Posted by Daniel Gleeson on August 12, 2024
Komatsu and Rio Tinto have reached a historic milestone: Rio Tinto’s Pilbara operation in Western Australia took delivery of its 300th truck equipped with an Autonomous Transport System (AHS) this month.
Komatsu and Rio Tinto first signed a memorandum of understanding in 2011 to provide 150 AHS trucks to Rio Tinto’s site. Thirteen years later, the partnership continues, with both companies working to advance mining automation.
Garry Povah, General Manager for Mining Automation at Komatsu Australia, says this milestone gives both organisations an opportunity to reflect on the success of this groundbreaking partnership.
“We have been an industry leader in mining automation since 2008 when we began the Rio Tinto trial,” said Povah. “We delivered the first five AHS trucks to Rio Mines in Australia in 2011 and it’s incredible to see how much the company has embraced this technology over the years to make its mines safer while also being highly productive.”
“AHS trucks are a critical solution for both mining safety and addressing the industry’s labor shortage. By keeping human operators out of potentially hazardous environments, AHS trucks significantly reduce the risk of accidents and injuries and enable continuous operations that significantly increase productivity on site.”
According to Povah, the AHS fleet at Rio Tinto’s sites has completed 8.9 million operating hours and moved over 4.8 billion tonnes of material – “all while improving the effective utilization of their sites (EU%) by 15% – a remarkable achievement.”
Currently, the 300 AHS trucks are distributed across 10 of Rio Tinto’s Australian mine sites and contribute approximately 80% of the mining company’s daily production capacity.
Jamie Sanders, Global Head of Procurement at Rio Tinto, said: “This important milestone is an excellent example of the partnership approach Rio Tinto takes with its suppliers.
“Komatsu is a fantastic partner that has helped us improve our health, safety and efficiency operations,” says Sanders. “From the first trial in 2008 to our current collaboration with Komatsu, they have played a key role in accelerating the automation of our mining processes. We look forward to continuing our collaboration in the future.”
