HEAVY ENGINEERING AND WEAR PARTS extends this further, reducing the number of mystery failures, cutting diagnosis time and limiting unnecessary inspections in hazardous areas.”
When well implemented, the benefits are tangible, according to Broadbent:
• Reduced unplanned downtime through earlier detection;
• Better planning: parts, labour, tooling and shutdown scope defined earlier;
• Reduced safety exposure through fewer emergency interventions; and
• Better reliability conversations, because all stakeholders work from the same trend data rather than competing opinions.
Yet, the same skills gap that creates maintenance vulnerability also affects digital tools: someone still needs to interpret signals and translate them into maintenance actions. Data quality and discipline matter – dirty sensors, inconsistent tagging, missing baselines and alarm fatigue will kill adoption quickly. Integration with existing CMMS and planning workflows is not optional; a monitoring platform that becomes a dashboard people stop opening delivers no value.“ And change management is ultimately cultural, not technical: the mine has to trust the system enough to schedule work before something breaks,” Broadbent said.
Looking ahead: design for maintainability and knowledge transfer
The direction over the next five years is clear: safer maintenance that is also faster, delivered through design-for-maintainability principles and modular change-out concepts. Active development is underway on heavy-component change procedures that reduce crane time, improve control and standardise execution
– with a direct safety and availability payoff for high-consequence, high-exposure tasks.
Three themes are expected to accelerate:
• Structured lifecycle programs tied to new installations – defining inspection routines, shutdown templates, spares strategies and performance baselines from commissioning – are becoming the new normal rather than an option;
• The skilled trades shortage is not a short-term trend. The winning model will be mines and suppliers building repeatable knowledge transfer: training embedded in real shutdowns, supported by documented procedures and sustained through coaching so capability survives turnover; and
• Collaborating with OEMs on support models is not about outsourcing; it is about having predictable access to expertise, defined response times and a reliability partner accountable for outcomes. Broadbent concluded:“ The sites that succeed will be those that pair digital capability with disciplined housekeeping, clean systems, standard work and a clear operating philosophy – building organisations where both the tools and the people know what to do.” with autonomous trucks, ensuring the truck can operate how it was designed to, the company claims. Philippi-Hagenbuch equipment works harmoniously with autonomous haul trucks’ control systems without human intervention.
The company says that each Philippi- Hagenbuch solution is autonomous-ready, including:
• Autogate ® Tailgates: Philippi-Hagenbuch’ s first product in 1969 is still a go-to addition for customers who want to maximise their haul truck utilisation. Tailgates increase hauling capacity by up to 20 % while enhancing safety and extending tyre life. The increased capacity proves effective for any material – hard and rocky or liquid. When equipped on an autonomous truck, the tailgate will open and close automatically when the truck’ s control system raises and lowers the body, with no human intervention required.
• HiVol ® specialty bodies: Whether hauling mining payload, overburden, scrap metal, refuse or other material, Philippi- Hagenbuch’ s ultra-high strength, abrasionresistant HiVol bodies are designed to haul the greatest volumetric capacity. The company engineers each body to match the unique characteristics of the material being hauled, the truck’ s rated
The Nexsys system is a next-generation lip and GET system for rope shovel dippers that significantly reduces maintenance and improves productivity
weight and operational goals. When on an autonomous haul truck, a customengineered Philippi-Hagenbuch body will dump in exactly the same way as an OEM body, the company says.
• HiVol Water Tanks: Each Philippi- Hagenbuch Water Tank is custom
engineered to haul the greatest possible volume for the specific make and model of traditional or autonomous articulated- and rigid-frame haul trucks. The company’ s patented Water Tanks feature a stable, square design and internal baffling system to improve stability and safety. Since
International Mining | JUNE 2026