Rio Tinto Increases Inventory of Driverless Trucks for 'Mine of the Future'

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Perth, Australia)--Rio Tinto Limited (NYSE:RIO) (Melbourne, Australia), one of the largest mining companies in the world, continues to work toward a concept it calls the "Mine of the Future." Rio developed a sophisticated hub in Perth, Western Australia, that autonomously controls mining equipment thousands of kilometres away. A major component of the central hub is to assist with the autonomy of haul trucks, rail and port operations that are currently located throughout the iron ore-rich Pilbara region of northern Western Australia. Now, Rio Tinto is about to boost its inventory by another eight driverless haul trucks.

The mining industry is well-known for an extensive range of mega-machinery, including gigantic drag lines; excavators capable of delivering hundreds of tonnes of product per scoop; and haul trucks that maximize payloads while minimizing cycle time, and cost-effectively moving thousands of tonnes of product.

The move toward automation in any industry can be largely beneficial. The application of automation often provides the solution to major issues such as skill shortages, production requirements, promoting safety, and becoming economically advantageous over other competitors. Unlike traditional mining methods, the new concept also can minimize the workforce required to operate the machinery.

The central hub communicates to the equipment via a global positioning system (GPS) to control positions and navigation. Features on the vehicles that make the automation possible are collision radars, which detect obstacles, and proximity sensory systems, which determine locations on the roads. The concept, dubbed as one of the biggest automation projects of its kind in the world, also can coordinate rail and port operations.

Rio, along with Komatsu Limited, a manufacturer of the vehicles, celebrated a major milestone at the Yandicoogina mine by dispatching the first of the automated vehicles. After the successful trials, the company is now moving toward the goal of 150 automated trucks by 2015.

Currently, Rio Tinto has several mines where the vehicles are being used, as explained by Operations President Greg Lillyman: "We currently have three mines operating with autonomous trucks: the Yandi pit is fully operational, our Nammuldi mine is now operational with autonomous trucks, and our Hope Downs 4 mine has trucks under assembly as we speak."

Industrial Info is currently tracking 43 iron ore plants throughout Australia, 12 of which are owned by Rio Tinto and include mines, processing plants, rail systems and port terminals.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, and eight offices outside of North America, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle™, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities.