WORLD PROSPECTS
Wenco & Hitachi drive open ecosystem
W
enco International Mining Systems says it
is pleased to advance the Hitachi
Construction Machinery (HCM) Group’s
vision for autonomous mining — an open,
interoperable ecosystem of partners that integrate
their systems alongside existing mine infrastructure.
Grounded in support for ISO standards and a
drive to encourage new entrants into the mining
industry, HCM is pioneering this open and
interoperable approach to autonomy among global
mining
technology
leaders.
With
this
announcement, HCM is publicly declaring support
for standards-based autonomy and is offering its
interoperable technology to assist mining
customers in integrating new vendors into their
existing infrastructure. HCM’s support for open,
interoperable autonomy is based on its philosophy
for its partner-focused Solution Linkage platform.
“Open innovation is the guiding technological
philosophy for Solution Linkage,” says Vice
President and Executive Officer, Chief Technology
Officer Hideshi Fukumoto. “Based on this
philosophy, HCM is announcing its commitment to
championing the customer enablement of
autonomous mining through an open, interoperable
ecosystem of partner solutions.
“We believe this open approach provides
customers the greatest flexibility and control for
integrating new autonomous solutions into their
existing operations while reducing associated risks
and costs of alternative approaches.”
The HCM Group is developing this open
autonomy approach under the Solution Linkage
initiative, a platform already available to HCM’s
customers in the construction industry now being
made available to mining customers with support
from HCM subsidiary Wenco International Mining
Systems. Solution Linkage is a standards-based
platform grounded on three principles: Open
Innovation, Interoperability, and Partner Ecosystem.
In this context, Open Innovation means the HCM
Group’s support for open standards to enable the
creation of multi-vendor solutions that reduce costs
and increase value for customers. By designing
solutions in compliance with ANSI/ISA-95 and ISO
standards for autonomous interoperability, Solution
Linkage avoids vendor lock-in and offers customers
the freedom to choose technologies from preferred
vendors independent of their fleet management
system. This approach future-proofs customer
technology infrastructure, providing a phased
approach for their incorporation of new technologies
as they emerge. This approach also benefits
autonomy vendors who are new to mining, since
they will be able to leverage HCM’s technology and
experience in meeting the requirements of mining
customers.
The HCM Group’s key capability of
Interoperability creates simplified connectivity
between systems to reduce operational silos,
enabling end-to-end visibility and control across the
mining value chain. Customers using Solution
Linkage can connect autonomous equipment from
multiple vendors into existing fleet management
and operations infrastructure. Interoperability also
affords mines a systems-level understanding of their
pit-to-port operation, providing access to more
robust data analytics and process management.
This capability enables mine management to make
superior decisions based on operation-wide insight
that deliver end-to-end optimisation.
HCM’s open autonomy approach rests on creating
a Partner Ecosystem in which customers and third-
party partners can leverage HCM’s experience and
open platform to successfully provide autonomous
functionality and reduce the risk of technological
adoption. This initiative is already working with a
global mining leader to integrate non-mining OEM
autonomous vehicles into their existing mining
infrastructure. Likewise, HCM is actively seeking
customer and vendor partnerships to further extend
the value of this open, interoperable platform. If
autonomy vendors have already been selected by a
customer and are struggling to integrate into the
client’s existing fleet management system or mine
operations, Hitachi may be able to help using the
Solution Linkage platform. For more background on
this interoperability initiative see this month’s High
Profile article with Wenco CEO Andrew Pyne and EVP
Corporate Strategy Eric Winsborrow pp. 50-51
www.wencomine.com; www.hitachicm.com
GMG members devise mine automation guideline
T
4 International Mining | MAY 2019
“More specifically, the publication addresses
change management, developing a business
case, health and safety and risk management,
regulatory engagement, community and social
impact, and operational readiness and
deployment,” GMG said.
“There has been an incredible level of
engagement in this project since its launch last
year,” said Andrew Scott, Principal Innovator,
Symbiotic Innovations, and GMG Vice-Chair
Working Groups, who facilitated many of the
workshops. “The industry interest reflects the
growing importance and relevance of
autonomous systems in mining and the industry’s
need for a unified framework for mitigating risks
and managing change while maximising the value
of autonomy.”
Chirag Sathe, Principal, Risk & Business
Analysis Technology at BHP – one of the project
co-leaders alongside Glenn Johnson, Senior
Mining Engineer, Technology at Teck – said the
guideline is relevant even to those who have
already embraced autonomy: “I would say that
even though some mining companies have
implemented autonomy, it hasn’t been a smooth
ride and there are a number of lessons learned.
This guideline would be a good reference
material to everyone to look at various aspects
while implementing autonomy. It is not meant to
provide answers to every potential issue, but it at
least may provide some guidance on what to look
for.”
Erikson concurred, saying, “Roy Hill’s
involvement has given greater insight into
he likes of Anglo American, BHP, Barrick
Gold, Glencore, Newmont, Rio Tinto, Teck
and Vale have collaborated on the Global
Mining Guidelines Group’s (GMG) latest guideline
on automation.
The Guideline for the Implementation of
Autonomous Systems in Mining offers a broad
view of the implementation of these systems,
which are being used more and more frequently
due to their potential for making the mining
industry safer and more productive, according to
GMG.
Christine Erikson, General Manager
Improvement and Smart Business at Roy Hill,
said the guideline “covers all aspects of
operations, including people, safety, technology,
engineering, regulatory requirements, business
process and organisation models”. She added:
“The guideline considers all perspectives in the
industry, making it relevant and practical in
implementation.”
The guideline provides a framework for mining
stakeholders to follow when establishing
autonomous mining projects ranging from single
autonomous vehicles and hybrid fleets to highly
autonomous fleets, GMG said. It offers guidance on
how stakeholders should approach autonomous
mining and describes common practices.