Caterpillar Global Mining Europe GmbH

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CATERPILLAR TO SUPPORT RIO TINTO IN CREATING TECHNOLOGICALLY ADVANCED KOODAIDERI MINE
A fleet of 20 autonomous Cat® 793F trucks will soon be hauling ore at the Rio Tinto Koodaideri iron ore mine, currently under construction in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. They’ll be joined by four Cat autonomous drills, along with loaders, dozers, graders, water carts and shovels — making up Rio Tinto’s first Pilbara mine to be operated using mostly Caterpillar machinery.

The relationship with Caterpillar and regional Cat dealer Westrac at Koodaideri will enhance Rio Tinto’s industry-leading Mine of the FutureTM program. which connects all components of the mining value chain for the first time, as well as making increased use of automation and digitization.

“Technology is rapidly changing our mining operations as we harness innovation to make our operations safer, smarter and more productive,” Salisbury said. “This extension of our partnership with Caterpillar and WesTrac represents an exciting step for our business. We’re pleased to be partnering with Caterpillar and WesTrac to help make Koodaideri the most technology-enabled and innovative mine in our Pilbara iron ore network.”

The autonomous 793F trucks will be equipped with Command for hauling, an autonomous haulage solution that is part of the Cat MineStar suite of technology offerings for mining. Command has been proven in the Pilbara, with nearly 200 autonomous trucks in service and over 1 billion tonnes safely hauled. Mines have reported productivity increases over 30%.

Rio Tinto and Caterpillar have also agreed to study the potential for increased levels of automation of heavy mining equipment at the mine in the future.

Koodaideri has more than 70 innovations in scope including:

· A digital replica of the processing plant, accessible in real time by workers in the field

· Fully integrated mine automation and simulation systems

· Advanced automation including an automated workshop

· Numerous data analytics capabilities and control loops to optimize production and reduce downtime.