• TECHNOLOGY
Image supplied by LiuGong
LIUGONG – TECHNOLOGY FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE, SHOWCASED AT MINING INDABA 2025
Compiled by Sharyn Macnamara
As the Investing in African Mining Indaba 2025 concluded in February, African Mining, incorporating Mining Mirror met with LiuGong chair and CEO, Zeng Guang ' an, to discuss the company’ s offering to mines in Africa. Zeng reinforced LiuGong’ s commitment to a greener Africa, highlighting the significant contributions its hybrid and electric machinery innovation are making towards sustainability in the sector.
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Globally, across all industries, intellectualisation and resultant intelligent technology is trending,” said Zeng.“ This includes LiuGong’ s automated equipment, remote control technology and localised services providing efficient, safe and sustainable solutions for African mines.” The company’ s investment in the development of electric and hybrid equipment offers mines an alternative to traditional diesel-powered equipment and so assists mines in reducing carbon emissions and their carbon footprint.
Tech trends Zeng noted that, in line with concurrent digitalisation trends, LiuGong’ s smart mining management system optimises resources and reduces operational costs by 50-70 %. The company’ s electrified equipment also promotes environmental protection by reducing carbon emissions, while LiuGong’ s energy-saving technologies increase profitability. The company has incorporated advanced technologies such as telematics and the IoT( Internet of Things) to enhance equipment performance and reduce waste. These technologies help in monitoring equipment health, predicting maintenance needs and ensuring efficient operation.
Zeng explained that this technology innovation and digitalisation capability enables the collection of data from equipment and many major areas of the operation. The data is recorded and analysed in real time to improve the understanding of the entire operation, assisting with reporting, faster problem solving and future planning across all levels of decision making in an operation to improve productivity and safety. Drilling down, he added that one of the most practical examples of this impact, already alluded to, is showcased in predictive maintenance – which reduces downtime and reliance on spare parts. Over and above this, the trend in localised servicing and adaptability improvements, including training ensures the successful implementation of this smart technology in Africa.
Focus in Africa LiuGong’ s prominence at the Mining Indaba is an indicator of intent.“ We are confident in the African market. Our goal is to become a leader in the African mining industry through technological innovation and sustainable development. We look forward to working with African mines to jointly promote the prosperity and progress of the industry,” said Zeng. He pointed out that Africa is a major focus area and market for LiuGong’ s growth into the mining Industry, and South Africa is a key location within that.
The company started its growth trajectory on the continent in 2002 in Morocco and Egypt and now has more than 80 dealers located in
20 • African Mining • May 2025 www. africanmining. co. za