilitate widespread implementation of smart mines and smart logistics scenarios. By enhancing its product lineup and industrialisation capabilities, it says it aims to accelerate its expansion into international markets and work collaboratively with global partners to drive the development of mine transportation towards greater safety, efficiency, and intelligence.
For its part, Maaden is also working with other partners on autonomous haulage technology piloting and trials, with an active project to deploy the Pronto system on Volvo CE R100 rigid trucks at the Al-Jalamid phosphate mine in northern Saudi Arabia, where contractor Saudi Comedat provides full mining services.