Operations
to advance . Anglo has partnered with various companies , including Atlas Copco and ASI Solutions , to transform underground mining and fleet management through automation , and in some cases , robotics .
“ We have been able to successfully operate the first multi-OEM automation solution , improving safety and reducing costs by two thirds — compared to purchasing a manufactured automated new heavy vehicle . This is by no means a one-size fits all approach , and will ultimately depend on the operating and labor conditions in a given location ,” said Waller .
“ In the area of robotics , we are currently trial testing technology to detect cracks behind rock faces , sending low profile vehicles , instead of our people , into deep tunnels to record grades , rock formations and faults on a single pass , significantly reducing the safety risks of manual labor in these types of environments and saving an enormous amount of time and energy .”
Roadmap for the future For Anglo ’ s FutureSmart™ initiative , the icing on the cake is collaboration . According to Waller , the program
draws on the expertise of the company ’ s diverse stakeholders , including employees , partners in academia and civil society , and peers in the mining and parallel industries to focus specifically on global challenges around mining , processing and sustainability .
“ These will be ‘ think tanks ’ open to stakeholders , each focused on carving out a road map to the industry ’ s most complex challenges in the areas of mining , processing and sustainability . We want to be able to facilitate genuine learning from some of the best . Often ,
12 May 2015