MINE AUTOMATION
Engineering , and Production , Liebherr Mining . “ Liebherr has always prioritised market-led product development and we are privileged to be partnering with Fortescue . Our collaborative efforts will be beneficial for not only Fortescue , but all customers who choose to implement Liebherr technology products on their sites .”
Liebherr and Fortescue ’ s partnership to develop and validate the AHS was formalised in March 2023 . Since then , the team has finalised the definition of the System and is now developing the System ’ s extensive features and functionalities for validation .
As part of the AHS development , Liebherr and Fortescue will develop an integrated Fleet Management System and a Machine Guidance Solution , capable of being used independently on human-operated sites . Upon completion of system validation , the Autonomous Haulage Solution will be deployed across Fortescue mine sites .
“ Our deep expertise in autonomous haulage that has come from operating over 200 diesel autonomous haul trucks across our mine sites , has enabled Fortescue and Liebherr to develop a Fleet Management System that uniquely targets efficiency and unlocks untapped capacity in our fleet ,” said Dino Otranto , Fortescue Metals Chief Executive Officer . “ The partnership with Liebherr has enabled us to jointly develop the Fleet Management Systems , which provide us with an OEM agnostic solution that can be integrated with any autonomous platform including trucks , drills , watercarts or any other heavy mining equipment . This critical technology puts our business in full control of our development priorities and roadmap .”
The AHS – including the Fleet Management System and Machine Guidance Solution – will also be made available to customers worldwide as part of Liebherr ’ s expanding technology portfolio .
“ This development will allow us to offer the global market a complete Autonomous Haulage Solution including a fully integrated Fleet Management System and Machine Guidance Solution ,” says Weiss . “ These innovative technologies form part of our expanding range of technology products and are another step forward in our strategy to become a total solution provider for the mining industry .”
This collaboration between Liebherr and Fortescue to deliver a fully integrated Autonomous Haulage Solution marks an expansion of the existing partnership between the two companies . The partnership began in June 2022 , when the two companies announced their intention to build a zero emission haulage solution using Liebherr ’ s OEM experience and Fortescue ’ s fuel cell battery and battery-electric technology .
Epiroc and Fortescue cooperate on autonomous SmartROC D65
Moving back to surface drilling , Australia ’ s Pilbara iron ore mining area , Epiroc and Fortescue have been working together to develop the SmartROC D65 Autonomous drill rig that Epiroc says is pushing the boundaries of autonomous mining . The rig was first deployed at Iron Bridge in the East Pilbara , the joint venture mining project between Fortescue Metals Group subsidiary FMG Magnetite and Formosa Steel IB , with the US $ 3.9 billion operation near Marble Bar producing high-grade magnetite .
Epiroc agreed to a partnership with Fortescue Ltd in 2021 to use the SmartROC D65 MKII Autonomous on a Fortescue mine site for a trial period of at least 12 months . Iron Bridge Mine was selected as the best-fit site for the trial ’ s objectives . The trial began in 2022 , and the rig hit production KPIs in May 2023 . As of 2024 , all activities related to autonomous implementation and future development were moved to Solomon Hub in the central Pilbara north of Tom Price .
“ It ’ s great to be working with Epiroc here at Iron Bridge and seeing the SmartROC D65 drill in action ,” says Graham Howard , Director of Operations at Iron Bridge last year .
High temperatures – often 45 degrees Celsius – made this an ideal place