2 min read / September 13, 2021
September 13, 2021 — Marking another industry first for autonomous haulage, mining companies have now hauled more than four billion metric tons of materials leveraging Komatsu’s FrontRunner Autonomous Haulage System (AHS). The milestone was achieved just in advance of Komatsu’s participation at MINExpo 2021, opening today in Las Vegas, Nevada.
To help mines move material more efficiently, Komatsu worked closely with its customers to develop the first commercially available autonomous haulage system. First deployed in 2008 at CODELCO’s Gabriela Mistral (Gaby) copper mine in Chile, AHS brings together Komatsu ultra-class dump trucks with Modular Mining's DISPATCH Fleet Management System.
Now with 14 years of commercial operation, zero system-related injuries have been reported.
Today’s FrontRunner system operates around the clock, supporting customers hauling copper, iron ore, oil sands, and coal at 13 active sites across three continents. As of September 2021, Komatsu has over 400 trucks commissioned with its autonomous system.
“It has been gratifying to help customers save hundreds of millions of dollars while autonomously moving another billion metric tons of essential minerals,” said Anthony Cook, vice president of autonomous systems, Komatsu. “Our customers’ continued investment in the technology and equipment to transition to autonomous haulage supports the evolution of mining methods and opportunity for advancements in safety and production.”
Supporting customers’ transition to autonomy, the FrontRunner system is designed to enable manually operated equipment (such as loaders, dozers, graders, light vehicles, etc.) to seamlessly interact in an autonomous truck environment. Komatsu has system functionality that enables manual haul trucks to operate with autonomous trucks.
Located in Central Hall C3, the Komatsu booth (#7027) at MINExpo 2021 highlights the company’s unified and expanded mining offerings, with additional solutions available at neighboring booths for Modular Mining (Booth #7671), a Komatsu technology brand, and Immersive Technologies (Booth #7583) and Hensley Industries (Booth #5401), Komatsu subsidiaries.
Not able to make it to MINExpo in person this year? Join Komatsu online at its virtual event hub: komatsuevents.com
About Komatsu
Komatsu develops and supplies technologies, equipment and services for the construction, mining, forklift, industrial and forestry markets. For a century, the company has been creating value for its customers through manufacturing and technology innovation, partnering with others to empower a sustainable future where people, business and the planet thrive together. Front-line industries worldwide use Komatsu solutions to develop modern infrastructure, extract fundamental minerals, maintain forests and create consumer products. The company's global service and distributor networks support customer operations to enhance safety and productivity while optimizing performance. To learn more visit www.komatsu.com