Hexagon’s Mining division has acquired Guardvant, an Arizona-based safety technology provider for the mining industry, for an undisclosed amount.
With offices in Perth and Queensland, Hexagon’s Mining division equips more than 30,000 mining vehicles worldwide with its collision avoidance system.
It is integrated with Hexagon’s solution for fleet management, personal protection, vehicle intervention and fatigue monitoring and tracking radar.
On the other hand, Guardvant equips almost 5000 mining vehicles and monitors more than 20 million road hours to date.
It provides mining vehicles with a range of safety technology such as OpGuard, which features an infrared camera that continuously monitors the operator for eyelid closure, facial and head movements and other unsafe behaviour such as cell phone use.
According to Hexagon’s Mining division president Josh Weiss, demand for safety solutions is growing faster than any other area of mining technology.
Guardvant’s advanced expertise in detecting operator fatigue and distraction responds to that demand and helps solidify Hexagon’s leading role in mine safety solutions.
“Guardvant is a recognised force in fatigue monitoring technology and was the first to market as an Original Equipment Manufacturing (OEM) independent in that field,” Weiss said.
“The acquisition solidifies Hexagon’s position as the leader in mine safety and enhances our integrated life-of-mine portfolio.”
Hexagon has around 18,000 employees in 50 countries and net sales of around €3.5 billion.
Guardvant chief executive Sergio Blacutt said, “Hexagon shares our commitment to safety and is in the unique position of delivering life-of-mine solutions across a broad technology portfolio.
“We are looking forward to being part of a team that is changing the game for the mining industry.”