COMMENT
MINEXPO BUILDS EXCITEMENT FROM AFAR LEADING EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURERS HAVE SHOWCASED HOW THEY ARE SUPPORTING THE MINING INDUSTRY’S PLANS TO DECARBONISE THE SECTOR OVER THE NEXT DECADE.
BEN CREAGH
Ben.Creagh@primecreative.com.au
B
order and travel restrictions unfortunately made it nearimpossible for most Australians to travel to MINExpo in Las Vegas this year. However, technology ensured we didn’t entirely miss out on the new machinery and innovations launched at the global event, with many exhibitors streaming their latest solutions online. Even from afar, MINExpo clearly showed how much the mining industry has progressed and how much further it looks set to develop in the coming years. MINExpo covered several themes that reinforced METS (mining equipment, technology and services) companies are truly aligned with the needs of their mining company partners. The push to decarbonise the mining industry was obvious in the product releases that the major original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) unveiled, right through to the development of new software from technology companies. Mining equipment is gradually moving towards a zero-emission target, while technology platforms are factoring in how to help mining and METS companies achieve this goal. OEMs, including Liebherr, Caterpillar and Komatsu, notably strengthened their roadmap towards zero-emission mining equipment at MINExpo. Liebherr has already made progress in this direction. For example, its haul trucks from 100 tonnes upwards are equipped with electric AC drive. The company’s environmental goal is now to decarbonise its range of mining applications, with a 2030 target in place to have fossil-fuel-free alternatives for the
FRONT COVER
In this edition, we include a special focus on the surface mining sector in Australia, highlighting services and products that are transforming mine sites. This issue also shines the spotlight on the mineral sands industry in Victoria, an emerging part of the state’s resources sector. We look at WesTrac’s automation training program in Western Australia and how it has collaborated with Rio Tinto at the facility. This edition reviews several trends in the ongoing digitisation of the mining industry. And as usual, we cover the latest mining equipment and technology in our products section.
Cover image: Fenner Dunlop.
Ben Creagh Managing Editor
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER JOHN MURPHY
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CORRECTION: IN THE OCTOBER EDITION OF AUSTRALIAN MINING, THE INCORRECT IMAGE WAS USED TO SUPPORT THE PRODUCT ARTICLE COVERING DIXON LAYFLAT HOSES ON PAGE 68. THE IMAGE WAS INSTEAD THE PROPERTY OF CRUSADER HOSE. AUSTRALIAN MINING APOLOGISES FOR THE INCORRECT USE OF THE CRUSADER HOSE IMAGE.
majority of its current line-up. Caterpillar highlighted a selection of initiatives to support its commitment to sustainability, a standout of these being partnerships with Rio Tinto and BHP to develop and deploy zero-emission mining trucks. Komatsu has also teamed up with Rio Tinto and BHP, as well as Codelco and Boliden, to form the Komatsu Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Alliance. The Japanese OEM debuted its initial concept for a haulage vehicle that can run on a variety of power sources, part of a poweragnostic development, at the Las Vegas event. Another futuristic mining technology that took a step forward at MINExpo was autonomous hydraulic excavators. Still in its development stages, Liebherr exhibited the first automation product of its hydraulic excavator portfolio, the semiautomatic Bucket Filling Assistant platform. Komatsu also showcased the development of its semi-autonomous hydraulic excavator product with a teleoperation exhibition. Both innovations present an insight into the future of mining and you would expect that by the next MINExpo in 2024, excavator automation will have progressed significantly. Finger crossed that by then, Australians will be able to observe the next steps in this process in the flesh.
JOURNALISTS MICHAEL PHILIPPS Email: michael.philipps@primecreative.com.au NICKOLAS ZAKHARIA Email: nickolas.zakharia@primecreative.com.au TOM PARKER Email: tom.parker@primecreative.com.au
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NOVEMBER 2021
