Caterpillar has entered into an agreement with Australian company Minetec to develop underground hard rock mining technology.
Cat says the goal of the partnership is to “deliver best-in-class site solutions for mining customers.” The company says the resulting technology will be integrated solutions offered as part of Cat’s MineStar platform. MineStar provides telematics, data analysis, safety features and real time cost optimization recommendations to mining operations.
Minetec delivers similar mine optimization technology, offering underground tracking, communication and task management to underground operations. The company says its product is the “next generation of automation” and allows its customers to “see in the dark” of underground mines.
The work of the partnership will focus on underground mobile equipment with the hopes of expanding MineStar capabilities “through the use of high precision tracking and wireless communications, task management technology and proximity detection,” Cat says.
Minetec is a subsidiary of Codan Limited. The Newmont Mining Corporation has agreed to host the first trial of the solutions delivered by this partnership at the mining outfit’s Tanami Operations in Australia’s Northern Territory.
