FLEET AUTOMATION
quarries to large mines.
Wenco:“ These acquisitions underscore a broader industry trend: the increasing recognition that interoperability and open standards are essential for the future of autonomous mining. Major mining companies are already demonstrating this through their operational choices. At an iron ore mine in the Pilbara, Rio Tinto continues to collaborate with partners, Scania and Wenco, to create an interoperable haulage solution for its autonomous haul trucks, with Wenco’ s Open Autonomy system installed on a wheel loader.”
As mining companies face increasing pressure to automate operations while maintaining flexibility in vendor selection, the need for vendor-neutral information sources becomes more acute. Standards like ISO 23725 are gaining momentum by decoupling autonomous control systems from OEM hardware, enabling miners to apply autonomy across existing fleets and infrastructure.
The OpenAutonomy. com platform aims to serve as an educational resource, hosting technical articles, implementation case studies, and industry updates without paid promotion or advertising. Contributors commit to providing regular content including technical deep-dives, standards and regulatory updates, and project developments – creating a knowledge base for mining professionals navigating the complexities of autonomous system integration.
Wenco, a long-standing proponent of open standards and real-world integrator of ISO-based solutions, brings years of practical insight to the discussion. Polymath Robotics, aims to be the leading authority in robotics, creating general autonomy to automate about 50 million industrial vehicles in closed environments. Their software is hardware and business model-agnostic, focusing on essential features for efficient operation of automated robots, tractors, or forklifts. Scania stands out for proactively adopting open autonomy principles with Rio Tinto. Their long-term R & D partnership focuses on advancing autonomous technology, with Rio Tinto’ s iron ore mine as the first active partner site for Scania’ s autonomous mining solution.
Wenco adds:“ The emergence of a platform like OpenAutonomy. com represents both the maturation of autonomous mining technology and the industry’ s recognition that no single vendor can or should control the entire autonomous ecosystem. As mines increasingly operate mixed fleets and seek to integrate best-of-breedin-class solutions, the availability of vendor-neutral technical resources becomes more than a philosophical ideal— it becomes a business imperative.”
It concludes:“ The success of such initiatives will ultimately be measured not by website traffic or contributor count, but by whether they accelerate the adoption of truly interoperable autonomous systems that allow mines to freely choose the best solutions for their needs across the autonomous technology stack to optimize their operations. As the recent consolidation in the sector demonstrates, even as companies acquire and merge, the underlying trend toward open standards continues to gain momentum.”
Landmark AHS deal for Komatsu with NGM
Nevada Gold Mines( NGM) and Komatsu have officially launched what they say is a pioneering partnership to elevate workplace safety and enhance operational efficiency through the deployment of Komatsu’ s FrontRunner Autonomous Haulage System( AHS).
NGM will be automating its fleet of 300 and 230 t haul trucks across its surface operations.
While visiting the company’ s Cortez operations this week, Barrick President and Chief Executive, Mark Bristow, joined site leaders to witness a milestone moment – a live demonstration of the FrontRunner AHS.
The collaboration marks the first implementation of the system for both companies within the United States, setting a new standard for mining operations nationwide.
“ This is a strong example of how proven global solutions can be adapted to meet NGM’ s specific operational needs,” Bristow said.“ Barrick and NGM are committed to innovation that drives meaningful change. But more than that, it’ s about protecting
Brazil’ s U & M granted patent for autonomy conversion kit
Brazil’ s leading mining contractor and emerging mining technology provider U & M Mineração e Construção S / A recently marked a major milestone this month in its 50-year history: the granting of the patent for its conversion kit to apply autonomous operation to mining trucks.
U & M recently announced the granting of a patent for its conversion kit to apply autonomous operation to mining trucks
The company states:“ This technology, developed with passion and intelligence here at U & M, will redefine soil and rock handling operations, positioning us even further at the forefront of the industry. The journey for recognition began in 2019, with the application submitted to the INPI. After a very meticulous process, the patent was granted in June 2025, exactly in the same month that U & M celebrates its 50th anniversary.”
With this kit, U & M converts mining trucks, which were designed to be operated manually, into equipment that can also work autonomously.“ For us, innovating means promoting greater safety, environmental sustainability, and, indeed, a true circular economy. Congratulations to everyone who was part of this journey! May this achievement be just the beginning of a great cycle of numerous innovations.”
IM spoke to Mauricio Casara, U & M Commercial and New Technologies Director about the offering.“ Regarding the autonomous truck today we have five units running at one of the client mines we operate at. The plan is to run them until the end of the year and then formally commercialise it as a solution by Q1 2026. As a leading mining services provider, we plan not to sell the kit but rather to offer autonomy as a service.”
Casara added that the kit is OEM-agnostic, so U & M will be able use to it on any truck model. Today it is running on the CAT 777F but has also been developed for the CAT 777B / C and Komatsu 730E. Next up will be the Komatsu 930E and HD785 – this will then mean it has covered all of the main truck models in the U & M contract mining fleet. The bulk of the kit is the same for any truck, what changes are primarily the actuators for each specific model.
42 International Mining | SEPTEMBER 2025