Tag Archives: mine automation

First Quantum Minerals and FLANDERS sign agreement for drill fleet autonomy

Automation, Base metals, IoT, Mine operation news, Mining equipment, Mining services, , , , , , , , ,

First Quantum Minerals Ltd (FQM) and blasthole drill fleet autonomy company FLANDERS Electric have entered into an agreement to collaborate on advancing autonomous drilling solutions across FQM’s mining operations.

The first roll-out of FLANDERS’s ARDVARC® system is scheduled for FMQ’s Zambian operation.

The OEM-agnostic retrofit solution under ARDVARC enables autonomous functionality on electric or diesel blasthole drills, including full pattern autonomy with cable reeler automation.

The initial project is set to launch at FQM’s Sentinel mine, where FLANDERS’s autonomy technology will be implemented and optimised. The ARDVARC autonomous solution will extend to the complete drill fleet at Sentinel and further expand to new drill fleets on the S3 expansion project at FQM’s Kansanshi mine. This rollout will involve a total of 20 drills across FQM’s Zambian operations.

FQM’s Lead – Group Mine Technology, Clayton Sanders (pictured in the centre), said: “Our collaboration with FLANDERS aligns with our commitment to innovation and operational excellence. By pioneering autonomous drill technology at Sentinel, we are improving mining efficiency through precision blasthole drilling, reducing inaccuracy and wastage. We are excited about the upskilling and development opportunities this will create for our frontline employees and technical staff, which will put them at the forefront of the modern mining industry whilst enhancing their safety and productivity.”

FLANDERS Executive Chairman, John Oliver (pictured far left), added: “As the only provider offering an aftermarket retrofit for multi-brand drill autonomy with our cutting edge ARDVARC solutions, FLANDERS is excited to support FQM’s strategic goals for drill fleet automation. This partnership reflects our dedication to delivering reliable, scalable autonomous solutions that meet the evolving needs of the mining industry.”

The first phase of fully autonomous operations at Sentinel is expected to go live in the March quarter of 2025. The rollout will continue over the following months, gradually equipping the entire fleet for autonomous drilling.

Fortescue ready to disrupt the decarbonisation status quo

Automation, Environmental, IoT, Mining equipment, Mining events, Mining services, Mining software, Power supply for mines, Steel and iron ore, Sustainable mining, , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

It was hard to keep up with Fortescue at MINExpo 2024, in Las Vegas, last week – IM did its best – with the mining company having on-booth presentations throughout the three days and four press events on four other stands during the show.

The company’s presence was felt far beyond this, with the headline $2.8 billion agreement to supply 475 new Liebherr machines featuring Fortescue’s innovative green technology to Fortescue’s operations in Western Australia being a major talking point.

This was swiftly followed by announcements that the company would work with MacLean on delivering a fleet of 30 GR8 electric graders to its sites, take delivery of Australia’s first Epiroc Pit Viper 271 E (PV271E) electric-driven blasthole drill rig at one of its mines, and work with Scania on developing and validating a fully integrated autonomous road train solution, leveraging Scania’s technology in truck automation and Fortescue’s own fleet management system (FMS).

The common theme among all these was the perception that Fortescue should be viewed as more than just a mining company.

“There is an opportunity here for Fortescue to be seen as a technology company, as opposed to solely an iron ore miner,” Dino Otranto, CEO of Fortescue Metals, told IM after another press event appearance.

The technology the company acquired and is now deploying via its purchase of Williams Advanced Engineering in early 2022 is a key part of this transition. This has led to the development of battery-electric solutions as well as charging solutions – Fortescue Zero now has a 6 MW charging solution to call on.

Otranto got into some of the specifics behind this offering – including mention of an in-house DC-DC converter that is significantly smaller than other ultraclass battery-electric trucks showcased at the show, as well as batteries that are both cheaper and offer higher power densities than others on the market – and said these elements would all come into the Liebherr and MacLean machines that appear on site in Western Australia.

The Fortescue MINExpo 2024 booth was a hive of activity, with many interested parties looking to find out more about the company’s battery-electric solutions

He went further than this though, outlining how the company’s “Fortex” solution – which combines autonomous haulage, FMS and Level 9 collision avoidance – would seamlessly integrate all the elements to create optimised autonomous and electric sites of the future.

“What we are developing with Fortex is akin to Android,” he said. “Where the traditional OEM models lock you into Apple and iOS, we want to offer an Android-style open source platform that allows you to share data and interface with other apps within the ecosystem.

“You will soon see us demonstrate that through the process of a traction power system at a mine site.”

With some of the energy requirement numbers for full battery-electric fleets being discussed today it is hard to see any company being able to commercialise zero-emission fleet haulage solutions without an overriding energy management platform. The operation will inevitably have to be optimised (read: automated) to ensure no kilowatt of energy is wasted and no machines run out of battery power. Add in automation, and the safety element around vehicle interaction also comes into play.

The AHS solution Fortescue and Liebherr have jointly developed as part of its latest rollout in Western Australia has a fleet management assignment engine at the core to monitor fleet energy levels. This should mean material movement and energy replenishment tasks can be assigned efficiently within zero emission fleets equipped with the system.

In this regard, Fortescue has its ‘ducks in a row’ to compete with the traditional mining OEMs in the evolving decarbonisation space.

The company will have to take these OEMs on, with Otranto acknowledging there are a finite number of Liebherrs and MacLeans willing to provide the machines that the company’s batteries will power, as well as an even smaller pool of companies open to accepting the type of AHS and FMS integration Fortescue currently envisages.

“We’re aware that some OEMs will do everything they can to protect their supply chain, but what we are offering – especially on the software side – represents real disruption,” Otranto said.

“We are looking to take a decent market share in the mining sector when it comes to decarbonisation, but there are even bigger opportunities outside of mining – in construction, in shipping, with locomotives, etc.”

IM Editor, Dan Gleeson (left), with Dino Otranto, Fortescue Metals CEO (right), at MINExpo 2024

Such a move would bolster the company’s bottom line, as well as allow Fortescue to be rated by the investment community as something equivalent to a technology stock: a status that comes with premium trading multiples.

This business model adaptation already appears to be gaining traction.

IM has spoken to mining companies in touch with Fortescue about potentially deploying some of its solutions within a mine decarbonisation context.

Reuters also reported, last week, that Fortescue and Liebherr have secured orders for 100 autonomous battery-powered mining trucks for other mining and transport companies, quoting Fortescue Executive Chairman, Andrew Forrest.

Fortescue is evidently ready to disrupt the decarbonisation status quo. The question is: is the wider mining company community willing to accept this new market dynamic?

Epiroc reinforces OEM-agnostic autonomous haulage solution vision with new Utah facility

Automation, Explosives and blasting, Mining equipment, Mining services, , , , , ,

Epiroc has opened its new Surface Mining Automation Center in Providence, Utah, USA, dedicated to developing autonomous haulage solutions.

Epiroc celebrated the grand opening of this new facility last week. It is dedicated to the former ASI Mining team, following Epiroc’s acquisition of the remaining stake in the company. The OEM say it represents a significant investment in developing OEM-agnostic autonomous haulage solutions for the mining industry.

The grand opening on September 4 included a ribbon-cutting ceremony, guided tours and demonstrations of advanced automation technologies, showcasing how these innovations will enhance safety, efficiency and sustainability in surface mining operations, Epiroc said.

The centre will serve as a hub for developing, testing and deploying OEM-agnostic autonomous haulage solutions for surface mining, offering a valuable resource for customers seeking to integrate the latest breakthroughs in mining autonomy.

“This facility represents an important milestone in Epiroc’s journey to lead the industry in surface mining automation,” José Sánchez, President Surface division, Epiroc, said. “It also demonstrates our investment and commitment to develop advanced autonomous haulage solutions for the mining industry.”

Diederik Lugtigheid, General Manager Surface Mining Automation – Haulage, said: “The technology developed here will challenge what’s possible in surface mining autonomy, thanks to the skill and expertise of our new team. Their commitment to developing the most effective autonomous solutions for our customers is the key to driving innovation.”

Local authorities, community leaders and general public attended the event, including Mayor of Providence, Kathleen Alder; Cache County Executive, David Zook; and President of the Cache Chamber of Commerce, Jamie Andrus.

Agnico Eagle to establish exploration decline, shaft at Upper Beaver

Automation, Base metals, Mine shafts and equipment, Mineral project development, , , , , ,

Agnico Eagle is investing $200 million over the next three years to “further study and de-risk” its Upper Beaver project in Ontario, Canada, with plans to establish both an exploration decline and exploration shaft.

An internal evaluation of the Upper Beaver project was completed in June 2024. Based on this evaluation, the company believes Upper Beaver has the potential to produce an annual average of approximately 210,000 oz of gold and 3,600 t of copper, with initial production possible as early as 2030.

Over an expected 13-year mine life, total payable gold and copper production is expected to be approximately 2.8 Moz and 46,300 t, respectively, based on a 5,000 t/d production rate. Estimated total cash costs per ounce on a by-product basis and all-in sustaining cost per ounce on a by-product basis are expected to be approximately $592 and $733, respectively.

“In addition, the project has the potential to unlock significant exploration potential at depth and within satellite deposits in the company’s Kirkland Lake camp,” Agnico Eagle said.

At Upper Beaver, approximately $50 million is forecast to be spent in 2024 related to the construction of surface facilities, site preparation and the excavation of the shaft collar. Preparatory site work commenced in early 2024 and approximately $15 million was spent in the first half of 2024.

With the total $200 million investment, the company intends to develop an exploration ramp and an exploration shaft to depths of 160 m and 760 m, respectively, to establish underground drilling platforms and to collect bulk samples from the two most representative geological zones of the Upper Beaver deposit. The exploration ramp and exploration shaft will be sized to accommodate the potential production phase and are included in the initial capital expenditures estimate of approximately $900 million. Excavation of the ramp and shaft sinking are expected to start in the second half of 2025.

Upper Beaver is in the township of Gauthier, in north-eastern Ontario, approximately 25 km to the east of the town of Kirkland Lake. The district has a continuous history of mineral exploration and mining spanning more than 110 years and with an aggregate of over 42 Moz of gold produced by various producers.

The mineralisation has been defined along a 400-m strike length from surface to a depth of 2,000 m and it remains open at depth. Total indicated resources are currently 30.9 Mt at 3.47 g/t Au and 0.23% Cu, plus 3 Mt indicated at 4.13 g/t Au and 0.36% Cu.

The mining strategy developed for the Upper Beaver project is to mine the deposit mainly by conventional underground methods, although a small portion (approximately 10% of the mineral resource) will be mined via an open pit. The underground and open-pit mines are expected to be developed within the same time frame.

Open-pit operations will employ conventional methods of drilling, blasting and loading by excavator and wheel loader, with material haulage by truck to the various stockpiles, waste dump or directly to a crusher.

Under current scenarios, production from the open pit is expected to occur from 2030 to 2034 at an average rate of approximately 2,000 t/d, of which 500 t/d will be stockpiled for later processing.

Current scenarios contemplate underground access through a main decline ramp as well as a shaft that is 1,220-m deep and 6 m in diameter. Four main stations are planned along the shaft, including a loading station at the bottom of the shaft. Ore and waste above 430-m depth will be hauled to surface by trucks via the ramp. Ore and waste below 430-m depth will be managed mainly through an ore and waste pass system and skipped to surface via the shaft.

The underground mining concept is based on a long hole open stoping method, with sublevels every 30 m and with stopes to be backfilled with paste and waste rock. The project is expected to use a combination of conventional and automated equipment, similar to what is currently used at the company’s mines in the region. Production from underground, via ramp and shaft, could begin as early as 2030 and ramp-up to an average rate of approximately 4,500 t/d in 2035.

The plant is anticipated to use a conventional milling process, including a gravity circuit and a copper flotation circuit, with a design capacity of 5,000 t/d, an average total gold recovery of 95% and an average copper recovery of 81%.

Tailings will partly be returned underground as paste fill, with the remainder being disposed on a dry stack tailings storage facility.

An agreement with local indigenous communities and environmental permits are in place for the advanced exploration phase of the project, including for the development of an exploration ramp and an exploration shaft and the collection of two bulk samples. Negotiations with indigenous communities are ongoing to establish an agreement for the production phase if a development decision is made. The company is also advancing environmental impact assessments required for the Federal and Provincial approvals and permits that will be required for the construction and production phases following a development decision.

Tribe Tech and IMDEX to jointly work on future mining tech developments

Automation, Mineral exploration, Mining equipment, Mining mergers and acquisitions, Mining services, , , ,

Tribe Technology says it has entered into a joint development agreement with IMDEX Ltd to develop future technology, including through integration of both parties’ unique services, offerings and experience

IMDEX provides an integrated range of drilling optimisation products, cloud-connected rock knowledge sensors, and data and analytics to improve the process of identifying and extracting mineral resources for drilling contractors and resource companies globally. Its end-to-end solutions for the mining value chain span four portfolios: Drilling Fluids, Drilling Optimisation Technology, Rock Knowledge Sensors and Software, which provides the IMDEX platform that merges these key silos.

While the agreement does not involve any minimum or guaranteed revenues for the group, Tribe Tech and IMDEX will seek to work together to develop future technology, including through integration of  both parties’ unique services, offerings and experience.

Tribe Tech’s proprietary technology is designed to improve productivity, reduce costs and improve safety across the global industry, it says. This includes the company’s TTDS GC 700 autonomous drill rig, of which the first unit has been built and sold to Major Drilling Group International Inc, for use at a Tier 1 iron ore mining asset in Australia.

Charlie King, Chief Executive Officer at Tribe Tech, said: “Our strategic partnership with IMDEX represents an important step in our journey towards becoming a market leader in drilling automation in the mining industry. We are always looking to enhance our offering and the agreement with IMDEX provides an opportunity for Tribe Tech to add compelling new features to further capitalise on existing market opportunities.”

Paul House, Chief Executive Officer of IMDEX, added: “IMDEX pioneered the transition of many of our technologies from specialist service provider operated systems to driller operated. With Tribe Tech we are taking first steps in the transition for these technologies from driller operated to machine operated systems.”

Sandvik intelligent underground drill fleet heading to mine in Southeast Asia

Automation, Mine operation news, Mining equipment, Mining services, , , , , , , , ,

Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions says it will deliver a fleet of intelligent underground drills to a mining customer in Southeast Asia.

The order includes Sandvik DD422i development drills, Sandvik DS422i rock bolters, Sandvik DL432i longhole drills and a Sandvik DL422i longhole drill.

Deliveries will begin during the September quarter of 2024 and continue through the June quarter of 2025, Sandvik added.

“This mine already operates a large fleet of Sandvik intelligent development and production drills,” Manny Maloney, Vice President Sales Area South-East Asia, Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions, says. “This repeat investment now underpins the strength of our underground drilling offering and our long-standing partnership.”

Some of the Sandvik DD422i development jumbos feature Sandvik’s Dual Controls package, while others include Sandvik’s Platinum automation package. The Dual Controls package for Sandvik DD422i features dual drilling controls and split feeds for multitask drilling operations including boring, bolting and meshing. The Platinum automation package offers options for automatic boom movements and boom collision avoidance.

Ausdrill presents One Touch drilling

Automation, Explosives and blasting, Mining equipment, Mining services, , , , , , , , , , , ,

Ausdrill is bringing One Touch drilling to its Rock Commander blasthole fleet, in the process creating a future where drilling can be optimised for efficiency and precision with minimal manual intervention.

The company, part of Perenti, said the innovative technology is set to transform the way it drills, and the way its operators work.

With just a single touch of a button, a driller can pre-select the hole depth and the machine takes care of the rest. It will touch ground, collar the hole, and then drill down to the required depth, including changing rods and flushing the hole. This means there is no need for manual intervention except for potential finetuning, Ausdrill says.

“One Touch ensures every step is meticulously executed, prolonging component life and reducing wear and tear, making it a safe, highly efficient and cost-saving solution,” it added.

In a video promoting the launch, Luke Phillips, Area Manager, Drill & Blast Operations, said One Touch drilling sets Ausdrill apart from its competition: “We are bringing this technology that is essentially already existing in the marketplace to the world-class Rock Commander fleet.”

The move coincides with the recently awarded five-year contract at the Northern Star Resources-owned Kalgoorlie Consolidated Gold Mines (KCGM) Fimiston open-pit gold mine in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia.

The circa-A$160 million ($104 million), 60-month contract – the largest ever Australia surface mining contract Perenti has received – incorporates activities that commenced March 1, 2022, and will continue to March 2027. It includes the provision for up to 14 production blasthole drill rigs to support ongoing operations.

Phillips said One Touch drilling and the KCGM contract form an integral part of the Ausdrill technology roadmap.

“The stages thereafter will be a semi-autonomous approach to how we work, and mine and drill in and around underground work,” he said.

Ian Chisholm, a Driller at the Fimiston Open Pit, referred to the technology as “cruise control” for a drill rig.

“You just push the button and everything is done for you,” he said, adding that the rest of the process is made up of monitoring tasks.

Phillips added: “One Touch drilling benefits the client because it has the potential to remove human error in regards to rework or redrilling holes. [It also] reduces or removes damage because it is a semi-autonomous product, and it’s something that our trainees can engage with at an early grassroots stage.”

Related to this, SITECH WA, a provider of innovative technology solutions for mining operations in Western Australia, recently announced a strategic partnership with Ausdrill to introduce Trimble Groundworks machine guidance technology across Ausdrill’s Rock Commander fleet.

The integration was referred to as a milestone achievement for both companies, with the successful implementation of Groundworks on Rock Commanders at BHP WAIO laying the foundation for this partnership. The synergy between Rock Commander and Groundworks has solidified this decision, further influencing its adoption at KCGM’s Fimiston gold open pit (the Super Pit).

Trimble Groundworks boasts a user-friendly interface that enhances job site safety, accuracy and operational efficiency, according to the company. Operators of all skill levels can quickly adapt to and leverage the system’s capabilities, making it a powerful tool for mining professionals. Real-time spatial information provided by Groundworks also significantly enhances safety by alerting operators to exclusion zones and potential hazards.

One of the notable benefits of this integration is the elimination of the need for manual marking of drill patterns, resulting in substantial labour cost savings, the companies said.

RocketDNA Ltd seals first autonomous xBot contract with Calidus Resources subsidiary

Automation, Mine surveying, Mining services, Mining software, Precious metals, , , , , , ,

RocketDNA Ltd (RKT), a global drones-as-a-service provider, says it has signed its first long-term contract for an autonomous xBot® solution with Keras (Pilbara) Gold Pty Ltd, a subsidiary of Calidus Resources Limited.

The contract will see the provision by RKT of an autonomous xBot solution, which includes:

  • Supply and maintenance of one xBot drone-in-a-box surveying system (SurveyBot®). The SurveyBot is a site-ready, integrated hardware system that supports a surveying drone which is monitored by a pilot located at an off-site remote operating centre (ROC). It is built to meet the stringent requirements of the national aviation safety regulator (Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA)) and includes DJI drone hardware, communications systems (ethernet, Wi-Fi, cellular & Starlink connectivity), power management system, weather station and CCTV;
  • Remote operation of the SurveyBot from RocketDNA’s ROCs in Perth and Adelaide. RKT will provide a pilot operating under its CASA-approved deployment and operational risk methodology and policies, allowing the customer to focus on data outputs and insights rather than drone flying. RKT leverages significant cost savings from the ability to manage multiple xBots from a single office site with low travel and site safety overhead;
  • Strayos AI software licence to enable automated processing, analysis and reporting for the open-pit operations using the SurveyBot data. RKT operates a commercial partnership with Strayos which provides mining operators with an array of AI-driven data applications that generate operational efficiencies and insights; and
  • RocketDNA SiteTube® data visualisation platform. SiteTube is RKT’s proprietary data visualisation platform, allowing enterprise customers to host & access their data securely on locally-based cloud servers.

The SurveyBot system will initially be deployed at Calidus’ Blue Bar pit, a satellite open-pit operation that is 70 km by unsealed road from Calidus’ Warrawoona gold project in Western Australia and 25 km south of the township of Marble Bar, in Western Australia. The surveys provided will include:

  • Daily surveys of the open pit for drill and blast design, pit conformance reporting, volumetric reporting;
  • Stockpile surveys for volumetric reporting;
  • Daily imagery and video to provide up-to-date situational awareness of the operation to the clients’ off-site personnel; and
  • Ability for live-streaming of video

The overall solution is expected to generate significant operational efficiencies for the customer including:

  • Reducing the frequency of physical surveying activity, which requires significant road travel and on-site time;
  • Leveraging rapid data processing time and AI insights for mine optimisation; and
  • Providing oversight of mining operations to remote senior management

Calidus Resources Managing Director, David Reeves, said: “Calidus is currently commencing operations at various satellite pits that are up to 70 km distance from our main processing facility. The pits are generally smaller in size and do not justify their own survey team on site. The xBot not only allows daily pickups for survey to be completed efficiently, the associated video also allows our planning team in Perth to understand exactly how the operations are progressing and allow for rapid reaction if required.

“We look forward to partnering with RocketDNA and see great potential for this technology on our other sites as they come on line”

RocketDNA CEO, Christopher Clark, said: “We are delighted to announce this first long-term xBot contract. Although we already have other xBots deployed, the long-term format of this contract will allow us to partner with the customer and potentially provide for further specific needs of the site. The components within this specific contract also demonstrate the breadth of our product suite – and how the different components of XBot, ROC, Strayos and SiteTube can be harnessed to provide an overall solution which is cost effective and value adding for the customer.”

The three-year contact (monthly billing) is conditional on RocketDNA gaining area approval by the CASA. RKT has in place broad CASA approval for autonomous and beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) drone operations, however, under Australian legislation, further authorisation is also required at the project level to attach additional areas of operations to our current approval. RKT anticipates no impediments in achieving this step.

RKT is currently completing the assembly of its first batch of five xBots from in-stock components, one of which has been allocated to Calidus. After safety reviews and on-site preparation, it will be commissioned within the next 3 months, considering the CASA approvals mentioned above.

EACON banks more finance for automation mission as it nears 1,000 truck milestone

Automation, IoT, Mining equipment, Mining finance, Mining software, Sustainable mining, , , , , , , ,

EACON says it has received another $44.5 million in Series C++ financing, led by Zijin Mining and Minxi Xinghang, enabling it to scale up its technology, product R&D and mining area operation management as part of its autonomous haulage developments.

Including series C and series C+ financing, EACON has now completed equity financing of $97.3 million within six months.

Founded in May 2018, EACON calls itself a leading autonomous haulage solution company that empowers the mining industry with the most advanced technology. By combining cutting-edge autonomous driving technology with strong on-site operational capabilities, EACON provides an OEM-agnostic, field-proven solution for autonomous haulage and zero-emission truck engineering, it says.

Currently, EACON has deployed autonomous truck fleets in four of China’s top 10 open-pit coal mines. As of February 2024, there are 304 trucks running autonomously with a total mileage of 6.5 million kilometers, ensuring safe operation for six consecutive years, it claims.

Zijin Mining, meanwhile, is a leading global multinational mining group mainly engaged in mining copper, gold, zinc, silver and lithium.

Chen Jinghe, Chairman of Zijin Mining Group, said the advancement of ‘carbon peak and carbon neutrality’ objectives have sparked significant transformation within the global mining sector, where autonomous driving technology, coupled with new energy trucks, are playing a pivotal role.

Zijin Mining will leverage its industry resources alongside EACON’s solution for its domestic and overseas mine sites, according to EACON.

Minxi Xinghang’s business scope spans mineral metallurgy, equity investment, site construction, new energy and materials, water conservancy and power, and transportation operations. Chairman, Li Jian, expressed aspirations to seize additional business prospects both domestically and internationally alongside EACON in the future.

EACON has been actively promoting the development of zero carbon mining. As of February 2024, EACON had deployed 245 battery-electric and hybrid-battery haulage trucks. In 2023, EACON developed a zero-emission, fully-autonomous haulage fleet for a sand and gravel aggregate mine in Fushan, Shandong. The fleet has reduced carbon emissions by over 2,200 t while operating safely and stably for the past 350 days, it says.

Zhang Lei, co-Founder and Chairman of EACON, stated that the successful completion of the $97.3 million financing reflects the positive recognition of EACON by the market and industry. Zijin has many mines located on plateaus, which are not only remote but also feature low oxygen levels due to the high altitude. This environment can cause discomfort for mining workers unaccustomed to it. EACON says it hopes to provide solutions for mining operations in these areas through autonomous driving technology in the future.

By the end of 2024, EACON expects the number of deployed autonomous trucks to reach 1,000. This fleet expansion is likely to come from EACON’s steadfast deployment of new energy autonomous driving vehicles, enabling mines to achieve sustainable low-carbon operations, as well as the retrofit of existing fleets, providing drive-by-wire control kits and solutions for autonomous driving systems. Currently, a drive-by-wire kit for a Komatsu HD785-7 truck is under design.

In 2024, EACON plans to launch a pilot project in Australia to expand its global market.