A sustainable future together
Cutting-edge equipment and technology that balance productivity and sustainability showcased during MINExpo 2024
The theme of MINExpo 2024 was “A sustainable future together.” With one of the show’s largest and most comprehensive booths, Komatsu shared its vision for sustainable mine optimization, which has been born out of a collaboration with customers to unlock the full potential of Komatsu’s solutions and technologies.
Komatsu featured equipment, technology and service solutions that addressed sustainability and electrification, surface mining, underground hard rock mining, underground soft rock mining, blasthole drilling, quarry and aggregate mining and crushing. In addition to highlighting the electrification of mining equipment and autonomous machines, Komatsu showcased connected and interoperable solutions, teleremote operations, telematics and machine health data, digitalization, smart solutions and more.
“We’re excited to show our vision for sustainable mining and optimization of mines, and how we intend to work with customers to help them tackle key challenges in their mines,” said Peter Salditt, President and CEO, Komatsu Mining Corp. “There is a tremendous effort, will and interest in looking at sustainable mining and decreasing our carbon footprint. We feel that we are particularly well-placed to address electrification as many of our products have been electrified for a long time.”
Electrification is a critical step toward reducing emissions from mining equipment and helping mining organizations meet their sustainability goals. Komatsu is committed to helping mining organizations reduce their environmental impacts by developing a range of products and solutions designed to meet their needs wherever they are on the path to sustainability. The company’s electrification initiatives are built on its decades of experience in electrifying equipment for its electric drive trucks and loaders and fully electric underground soft rock mining machines. Komatsu is now expanding on that knowledge to develop electrification solutions for all areas of mining.
Innovative machines
Featured products during MINExpo included the PC4000-11E electric drive hydraulic mining excavator and the Power Agnostic 930E haul truck. The PC4000-11E delivers the powerful digging force operators need and expect from high-performance diesel machines while reducing emissions. The 930E is built on Komatsu’s modular power-agnostic platform that will allow for a transition from diesel to battery or even hydrogen fuel cell power sources. This innovative truck also supports dynamic charging and trolley assist options to reduce fuel consumption and emissions further.
During the show, Komatsu gave customers a firsthand look at two teleoperation advancements for its blasthole drills and mining dozers that can help drive mine safety, productivity and operational interoperability. These new features mark a significant step toward the future of remote-controlled equipment, allowing operators to manage heavy machinery from an off-site location.
Komatsu’s drill automation technology is designed to reduce operational variability, leading to improvements in blasthole quality and fragmentation through the precise execution of drill patterns. Customer benefits include more consistent production output, reduced machine wear from less experienced operators and improved downstream process efficiencies.
Teleoperation of a D375A-8 mining dozer used technology that integrates Modular ProVision machine guidance with automatic blade control. This offers precise and reliable remote operation, even in hazardous environments. The advanced system eliminates the need for operators to endure high-risk conditions, including high-vibration environments.
Standard machines geared toward high-production mining were also on display, including:
- GD955-7 motor grader with a standard 18-foot moldboard that’s designed to build and maintain haul roads for truck fleets of 100 tons and up
- ZT44 blasthole drill that offers high reliability and production with purpose-built structures, an 800-horsepower engine and a large capacity dual-setting compressor that adapts to varying rock hardness conditions
- D475A-8 surface mining dozer that features a more reliable mainframe with twice the design life over previous models to help reduce maintenance costs and machine downtime
Simplified workflows
Komatsu unveiled its new Modular ecosystem, which builds on its DISPATCH fleet management system. This cutting-edge solution includes a set of interconnected platforms and products designed to simplify existing workflows while creating a bold vision for the future of mine site optimization and data utilization.
“One of our customers’ biggest challenges is being able to get the full value out of the data sets they own,” said Jason Fletcher, Senior Vice President of Mining Technology Solutions at Komatsu. “The Modular ecosystem is that entry point for a mine operation to have one place to gather operational information for every activity that’s going on across their mine site. It’s our path forward to help optimize mining operations at the machine, mine site and enterprise levels.”
To expand its artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities and help customers optimize their mining operations, Komatsu announced its intent to acquire digital solutions provider Octodots Analytics during MINExpo.
“Our ecosystem is designed to empower customers to optimize decision-making at the machine, mine site and enterprise levels,” said Fletcher. “Octodots’ expertise and solutions map perfectly to what we’ve created, and we are excited about the opportunities to incorporate their products and capabilities into our offering.”
With a focus on long-term partnerships, Komatsu remains a trusted name in mining and is dedicated to advancing the industry through products, services and technological innovation.
To learn more about Komatsu at MINExpo 2024, visit https://www.komatsu.com/en/events/minexpo/.
