Komatsu VIEWS - Komatsu America Corp.
Komatsu VIEWS - Komatsu America Corp.
Komatsu VIEWS - Komatsu America Corp.
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<strong>Komatsu</strong> and Rio Tinto<br />
Take Business Relationship<br />
to the Next Level<br />
Customers in Focus<br />
<strong>Komatsu</strong> AHS Trucks Pass Trials<br />
and Set for Deployment at Rio Tinto Mines<br />
in Australia<br />
I<br />
n November 2011, <strong>Komatsu</strong> Ltd. and Rio Tinto<br />
entered into a Memorandum of Understanding<br />
(MOU) for the deployment of at least 150<br />
<strong>Komatsu</strong> Autonomous Haulage System (AHS)<br />
trucks into Rio Tinto’s Pilbara Iron Ore operations<br />
in Western Australia by the end of 2015, with<br />
delivery of equipment commencing in 2012. This<br />
MOU follows the successful completion of a threeyear<br />
trial of five autonomous 930E-ATs, which<br />
demonstrated clear value in the areas of health,<br />
safety and productivity, at Rio Tinto’s West<br />
Angelas mine in the Pilbara region.<br />
Since completing the trials at the West Angelas<br />
operations, these five original trucks have moved<br />
to Rio Tinto’s Yandicoogina Junction South East<br />
(JSE) mine. Yandicoogina is the highest producing<br />
iron ore mine in the Pilbara. A further five<br />
930E-ATs have been purchased, giving the JSE<br />
mine a total fleet of 10 AHS trucks.<br />
This fleet, which is being loaded using <strong>Komatsu</strong><br />
930E-AT dump truck at Rio Tinto’s Yandicoogina Junction South East (JSE) mine<br />
PC5500 hydraulic excavators and <strong>Komatsu</strong><br />
WA1200 wheel loaders, has been operating fully<br />
autonomously since April. The AHS trucks are<br />
used in hauling the entire material movement of<br />
the mine, including both waste and iron ore. All 10<br />
trucks, which operate 24 hours, seven days a week,<br />
are controlled by a single controller located in the<br />
mine’s central operations facility.<br />
Safety has been the first priority of both<br />
<strong>Komatsu</strong> and Rio Tinto at all times in developing<br />
this system and its implementation in the Pilbara.<br />
One of the biggest safety issues with manned dump<br />
truck operation is operator fatigue, particularly at<br />
night. Operators of loading equipment at West<br />
Angelas and Yandicoogina JSE operations have<br />
reported that they feel far safer and less stressed<br />
working in an autonomous mine because they<br />
know the trucks’ movements are constant and<br />
predictable 100% of the time.<br />
Ensuring Future Growth through<br />
Combined Efforts to Enhance Productivity<br />
and Performance<br />
The Yandicoogina JSE mine is being operated fully autonomously.<br />
<strong>Komatsu</strong> AHS trucks will be progressively deployed<br />
to multiple new mines in the Pilbara over the next<br />
three years, supporting Rio Tinto Iron Ore group’s<br />
growth strategy. “The AHS is essential to achieve<br />
the growth of Rio Tinto Iron Ore’s business,” said<br />
Mr. James Petty, General Manager—Mine of the<br />
Future at Rio Tinto Iron Ore.<br />
The AHS also is an important component of<br />
Rio Tinto’s Mine of the Future program,<br />
working in tandem with Rio Tinto’s pioneering<br />
operations center in Perth that is integrating and<br />
managing the logistics of its 14 mines, three ports<br />
and two railways. The aim of this program is to<br />
reduce costs, increase efficiency and improve<br />
health, safety and environmental performance.<br />
10 Views 2012 No.2
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