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Komatsu to supply 37 autonomous trucks to Brazil mine

Komatsu says it has been contracted to supply 37 autonomous trucks to a mine in Brazil – the Carajás mine owned by Vale, a Brazilian mining company wth annual revenues of around $34 billion. 

The Carajás mine is said to be the largest mine in Vale’s 77-year history. The company says it is on a drive to leverage innovative technology to “reduce impact on the environment and enhance health, safety and operational efficiency”.

The 37 Komatsu vehicles are its 930E ultra-class electrical dump trucks (main picture), and they will form part of an Autonomous Haulage System at the Vale mine.

Powered by Komatsu’s AHS FrontRunner technology, the initial deployment is expected to start this month, with the goal of operating 37 trucks autonomously by 2024.

To support a successful transition to autonomy, Komatsu opened an AHS training center near the mine in August of this year that provides operations and maintenance training to upskill local people on the new technologies being introduced at the mine, in support of human resource development.

The Komatsu AHS Traning Center near the Vale mining facility

Masayuki Moriyama, president of Komatsu’s mining business division, says: “We are honored to be part of the ongoing wave of technological innovation at Carajás, supporting Vale’s commitment to sustainability and helping make the mine a reference in environmental terms.

“We look forward to our continued work together to support the skill growth of local workers and ensure a successful deployment that is designed to increase the safety and productivity of this operation.”

With this latest deployment, Komatsu continues to expand its AHS business in South America.

Komatsu says its customers globally are now leveraging AHS at 10 mine sites in four countries.

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