Driverless trucks to roll out at FMG’s Solomon mine

Western Australian based mining company Fortescue Metals Group (FMG), have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Cat Dealer WestTrac to supply FMG’s new Solomon iron ore mine with a fleet of 12 autonomous MineStar technology driven 793F haul trucks by 2012.

Chief Operating Officer for FMG, Neville Power, said collaborating with the world's leading mining equipment supplier and their most accomplished dealer to develop the automation of our mining operations is a great outcome.

“One of the key growth challenges we face is around availability of people and the need to best utilize this valuable resource.  As such, it is incumbent upon us to look at new ways of doing things,” Mr Power said.

“The expected roll out is more than just a trial with the plan to get to 12 machines by 2012 and then growing to 45 by 2015.  It is the unique capabilities that the three parties bring to this agreement that will deliver the world's leading autonomous mining solution at Solomon,” he said.

Vice President of Caterpillar Global Mining, Chris Curfman, said this partnership would also positively impact sustainability at FMG's Solomon mine through reduced environmental footprint and machine efficiencies.

“This agreement confirms and validates Caterpillar's commitment to our customers by producing state-of- the-art solutions that provide a significant step change in mining productivity and safety,” Mr Carfman said.

Westrac Group CEO, Jim Walker, said by marrying our deep Cat product expertise with these 'building block' technologies, we are well positioned with Caterpillar to provide Solomon mine with a turn-key autonomous mining solution.

“Caterpillar has been delivering mining technologies and systems for more than 20 years that have improved site safety, machine productivity and equipment utilization. The world's first autonomous truck was demonstrated by Caterpillar in the mid 1990's,” Mr Walker said.

“The implementation of Command for hauling trucks at the Solomon mine is a significant step in executing Cat's strategy to transform how mine sites will operate in the future,” he said.