Fortescue Metals Group has expanded its operations centre in Perth, launching the Fortescue Hive to improve the safety and efficiency of its integrated supply chain.
Fortescue Hive also extends the pre-existing integrated operations centre (IOC) in Perth to improve commercial outcomes.
It also improves worker safety by encouraging remote operations.
The Hive integrates the company’s planning, operations and mine control teams with the port, rail, shipping and marketing teams that are made up of 330 people in total.
This opens the door to around the clock operations and a greater level of worker connection using the Fortescue Hive’s 162 workstations and 996 computer monitors that are connected by 64 kilometres of underfloor cables.
Fortescue chief executive officer Elizabeth Gaines said Fortescue Hive would easily join its exploration, mining and marketing expertise to deliver value to its customers, shareholders and communities.
“The Fortescue Hive will underpin our future use of technology, including artificial intelligence and robotics and will expand to include the generation and integrated distribution network for the Pilbara energy connect, our hybrid solar-gas power solution,”Gaines said.
“Fortescue has developed the world’s most advanced vertically integrated bulk operations infrastructure (and) we are very proud to open our enhanced IOC which enables us to operate our globally significant mines from the centre of Perth.”
Fortescue founder and chairman Andrew Forrest added that the company had long been a technology leader in the industry.
“(It) was the first mining operation in Western Australia to control a railway from a remote location when we unveiled our train control centre in Perth in 2009,” he said.
“Since then, Fortescue has continued to lead the pack and the Fortescue Hive, our reimagined IOC sits at the heart of our integrated supply chain to deliver critical ores to develop the great cities of our region and beyond.”
Fortescue Hive was launched last week in the presence of Forrest, Gaines, Western Australia’s Minister for Mines and Petroleum, Energy and Industrial Relations Bill Johnston, Shadow Minister for Western Australian Resources Matt Keogh, Shadow Minister for Mines and Petroleum Bill Marmion, Federal Member for Perth Patrick Gorman and members of the Fortescue board and leadership teams.