Sandvik has celebrated the delivery of its 100th automated loader in the Asia Pacific (APAC) region after a Sandvik LH621i was delivered to Byrnecut in Australia during March.
This marks the 100th loader shipped that is equipped with Sandvik’s automation software, AutoMine.
AutoMine helps keep mine operators and personnel out of the firing line, enabling autonomous and teleremote operations for Sandvik and non-Sandvik underground and surface vehicles.
Sandvik trialled the remote operation of a LH621i loader at OZ Minerals’ Prominent Hill copper-gold mine in South Australia, demonstrating that the LH261i is capable of being operated from OZ Mineral’s remote operating centre in Adelaide.
Sandvik stated this had helped pave the way for the company’s goal of remote operations from home, which drastically reduced the risk of working physically on-site.
Sandvik’s AutoMine systems have been adopted by Barminco, OceanaGold, Redpath and Byrnecut, and have been commissioned in Australia, Papua New Guinea and the Philippines.
AutoMine can be configured to both single and multi-machine controls.
It also features full fleet automation capabilities with automatic mission and traffic control capability.
Sandvik stated that AutoMine-enabled machines allowed for a safer and more controlled mining environment.
Sandvik technical support manager – mine automation Ty Osborne said customers were realising the value of automated technology in mining operations.
“The digitalisation field has developed significantly over the years and we have adapted to meet the industry needs along the way,” Osborne said.
“We have seen our customers change their mindset from ‘This technology is nice but won’t work in our mine’, to, ‘What do have to do to make this work in our mine?’.
“Our customers are now seeing the value of including digitalisation in their mine planning and recognise the tangible benefits an automated fleet can bring to their operation.”