Paul Moore

Telecomms and connectivity major Ericsson and Epiroc, a leader in mining equipment and solutions, have signed an agreement in Mexico focused on simplifying the use of private cellular technologies for workers safety, data collection, digitisation, and automation in mines. By standardising automation and connectivity on sites, mining products, services, and solutions are becoming safer, smarter, and more efficient.

On 15 November 2024, Barloworld renewed its cautionary announcement, where it advised shareholders that it had entered into negotiations with a consortium of investors comprising Entsha Proprietary Ltd and Gulf Falcon Holding Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Zahid Group, regarding a proposed transaction which could result in the consortium, acting through a newly established company ‘Newco' making an offer to acquire all of the issued ordinary shares in Barloworld, the largest Caterpillar dealer in Africa, one of the largest globally and possessing the second largest Caterpillar equipment remanufacturing plant in the world. Newco is 51% held by Entsha and 49% by Zahid Group.

Key European Caterpillar dealer Zeppelin said recently on December 4 that it is to take over the sales and service of Cat construction equipment, rental solutions and drive and energy systems in Norway and the Netherlands from Pon Holdings. The transaction is subject to the customary approvals and consultation conditions.

CJK Milling Company, LLC has announced the elimination of cyanide in its mill extraction process. “We listened to the concerns of the Leadville community and have found a solution to address them. Extrakt leaching technology is a new, innovative, non-toxic alternative to cyanide leaching,” stated Gary Knippa, Owner of CJK.

Last week team members from mining contractor Byrnecut, its clients Gold Fields, 29Metals, and equipment OEM Sandvik joined forces for a comprehensive site risk assessment on the Sandvik LH518iB units at Byrnecut's head office at Perth Airport.

Ahead of the collision avoidance article in the forthcoming January 2025 edition of IM , Immersive Technologies told IM Editorial Director Paul Moore that it has added new solutions for the HxGN MineProtect Collision Avoidance System (CAS) and the HxGN MineProtect Vehicle Intervention System (VIS) from Hexagon Mining to its range of Conversion Kits for surface mining equipment and has already rolled out the simulator training at an African coal mine.

NORCAT has announced two new important collaborations for its Underground Centre in Onaping, Greater Sudbury. Firstly, Komatsu has selected the facility to support the development and refinement of Komatsu’s WX04B battery electric LHD. This collaboration NORCAT says demonstrates its ongoing commitment to providing world-class facilities and resources to accelerate the commercialisation of innovative mining technologies.Read More

First Mode, whose engineering and R&D hub is in Seattle, has been a trailblazer in advancing decarbonisation solutions for large mining trucks in recent years. This has included the development of the nuGen™ Haulage Solution for Anglo American, culminating in the successful proof-of-concept converted Komatsu 930E (truck DT74) that completed a year of operations at the Mogalakwena platinum mine in South Africa in May 2023. The Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV) was the first at this scale to be successfully tested intensively.

Caterpillar Inc. has inaugurated a new office in the suburb of Whitefield, Bangalore (Bengaluru) in Karnataka state to expand its digital capabilities. Over the last 53 years, Caterpillar has invested significantly in India, establishing five state-of the art manufacturing facilities as well as two high-tech research and development (R&D) centres which today support 7,000+ employees.

In a milestone for the decarbonisation of the industry, Codelco and Enaex have signed an agreement that will transform the Radomiro Tomic Division copper mine in Chile into the first mining operation in the world to use the explosive Prillex ECO2, whose main component, blue ammonium nitrate , has a 40% lower carbon footprint during its production compared to traditional formulas. The achievement reaffirms the commitment of both companies to leading the transition towards more sustainable mining.