Thursday, 07 Jul 2011
Fortescue Metals Group has signed an agreement with earthmoving equipment giant Caterpillar for remotely operated mining technology at its planned Solomon iron ore mine.
One of Caterpillar dealers, Seven Group owned WesTrac is also party to the deal.
The proposed Solomon mine in Western Australia Pilbara region is expected to have about 45 autonomous trucks in use by 2015. An initial fleet of a dozen autonomous trucks will be rolled out in the second half of 2012.
Driverless trucks began operating in the mining sector in the 1990s and, more recently, Rio Tinto started running some of its Pilbara operations including rail services remotely from Perth.
Caterpillar said in a statement the new technology and trucks provided to Fortescue are expected to deliver productivity and performance gains.
Mr Steve Wunning Caterpillar Group president said the equipment would also provide a significant improvement in mine safety and reduce Solomon's environmental footprint.
(sourced from Heraldsun)
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