WORLD PROSPECTS
“ First Mode represents one of the largest clean tech companies in Seattle and I ’ m thrilled that they chose to invest in our city by building a manufacturing facility here ,” said Markham McIntyre , Director of the Seattle Office of Economic Development . “ Seattle is uniquely positioned as a leader in sustainability and clean technology deployment . We ’ re excited to continue working with First Mode as they bring new clean tech manufacturing and engineering jobs to our city and help shape the future of Seattle ’ s economy .”
On July 12 , the leading Chinese mining truck OEM Inner Mongolia North Hauler Joint Stock Co ( NHL ) and Chinese coal giant CHN Energy through its division Zhunneng Group held a delivery ceremony for a 300 ton class diesel-electric drive dump truck at the Haerwusu opencast coal mine .
The truck is unique is that it is the first large mining truck in China to be constructed mainly of Chinese-made components – including the engine , electric wheel motors and other major parts .
Zhang Jufu , Director of the Investment Planning Department of the Autonomous Region ’ s Office of Industry and Information Technology , Bai Guosheng , Deputy Director of the Baotou City Bureau of Industry and Information , Guo Haiquan , Deputy General Manager of NHL , Cao Yong , Deputy General Manager of Zhunneng Group , and other relevant personnel attended the delivery ceremony .
NHL said that the delivery of the 300 ton ‘ domestic mining dump truck ’ is testament to the
In 2019 , Thiess was the first mining services provider to deploy an Epiroc Pit Viper drill fitted with an autonomous drilling system ( ADS ) and has since expanded its fleet with additional autonomous drills now in operation . Thiess ’ fleet of autonomous Epiroc drills has now achieved a significant milestone , safely drilling more than one million lineal metres at the Lake Vermont coal mine in Queensland .
Thiess Group Executive Assets , Technical Services and Technology Ramesh Liyanage and Epiroc Business Line Manager Drilling Solutions Alex Grant joined team representatives including Colin Mulligan , Operations Manager at Thiess , on-site this week to celebrate the achievement .
Liyange recognised the milestone as an opportunity for Thiess and Epiroc to celebrate their collective success , proving the drills capability in a complex mining setting . “ Drilling more than one million lineal metres without an operator in the machine is a significant milestone and a reflection of Thiess ’ ongoing commitment to increasing operational efficiency and safety outcomes through technology and innovation .”
6 International Mining | AUGUST 2023
By utilising smart manufacturing , the 45,000- square-foot facility will enable concurrent development and production of multiple nuGen™ engine configurations – also allowing the company to digitalise and automate workflows for a smarter , safer , and more efficient factory with a high level of adaptability to design changes – crucial to First Mode ’ s rapid product development roadmap and design iteration .
The first factory-built nuGen™ engines will be transported to First Mode Proving Grounds in Centralia , Washington , USA , in 2024 . The engines
NHL hails all-Chinese large mining truck
depth of cooperation between NHL and Zhunneng Group who are jointly promoting the benefits of localised construction , “ breaking the dual monopoly of imported product technology and price ,” and its advent also marks the breakthrough of high-powered diesel engines for mining heavy trucks in China .
It added that many the development of domestic core technologies such as electric drive systems has enhanced the comprehensive strength of China ’ s key basic components , basic materials , basic processes , industrial technologies and other aspects of mining trucks , which collectively is highly significant and an important milestone in the development history of electric wheel mining trucks in China .
This model is the first domestic large mining truck with independent intellectual property rights , which is equipped with a high speed diesel engine developed by domestic manufacturers and equipped with an engine
Thiess Group Executive Chair and CEO Michael Wright said : “ It ’ s through our relationships with leading equipment manufacturers such as Epiroc , that we ’ re able to support our clients with innovative products and services to meet their sustainability and production goals .”
At Lake Vermont , the multi-pass drills operate remotely from the site ’ s office , working autonomously for up to 22 hours per day . These drills employ advanced guidance technologies to precisely drill holes according to the specified location and depth in the drill plan . With the current multi-pass capability , operators can drill holes ranging from 171 mm to 270 mm in will then be integrated into Komatsu 930E haul trucks and become the largest zero-emission trucks to drive on US soil .
The factory will help First Mode fulfill its supplier agreement with Anglo American to decarbonise their global fleet of ultra-class haul trucks with the nuGen™ Haulage Solution , which includes haul truck retrofit with the company ’ s nuGen™ haulage solution and supporting infrastructure such as battery charging , hydrogen production , and refuelling . https :// firstmode . com
intelligent supervisory control system . For the next step , NHL says it will continue to cooperate with Zhunneng Group to successfully trial the truck , continuously improve its performance , and build it into a mining truck with high reliability , high durability and higher quality .
At the ceremony , Zhang Yaobin , President of the Product Research Institute of NHL , delivered the truck ’ s symbolic “ golden key ” to Wang Jiming , Deputy Mining Director of Halwusu opencast coal mine . Zhang Jufu , Bai Guosheng , Cao Yong , Guo Haiquan and Wang Jiming together cut the ribbon for the truck . www . chinanhl . com
Thiess and Epiroc celebrate a million auto drilled metres at Lake Vermont diameter and reach depths up to 72 m .
The drill program is also unique in its implementation of a number of ‘ firsts ’ including the first Epiroc fully autonomous Pit Viper 275 to operate at a coal mine in Australia , the first project with a fleet of multi-pass fully autonomous rigs drilling side-by-side globally and Thiess being the first mining services provider to autonomously drill one million multipass lineal metres , globally .
Epiroc President and CEO Helena Hedblom said : “ We are proud to celebrate a momentous milestone with our valued customer , Thiess , as we reach the remarkable milestone of autonomously drilling one million metres together . This achievement underscores our strong partnership and commitment to delivering cutting-edge solutions in the mining industry and demonstrates the power of collaboration setting a new benchmark for the future of autonomous drilling .”
Thiess is exploring the application of this technology to its projects in the Americas . https :// thiess . com ; www . epiroc . com