Advanced Braking Technology has received an order from Minecorp-Chile that will see its Failsafe brakes used by Orica at two underground copper mines, in northern Chile.

The order, made by Minecorp-Chile on behalf of General Motors vehicle dealership, SALFA Chile, achieves one of the company’s strategic objectives of further diversifying its customer base for innovative braking solutions, ABT said.

The initial order will see Failsafe brakes installed on the Isuzu NPS4X4 truck: an existing ABT product application that will require no further engineering, it said.

The end user of these Isuzu NPS Canter trucks will be Orica Chile SA who will use the trucks in the two Codelco-owned underground mine operations.

The Isuzu NPS4X4 was first introduced to the Chile market by General Motors in April 2019, with these ABT Failsafe brakes fitted to some of the first trucks delivered into the country, ABT said.

ABT CEO, John Annand, said: “This order is further demonstration that our Failsafe range of braking products are valued around the world and have a place in vehicles in a range of applications where safety, maintenance and cost efficiencies are paramount. Our team is committed to exploiting these opportunities on a global scale.”

The value of this first order is for around A$150,000 ($101,559) and includes Failsafe kits to be held in stock. This initial order will be further supplemented by the ongoing supply of spares and consumables, the company said.

ABT added: “This is an initial order from Minecorp-Chile, as it is expected that General Motors dealers will have further demand for Failsafe as the Isuzu NPS 4×4 Canter is marketed as a new truck application within Chile.

“In addition, Minecorp-Chile is in early stage discussions with other potential customers for a ABT Failsafe solution across other truck and light duty vehicle applications.”

Annand said: “Chile and the broader Latin America represents a significant growth opportunity for ABT as we look to supply innovative braking solutions, not only to mining contractors like Orica but other global mining companies where the safety of their people and equipment are paramount.”

Minecorp-Chile Director, Sebastián Dibarrart, said: “This initial order is the first of what is expected to be an ongoing supply requirement for ABT products into the Chilean mining vehicle market. Whilst this order is for the Failsafe product, further opportunities will be pursued for the entire suite of ABT products, including Terra Dura. Minecorp-Chile looks forward to working with ABT to exploit these opportunities in what we know is a growing, but under serviced Chilean market.”

Dibarrart added: “Codelco Chile, the largest copper produce rin the world with the largest underground copper operation, the El Teniente mine, together with the transformation of its Chuquicamata mine into an underground operation including hundreds of kilometers of tunnel development, will undoubtedly be an ideal end user of ABT Failsafe brakes.”

ABT also recently received an order for Failsafe brakes that will be used at the Rio Tinto-operated Oyu Tolgoi mine in Mongolia.