Capital Equipment News June 2021

RIGID DUMP TRUCKS – AUTONOMOUS HAULING

improves efficiency, enables consistency in operations and provides near-continuous operation through the reduction of operational delays. Command for hauling also reduces machine damage and downtime due to misuse and overloading. It allows the instant alteration or redesign of mine maps to meet changing operational needs. The technology further enables advanced assignment and tracking from a central location. It alerts maintenance personnel to machine faults, enabling repairs before failure and reducing downtime. Command for hauling integrates with existing systems and processes and can be used on any brand of equipment. It delivers greater value thanks to dedicated Caterpillar on-site specialists and experts with years of experience in implementing, supporting and maximizing the benefits of autonomous haulage. Reaping the rewards It wasn’t that long ago that an autonomous mine site was a far-off dream. Today, it’s reality, and it’s delivering. Mines are seeing significant results on the safety side and productivity side of things. Putting technology on manned machines give you a step change. And automation takes you to the next level. The gains are attributed to a variety of factors. Autonomous mining is more efficient, which reduces overall costs. It significantly reduces or eliminates shift change. It allows near-continuous utilisation of machines and allows them to run more consistently and in some cases faster than manned equipment. When it comes to dozing, automation makes it possible for one operator to control multiple machines. Autonomous drills allow high levels of precision, getting the hole in the right location and to the right depth. “What automation does is really tighten up your processes,” says Murphy. “If you have got a bad mine, automation won’t fix it. It will actually probably make it worse. If you have got a good mine it will make it into an excellent mine. It will help you on your processes and bring that process consistency.” While the productivity gains are important, Murphy is quick to point out that the biggest value he sees is in terms of safety. “The mining industry is very safety-conscious and we see a step change in safety when we introduce automation,” Murphy says. For example, trucks equipped with Command for hauling have moved more than 3-billion tonnes of material and travelled more than 110-million km – all without a single lost-time injury. b

The Cat 793F is part of the line of Command models.

Cat MineStar Command for hauling in numbers

30% BOOST IN PRODUCTIVITY

17 MINE LOCATIONS

ZERO LOST-TIME INJURIES

3-BILLION TONNES MOVED

-MILLION KM TRAVELLED

110

tonne. Customers have seen up to 30% higher productivity. “We continue to decrease the time between our major milestone targets because, from initial contract to full deployment, we constantly improve Command implementation efficiency. Consistent with previous milestone trends, we anticipate crossing the 4-billion tonnes threshold at even a faster pace than achieving 3-billion tonnes,” says Marc Cameron, vice president, Caterpillar Resource Industries. “Looking forward, we are planning the expansion of Command for hauling to include our 140-t class Cat 785 mining truck.” Command for hauling Today, Caterpillar has automation offerings

for both surface and underground mining under its Cat MineStar Command umbrella. Command leverages other MineStar capabilities to provide the fully integrated operation of remote control, semi- autonomous and fully autonomous mining systems. Command for hauling automates mining trucks to enable fully autonomous surface haulage. Command for hauling has changed how mining companies move material. By making it possible for trucks to operate autonomously, Command delivers unprecedented gains in efficiency, safety and productivity. The technology enhances safety by removing operators from hazardous or remote sites and reduces the number of people required on site. It furthermore

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