Komatsu’s Post

This Global Remanufacturing Day we wanted to talk about the circular economy. Have you heard of it? 🔄 🛠️ It’s a production and consumption model that involves reusing, repairing, refurbishing, and recycling as many existing products and materials as possible, for as long as possible! At Liebherr Mining, our Reman program helps to contribute to the circular economy by refurbishing used components from our trucks, excavators, and dozers to as-new quality. ☑️ Check out this video to learn more about our Reman program! #liebherrmining #reman #remanday #remanufacturing

La #Electrificación, también se impone en el material de #Minería, como éste #camión #volquete de 240 Toneladas, 100% eléctrico con #Baterías y #FrenadaRegenerativa. 👌👍 " Caterpillar Inc. is putting MASSIVE 240-ton #electric #HaulTruck to work in Vale mine. The 240-ton #truck was able to achieve a top speed of over 37 mph (60 km/h) fully loaded. Further tests involved the loaded truck climbing a 10% grade for a full kilometer miles at 7.5 mph before unloading and turning around for the descent, using #RegenerativeBraking to put energy back into the #battery on the way down. Despite not giving out detailed specs, #Caterpillar reps reported that the 793 still had enough charge in its batteries for to complete more testing cycles. "

Converting haul trucks for a sustainable tomorrow   ‘Sustainable mining’ comes with many different interpretations, but, for Brazil-based mining contractor U&M Mineração e Construção S/A, it has to look at leveraging the existing mining fleet wherever possible.   Operating across 10 different mine sites in Brazil and with component and manufacture centres in both south-eastern Brazil and the country’s northern region, U&M has been practicing what it preaches and is currently in the process of converting a diesel-powered truck to battery power. This follows the success of deploying an AHS-enabled retrofitted Caterpillar 777 truck – in partnership with Hexagon Mining – at one of its operations in Brazil.   The company, having previously carried out work for clients in Zambia, is bringing this sustainability message to the global market, with its appearance at The Electric Mine 2024, in Perth, Western Australia (May 21-23), being a key conference on its international marketing calendar.   We’re excited to hear more about this sustainable fleet focus and progress on this battery truck conversion project – which is also set to introduce autonomous haulage technology into the mix – in May, with Lucca Machado, Project Coordinator for this hybrid retrofit solution, set to present, ‘The future of the old: converting haul trucks for a sustainable tomorrow’.   To find out who else will be joining Lucca on the stage at Crown Perth, head to www.theelectricmine.com now. #mineelectrification #TheElectricMine #electricmine24 #minedecarbonisation #sustainablemining #netzeromining

Vale and Komatsu have joined forces to collaborate on a groundbreaking initiative with Cummins, focused on developing and testing Dual Fuel haul trucks that will be powered by a mixture of ethanol and diesel. This innovative project will mark a significant milestone as the world's first trucks of this size, with payloads ranging from 230 to 290 tons, to operate on ethanol. Through a shared commitment to advancing sustainability in the mining sector, the three companies are making a substantial investment in research and development to bring this vision to life. Over the course of the next two years, the project will involve the design, testing, and deployment of ethanol-diesel engines manufactured by Cummins. Diesel emissions from mining activities currently contribute to 15% of Vale’s direct CO2 emissions, with haul trucks being the primary consumer of diesel and consequently the largest emitter. By pursuing this initiative, Vale is furthering its ambitious decarbonization objectives, aiming to reduce its Scope 1 & 2 emissions by 33% by the year 2030. We are proud to be part of this exceptional project, collaborating with industry-leading experts to drive innovation and sustainability within the mining sector. #sustainability #carbonfootprint #scope1 #vale #sustainableminning #decarbonization

BEVs on the way to meeting their huge productivity potential in operations Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions is one of only two Platinum Sponsors of #TheElectricMine 2024 event which is running from May 21-23 next week at Crown Resorts Perth. Amongst other things its participation includes a large delegation, two speakers, a #Sandvik #BEV underground customer panel in the conference line-up on Day 1, a Sandvik 65 t class #TH665B #undergroundtruck in the Outdoor Showcase, plus Sandvik having one of the larger ‘Gigawatt’ booths in the exhibition. Some mining companies, including juniors, mid-tiers and majors – have already taken the next step and committed to all-electric primary Sandvik fleets for their operations, both established and in-development. Others are starting new pilots and trials with Sandvik BEVs, are part way through them, or in some cases are already operating multiple units. Not only that but there have been major technology steps forward as well – including a higher-capacity battery for Sandvik’s BEV loaders and trucks that delivers 36% more energy in the same envelope. And the global production base is also evolving – beyond its BEV manufacturing locations in #Turku, Finland and #Camarillo, California, the company recently inaugurated a new production unit in Malaysia at the #Sendayan TechValley industrial park which is already producing diesel underground models and will begin producing BEVs in 2025. Just before Electric Mine 2024 kicks off was a good time to catch up with Brian Huff, Vice President of New Technology, Load and Haul, Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions on remaining challenges and key issues with electrification underground. He commented on BEVs reaching their potential: "Parity is not good enough and nothing we strive towards. When introducing new technology, it must perform better than current technology or there will be no acceptance. Over the last decade of experimentation, we’ve seen plenty of proof that electric equipment on its best day is more productive, requires less maintenance and has higher availability than conventional equipment. What needs improvement is the consistency of high performance. This will come from engineering improvements, but perhaps even more so from advances in how the technology is used and maintained. We put a lot of focus these days on what we call ‘operational readiness’ which includes things like production simulations, operator- and maintenance training, charging strategies and parts supply planning. Where an electric fleet is deployed to a mine that is operationally ready, it’s likely to perform above expectations." He added that it has between 5 & 10 BEV 'fleet' sites running or in delivery phase right now. Huff said actually that its best performing BEVs are machines running in fleets and not single-unit test and experimentation cases. #futureofmining #electricmine24 #towardsnetzero

Turbocharged Interview with Sandvik at The Electric Mine 2024 During #TheElectricMine 2024, held May 21-23 at Crown Resorts #Perth, #WesternAustralia, we sat down with eight interviewees from Sandvik, ABB, Epiroc, Komatsu, Hitachi Energy, Cavotec and First Mode. The conversations focused on the industry’s route to #netzero, plus the challenges and opportunities that come with #mineelectrification. In this in-depth discussion we sat down with Brian Huff, VP of New Technologies, Load and Haul, Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions & Rock Solutions. He talked through some of the main challenges in getting BEV #undergroundmining running in a full production sense and overcoming these; he also covered feedback Sandvik has had and is having with customers on #BEVs that have been deployed including achieving parity and better of productivity and efficiency with diesel machines. We also talked about the emergence of full BEV fleets versus just single or several machines and how #Sandvik will continue to offer the latest solutions to those customers sticking with diesel, those looking for an interim hybrid option and those going all in for BEV. Finally, #autonomy with #electrification and progress to date. #electricmine24 #futureofmining #mineofthefuture #routetonetzero

How are OEM partnerships with giants like Caterpillar Inc. and Komatsu revolutionizing the mining industry? Leading figures are introducing safer, more efficient, and greener autonomous electric haul trucks. These collaborations drive significant emissions reductions and sustainability goals. #SustainableMining #OEMPartnerships #ElectricVehicles

'Connecting the dots’ to create the mine of the future Ahead of Epiroc’s Capital Markets Day (CMD) and MINExpo 2024 at a hotel just outside of Las Vegas, IM's Daniel Gleeson met with Helena Hedblom, Epiroc President and CEO, to talk through the mining sector's big three: automation, digitalisation and electrification. Hedblom, like the heads of her fellow OEMs, has big ambitions for these three technology pillars, but the way Epiroc is looking to meet these ambitions is different. The company’s “agnostic” philosophy has been a key differentiator for the past years, and even as more OEMs start to open up their architecture and platforms to the wider vendor marketplace, it is this attitude that is likely to help it lead from the front on automation, digitalisation and electrification. While the company is making headway of all three of these, Hedblom is convinced a digital backbone will become more important with the increasing uptake of automation and electrification. “Today, a lot of the different tools mining companies are using – for the mine plan, for maintenance, etc – are still not connected,” she explained. “You don’t use all data at the same time for the best type of decision. “A lost hour of productivity is a lost hour of productivity; we are seeking to avoid this through increased digitalisation.” Read the full Q&A in the story below... #mineautomation #mineelectrification #digitalmine #MINExpo2024

How can electrification revolutionize the future of mining? Mining is, and will remain, essential to power modern-day society. However, the conflict between working in mining and caring for the environment is real. The good news is that by decarbonizing our equipment, we can leverage significant environmental benefits. The 800-ton PC8000-11, for instance, can achieve up to 95% reduction in well-to-wheel emissions—not just in theory, but in real-world hard-rock applications at a customer’s mine site in Scandinavia. The BBC article "The Search for the World’s Biggest Electric Vehicles" highlights these advancements. Thank you BBC for the coverage and giving me the chance to comment on this important technology. I'm proud to be part of Komatsu, a leader in resolving this conflict by driving the transformation towards a greener future in mining. Decarbonizing our industry is not just necessary - it has a massive leverage effect on global sustainability. If you’re passionate about balancing environmental care with industry innovation, let's connect and explore how we can make an impact together. 🌍⚡ #Electrification #MiningInnovation #Sustainability #Decarbonization #Komatsu #PC8000 #creatingvaluetogether

🔌 🚜 Powering the future: The rise of electric giants in heavy industry   From giant mining excavators to powerful vans and trucks - electric vehicles are breaking boundaries and pushing the limits of what’s possible.   ⬇ Read in the article below by BBC how our #PC8000, one of the world’s largest mining excavators, is leading the charge - with an electric version that delivers #zeroemissions without compromising on performance. Special thanks to Dr. Thomas Jordan, our Head of Marketing & Sales Support at Komatsu Germany GmbH - Mining Division, for his insights.   🍃 As industries explore greener alternatives, heavy and large machinery proves that size and sustainability can go hand in hand.   A big Thank you to BBC for highlighting us and these groundbreaking advancements in electric power!   #Komatsu #BBC #sustainability #electricvehincles #mining #zeroemission