More Caterpillar autonomous haul trucks head to Brazil

Global mining company Vale has signed an agreement with Caterpillar and Sotreq, the Caterpillar dealer for the Brazilian region, to expand the fleet of autonomous haul trucks in iron ore operations in the Northern System, Carajás region, in Pará, Brazil.

Autonomous truck in Brucutu mine (Minas Gerais). (Photo: Gustavo Andrade/ Vale)

Vale’s autonomous program began in 2018 with the implementation of Cat autonomous trucks at the Brucutu mine in Minas Gerais. There are now more than 70 autonomous pieces of equipment in operation at the company, including trucks, drills and yard machines. In addition to enhanced safety, results have shown gains of up to 15% in operational performance and a reduction of up to 7.5% in fuel, contributing to the reduction of the company’s carbon emissions, Vale reported.

Currently, the Northern System operation has 14 autonomous haul trucks with a capacity to carry up to 320 tons. This new agreement expands the fleet to approximately 90 autonomous trucks by 2028. In Serra Sul, the trucks involved in the project will coexist with the truckless system, another technology consolidated at Vale that uses a network of long-distance belt conveyors to transport ore from one point to another without fuel consumption and with a significant reduction in carbon emissions.

The new autonomous vehicles, including trucks with a capacity to carry up to 400 tons, will be operated by Cat MineStar Command for hauling.

“We’re proud to introduce Cat Command for hauling at Vale’s Carajás site,” said Marc Cameron, senior vice president at Caterpillar. “By equipping Vale’s haul trucks with our autonomous technology, we will be delivering scalable solutions that meet their needs across a mixed fleet.”

The technology will be gradually expanded over the next five years at the Serra Norte and Serra Sul units. The implementation will be accompanied by a plan to develop employees, preparing them to perform strategic functions in the digital environment.

Since the implementation of autonomous vehicles in the Northern System began in 2019, more than 260 professionals have been trained in the new roles created and in interacting with digital systems, following international best practices and global industry developments, the announcement stated.

“The use of autonomous transport technologies in our operations in the Northern Corridor is a fundamental strategy to strengthen our culture of operational excellence and prepare our teams to lead the challenges of increasingly efficient, competitive, and sustainable mining,” said Carlos Medeiros, Vale’s vice president of Operations.

“By integrating autonomous systems, artificial intelligence and advanced data analysis, we are modernizing our mining operations in the Northern Corridor, becoming a global benchmark in smart mining, promoting the transformation of the industry and connecting us to international best practices,” added Rafael Bittar, Vale’s vice president, Technical.