Senior leaders from Hancock Prospecting, Marubeni, POSCO, Roy Hill, Epiroc and ASI Mining celebrate the contract signing to automate Roy Hill’s haul truck fleet. (Photo: Roy Hill, Epiroc, ASI)
Iron ore mine Roy Hill, in the Pilbara in Western Australia, contracted Epiroc and ASI Mining to convert their fleet of 77 haul trucks for autonomous usage. The suppliers will work with Hitachi and Wencomine on truck conversion and integration of Roy Hill’s existing Wenco fleet management system.
The solution will have the ability to expand to other mining vehicle types and manufacturers, as well as the capability to integrate with existing and future Roy Hill systems, the partnership reported.
The project has a phased implementation, with testing and production verification of up to eight trucks undertaken in the initial phase prior to the second phase of full fleet expansion from mid-2021, the partnership reported.
The mine plans to reskill and redeploy personnel to assist with the transition.
Roy Hill leadership said the mine is well-positioned to transition to automation. “Our teams on site and in our Remote Operations Centre in Perth have demonstrated a clear capacity to deliver complex projects, sustainable change and operational excellence with the recent success of the autonomous drill program and fleet optimization initiatives,” Roy Hill CEO Barry Fitzgerald said.
Epiroc said the company is proud to partner on the fleet automation project. “This is a very strong example of how automation will take a mining company’s operation to the next level,” Helena Hedblom, senior executive vice president, mining and infrastructure, said.
