Epiroc Drilling Solutions, a blasthole drill manufacturer based in Garland, Texas, purchased 34% of ASI Mining, a Mendon, Utah-based company that provides technology solutions for the autonomous operation of mining vehicles. ASI Mining is a subsidiary of Autonomous Solutions Inc. Its products include on-board hardware and software that convert vehicles to autonomous operation, as well as system level software platforms for command and control of autonomous fleets across various mining applications. The solutions integrate with various mobile mining equipment, regardless of make or model, and are used by mining customers globally.
The business is estimated to have revenues in 2018 of more than US$6 million.
“We believe in the ASI Mining vision and the benefits they can bring to the mining community,” said Jose Manuel Sanchez, president, Epiroc Drilling Solutions. “We’re excited about the potential that can be realized through the ASI products and Epiroc global footprint in mining.”
“A decade ago we started the Pit Viper automation program that has now led to a paradigm change in how drilling is done in surface mining,” said Jon Torpy, vice president of marketing for Epiroc Drilling Solutions. “We see that the ASI Mining solutions will also fundamentally change the industry toward higher productivity and improved safety. We are excited about the potential that exists when we work together to bring new solutions to the mining community.”
“ASI Mining is now able to leverage Epiroc’s extensive mining automation experience and global service and support network,” said Mel Torrie, CEO of ASI. “This puts us in a position to rapidly scale in delivering mine automation systems that retrofit or integrate with any vehicle make or model.”
The transaction will allow ASI Mining to scale up its autonomous mining platform with access to Epiroc’s worldwide service and support channels.
