Vale started operating six autonomous haul trucks in the Carajás iron ore complex in the state of Pará in Brazil. By the end of the year, ten vehicles will be operating at the site. This initiative is part of a set of actions aimed at increasing employee safety, making the operation more environmentally sustainable and obtaining gains in competitiveness. The implementation is being accompanied by a human resources plan to train employees to work with new digital technologies.Capable of moving 320 metric tons at a time, the autonomous trucks were being tested in an isolated area in Carajás since 2019. Last week they started the final testing phase at the N4E mine and yesterday, September 1st, they officially went live. In the entire Carajás Complex, four autonomous drills are already in operation and by the end of the year this number will get to seven drills.The autonomous operation began to be implemented by Vale at the Brucutu mine, in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, in 2016, and today it covers all 13 haul trucks at that unit. Since the implementation in Brucutu, no accident caused by trucks has been recorded. The autonomous trucks are controlled by computer systems, GPS, radar and artificial intelligence, covering the route between the mining front and the unloading area. Upon detecting risks, the equipment stops its operations until the path is cleared again. The safety system's sensors are capable of detecting both larger objects such as large rocks and other trucks, as well as human beings in the vicinity of the road. Therefore, risky situations, such as tipping and collision, were eliminated.In the autonomous truck there is no operator in the cabin. But people continue to play a relevant role in the operation. Other equipment circulating through the mine, such as motor graders and tractors, will continue to be manned. Therefore, the operators of these vehicles received training to interact with autonomous trucks. 32 operators have already been trained and by the end of the year this number will reach 120. There will be 208 hours of training for each operator, totaling almost 25,000 hours. Over the next 12 months, the operation will be assisted by the truck supplier. After this period, it is expected that Vale fully assumes the operation. When this occurs, new jobs will be created in control rooms, far from the mining front.
Vale started operating six autonomous haul trucks in the Carajás iron ore complex in the state of Pará in Brazil. By the end of the year, ten vehicles will be operating at the site. This initiative is part of a set of actions aimed at increasing employee safety, making the operation more environmentally sustainable and obtaining gains in competitiveness. The implementation is being accompanied by a human resources plan to train employees to work with new digital technologies.Capable of moving 320 metric tons at a time, the autonomous trucks were being tested in an isolated area in Carajás since 2019. Last week they started the final testing phase at the N4E mine and yesterday, September 1st, they officially went live. In the entire Carajás Complex, four autonomous drills are already in operation and by the end of the year this number will get to seven drills.The autonomous operation began to be implemented by Vale at the Brucutu mine, in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, in 2016, and today it covers all 13 haul trucks at that unit. Since the implementation in Brucutu, no accident caused by trucks has been recorded. The autonomous trucks are controlled by computer systems, GPS, radar and artificial intelligence, covering the route between the mining front and the unloading area. Upon detecting risks, the equipment stops its operations until the path is cleared again. The safety system's sensors are capable of detecting both larger objects such as large rocks and other trucks, as well as human beings in the vicinity of the road. Therefore, risky situations, such as tipping and collision, were eliminated.In the autonomous truck there is no operator in the cabin. But people continue to play a relevant role in the operation. Other equipment circulating through the mine, such as motor graders and tractors, will continue to be manned. Therefore, the operators of these vehicles received training to interact with autonomous trucks. 32 operators have already been trained and by the end of the year this number will reach 120. There will be 208 hours of training for each operator, totaling almost 25,000 hours. Over the next 12 months, the operation will be assisted by the truck supplier. After this period, it is expected that Vale fully assumes the operation. When this occurs, new jobs will be created in control rooms, far from the mining front.
