5
equipment, providing an immediate benefit for mine sites
who can now retain their existing mixed fleet of haul trucks
from multiple manufacturers.
The competition with new entrants and their technol-
ogy drives innovation in the mining industry which will
in turn help overcome the previously identified challenges
of responsibly and economically mining lower quality ores
and reaching harder to access deposits.
This extended autonomy landscape enables long-haul
road train autonomy and the use of smaller, more versa-
tile trucks. There is also an increased diversity of companies
manufacturing smaller trucks compared to traditional min-
ing trucks. This heightened competition, featuring com-
panies like Mercedes, Volvo, and Scania, can only benefit
mine operators in the long run.
Accessing Hard to Reach Deposits
Wenco, as part of its autonomous initiative, is gearing up
for trends like swarm mining, where deploying numerous
smaller autonomous trucks may prove more efficient than
traditional large mining trucks. A larger fleet minimizes the
impact of equipment breakdowns on overall production.
Selective mining is a precision-oriented approach that
focuses on extracting only the valuable ore, leaving the sur-
rounding material undisturbed. Selective mining in open
pits is made more effective with smaller, more maneuver-
able haul trucks and excavators. These smaller machines
equipped with advanced sensing, mapping, and autono-
mous haulage technologies, and the accompanying smaller
loading equipment, can access tight spaces and accurately
target ore deposits, significantly reducing the stripping
ratio. This starkly contrasts traditional mining methods,
which involve large-scale excavation and displacement of
material.
By reducing the amount of material that needs to be
moved, mining operations can achieve significant cost sav-
ings. Less material movement means less energy consump-
tion, lower carbon emissions, and reduced wear and tear
on equipment, all of which contribute to lower operational
costs. Moreover, advancements in selective mining can
improve the efficiency of ore extraction. By precisely tar-
geting the ore, miners can ensure that less of the valuable
material is lost in the extraction process. This can lead to
higher yields and improved profitability.
Reaching Satellite Deposits
To use smaller mining equipment, an increased fleet size
of haul equipment will be required to effectively mine a
given deposit, but labour costs would typically restrict this
possibility. Open Autonomy makes this feasible by intro-
ducing a swarm of civil-sized autonomous haul trucks
that can travel longer distances on smaller roads and civil
roads to already established processing plants. This is par-
ticularly beneficial for mining operations targeting smaller,
more remote deposits, where achieving economies of scale
becomes challenging due to the increased operational costs
and logistical complexities associated with these deposits.
Satellite orebodies that were previously uneconomical are
now economically viable.
Reducing Environmental Impact
As briefly noted above the use of smaller trucks can reduce
the volume of material that needs to be moved. Less mate-
rial movement means less energy expended. The smaller
equipment, providing an immediate benefit for mine sites
who can now retain their existing mixed fleet of haul trucks
from multiple manufacturers.
The competition with new entrants and their technol-
ogy drives innovation in the mining industry which will
in turn help overcome the previously identified challenges
of responsibly and economically mining lower quality ores
and reaching harder to access deposits.
This extended autonomy landscape enables long-haul
road train autonomy and the use of smaller, more versa-
tile trucks. There is also an increased diversity of companies
manufacturing smaller trucks compared to traditional min-
ing trucks. This heightened competition, featuring com-
panies like Mercedes, Volvo, and Scania, can only benefit
mine operators in the long run.
Accessing Hard to Reach Deposits
Wenco, as part of its autonomous initiative, is gearing up
for trends like swarm mining, where deploying numerous
smaller autonomous trucks may prove more efficient than
traditional large mining trucks. A larger fleet minimizes the
impact of equipment breakdowns on overall production.
Selective mining is a precision-oriented approach that
focuses on extracting only the valuable ore, leaving the sur-
rounding material undisturbed. Selective mining in open
pits is made more effective with smaller, more maneuver-
able haul trucks and excavators. These smaller machines
equipped with advanced sensing, mapping, and autono-
mous haulage technologies, and the accompanying smaller
loading equipment, can access tight spaces and accurately
target ore deposits, significantly reducing the stripping
ratio. This starkly contrasts traditional mining methods,
which involve large-scale excavation and displacement of
material.
By reducing the amount of material that needs to be
moved, mining operations can achieve significant cost sav-
ings. Less material movement means less energy consump-
tion, lower carbon emissions, and reduced wear and tear
on equipment, all of which contribute to lower operational
costs. Moreover, advancements in selective mining can
improve the efficiency of ore extraction. By precisely tar-
geting the ore, miners can ensure that less of the valuable
material is lost in the extraction process. This can lead to
higher yields and improved profitability.
Reaching Satellite Deposits
To use smaller mining equipment, an increased fleet size
of haul equipment will be required to effectively mine a
given deposit, but labour costs would typically restrict this
possibility. Open Autonomy makes this feasible by intro-
ducing a swarm of civil-sized autonomous haul trucks
that can travel longer distances on smaller roads and civil
roads to already established processing plants. This is par-
ticularly beneficial for mining operations targeting smaller,
more remote deposits, where achieving economies of scale
becomes challenging due to the increased operational costs
and logistical complexities associated with these deposits.
Satellite orebodies that were previously uneconomical are
now economically viable.
Reducing Environmental Impact
As briefly noted above the use of smaller trucks can reduce
the volume of material that needs to be moved. Less mate-
rial movement means less energy expended. The smaller