HIGH PROFILE
TAGE CTO, Huang Liming
the basis of intellectualisation and
interconnection of the unmanned mine trucks and
the cloud based dispatching control platform,
TAGE’s products seamlessly connect every step of
mining transportation process, so as to make the
system capable of working in an actual
operational scenario, which is extremely critical
for commercial implementation.
Then there is system reliability and multiple
safety aspects. TAGE's OBU products are
designed in accordance with vehicle grade
certification to meet the operational reliability
requirements of the harsh environments (low
temperature, vibration, etc) in the mining area.
Our system has achieved multiple redundant
security designs, which mainly includes CCU
(Central Control Unit) security redundancy,
wireless network redundancy, cloud platform
DHBS (Dual Machine Hot Backup System)
redundancy, etc. Finally I would mention
engineering design ability. TAGE has a vertically
structured and expert team in the open pit mining
industry, who have rich experience in engineering
design and system simulation verification of
unmanned transportation in mining.
reduced fuel cost and tyre wear cost reduction,
and most importantly, zero accident risk to
operators. Meanwhile, our prices are still very
competitive – the ROI of our system is very
attractive to most of our potential customers.
Q: Chinese mines are not known for having
extensive comms networks or using the latest
fleet management systems. How do you ensure
your mining customers meet the minimum
standards your systems need to work in terms of
networks?
HL: When it comes to telecommunication, China
has a good upstream and downstream
ecosystem, and wireless communication networks
have been widely deployed in mining areas in
China. Some large state-owned mining areas have
already deployed 4G wireless private networks, so
as to realise fleet management and video
monitoring under manned transportation
conditions. Along with the rapid introduction of
unmanned transportation in China's open-pit
mining areas, 4G private networks or 5G networks
have been mainly chosen as the mainstream
choices for new mining area construction and
existing mining area network upgrades. Currently,
the major equipment manufacturers and
communication service operators are actively
cooperating with us to promote unmanned
transportation and 5G.
Q: Are Chinese mines now widely trialling LTE and
5G networks. Do you think many mines will go
straight to these latest technologies?
HL: As I said, telecommunication technology in
China is developing rapidly. China’s Government
has spared no efforts to promote the macro
strategy of ‘New Infrastructure Construction.’ In
this positive environment, many mine areas have
begun promoting 5G demonstration projects, and
TAGE has also carried out 5G demonstration
implementation at one of our unmanned
transportation projects.
Q: Is there potential for autonomous mining in
Chinese underground mines and is this something
already happening? Is it a market TAGE Idriver is
involved in yet?
YG: China has a large number of underground
mines but in many of them mechanised hauling
with mobile vehicles is not the major means of
transportation – many of these mines instead use
conveyors, skip haulage etc. But we are aware
that a variety of autonomous transportation
equipment types are being experimented with in
Chinese underground mining, however, TAGE is
currently focusing on the open pit mining industry
only.
Q: How would you say your system differs from
those offered in the global market by Cat,
Komatsu, Hitachi and ASI?
HL: To start with, TAGE’s system designs are
based on China's unique mining area
circumstances and transportation process
requirements, which are often more difficult and
more complex than the mining situations in which
overseas counterparts are working. In order to
ensure continuity, efficiency, and reliability, we
must consider in our offering allowing switching
between various driving modes (such as from
manned to unmanned or to remote control etc) so
as to adapt to the unique characteristics of
China's mining areas. Secondly, the vehicle
models utilised in China's mining areas are quite
diverse. There are many brands and types of rigid
mine trucks but also many types of non-rigid
wide-body dumpers, sometimes called tipper
Q: Is the main potential currently working with
equipment OEMs or the mines directly, or both?
YG: Both, I have mentioned already Baogang and
SPIC as mining customers we have ongoing
projects with and we are also closely cooperating
with top Chinese OEMs like Inner Mongolia North
Hauler (NHL), XCMG and Shaanxi Tonly.
Q The Chinese market is also very price sensitive.
How is it possible to provide these complex
technologies to these mines at a low enough price
they will accept?
LQ: In China, the ordinary consumer market is
very price sensitive, but for high-tech production
equipment, price is not the decisive factor. TAGE’s
unmanned system is capable of creating
substantial additional benefits to customers such
as labour cost savings, increased operation time,
TAGE Idriver says it is at the forefront of the mining truck autonomy industry in China both in terms of
technology maturity and user acceptance
54 International Mining | JUNE 2020