SURFACE DRILLING
One aspect of this was introducing more intelligent drilling- functionality like Intelligent Propel, HazTechNext and the ability to control more drills per operator- how are these new capabilities being received by users and are they all now in use at customer sites?“ We are getting a lot of interest the introduction of our Intelligent Operation Suite which includes Intelligent Drilling, Intelligent Propel and HazTech Next. Our Intelligent Operation Suite looks at how we can make the operations of the machine more intelligent to reduce the reliance on the operator and drive more optimisation and efficiency out of the machines. We currently have field trials underway for our Intelligent Drilling feature across numerous customer sites in different commodities and regions, and we are seeing very promising results. This gives us confidence that the improvements that are being seen will be transferable to all our customers. Development is underway for the other features with them being looked to be released by the end of the year.”
Likewise FLANDERS has been rolling out an Operations Support program- formalising what it was already doing with many customers in helping them on the transition journey to autonomy- is this now being offered to all customers and how does it work in practice in terms of training, on the ground support and a staged approach? Goodwin:“ Throughout 2025 we successfully executed several of our Autonomy Peak Performance( APP) programs with various customers which have resulted in very promising results. There are three programs within our APP; APP1 which is our Autonomy Readiness Assessment, APP2 which is our Operation Readiness Program, and the APP3 which is the Peak Performance program. Each program is specifically designed to help guide the customer through the various stages of the technology journey. Where other suppliers stop at technology,
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FLANDERS stays engaged through every stage of the journey.”
There is an increased interest in cable drills as companies look to cut emissions- it has the ability to automate cable drills- how does FLANDERS autonomy work for electric drills and what additional challenges does it come with? Are Is FLANDERS seeing increased demand for these solutions?
Goodwin:“ FLANDERS has developed an advanced automated cable reel control system that allows for smarter reeling in and out of the trailing cable while the machine is in operation compared to the current systems which really on the operator onboard to monitor the cable. There are still further challenges with operating multiple electric drills on a single pattern meaning there are multiple trailing cables, along with ground crew manually moving cables around on the bench, but we have several initiates underway to reduce the reliance of the operator in these situations.”
Equally, FLANDERS offers a conversion options for customers looking to convert diesel drills to electric- have it carried out any of these conversions yet?“ Drawing on FLANDERS expert knowledge in Electric Motors and Drive Systems, we have offered the conversion of a diesel-powered drill to an electric one, though we have yet to carry out any of these conversions.”
Over the long term the major drill OEMs are looking at options to incorporate batteries, initially for tramming, into drill designs and eventually to also carry out drilling from battery power and even fuel cells. What is the FLANDERS take on this? Goodwin:“ Where incorporating batteries into some of the smaller drill rigs does machine sense for tramming, we don’ t see the viability as transferable over to the larger platform machines. Our focus is improving our automation capabilities with trailing cable systems. Though the ARDVARC system will be adaptable to battery power,
FLANDERS’ ARDVARC Next unlocks the future for both its older automated drills and its newer automated machines by upgrading several key pieces of control hardware on the machine along with upgrading to a new onboard software architecture
or fuel cells if these systems become more viable.”
There is also greater demand for larger crawler boom drills in the mining market like the Epiroc D65 as an example- offering greater flexibility. Is FLANDERS seeing a corresponding greater demand to automate these types of drills than before?“ We haven’ t seen a great increase in the demand for automating the larger articulating boom drills. Although these machines offer greater flexibility, the business cases for autonomy don’ t stack up yet.”
The major OEMs- Sandvik, Epiroc and Caterpillar- continue to launch new drill models- is it becoming more difficult to convert them to autonomy because of additional proprietary features they are adding? Goodwin:“ With the OEMs launching new drill models, it has to some regard made the process to convert the machines to autonomy easier, and the newer models are being delivered more autonomy ready from the factory. We would like to work closer with the OEM providers to be able to provide our customers with a more complete solution, building upon the strength of all systems.”
Finally, looking further ahead is there a place for AI in drill autonomy- especially more intelligence onboard the drill- and is it already being used for some functionalities? Goodwin:“ We see that AI will play a large role in drill autonomy in the future both onboard and offboard the drill. As we strive to reduce the number of times the drill controller needs to interact with the, we see AI being more instrumental in allowing the system to adapt without the controller needing to. We also see a lot of benefit in using AI to analyse the data that is produced by the ARDVARC system to not only improve the sites’ drilling performance, but the whole site operation. We have already made some great headway into these areas.”
Hexagon Drill Assist continues to empower operators
Hexagon’ s Drill Assist it says enhances drill operator performance, minimises hole failure, and reduces wear and tear on equipment. AI technology monitors all input signals and takes dynamic corrective action, reducing reliance on operator input. By retaining the existing OEM technology platform, the tool helps mines to innovate without having to invest in new machine controls.
Unlike traditional automated drilling platforms, the Drill Assist user interface is intuitive, and does not require extensive
International Mining | MAY 2026