All posts by Paul Moore

EXPONOR 2024 – eyes of the world were again on the Antofagasta region

Communications in mining, Mineral processing, Mining consumables, Mining equipment, Mining events, Mining maintenance, Mining people, Mining policy

The Antofagasta Region was – once again – a global focal point of the mining industry, as it hosted the twentieth edition of EXPONOR, organised by the Antofagasta Industrial Association, AIA, and which was attended by IM where we carried out interviews with some major mining technology suppliers and mining companies. Juan Duran at the AIA recently reported back to us on the event big picture, highlighting some of the standout statistics and comments from keynote speakers.

Positioned among the five most important mining, technology and energy exhibitions in Latin America, EXPONOR opened its doors June 3-6, bringing together 1,146 exhibitors from 32 countries and various regions in Chile, along with 47,000 visitors.

The EXPONOR 2024 inauguration ceremony 

“Once again, the Antofagasta Region is positioned in the eyes of the world through its solid mining industry, which marks the heart of our territory through EXPONOR, a melting pot that will help lead the development of the industry in the coming years,” said Marko Razmilic, AIA President, during the opening ceremony.

EXPONOR, a biennial technical and on-site exhibition, is not only an opportunity to create new business, but also to be at the forefront of the industry with seminars, technical talks and visits to mine sites. These last two activities are opportunities for on-site learning about the mining operations in the territory and the technologies used in the sector.

“With over one thousand one hundred exhibiting companies, over two thousand business roundtables, 32 participating countries, talks and seminars, EXPONOR is consolidated as an internationally renowned exhibition held here, in the mining heart of our country, which cannot be said of other exhibitions of this type in the rest of the world,” said Aurora Williams, Minister of Mining.

Consolidated as an international reference for the presentation of new technologies in mining, energy, industry and sustainability, EXPONOR is a crucial platform for connecting companies from various countries, facilitating the exchange of information, creating new business and commercial strengthening for large, medium and small companies.

Aurora Williams, Chile Minister of Mining

Todd Mercer, the Australian Ambassador to Chile, says that the exhibition provides a robust space for connection, to grow the industry. “EXPONOR provides an exceptional opportunity for companies from various services in the mining and energy industry to strengthen their international relations, boosting cooperation and global growth.”

In this edition, EXPONOR stood out for being a platform for the industry, supplier companies, authorities, academia and innovators to meet and discuss key issues: gender equality, community relations, cutting-edge technology, combating climate change, mining 4.0, artificial intelligence, and carbon neutrality, among others.

“EXPONOR also offers talks and seminars that discuss issues relevant to the development of the country, the region and our society, which gives another facet to this exhibition: sitting down together, talking and providing solutions to the needs that afflict us as a society,” said Ricardo Díaz, Regional Governor.

“The Antofagasta Region has become a centre of unprecedented growth for renewable energy; it has the necessary resources to become an international reference in the field, copper, lithium, even green hydrogen will position the region in the eye of the world and we see this reflected in EXPONOR,” added Diego Pardow, Minister of Energy.

The exhibition also generated opportunities for large industry and supplier companies to connect, with over 2,800 business roundtables held and another 500 organised together with ProChile, where cutting-edge companies from Peru, Canada, Brazil and Mexico, among others, had the opportunity to learn about the services and products offered by Chilean companies.

“EXPONOR is very important for driving the growth of large, medium and small-scale mining. But mining is not the sole focus, we can see innovation, transport and energy participating in this exhibition. For our country to grow, all industries should participate, and EXPONOR provides a showcase for that springboard in our country,” said Nicolás Grau, Minister of Economy.

Brazil was the guest of honour in this edition, consolidating its position as a strategic commercial ally of Chile. The presence of Brazil provided the opportunity for robust connection with Chilean industry, fostering new links and future business that boost bilateral growth. “Chile and Brazil have a solid commercial alliance that grows every year; for us it has been an honour to be the first Latin American country to be a guest of honour at EXPONOR, which reflects the importance of strengthening bilateral ties in support of the growth and development of both nations,” said Paulo Pacheco, Brazilian Ambassador to Chile.

From a nascent EXPOIN in 1985, with 65 exhibitors, the exhibition has grown steadily, and today as EXPONOR, this platform has become an international showcase for the region and the country. Each edition represents a unique challenge and growth opportunity, positioning the Antofagasta Region as the stage for the most important mining and technological exhibition in the world.

In two years, Canada, one of the five main mining countries in the world, will be the guest of honour at EXPONOR; expectations are high and there is no doubt that Chilean companies and companies from all over the world will have the opportunity in Antofagasta to expand their business horizons on an international scale. See you at EXPONOR 2026!

Chile is also set to host International Mining Events‘ Electric Mine 2025 conference, being held May 13-15 at Centro Parque in Las Condes, Santiago.

Barrick deploys Woodgrove DFR flotation technology for Jabal Sayid Lode 1 project

Base metals, Mineral processing, Mineral project development

Barrick says it is ‘revolutionising’ copper concentration through the use of Woodgrove Technologies’ Direct Flotation Reactor (DFR) technology at the MBCC Jabal Sayid copper mine in Saudi Arabia, adding: “This technology features a smaller footprint, greater efficiency, and unparalleled selectivity, enabling the transition from rougher concentrate to final concentrate in a single stage.”

The Jabal Sayid underground copper operation is located 350 km north-east of Jeddah in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It is a 50/50 joint venture operation with Saudi mining company Ma’aden. In Q1 2024 the mine produced 17,000 t of copper and for the full year 2023 it produced 64,410 t (both 100% basis). Mining and development is carried out by Australia-headquartered Byrnecut whose contract currently runs to 2028.

The DFR technology has been deployed as part of the new Jabal Sayid Lode 1 project. The scope of this project is to develop and mine a new orebody, located less than a kilometre from the existing lode at Jabal Sayid. The project design includes underground capital development as well as ventilation, paste plant and underground mining infrastructure upgrades where stoping commenced during the third quarter of 2023 and development was running ahead of schedule and was 98% complete by end Q1 2024.

The up-cast ventilation raise bore shaft had also been fully equipped and the reaming of the fresh air ventilation shaft had been completed by end March. A new reagent plant and the DFR were commissioned in Q1 2024 with ongoing optimisation. Civil and mechanical construction at the paste plant had also been completed with electrical construction nearing completion. Commissioning of the paste plant was scheduled to commence during the second quarter of 2024.

DFR flotation cells have been deployed at other operations globally, including at Copper Mountain in BC, Canada, now owned by Hudbay Minerals and Lundin Mining’s Chapada gold mine in Brazil. It has also been earmarked for Generation Mining’s Marathon palladium-copper project in northwestern Ontario which is in the final stages of obtaining permitting and approvals.

Woodgrove says that Direct Flotation Reactors provide up to a 50% footprint reduction plus involve reduced capital investment and operating cost using up to less 50% power and bringing 90% air savings. DFR also allows for reduced transportation costs with less piping, wiring and smaller MCCs plus use single level staging with no step height.

In more detail, the company states: “The Direct Flotation Reactor (DFR) is a flotation cell that works on the principle of preventing the formation of a froth and froth slurry interface. Independent bubbles are removed from the collection zone in a gas phase/slurry phase. The flotation cell has a particle collection regime in the lower half of the vessel and the loaded bubbles are recovered at the top of the vessel.”

The complete unit is a pressurised system. The DFR has a very low footprint due to the absence of a froth phase, the mass pull does not dictate tank size and the installation is on a single level (elevation) with no step height between cells. “Being a low air system, the DFR has enhanced selectivity and like the SFR has reduced power and air consumption. No mist, dust or off-gases as the system is entirely enclosed! The system performs equally well in both rougher and cleaning circuits with equivalent or better performance than conventional flotation technology.”

A few other cited benefits of the elimination of the froth zone are no coalescence of bubbles when froth forms (coalesced bubbles are up to 20x larger than when they are formed), plus mineralised particles ‘compete’ for the reduced surface area while ‘losers’ drop back into the slurry.

 

Epiroc’s autonomous SmartROC D65 put through its paces at Fortescue’s Iron Bridge & Solomon Hub

Automation, Equipment maintenance, Explosives and blasting, Mineral project development, Mining consumables, Mining equipment, Mining maintenance, Mining safety, Mining software, Steel and iron ore

In Australia’s Pilbara iron ore mining area, Epiroc and Fortescue have been working together to develop the SmartROC D65 Autonomous drill rig that Epiroc says is pushing the boundaries of autonomous mining. The rig was first deployed at Iron Bridge in the East Pilbara, the joint venture mining project between Fortescue Metals Group subsidiary FMG Magnetite and Formosa Steel IB, with the US$3.9 billion operation near Marble Bar producing high-grade magnetite.

Epiroc agreed to a partnership with Fortescue Ltd in 2021 to use the SmartROC D65 MKII Autonomous on a Fortescue mine site for a trial period of at least 12 months. Iron Bridge Mine was selected as the best-fit site for the trial’s objectives. The trial began in 2022, and the rig hit production KPIs in May 2023. As of 2024, all activities related to autonomous implementation and future development were moved to Solomon Hub in the central Pilbara north of Tom Price.

“It’s great to be working with Epiroc here at Iron Bridge and seeing the SmartROC D65 drill in action,” says Graham Howard, Director of Operations at Iron Bridge last year.

High temperatures – often 45 degrees Celsius – made this an ideal place to trial any equipment, autonomous or not. But Epiroc says Iron Bridge presented other opportunities to put this new test version of the SmartROC D65 Autonomous through its paces. The magnetite is buried in hard rock beneath metres of looser clay-like soil and then transitional earth, meaning the rig is drilling under various conditions. “We want that,” says Nick Howlett, an Epiroc Automation Specialist. “It’s how we develop and make a good product.”

Fortescue has a reputation for being a forward-thinking mining house. It has been pursuing autonomous solutions for well over a decade, making it a natural partner in the SmartROC D65 Autonomous program.

Epiroc and Fortescue entered a partnership in 2021 to trial this MKII version of Epiroc’s SmartROC D65 Autonomous. This project followed a 2018 SmartROC D65 Autonomous MKI pilot project in Canada. A successful test would provide Fortescue with an autonomous blast drill solution and Epiroc with vital test intel under realistic mining conditions.

“There’s no doubt autonomous is the way the industry’s going,” says Epiroc Australia General Manager and Managing Director Wayne Sterley. “And that speaks to the inherent productivity, efficiency and safety gains of autonomous solutions.”

An autonomous SmartROC D65 rig’s advantages aren’t down to pure speed but tend to accumulate over time via a clever use of autonomous subsystems and the high quality and consistency of the holes it produces. “A manual operator could maybe beat us over an hour or so, but that’s not what it’s about,” Howlett says. “It’s about consistency. When the operator goes for a break, we drill. If there’s blasting nearby, we drill. And our shift changes tend to be shorter. We’ve spent a lot of time perfecting how the rig drills autonomously, including water control, how it starts a hole, and the tricky aspects of collaring. We’ve also tuned it for different types of ground, with five different settings. You set these different parameters, the operator selects one and the drill gets to work.”

The SmartROC D65 Autonomous has also had an edge in pre-split drilling. At Iron Bridge, operators drilled up to 30 m at an angle, meaning it’s relatively easy for unintended deviations in holes. The autonomous rig was more precise in these scenarios, making for better drilling predictions and, in turn, easier drill plan adjustments. Consistency also has positive impacts on equipment life cycles, with the SmartROC D65 MKII Autonomous rig’s autonomous algorithms utilising components such as cylinders, feed chains, rotation heads, and rock drilling tools more optimally.

At its test sites, the rig looks similar to a manually operated drill but features LiDAR and cameras on the machine’s front, back and top. There are also automation mode (safe-to-board) lights for transitioning from remote to local operations. Surrounding traffic cones mark out the SmartROC D65 MKII Autonomous rig’s geofence, or perimeter of autonomous operations.

The drill was controlled from the Iron Bridge remote ops centre. The SmartROC D65 MKII Autonomous rig’s tele remote station sat in a separate low-lit control room. It features two joysticks, a touch screen like that inside the rig, and three additional LCD screens that display critical operational information – hole and drill pattern progress, a video stream from the rig’s onboard camera system, and the drill’s technical state and alarms.

“Like any new tech, there’s been some skepticism,” Howlett says. “But [Fortescue] has begun to advertise for jobs for autonomous operators and there’s been a lot of interest. One of the lads told me he sees it as an opportunity to see more of his family in Perth.”

“We have the opportunity to put people in a safer working environment, and help them be more productive and efficient,” Sterley adds. “By taking on this digital transformation, we’ll attract more talent into the industry.”

So, what’s next for the SmartROC D65 Autonomous program? After the 2022/2023 success at Iron Bridge, 2024 is about tackling autonomous contour mining at Fortescue’s nearby Solomon Hub. “There’s a lot of knowledge about path planning and obstacle detection but not about tramming for contour operations,” Howlett says. “Those are wicked challenges. We’re looking forward to giving it a crack.”

 

Major order for Sandvik underground equipment from Evolution Mining for Australian mines

Base metals, Mine shafts and equipment, Mining equipment, Precious metals

Sandvik has received a major underground mining equipment order from Australian-based Evolution Mining. The order was booked in the second quarter and valued at approximately SEK 300 million. Deliveries are scheduled through Q2 2025.

The order includes Sandvik’s advanced underground loaders, trucks and development drills, to be implemented in different mines in Australia. “We are very pleased that we continue to be a trusted partner to Evolution Mining and that we strengthen our partnership further as they renew big part of their fleet,” says Mats Eriksson, President of Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions.

Evolution’s principal underground operations in Australia are the recently acquired Northparkes (80%) copper-gold mine in NSW, the Ernest Henry (100%) copper-gold mine in Queensland, and the Mungari (100%) gold mine in Western Australia. Sandvik will deliver Toro™ TH663i trucks and Toro™ LH621i loaders to optimise operational efficiency and support ongoing mine development initiatives at Ernest Henry. Mungari Operations will receive Toro™ TH663i and Toro™ TH551i trucks, Toro™ LH517i loaders and two Sandvik DD422i development drills. Evolution is also integrating a Toro™ LH514 loader into the Northparkes fleet.

Matt O’Neill, Chief Operating Officer, Evolution Mining emphasised the importance of maintaining a modern, reliable and productive fleet across operations to optimise performance and production reliability. “Sandvik’s proven products have consistently delivered results, providing the case for this renewal program,” O’Neill said. “The deployment of these units over the coming year will ensure a seamless transition and continued operational excellence.”

“Our collaboration with Evolution Mining extends beyond equipment supply to include automation systems, digital products, rock tools, parts and service offerings,” said Wayne Scrivens, Vice President Sales Area Australia and New Zealand at Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions. “We are committed to supporting Evolution Mining in achieving its operational goals and look forward to further strengthening our partnership.”

 

 

 

Escondida | BHP submits environmental impact statement for mining truck trolley assist system

Automation, Base metals, Bulk handling, Environmental, Equipment maintenance, Mineral commodities, Mineral project development, Mining consumables, Mining equipment, Mining maintenance, Mining services, Power supply for mines, Sustainable mining

Escondida | BHP has submitted an Environmental Impact Statement (DIA) to Chile’s Environmental Impact Assessment System (SEIA), to advance its project ‘Implementation of the Mining Truck Electrification System in Escondida Norte’ which seeks to assist the transportation of mining trucks to the interior of the mine using a trolley system.

The project considers the construction of a new electrical substation and transmission lines both inside and around the Escondida Norte pit. These installations will electrically assist the transit of trucks in the areas of the mine where they are loaded with copper ore and, consequently, consume greater fuel. With this new technology, instead of using diesel, they will be propelled by electric energy, thus reducing operational emissions of greenhouse gases and improving the productivity associated with the performance of trucks given the higher travel speed.

About the project, President of Escondida | BHP Alejandro Tapia expressed that “the electric trolley system is one of the initiatives with which we seek to advance towards a safer and more sustainable way of operating thanks to technology. This project will allow us to reduce the fuel consumption of our haul trucks and thus advance our goal of net zero operational greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.”

The initiative considers an approximate investment of US$250 million and during its construction phase employ an approximate workforce of 112 people per day on average with a peak of 160 people per day.

The trolley project joins other technological transformation initiatives that the company maintains in different stages of study and execution, among them, the progressive incorporation of autonomy in its mining equipment. To date, Escondida | BHP has six autonomous trucks in full operation and by 2025 it expects to have the largest fleet of autonomous equipment in South America.

The mine continues to phase in Caterpillar 372 t class 798 AC electric drive trucks such as those pictured following an agreement signed in August 2022 between BHP Group Ltd, Caterpillar Inc, and Finning International Inc. These will eventually replace the entire 160+ strong Escondida mining truck fleet.

A rebranded WEG set to make powerful debut at Electra Mining Africa

Automation, Mining consumables, Mining maintenance, Mining services, Power supply for mines, Sustainable mining

WEG has maintained a formidable presence on the African continent for over four decades, consistently demonstrating its industry-leading capabilities at Electra Mining Africa under the Zest WEG brand. This year, a rebranded WEG is poised to make a powerful debut with a renewed focus on innovation and sustainability.

Eduardo Werninghaus, CEO at WEG Africa, says a strong belief that a more efficient and sustainable tomorrow starts today will underpin the company’s participation at this year’s Electra Mining Africa. The company will showcase its latest advancements in hybrid power solutions encompassing renewable energy and energy storage, along with premium efficiency electric motors and drive technology.

“With our continued commitment to supporting our customers’ decarbonisation projects, WEG aims to update the industry on cutting-edge technologies designed to reduce energy consumption and carbon footprints, while driving continuous growth and sustainability,” Werninghaus says.

Visitors to the WEG stand at Electra Mining Africa can expect to explore hybrid power generation solutions including solar, wind, gas, and diesel powered options as well as battery energy storage systems (BESS). With an established reference base in Brazil and other countries across the globe, all these WEG technologies ensure a continuous, stable and reliable energy supply.

Werninghaus emphasises that the WEG team will be on hand to discuss specifics about all the options, and to provide further insight into the company’s extensive experience and expertise when it comes to providing sustainable energy solutions.

On display will also be the WEG W23+ Ultra IE6 and WEG W22 IE4 electric motors, which push the boundaries in efficiency. These motors offer mines reduced operating costs, lower noise levels and increased reliability.

Another highlight will be the WEG MTW05 medium voltage switchgear, which is locally assembled and tested in South Africa for voltages ranging from 2.3 kV to 36 kV. This switchgear has been developed to meet stringent standards, including IEC 62271-200, without losing its convenience assembly and maintenance features. It also has the flexibility to be adapted to the different requirements of the market.

“We will also use Electra Mining Africa to engage visitors on our WEGSEE+ platform for calculating potential energy savings achievable by replacing motors, gearboxes, and inverters,” Werninghaus explains. “With accurate analyses and strategic indicators, our tool generates valuable data for making smart decisions to optimise resources, again speaking to sustainability. It will also measure return on investment periods and evaluate the potential to avoid or reduce GHG emissions.”

“With these innovative offerings, WEG continues to set the benchmark in the industry, reinforcing our commitment to sustainability and efficiency,” he concludes.

With a legacy of excellence and a forward-looking approach, WEG is set to make a significant impact at Electra Mining Africa, highlighting technologies that are not only innovative but also pivotal for a sustainable future. WEG will be in the Red Zone at stand P01.

WEC Water supplies its largest packaged filter water treatment plant to a mine in the DRC

Base metals, Environmental, Mining consumables, Mining services, Water management

WEC Water says it has secured and successfully completed a project for the design, manufacturing, delivery, installation supervision and commissioning of the largest packaged filtered water treatment plant the company has built to date.

Destined for a large copper mine in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the plant has been designed to produce 680 m3/h filtered water to be used for service water for the mine. The plant consists of two treatment trains each with a flocculation tank, three clarifiers, four multimedia filters, and intermediate storage tanks. WEC Water engineered an automated chemical dosing system designed to provide precision control of all chemical dosing. The feedwater is sourced from the mine’s tailing dam, boreholes and surface water.

Nigel Birchall, Senior Project Manager at WEC Water: “Not only is this the largest packaged water treatment plant of its type that we have delivered anywhere in Africa, but the project also required considerable logistical management of a total of 18 trucks. The plant itself is based on WEC’s standard filtered water treatment package plant with several customisations integrated into the basic design to meet the requirements of the client.”

The design and manufacturing phases of the project took seven months. Once built and assembled in South Africa, the plant was packed and transported to site, which took another two months. Says Birchall: “It was critical that we managed the entire logistical process, ensuring constant communications between the transport service provider and the logistics team, to ensure that we not only met our deadlines but also that every component reached its destination.”

Birchall adds: “The plant is designed with a high-level of automation, from the filtration to the dosing processes and requires little operator intervention. While this is a new client for us, WEC Water has completed a number of similar water and wastewater treatment projects for African mining operations in countries such as Côte d’Ivoire, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Lesotho and the Republic of Guinea.”

Sandvik steps up remote monitoring for better mining

Communications in mining, Equipment maintenance, IoT, Mine shafts and equipment, Mining equipment, Mining maintenance, Mining services

While the ability to remotely monitor the performance and condition of mining equipment is not new, Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions has taken great strides in applying data analytics and dedicated algorithms to give mines even greater value from their machine data.

This has been witnessed in the company’s remote monitoring service (RMS), which has rapidly evolved from the company’s telemetry data reporting solution, better known as My Sandvik Insight Insight and Productivity for underground. RMS takes further digital steps to give mines even more uptime and productivity while prioritising safety and driving down maintenance costs.

Zandre de Witt, Portfolio Specialist for RMS and Digitalisation at Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions

“The digital age has seen mines embracing the value of data in their decision making, and as an OEM we support this by raising the value of data to another level,” explains Zandre de Witt, Portfolio Specialist for RMS and Digitalisation at Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions. “We use data to generate more detailed insights into machine health, which allows mining operations to embrace a proactive maintenance mind set.”

The My Sandvik telemetry data reporting solution, already operational in the field for about eight years, has allowed data to be gathered on the ‘Knowledge Box’ installed on Sandvik equipment – and even transmitted and stored to be displayed on digital dashboards. RMS takes this further towards meeting the strategic objectives of mining customers, according to Logan Pillay, Sales Support Manager at Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions.

“The strategic focus today is on safety, cost effectiveness, productivity and sustainability – and RMS allows us to find the opportunities in the data to accelerate our path on this journey,” says Pillay. “It is about the conclusions to be drawn from the various combinations of readings from our technology; these insights then feed into response processes and our interactions with customers, to improve and streamline operations.”

RMS is most capable on Sandvik’s i-series drills, loaders and trucks, which come standard with intelligent capability. Through the company’s Global Reliability Centre, reports on each item of equipment are generated through a range of powerful algorithms, pointing to potential issues demanding attention.

“We can pick up indicators that there is dust ingress into an engine, for instance, which could severely damage components within a matter of days,” he says. “Through the protocols that we have established with customers, we would then contact the correct person on site and alert them to the identified risk before it leads to an unplanned stoppage.”

The report to the customer would include not only the readings and analysis, but also practical recommendations for maintenance teams to follow in the investigation of the issue. It is therefore little surprise that the uptake of RMS has been enthusiastic – with over 40% of the entire connected fleet in Southern Africa having moved onto the RMS customer base.

De Witt highlights that the mining sector includes a growing number of younger managers, engineers and technicians who readily embrace the digital revolution, and want to put technology to work in improving operations.

“Our experience is that mining staff are increasingly data hungry when it comes to monitoring and maintaining equipment,” he says. “They also want to see this data in real time, and in a fully analysed format to guide quick decisions.”

Local understanding of mining operations is also a key factor in the successful application of RMS, says Pillay. Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions is therefore continuously upgrading the skill levels of its local staff, to contextualise and apply the support being received from the company’s global data experts. There has been considerable experience developed in applying RMS in underground mining, and the company now has exciting pilot initiatives underway in the opencast environment.

The benefits of RMS have been demonstrated not only through avoiding unscheduled downtime, but by achieving longer lifecycles between maintenance through improved operator techniques and behaviour. RMS also allows production cycles to be tracked and analysed, creating opportunities to identify more productive strategies that boost the bottom line.

Liebherr and Fortescue announce partnership for development of Autonomous Haulage Solution

Automation, Bulk handling, Environmental, Equipment maintenance, Mining equipment, Mining maintenance, Mining services, Mining software, Steel and iron ore, Sustainable mining

Building on the ongoing cooperative efforts between Liebherr and Fortescue, the two companies have announced that they will further combine their areas of expertise to develop and validate an Autonomous Haulage Solution (AHS). The AHS will be integrated with the zero emission haul trucks that the companies are currently co-developing, with the aim to be the first AHS operating zero emissions vehicles globally.

In August 2023, Liebherr announced the deployment of a fleet of four T 264 autonomous trucks in Western Australia for onsite validation, which marked the next stage of Liebherr’s development of a new autonomy product for the mining industry. This onsite validation is currently taking place in partnership with Fortescue at its Christmas Creek mine site, in a purpose-built facility for validating zero emission and autonomous haulage technologies.

“With our teams now fully integrated, Liebherr is excited to formally announce our partnership with Fortescue to collectively develop and deploy our Autonomous Haulage Solution,” says Oliver Weiss, Executive Vice President, R&D, Engineering, and Production, Liebherr Mining. “Liebherr has always prioritised market-led product development and we are privileged to be partnering with Fortescue. Our collaborative efforts will be beneficial for not only Fortescue, but all customers who choose to implement Liebherr technology products on their sites.”

Liebherr and Fortescue’s partnership to develop and validate the AHS was formalised in March 2023. Since then, the team has finalised the definition of the System and is now developing the System’s extensive features and functionalities for validation.

As part of the AHS development, Liebherr and Fortescue will develop an integrated Fleet Management System and a Machine Guidance Solution, capable of being used independently on human-operated sites. Upon completion of system validation, the Autonomous Haulage Solution will be deployed across Fortescue mine sites.

“Our deep expertise in autonomous haulage that has come from operating over 200 diesel autonomous haul trucks across our mine sites, has enabled Fortescue and Liebherr to develop a Fleet Management System that uniquely targets efficiency and unlocks untapped capacity in our fleet,” said Dino Otranto, Fortescue Metals Chief Executive Officer. “The partnership with Liebherr has enabled us to jointly develop the Fleet Management Systems, which provide us with an OEM agnostic solution that can be integrated with any autonomous platform including trucks, drills, watercarts or any other heavy mining equipment. This critical technology puts our business in full control of our development priorities and roadmap.”

The AHS – including the Fleet Management System and Machine Guidance Solution – will also be made available to customers worldwide as part of Liebherr’s expanding technology portfolio.

“This development will allow us to offer the global market a complete Autonomous Haulage Solution including a fully integrated Fleet Management System and Machine Guidance Solution,” says Weiss. “These innovative technologies form part of our expanding range of technology products and are another step forward in our strategy to become a total solution provider for the mining industry.”

This collaboration between Liebherr and Fortescue to deliver a fully integrated Autonomous Haulage Solution marks an expansion of the existing partnership between the two companies. The partnership began in June 2022, when the two companies announced their intention to build a zero emission haulage solution using Liebherr’s OEM experience and Fortescue’s fuel cell battery and battery-electric technology.

Komatsu completes acquisition of GHH enhancing its underground offering

Base metals, Bulk handling, Equipment maintenance, Mine shafts and equipment, Mining equipment, Mining maintenance, Mining services, Precious metals, Steel and iron ore

Komatsu says it has completed its acquisition of GHH Group GmbH (GHH), a manufacturer of underground mining, tunnelling and special civil engineering equipment headquartered in Gelsenkirchen, Germany.

GHH’s wide range of equipment, focused on loaders (LHDs) and articulated dump trucks, it says “will enhance Komatsu’s growing underground mining product offerings. This includes aftermarket parts and service support through the entire lifetime of the equipment.”

“The talented GHH staff are now part of Komatsu and our new combined team will work together to expand offerings and increase customer access to products in new territories,” said Peter Salditt, President of Komatsu’s Mining Business Division. “We are excited to start collaborating to add value to our customers’ operations.”

Komatsu added that it is committed to expanding its underground mining offerings for global customers. “By adding GHH’s factories and rebuild facilities in key markets in Europe, Southern Africa, India and Chile, the company will work to strengthen production and service capabilities for customers. With this strategic investment in leading products, solutions and talent, Komatsu is excited to further strengthen its position in underground mining as it seeks to support new and existing customer operations worldwide.”