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Komatsu claims its autonomous mining trucks have hauled more material than all other companies’ vehicles put together

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Komatsu, a global heavy equipment manufacturer, claims its FrontRunner Autonomous Haulage System – a colossally gigantic driverless truck used in mining – has achieved the “unprecedented milestone” of more than two billion tons of surface material moved autonomously.

Komatsu further claims that this means the FrontRunner system “has now hauled more than all other commercial mining autonomous haulage systems combined”.

Since its first commercial deployment in 2008 at Codelco’s Gabriela Mistral copper mine in Chile, the FrontRunner AHS has experienced exponential growth in cumulative production, breaking the 1 billion tons mark in 2016 and the 1.5 billion tons mark in late 2017.  [Read more…] about Komatsu claims its autonomous mining trucks have hauled more material than all other companies’ vehicles put together

Komatsu to build new headquarters 
in Milwaukee’s Harbor District

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Mining vehicles and technology supplier Komatsu is planning to build its new headquarters 
in Milwaukee’s Harbor District.

Just shy of its 135th anniversary in the Milwaukee area, Komatsu Mining says it intends to build a new, state-of-the-art headquarters and manufacturing campus near the location of the company’s original machine shop off South First Street.

The company’s 2.5 million-square-foot South Harbor Campus is planned for Milwaukee’s Harbor District, off Greenfield Avenue.  [Read more…] about Komatsu to build new headquarters 
in Milwaukee’s Harbor District

Komatsu autonomous trucks ‘increase productivity by 34 percent’ at Rio Tinto

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Global mining giant Rio Tinto is said to have increased productivity by 34 percent through the use of Komatsu autonomous trucks.

Rio Tinto has been testing and implementing autonomous technology for around a decade, and after a decade of using Komatsu’s massive driverless trucks, the company is integrating autonomous trains into its operations.

Komatsu’s vehicles are called autonomous haulage systems, or AHS. The AHS truck fleet is forecast to drive reductions in operating costs at Australia’s iron ore mines by up to $0.62 per ton by 2020, according to research company GlobalData.  [Read more…] about Komatsu autonomous trucks ‘increase productivity by 34 percent’ at Rio Tinto

Komatsu acquires forest machine simulator firm Oryx Simulations

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Komatsu Ltd. has acquired Oryx Simulations through Komatsu Forest AB, a wholly owned subsidiary in Sweden. Oryx Simulations, headquartered in Umeå, Sweden, designs, develops, manufactures and sells simulators of forest machines.

Oryx Simulations has been developing forest machine simulators in collaboration with Komatsu Forest AB since the 1990s. As the operation of forest machines such as harvesters is very complicated, the use of simulators is indispensable for operator training.

The company designs, develops, manufactures and sells operator training simulators of forest machinery and construction equipment. Oryx Simulations has sold two harvester simulators in Japan so far.

[Read more…] about Komatsu acquires forest machine simulator firm Oryx Simulations

Komatsu reaches 10-year milestone in autonomous haulage

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Komatsu is celebrating the tenth anniversary of the commercial deployment of its Autonomous Haulage System (AHS).

More than 100 AHS trucks operate in Australia, North and South America and Komatsu plans to accelerate the pace of AHS deployment.

In 2005, Komatsu began the AHS trial at Codelco’s copper mine in Chile and succeeded in achieving the world’s first commercial AHS deployment with Codelco in January 2008.

[Read more…] about Komatsu reaches 10-year milestone in autonomous haulage

Rio Tinto preparing autonomous mining trucks suitable for gigantic alien astronauts

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The trucks used in the mining industry are so large that they’re only suitable for 20-foot-tall giant aliens. 

Which is okay for the many archaeologists who claim to have found giant alien bones suggesting a race of beings of said height roamed Earth many thousands of years ago.

These giants of old were said to be super-intelligent beings – due to their presumably super-large brains – and probably built the pyramids and other megalithic structures around the world.  [Read more…] about Rio Tinto preparing autonomous mining trucks suitable for gigantic alien astronauts