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ABB and Epiroc have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to advance collaboration on underground trolley solutions for the mining industry.
The partnership aims to provide comprehensive and integrated solutions that improve productivity and safety, while meeting decarbonisation targets.
The MOU follows previous technology deployment successes at Swedish mines.
Under the terms of the agreement, both companies will establish collaborative teams to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the feasibility of their combined offerings.
This assessment aims to address the stringent needs of industrial applications within the mining sector, focusing on productivity, sustainability and the implementation of high power, automated and safe operations.
Any resulting solution will be robustly designed to withstand the harsh environmental conditions commonly found in underground mines and will be constructed to approved standards.
President of Epiroc’s underground division, Wayne Symes, said: “Collaboration within the mining industry is crucial to accelerating the transformation of our mining customers’ decarbonisation journey.
“We are excited to deepen our partnership with ABB by developing a strategic roadmap for sustainable and innovative mining, starting with the decarbonisation of mining truck fleets, expanding the trolley system to meet the wider needs of the industry with the aim of increasing safety and productivity”.
Mining companies face increasing environmental, social and economic pressures as they increasingly seek solutions to support the electrification of their vehicle fleets and fully decarbonize their operations.
Both companies believe they have complementary and specialized expertise in trolley solutions for underground systems.
ABB and Epiroc’s recent achievements include the development of the first electric battery truck system for underground mines, created in collaboration with the Swedish mining company Boliden.
Max Luedtke, ABB Process Industries Global Business Line Director for Mining, said: “Decarbonisation of mine transport fleets is increasingly urgent as we look towards the 2030 sustainability targets We need to foster industry-wide collaboration to accelerate the necessary change, and Epiroc is aligned with this approach.
“We know from our recent Mining’s Moment report that 71% of mining companies agreed that successful partnerships are key to gaining momentum in the energy transition. Technology players who demonstrate a strong commitment to open standards and interoperability of ‘assets facilitate these efforts, so we look forward to discovering what else we can achieve with Epiroc and the industry at large.”
