Tag Archives: Caterpillar

Cat’s Denise Johnson on solidifying the electrification solution set

Automation, Environmental, Mining equipment, Mining services, Power supply for mines, Sustainable mining, , , , , , , ,

In the leadup to this week’s MINExpo 2024, Caterpillar has been making headlines across the mining technology space with a string of announcements related to mine site electrification. IM got a chance to sit down with Caterpillar Resource Industries Group President, Denise Johnson, to talk through these and more.

The following Q&A picks up from a discussion Editorial Director, Paul Moore, had with Johnson and Brian Weller, Vice President of Electrification, in the leadup to MINExpo 2021, in Las Vegas.

IM: When comparing where the industry is now with the electrification trends and indicators seen just before MINExpo 2021, what do you view as the major energy sources for ultra-class haul trucks to allow miners to achieve some of their net-zero, scope one emission targets? Has your viewpoint changed over that three-year period?

DJ: I don’t think it has changed. Three years ago, we had a vision of the predominant choice for zero exhaust emission haul trucks being battery-electric. Three years later, that vision has been maintained.

You could argue that the battery chemistry has evolved over that time frame, but the expected solution set has broadly remained the same. If anything, we have been able to further validate battery-electric trucks as the optimal choice over that three-year period.

What has changed though is the approach to this from mining companies. There is much more of an interest in ‘stepping into’ the electrification journey, versus just ‘flipping a switch’. In other words, we’re seeing more customers being interested in transitioning over time, which is one of the reasons why we have accelerated the development of our Dynamic Energy Transfer (DET) solution, which can already be leveraged with diesel-electric (AC) trucks. This allows customers to start to transition their site infrastructure now, without having to progress all the way to where they need to from an electrification perspective. It allows them to hit their interim greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction targets at the same time, ahead of those longer-term net zero ones.

I think that strategy is very appealing to many customers as they start to look at how to implement electrification effectively over time.

IM: Does this approach differ from region to region (as well as site to site) based on, for example, diesel price benchmarking, access to renewables, energy infrastructure, etc?

DJ: Absolutely. There are some places in the world where sourcing renewable energy is very easy – whether that is through hydropower, solar, wind, etc – and there are others where it is much more challenging. So, we still see that spread with our customers; everywhere from wanting to continue with traditional equipment, all the way to going fully electric.

I would say Australia is probably leading the movement towards electrifying and going all out to achieve zero GHG emissions. A lot of that is driven by carbon tax, government incentives and other aides.

IM Editor Dan Gleeson with Caterpillar’s Denise Johnson

IM: Of the solutions out there, do you see diesel-electric, progressing to battery-electric integrated with stationary charging and DET as the most viable commercialisation route?

DJ: I think mining companies are interested in exploring all the solution sets. From an economic perspective, there is still a lot to figure out in terms of how those will be commercialised.

While I don’t think the commitment towards electrifying has changed, the timeline around when they want to introduce electrification remains the biggest question mark. That is something we are working on, especially with our Early Learner customers. We want them to give us feedback on what timeline they would like to move forward with commercialising. We, in turn, want to make sure we’re meeting what our customers dates are.

IM: Within this electric haulage evolution, is there also a case to be made for exploring a ‘hybrid’ electric solution including battery pack, energy storage component and a smaller on-board engine?

DJ: We’ve studied that heavily and it depends on the mine site as to whether it would be an effective and economically viable option. We have done a lot of simulations around what would be required and, for some mines – especially deep pit mines – the amount of energy you need to pull the truck out of the pit would require the same size engine as you have on a diesel-electric truck today. A smaller engine, combined with an acceptably sized battery and an energy storage source, would not allow you to achieve that same haulage route.

There are other applications that could technically work, but the economics do not make sense now.

We really look at the DET with the diesel engine as our ‘hybrid’ solution. As you see today, we’re basically taking the engine down to idle when it is being propelled on the DET line. The ability to do that allows you to hit that hybrid ‘sweet spot’.

A Cat 798 AC on a DET line at Caterpillar’s Tucson Proving Grounds in Arizona

IM: And DET could also, in theory, allow you to use a smaller battery on board these trucks in certain applications…

DJ: Yes, which allows you more payload potential in those applications as well.

IM: I read that you have now built and tested seven Early Learner 793 XEs to date. What stages are these at in terms of getting to site for testing? Am I right in thinking the one at Newmont’s Cripple Creek & Victor has now been assembled?

DJ: Yes, that one [the Early Learner 793 XE at Cripple Creek & Victor] is going to start running soon. Another one has just arrived in Western Australia too; they are in the midst of transporting that to the test site.

IM: In terms of those Early Learner mine sites, how selective have you been able to be with the applications chosen to give you a wide breadth of knowledge as to how these battery-electric trucks may perform across different types of mine sites?

DJ: We, with our customers, have intentionally chosen the Early Learner site locations to hit ‘corner cases’ for battery truck validation: we have deep pit, we have high altitude, we have cold temperature, we have hot temperature, etc. We are really trying to ensure we hit all those corner cases so the validation that we are doing of not only the technology, but also the application, allows us to understand and learn. We have full confidence that iterations will be required, and we want to do that as soon as possible, so that is why we are sending these machines to the broad corner cases we are.

The customers are also looking for reassurance, as well. One of the things we are doing with the Caterpillar Early Learners is sending engineers to the site to help with that learning cycle. Our team will be right there at the mine site watching, first hand, the development and evolution of the technology as it iterates.

IM: Is that information – in terms of application performance – going to be shared across the Early Learner partner framework as well?

DJ: So, both our Early Learner customers and our Pathway to Sustainability customers are going to be learning with us and finding out what we are seeing at these sites. It is intended to be an industry learning opportunity. There are certain details that cannot be shared, but, when it comes to things like change management for people, and certain processes, technology and infrastructure, we will be sharing that information. It is important to spread this across the industry, and that is the intention of these specific programs.

IM: Might some of these Early Learners and Pathway to Sustainability customers also use DET within this process? Is that part of the conversation?

DJ: In some of these applications, yes, DET will be part of the solution. We will be carrying out field-follow trials on DET in 2025, intending to go into production with it in 2026, so that aligns well with our Early Learner trials.

IM: When it comes to batteries, has your thinking around the supply chain and creating the volumes needed to rapidly bring down the cost changed over this time period (2021 vs 2024)? Could you, for instance, look to acquire more off-the-shelf battery packs/modules, instead of creating customised battery solutions, to lower the cost of the overall battery truck?

DJ: No, our thinking hasn’t changed. We have a number of development agreements with various companies around battery technology that we’re continuing to build on. We think deep integration in this supply chain is important. We won’t be manufacturing cells; we will procure those from a variety of sources around the world, not just one source. The intention would be for us to take the battery cells, make the battery packs and racks, integrate that into our software, the cooling and all the controls. We think it will be a competitive advantage for us, and benefit our customers best, if we do it ourselves. That control system will allow deeper integration into the machine platform and the energy management component. We think it is a core part of what will make our product the optimal solution for our customers.

IM: Does that also come with an extra cost element?

DJ: It could. Caterpillar could buy battery packs off the shelf, but then, what would be the difference between Cat’s solution and anyone else’s? If we think Caterpillar’s control system – through cooling and battery management, for instance – will allow batteries to last longer, then that will allow our customers to achieve the lowest total cost of ownership (TCO). This is important as the battery represents a substantial cost, especially with the scale of the machines we are talking about. We need to be mindful of trying to make them last longer, while servicing and repairing them in an optimal manner.

The lifecycle of the battery is important to achieving this low TCO – from procurement of the cell through to secondary use, which we can leverage oftentimes in a stationary energy storage system application, through the recycle process. We may not do every piece of this – the recycling piece, for instance – but we want to be able to operate that complete lifecycle ecosystem in the way that makes the most sense and provides the best customer value.

IM: How advanced are you in terms of simulation, design and fleet management integration for the deployment of battery trucks? How important will this element be for customers achieving the results they want?

DJ: We have developed a completely in-house simulation software for this, which I am really excited about. The simulation tools will help us in ways we would never have imagined before, and it will be integrated into our autonomy solution as well. This will allow it to be used for advanced planning of the mine site itself, but also for decision support as to when to, for example, move the DET around the site, select how many trucks will be needed around the site, and how to optimise productivity within those confines.

We have already learned a lot from the Early Learner customer sites as a starting point for simulations, visualising their mine sites to help inform them of what they might need from a site infrastructure and energy management perspective. This is where we’re pulling in our energy & transportation expertise to help such analysis, as well as our digital team. It is an enterprise-wide focus that allows us to pull in a lot of skillsets from the entire team.

IM: Could such a solution be rolled out to customers as well?

DJ: We think it will be a very important tool for our customers. We think it will drive down the cost and ensure site optimisation is done at a much broader level than it is today.

IM: Lastly, you mentioned to Paul three years ago that you did see cabless trucks coming in the future. How far away from this future are we now?

DJ: It will depend on our customers pull for it; right now, we’re still putting cabs on trucks! Customers still want that versatility.

But there is a huge advantage to taking the cab out of the equation – in terms of weight and cost. It also allows much greater freedom in design iteration. Additionally, payload increases could be reaped.

We have some cabless designs out there already, but we are waiting for the customer pull. It is the customers that will ultimately help us decide when they are ready for those.

IM: I guess you could give the ultimatum of, ‘You can have a cab on the truck, but you’ll have to forego, say, 500 kW of additional battery capacity to have that cab.’ That may also focus their minds…

DJ: That sort of trade-off may be an option for our customers to consider. I also think as autonomy adoption continues to increase; it will help facilitate the likelihood of that taking place. There will have to be a way to remotely recover those units, but we already do that today.

Cat 992 wheel loaders help boost throughput at Metro Mining’s Bauxite Hills mine

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Metro Mining Limited has boosted throughput rates of its screening system at its Bauxite Hills operation in Western Australia thanks to the commissioning of two new Caterpillar 992 wheel loaders.

This followed the commissioning of a new apron/wobbler feeder screening circuit in May.

The company is undergoing an expansion at the bauxite mine, with the company saying integration and optimisation activities being undertaken with the expansion are delivering the anticipated increased production capacity, with a new monthly shipment record of 720,000 t (wet) achieved in August 2024. This is an increase of 13% over July 2024 and 29% over July 2023, despite a two-day shutdown during the month to replace conveyor belts at the barge loading facility and planned maintenance of the transhippers. This takes the quarter-to-date shipments to 1.4 Mt (wet) and year-to-date production to 2.9 Mt (wet), in-line with annual guidance of 6-6.4 Mt (wet).

A new daily record of 32,022 t (wet) was also set during the month.

By month-end, the two main expansion components, the wobbler screening circuit/barge loading facility and OFT Ikamba, were operating at nameplate and 92% capacity, respectively, the company noted.

Two Cat 992 wheel loaders were commissioned during August. Their bucket capacities of 23-27 t, depending on product density, are approximately double that of the existing 988 loaders. They complement the increased throughput of 1,500 t/h being achieved with the new wobbler screening circuit, while also being safer and more fuel efficient, Metro Mining says. An additional assist tug will be mobilised in September.

Additional Scania R770 prime movers, capable of hauling up to 230 t with a quad trailer configuration, will replace lower powered fleet, the company added.

As the new flowsheet is optimised, along with more favourable ore moisture and tides, Metro expects to see similar gains in monthly production and shipping rates in the coming months, it says.

Alamos Gold boosts Young-Davidson mining rates with Cat R2900XEs

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Alamos Gold has become the latest company to add Cat R2900 XE diesel-electric loaders to its fleet, with the Canada-based miner reporting in its latest quarterly results that the LHDs have contributed to a significant increase in mining rates at the Young-Davidson mine in Ontario.

The R2900 XE features a switch reluctance electric drive system alongside a Cat C15 diesel engine, which offers up to 335 kW of power. Caterpillar says the machine comes with about 30% increased fuel efficiency compared with the R2900G, with its lower engine revolutions per minute resulting in reduced fuel burn, heat, noise, vibration and exhaust emissions.

Since being launched in 2023, these loaders have had significant market uptake – thanks to these traits, as well as the increased payload benefits they offer over the diesel-only equivalent.

In Australia, Gold Fields, MMG and WestGold now have units on their books. In Egypt, Centamin’s Sukari underground gold mine also has R2900 XEs within its fleet. Other loaders have also made their way to Africa, with the first two of a nine-strong fleet having already arrived at the Newmont-owned Subika underground mine in Ghana.

Alamos Gold is the latest company to joint this list.

In its June quarter results, the company said its Young-Davidson mine had been positively impacted by the arrival of two of these machines.

Young-Davidson is accessed via two shafts and a ramp system to a depth of 1,500 m. The operation uses large modern equipment, high productivity bulk mining methods (long hole open stoping) and paste backfill. LHDs load, haul and transfer stope production to the ore pass system from where it is hoisted to the surface with minimal ore and waste re-handling. A multi-year expansion of Young-Davidson was completed July 2020 with the transition to newly constructed lower mine infrastructure which is larger, highly automated and more productive. The lower mine infrastructure is designed to operate at 8,000 t/d and replaces the mid-mine infrastructure which was designed for 6,000 t/d.

In the three-month period ended June 30, Young-Davidson produced 44,000 oz of gold, 10% higher than the March quarter and slightly lower than the prior year period. Underground mining rates averaged 7,885 t/d in this quarter, a significant increase from the March quarter, reflecting the delivery of these new “hybrid production scoops” and temporary downtime during the previous quarter to replace the head ropes in the Northgate shaft, Alamos noted.

The new loaders have replaced two R2900G XTRA loaders and one R1700 loader, the company told IM. The standard R2900G comes with a payload of 17.2 t, whereas the R1700 has a 15-t payload. The R2900 XE offers 18.5 t of payload. The gold miner said it was expecting this increased payload and power to boost the loader’s productivity by 101.6% (on a tonnes per hour basis) when compared with the R2900G.

Alamos also highlighted the reduction in emissions expected to be achieved with the new diesel-electric loaders, explaining that fuel consumption was estimated to come in 34% lower than the R2900G, with 54.9% lower CO2 emissions during “high idle”.

The gold miner said its Young-Davidson operation was planning to purchase one new Cat R2900 XE unit “every year” for the foreseeable future.

Caterpillar to celebrate the essential role of skilled technicians with global challenge

Careers in mining, Mining equipment, Mining maintenance, Mining services, , , ,

Caterpillar is presenting the first-ever Global Dealer Technician Challenge to, it says, celebrate the essential role dealer technicians play in providing an excellent customer service experience.

This challenge, for independent Cat dealers that choose to participate, is designed to showcase how skilled technicians are part of a high-tech, high-impact, high-demand career.

“This hands-on, skills-based competition will test the technicians’ agility, resilience and versatility,” Caterpillar Global Service Vice President, Henry Venneman, said. “These trained experts are on the front line of support, working to keep machines and engines up and running to help ensure our customers’ critical projects are completed.”

Cat dealers globally are experiencing a growing opportunity for technicians. By the end of 2026, it is estimated Cat dealers may need to hire more than 44,000 technicians. This competition is also designed to help raise awareness of the opportunities in this career field.

“There are thousands of opportunities available globally for those who are interested in a hands-on career,” Venneman said. “Cat dealers are often looking for individuals who are problem solvers, mechanically inclined and tech savvy.”

The Global Dealer Technician Challenge will take place over a series of regional and semi-final competitions around the world. The top 10 finalists will have the opportunity to compete in the finals in March 2026 at CONEXPO/CON-AGG in Las Vegas, USA.

BHP, Rio Tinto, Caterpillar and Komatsu agree on Pilbara battery truck testing plan

Automation, Environmental, Mining equipment, Power supply for mines, Sustainable mining, , ,

Days after the conclusion of The Electric Mine 2024 conference in Perth, Western Australia, BHP and Rio Tinto have confirmed they are to collaborate on battery-electric haul truck trials in the Pilbara.

The collaboration reflects the individual commitments made by BHP, Rio Tinto, Caterpillar and Komatsu to support BHP’s and Rio Tinto’s shared ambition of net zero operational greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, they say.

As part of the collaboration, two CAT 793 haul trucks will be trialled from the second half of 2024, and two Komatsu 930 haul trucks tested from 2026 at mine sites in Western Australia’s Pilbara region.

Caterpillar and Komatsu will each provide one truck to both BHP and Rio Tinto for these trials. BHP will trial the Caterpillar trucks, while Rio Tinto will trial the Komatsu trucks. Outcomes of the trials will be shared between BHP and Rio Tinto.

These trials represent the first stage of battery-electric haul truck testing at BHP’s and Rio Tinto’s Pilbara operations.

Ongoing testing, development and refinement of truck and battery design is anticipated with each manufacturer. This will inform the approach for testing a larger number of haul trucks and the potential deployment of battery-electric haul truck fleets into each company’s operations.

BHP President Australia, Geraldine Slattery, said: “Operational decarbonisation relies on breakthroughs in technology and partnerships like this will help drive our industry forward. We are thrilled to work with Rio Tinto, Caterpillar and Komatsu on these trials.

“Replacing diesel as a fuel source requires us to develop a whole new operational ecosystem to surround the fleet. We need to address the way we plan our mines, operate our haulage networks and consider the additional safety and operational considerations that these changes will bring. This is why trials are so critical to our success as we test and learn how these new technologies could work and integrate into our mines.

“We’ve already seen a step-change reduction in Scope 1 and 2 operational greenhouse gas emissions through switching some of our supply to renewable electricity, and we are looking to build on that progress through development of battery-electric technology to reduce diesel usage across our operations.”

Rio Tinto Iron Ore Chief Executive, Simon Trott, said: “This collaboration brings together two leading global miners with two of the world’s biggest manufacturers of haul trucks to work on solving the critical challenge of zero-emissions haulage.

“There is no clear path to net zero without zero-emissions haulage, so it’s important that we work together to get there as quickly and efficiently as we can. Testing two types of battery-electric haul trucks in Pilbara conditions will provide better data, and by combining our efforts with BHP we will accelerate learning.

“As we work to repower our Pilbara operations with renewable energy, collaborations like this move us closer to solving the shared challenge of decarbonising our operations and meeting our net zero commitments.”

WesTrac celebrates 20 years of service and support in New South Wales and the ACT

Automation, Equipment maintenance, Mining equipment, Mining services, , , , , , ,

Leading Cat® dealer WesTrac is marking a major milestone today, celebrating 20 years of providing equipment, service and support across New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory.

More than 16,000 Cat machines have been delivered by WesTrac in the region during that time, supporting customers in the mining and construction industries.

Chief Executive NSW/ACT, Adrian Howard, says: “Over the past two decades, WesTrac has been at the forefront of delivering Cat machines and products to meet rising demand, especially within the construction and mining industries.”

When WesTrac became the official Cat dealer for NSW and the ACT, work immediately began on fitting out the first purpose-built branch in Bathurst. The WesTrac team of 50 rapidly grew to more than 500 in just over two months.

Today, WesTrac NSW/ACT has 18 branches, six Click and Collect lockers and more than 1,500 dedicated team members, providing support and service to more than 6,500 customers each year. WesTrac continues to grow its workforce and develop its people and has nationally trained over 2,400 apprentices through the WesTrac Institute.

Howard says over the past 20 years, customer needs have changed and demands on business operations have increased with the rapid uptake of technology and rise in 24/7 working environments.

“WesTrac is committed to investing in our people and our facilities to continue to deliver world-class service and support to our customers by ensuring owning and operating Cat equipment is safe, easy and profitable,” he said.

“A big part of this commitment is our ongoing investment in our facilities and cutting-edge technologies and, in the last year alone, we have opened the Tomago Technology Experience Centre, installed an AI-powered AutoStore parts warehousing solution and commissioned a world-first automated fluid analysis laboratory.

“We’ve come a long way since 2004 and change is only going to keep occurring faster – our goal is to stay at the forefront of technology and innovation to ensure our customers continue to succeed from owning and operating Cat equipment.”

When discussing what has changed during the period, Howard lists safety, sustainability and diversity of background and thought as three important parts of doing business that have significantly evolved and changed, for the better.

“WesTrac is committed to building a more sustainable future – internally at WesTrac, for our customers and for our local communities,” he said. “We are taking on a collaborative approach to achieve this – one that sets the standard for our industry and strives for meaningful change.

“Thank you to our customers, Caterpillar and our WesTrac team members who through their loyalty and dedication have helped WesTrac to become the world-class business we have today.”

Dingo predictive maintenance solution cuts equipment downtime at Eldorado Lamaque

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Dingo Software is helping Eldorado Gold’s Lamaque mine in Quebec, Canada, optimise maintenance and reliability practices through leveraging the company’s predictive and condition-based maintenance solutions.

The Lamaque mine faced the dual challenge of controlling capital costs and lowering all-in sustaining costs while also navigating the complexities of the global supply chain. With a current life of mine of 10 years, the mine sought to address some of these persistent challenges.

Lamaque decided to first focus on limited access to personnel with reliability skillsets, underutilisation of some of the existing digital platforms and its exposure to the global parts shortage. The team sought solutions to help control and reduce costs, extend the lifespan of major asset components and build world-class reliability expertise, Dingo says.

The site team, in collaboration with Dingo, identified opportunities to enhance equipment maintenance and reliability key performance indicators (KPIs). The chosen strategy aimed to reduce unplanned breakdowns, extend component life cycles, increase equipment availability and mitigate the impact of the global parts shortage.

Martin Pichette, Mine Operations and Maintenance Director at Lamaque Mine, said: “Partnering with Dingo allows us to leverage remotely-located condition intelligence experts from the get-go for a fraction of the normal cost to the company. This allows our few reliability experts to focus on the top issues and make important decisions to ensure our fleet availability is where it needs to be instead of having them analysing data and looking for the issues.”

Dingo also helped Lamaque acquire new sources of business intelligence with a fully documented and centralised asset health database plus integration with the ERP/CMMS, ensuring a complete maintenance and reliability context is available to support all maintenance decisions, it said.

Phase 1 of the Dingo solution involved consolidating oil sample data into a single platform for the first time at the mine. Within a short timeframe after the go-live, critical issues were identified and shared with the site team.

In the first week after go-live, the Dingo Condition Intelligence team observed a 2% fuel dilution, decreased viscosity, increased wear metal values and combustion by-products on a Caterpillar AD30 underground truck with a C15 engine with only 1,391 operating hours.

In response, the Dingo team assigned a ‘Priority 1’ action, providing work-stop level recommendations and provided site with a troubleshooting guide from their library, including recommendations to check the fuel injectors.

Not long after, the local OEM (Toromont) supporting Lamaque identified five defective fuel injectors that required urgent replacement. However, due to the ongoing global parts shortage, the mine was left with no alternative but to perform an engine oil drain on a weekly basis until the necessary parts could be procured. Once available, the injectors were replaced under warranty. This preemptive action not only prevented potential engine failure on the Cat AD30 but also restored up to 90% of the engine’s at-risk lifespan, according to Dingo.

While this proactive intervention circumvented much larger production losses had the engine been lost, it also highlights the significant risk unplanned breakdowns can have on Mean Time in Repair and associated production losses.

Dingo said: “The joint effort between the Lamaque personnel, CAT Toromont and Dingo Condition Intelligence specialists not only averted a catastrophic breakdown but also showcased the effectiveness and rapid results achievable through Dingo’s predictive maintenance solutions. The successful identification and repair of the AD30 injectors resulted in significant cost savings for everyone. In a nutshell, such a breakdown, if it had not been prevented by the team, would have generated production losses of about $65,000 per day due to equipment downtime and significant corrective maintenance cost to the OEM under warranty.

“Beyond financial value capture, this case also aligns with Eldorado Gold’s vision of ‘breaking new ground’ by implementing innovative solutions and enhancing maintenance processes, thereby ensuring the continuous growth of their high-quality business.”

After the AD30 engine save, the Lamaque maintenance team have continued to leverage Dingo to save equipment. For example: three leaking fuel injectors were found on a 45 t haul truck and a transmission was saved on a 15 t LHD; two key prime movers that would have impeded the operation from monthly production targets. Overall, working together, Dingo and Lamaque have now secured three significant equipment ‘saves’ within the first four-month period, Dingo says.

Building on these early successes, Lamaque and Dingo plan to continue to extend the project to the entire fleet, according to Dingo. Next steps will include interfacing with the mine CMMS and leveraging Dingo’s global benchmark tool to help select best practices from similar mines worldwide and to help the mine evolve towards increasingly condition-based maintenance decision making.

Dingo concluded: “This success story exemplifies how proactive maintenance strategies, coupled with innovative partnerships, can not only address immediate challenges but also pave the way for a more efficient future in the mining industry.”

MMG takes delivery of Cat R2900 XE diesel-electric loader at Rosebery

Base metals, Environmental, Mine operation news, Mining equipment, Power supply for mines, Sustainable mining, , , , ,

MMG has taken delivery of its first Caterpillar R2900 XE diesel-electric loader at its Rosebery mine, in Tasmania, Australia, as part of its strategy to achieve the group’s net zero emission targets.

The operation initially put a prototype vehicle to the test at Rosebery over a two-month period as part of Caterpillar field-follow trials conducted by several members of the Electric Mine Consortium, a growing group of leading mining and service companies, all of whom are driven by the imperative to accelerate progress towards the fully electrified zero CO2 and zero particulates mine.

The results of this trial showed a significant reduction in emissions, 56% drop in fuel consumption and a 15% reduction in heat generation, MMG said.

Following this, Rosebery mine has made a significant investment in three “hybrid vehicles” , it says, with these vehicles being the 18.5-t-payload R2900 XE, which is built on the platform of Caterpillar’s most popular underground loader, the R2900G.

The R2900 XE features a switch reluctance electric drive system alongside a Cat C15 diesel engine, which offers up to 335 kW of power, with Caterpillar saying the machine comes with about 30% increased fuel efficiency compared with the R2900G, with its lower engine revolutions per minute resulting in reduced fuel burn, heat, noise, vibration and exhaust emissions.

MMG Rosebery General Manager, Steve Scott, said investment in initiatives that reduce emissions and have a positive impact on the environment and in turn the local community, are a priority.

“We have aspirations to continue to decarbonise our mining operations and this is a step forward in our efforts to achieve this,” he said. “This is a great result, as we strive to meet MMG’s vision of net zero carbon emissions by 2050.”

He added: “As we navigate higher operational costs and a community expectation to reduce our environmental impact, the vehicles also provide the added bonus of a cost saving.”

The loaders were purchased from a local Tasmanian dealership, as part of Rosebery mine’s commitment to provide direct investment in small to medium businesses across the state, it said.

MMG Rosebery says it will continue to look at new and innovative ways to meet its net zero emissions targets.

Orders for the R2900 XE have been growing in Australia, with Westgold Resources recently confirming it would purchase another six of the diesel-electric vehicles after initially taking on the first unit off the shelf, and Gold Fields committing to acquiring three R2900 XE’s to work at its underground mines in Western Australia.

Orica, Caterpillar to provide customers with high-fidelity rock property information

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Orica and Caterpillar Inc have confirmed they are teaming up to improve real-time data exchange and integrate workflows across the mining value chain.

The collaboration is aimed at providing customers with intelligence to improve decision making and optimise their entire operations, with the announcement following a mention of this tie-up in Orica’s most recent FY2023 financial year results webcast.

The mining industry has started to unlock the potential of combining data, sensors and intelligence to optimise workflows for real-time decision making and value chain optimisation, the companies said. Digitally integrated workflows enable customers to achieve a step change in safety, productivity, recovery and sustainability outcomes for their operations.

“To realise the full potential across the entire value chain, technology domain leaders, customers and academia need to increase collaboration in an open ecosystem to develop integrated, end-to-end operational workflows which link orebody intelligence, drilling and blasting, material characterisation and processing,” they said.

Recognising this, Orica and Caterpillar have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to explore opportunities to integrate key elements of their respective domains. The initial focus will be on the potential integration between Orica’s Rhino™, BlastIQ™, and FRAGTrack™ technologies with Cat® MineStar™ Terrain.

The goal of this integrated workflow is to provide customers with high-fidelity rock property information enabling significant improvements to on-bench safety, drilling and blasting program accuracy and productivity, along with higher quality blast outcomes that generate enhanced mill performance.

In the future, the two companies intend to extend their collaboration to optimisation of the entire value chain, from mine to mill. This approach aligns with both organisations’ ambitions to create sustainable solutions and services that will build the momentum for more intelligent and solution-driven mining ecosystems.

Sean McGinnis, Vice President of Technology & Global Sales Support, Caterpillar, said: “Our customers are looking for every opportunity to optimise the productivity and safety of their mining and processing operations. By combining and leveraging the insights unlocked by Orica and Caterpillar’s technologies, we will be able to provide customers greater access and visibility to the data and information they need to make, better real-time business decisions.”

Rajkumar Mathiravedu, Vice President of Orica Digital Solutions, said: “The mining industry requires greater collaboration amongst its leading technology players to build connected workflows across different domains to address the current issue of value-leakage arising from traditional and disconnected silos. Collaborative end-to-end ecosystems are critical to harnessing the full potential of advances in sensors, data processing and intelligence to enable the development of safer, more sustainable, and productive methods of resource recovery.

“Orica Digital Solutions is excited to be working with Caterpillar across a range of domains as we aim to better connect the digital and physical worlds to give our customers more timely and actionable insights across their value chains.”

Orica and Caterpillar set for mine to mill collaboration

Automation, Explosives and blasting, Mineral processing, Mining services, Mining software, Sustainable mining, , , , , , , , , , , ,

Orica’s Digital Solutions segment continues to make major inroads across the mining value chain, with its latest mine to mill initiative set to involve a collaboration with Caterpillar.

Speaking during the company’s FY23 financial results webcast, Sanjeev Gandhi, Orica Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, said demand for software, sensors and data science continued to increase as orebodies become increasingly hard to find and extract against a backdrop of high commodity prices and increasing ESG obligations and commitments.

“Customers are continuing to seek operational efficiencies across the mining value chain and unlocking the value of digitisation and automated workflows is key to achieving these efficiencies,” he said.

Orica was reporting Digital Solutions’ first full year result, with Gandhi highlighting a doubling of earnings alongside a significant improvement in margins.

“This was driven by growth across all three sub-verticals, namely Orebody intelligence, Blast design and Execution solutions, GroundProbe,” he said.

The Digital Solutions business has been identified as one of Orica’s key growth verticals as it continues to build and invest in the next generation of digital technologies and solutions, beyond its blasting core.

This was witnessed during the company’s most recent financial year, when, among other developments, it acquired Axis Mining Technology, a leader in the design, development and manufacture of specialised geospatial tools and instruments for the mining industry; as well as released what it said was its most innovative fragmentation monitoring solution yet, FRAGTrack Gantry.

Gandhi said: “Innovation continues to be a focus, and this year we have released 15 new digital features, with a focus on artificial intelligence-based solutions to support our customers.”

And, as the industry and Orica’s customers look to solve their biggest challenges through partnership, Gandhi announced its new collaboration with Caterpillar, saying the two companies had signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to explore opportunities to integrate key elements of their respective domains.

He explained: “The initial focus will be on the potential integration between Orica’s Rhino™, BlastIQ™ and FRAGTrack™ technologies with Cat® MineStar™ Terrain technologies.”

Rhino (graphic pictured above) is an autonomous drill string-mounted geophysical sensor that measures unconfined compressive strength while drilling. It enhances orebody knowledge in real-time, enabling miners to make better blast planning, improve fragmentation profiles and increase throughput, according to Orica. The technologies in the BlastIQ platform, meanwhile, are, Orica says, designed to deliver economic and operational value individually, with the benefits maximised when integrated in a systemised process. And finally, FRAGTrack is Orica’s state-of-the-art fragmentation measurement tool designed to provide rapid insights into the outcome of blasting processes.

Caterpillar says of MineStar Terrain: “Cat MineStar Terrain uses high-precision guidance technologies, material tracking and more to help your machines work according to plan – increasing efficiency, reducing variability and helping you get the most out of your drilling, digging, loading and grading operations…The solution helps you increase drill capacity, crusher throughput and material accuracy while driving consistency in payloads and bench heights.”

Gandhi said on this MoU: “The goal of this integrated workflow is to provide customers with high-fidelity rock property information enabling significant improvements to on-bench safety, drilling and blasting program accuracy and productivity, along with higher quality blast outcomes that generate enhanced mill performance.”

In the future, the two companies intend to extend their collaboration to optimisation of the entire value chain, from mine to mill, according to Gandhi, who said the approach aligned with both organisations’ ambitions to create sustainable solutions and services that will build the momentum for more intelligent and solution-driven mining ecosystem.