Hitachi Construction Machinery (HCM) will turn its autonomous haulage system (AHS) for mining dump trucks into a full-fledged business from April. HCM has been collaborating with Australia’s Whitehaven Coal and conducting verification experiments for 6 years at the latter company’s Maules Creek Coal Mine. By utilizing the results obtained from their collaboration and experiments, HCM will begin providing AHS to customers in Australia and around the world. In response to turning AHS into a business, HCM’s Remote Support Center, which was established in Brisbane, will be operated for 24 hours a day.
Currently about 300 HCM dump trucks are being operated at sites around the world. HCM will propose the use of AHS to major resource companies and mining companies, including those utilizing the aforementioned dump trucks.
At Whitehaven Coal’s Maules Creek Coal Mine, 28 unmanned trucks have been in operation together with 60 manned trucks, of which the latter being used within areas controlled by AHS. So far this operation has not resulted in any accidents. Due to the mining to be conducted at Maules Creek going forward, the paths for transferring coal will become narrower, and therefore Whitehaven Coal will no longer utilize AHS. However, the company will maintain its business relationship with HCM with regards to such products as manned trucks and control systems.
