Champion Iron will adopt Caterpillar autonomy solutions incrementally according to the Drill-to-Mill strategy at Bloom Lake mine in Québec. (Photo: Champion Iron Ltd.)
Champion Iron Ltd. signed a letter of intent to implement Caterpillar’s Advanced Drilling Technologies on Cat equipment at Bloom Lake mine. The miner will incrementally adopt Cat drilling autonomy solutions using the supplier’s drill-to-mill (D2M) strategy with the goal of optimizing the mine’s productivity and energy consumption.
D2M seeks to improve mill performance by supplying optimal mill feed.
The Cat solutions will supply real-time data on machines and operations to support decisions and execution across Champion’s mining value chain, leadership at the miner reported. “The aim and vision of improving mining practices and ultimately reducing waste and energy use is the foundation of this collaboration,” Champion CEO David Cataford said. “D2M aligns with our core value of respecting the land that we exploit, as it will enable us to responsibly extract non-renewable resources using the best means possible.”
Bloom Lake produces a high-grade iron ore concentrate, and is located just north of Fermont, Québec.
Separately, Caterpillar distributor Finning reported it will provide 27 R3000H loaders to Chuquicamata underground. It also reported a $40 million order for Cat support equipment for Codelco’s Andina mine for delivery in H1 2022.
