News and media - press releases: Realizing safe, productive, smart and clean sites of the future together with customers
Komatsu (President & CEO: Hiroyuki Ogawa), through its 100% subsidiary Komatsu Brasil International Co., Ltd., and Anglo American (CEO: Duncan Graham Wanblad), a major resource company, began commercial operation of the D375Ai-8 remote-controlled vehicle, a large ICT bulldozer for mining, in May 2023.
Since June 2020, Komatsu and Anglo American have been promoting activities to introduce remote-controlled bulldozers for mines at the Minas-Rio iron mine in southeastern Brazil owned by Anglo American, with the aim of establishing new solutions to achieve both safety and productivity, which are issues at mine sites. Under the collaboration between the two companies, we conducted a remote operation demonstration trial at the production site from October 6, and have now realized the start of commercial operation.
This machine has a function that links Komatsu's original automatic blade control technology with the machine guidance system "ProVision" of Modular Mining Systems Co., Ltd., a 100% subsidiary, and in the demonstration trial, it was confirmed that bulldozer operation and blade operation can be easily operated from a remote location without an expert operator. In addition, the remote control system completely frees the operator from the vibrating environment, greatly improving comfort while driving.
Based on the success of this demonstration trial, the Minas-Rio Mine has decided to introduce six D475A-8R units equipped with remote-controlled retrofit kits by the end of 2023. The Minas-Rio mine plans to phase out the remote operation of all six bulldozers, and Komatsu will continue to collaborate with Anglo American in the field of mining solution technology.
Komatsu has adopted the medium-term management plan "DANTOTSU Value – Together, to "The Next" for sustainable growthAs a growth strategy, we aim to digitize sites around the world with "things (automation and autonomy of construction and mining machinery)" and "things (optimization of the entire on-site process)" and realize safe, productive, smart, and clean sites of the future together with our customers. Going forward, we will continue to create new value through DANTOTSU Value (the creation of customer value that creates a virtuous cycle of improving profits and solving ESG issues) to step into the next stage toward the workplace of the future and pass on a sustainable future to the next generation.
No.0023(3246)
Komatsu Sustainability Promotion Division
Corporate Communication Department Tel: 03-5561-2616
mail: JP00MB_cc_department@global.komatsu
* The information contained in this news release is current at the time of announcement and is subject to change without notice.
