Komatsu Australia and Rio Tinto have had a long-standing partnership. Image: Komatsu Australia
Komatsu has celebrated a significant milestone with Rio Tinto for its heavy industry equipment in Western Australia.
Rio Tinto has made history in the Pilbara, Western Australia, accepting delivery of its 300th autonomous haulage system (AHS) truck from Komatsu.
Komatsu and Rio Tinto formalised their partnership in 2011 with a Memorandum of Understanding to deploy 150 AHS trucks. The two companies continued collaborating in mining automation more than a decade later.
“We’ve led the industry in mining automation since 2008 when we commenced the Rio Tinto trial,” Garry Povah, general manager for mining automation at Komatsu Australia, said.
“We delivered the first five AHS trucks to Rio mine sites in Australia in 2011, and it’s incredible to see how much the business has embraced this technology over the years, helping to make their mines safe and also highly productive.”
Rio Tinto has embraced using Komatsu’s AHS trucks, with 300 operating across the company’s ten Australian sites. According to Rio Tinto, the AHS trucks account for 80 per cent of its daily production.
The milestone was recognised with a ‘Daruma Doll’ ceremony. Image: Komatsu Australia
Jamie Sanders, Rio Tinto’s global head of procurement, reflected on the partnership, which began with the truck trial in 2008.
“This significant milestone is an excellent example of the partnership approach that Rio Tinto takes with its suppliers,” he said. “Komatsu is a fantastic partner that has helped us improve our operations from a health and, safety, and efficiency perspective.
“From the initial trial in 2008 to the work we do with Komatsu today, they have played a major role in helping us accelerate the automation of our mining processes. We look forward to continuing our collaboration.”
In a broader perspective, Komatsu AHS trucks operate at 19 sites in four countries, 406 of which are in Australia. According to Komatsu, they have moved 5.3 billion tonnes of material without system-related injuries.
Also known as the FrontRunner Autonomous Haulage System, the AHS was created in 2008 to provide customers with tailored autonomous solutions.
The Komatsu AHS trucks are normally loaded by operator-controlled tools like shovels and front-end loaders to haul materials, including overburden to waste dumps or paddock dumps for spreading or mined resources to the crusher area.
Komatsu equips each truck with a combination of vehicle controllers, precision GPS, an obstacle detection system (ODS) using radar and laser, and a company-developed wireless network system.
The truck’s vehicle control system includes a detailed map of the work site, including haul roads, loading areas, dump areas, refuelling and maintenance areas. The truck’s central controller assigns required routes to each truck.
Each loading tool is fitted with an integrated touch-screen computer that shows the location, direction of movement, and speed of all mobile plants within the FrontRunner fleet’s operations area.
As each truck approaches the loading area, the loading tool operator uses their onboard touch-screen computer to “spot” the truck at the correct loading location, “telling” the truck when it can move into position to be loaded, and once it is loaded, it can move off to the dump area.
In dumping, the autonomous system can handle the industry’s different requirements, depending on the material to be dumped, whether to fixed crusher plant locations for mined ore or to overburden waste dumps.
Povah said the AHS fleet offered two key benefits to Australia’s heavy industries, as showcased by Rio Tinto.
“The AHS fleet at Rio Tinto sites have completed 8.9 million operating hours and have moved over 4.8 billion tonnes of material – all while improving their site’s effective utilisation by 15 per cent – a remarkable feat,” he said.
“By removing human operators from potentially hazardous environments, AHS trucks significantly reduce the risk of accident and injury while enabling continuous operation that considerably impacts site productivity.
“AHS trucks are a crucial solution to both safety and addressing labour shortages in the heavy industries sector.”
Rio Tinto and Komatsu marked the milestone occasion with a special and symbolic ‘Daruma Doll’ ceremony conducted by the two companies.
The Japanese ritual involves painting one eye of the doll to symbolise the setting of a goal, and the second eye is painted when the goal is completed.
“The Daruma doll ceremony is symbolic of perseverance, determination, and achievement,” Povah said.
“We held the initial ceremony when the MoU was signed in 2011, and it was very special to be able to celebrate the achievement of our partnership this year with the painting of the other eye.
“It gave us a moment to not only reflect on how much has been achieved but also to look towards the future as we continue to partner together on sustainable solutions for our industry.” •
For more information, visit komatsu.com.au
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