Caterpillar and Orica said technical teams launched workshops on integration of Orica’s Rhino, BlastIQ, and FRAGTrack technologies with Cat MineStar Terrain.
“Collaboration and product development workshops started in 2023,” said Sean McGinnis, vice president and general manager, technology and global sales support, Caterpillar. “Our goal is to launch the integrated solution starting in 2024.”
In November, Orica reported the integration could give high-fidelity rock property information, enabling improvements to on-bench safety, drilling and blasting program accuracy and productivity, and higher quality blast outcomes that generate enhanced mill performance.
In a recent interview with E&MJ, Orica said the main goal is to link orebody physical and mineralogical information into drill and blast workflows. “That will improve material characterization, tracking and management and enable more targeted and prescriptive blasting, excavation and haulage activities aimed at optimizing the delivery of the right feedstock to the processing plant,” said Rajkumar Mathiravedu, vice president, Orica Digital Solutions.
Initially, the integration of workflows between the solutions will enhance the capability of each one, he said. “As new capabilities are developed, we will expect upgrades and add-ons to each of the relevant solutions,” he said. “The individual solutions will provide seamless data exchanges with one another as these become more integrated.”
The plan for integration traces back several years. “We have a shared goal that capitalizes on our synergies,” McGinnis said. “The large customer footprint and global reach of both Caterpillar and Orica made working more closely together the logical choice in terms of achieving these objectives.”
Since the announcement of the integration in November, the “response and willingness from customers to work with Caterpillar and Orica on defining and trialing these solutions at their sites has been really positive,” Mathiravedu said. “Customers who are able to trial solutions at their operation with a collaborative mindset and the willingness to participate in the change enablement associated with adopting cutting-edge technology are key to ensuring that the product ultimately creates value for our customers.”
