Komatsu has used the giant MINExpo conference in Las Vegas to reveal a comprehensive suite of leading-edge innovations intended to provide emission and safety solutions.
Electrification of large-scale machines, autonomous and tele-remote operation, remote monitoring and servicing, and a dedication to a strategy Komatsu terms power-agnostic manufacturing, point to a future of zero-emissions and the realization of zero-harm in the workplace.
According to Sean Taylor, Chief Executive of Komatsu Australia: “some of those technologies are already in place and others are in prototype stages.”
Mr. Taylor said Komatsu’s power-agnostic Haul Truck strategy leveraged a variety of power source options according to market requirements and providing flexibility for emerging technologies Komatsu is the long-time market leader in Electric Drive Haul trucks in Australia.
Komatsu also announced its first ever Autonomous Water Cart truck during MINExpo, expanding the company’s impressive Autonomous credentials, which stretch back to the world’s first commercialized deployment of Autonomous trucks in Western Australia’s Pilbara region in 2008.
“In a decarbonized future, battery electric, hydrogen fuel cell, battery fuel cell hybrid, trolley assist and increasingly, low emission engines, will all be part of Komatsu’s power agnostic suite, capable of being specified,” he said.
Komatsu has 100 years’ experience in electrification, and Increasingly, will look to introduce lithium-ion storage capability, a technology until now almost exclusively the domain of the automotive sector. Sophisticated kinetic energy recovery systems will reduce reliance on fossil fuels.
Komatsu launched its new WE1850-3-wheel loader at MINExpo, using the company’s KESS energy recovery system to reduce fuel use by 45 per cent, and provide a 15 per cent lower cost of ownership.
It also used MINExpo to showcase a tele remote hydraulic excavator. The excavator was controlled by an operator on Komatsu’s MINExpo stand, working with GPS controlled accuracy on a site almost 700km away.
“The excavator loaded a fully autonomous truck without the need for on-site operator intervention, optimising power usage and eliminating human risk,” Mr. Taylor said.
“Komatsu’s autonomous trucks are already at the leading edge of industry capability.
“Since their first introduction 15 years ago, it’s estimated they have moved more than four billion tonnes of material across 13 mines in four countries.”
Komatsu used the show to reaffirm its goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 50 per cent over 2010 levels through to 2030 and achieving zero emission capability by 2050.
MINExpo came just one month after the formation of the Greenhouse Gas Alliance, a covenant between Komatsu and its powerful mining customers including Rio Tinto, BHP, Codelco and Boliden.
The Alliance has given Komatsu great confidence to proceed with breakthrough developments alongside the markets it serves, Mr. Taylor said.
“Ultimately bottom-line efficiency will be achieved by reducing the cost per tonne of finished production.
“It is at the heart of the most determined program of change ever undertaken in the industry,” mentioned Mr. Taylor.