Liebherr Presents its Autonomous Haulage Surface Mining Solution

Autonomy objectives

A significant challenge facing mining today is the increased global demand for minerals and metals while available resources are becoming harder to access due to location and harsh environments. High labor costs, increasing labor shortages and volatile commodity prices have put a strain on the industry. Automation and robotics can help to provide a solution by establishing streamlined processes for extracting ore, while reducing the exposure of workers to health risks.

Liebherr’s approach

“We will offer three options to support various customer approaches to autonomy,” said Bryant Ward, Executive Vice President Engineering and Development, Liebherr Mining Equipment Newport News Co. “Some customers would like a single supplier to do everything in a turn-key approach. Others want multiple supply options and are prepared for a larger integration effort. In this way, Liebherr will deliver the most flexible and cost effective way to achieve an autonomous haulage solution.”

Liebherr intends to provide an open architecture allowing customers flexibility with respect to the level of OEM content and integration from Liebherr to compliment customers’ existing investments in fleet management and telemetry. This approach will allow our customers to use Liebherr products along with other OEM equipment and choose the most suitable suppliers for third party solutions. As communicated in the press Liebherr's new autonomous ready-haul trucks will be compatible with ”Mobius,” autonomous command and control platform by Autonomous Solutions, Inc. (ASI).

About Liebherr Mining Equipment Newport News Co.

Liebherr Mining Equipment Newport News Co. has been manufacturing large mining trucks designed to handle payloads of up to 363 metric tons/400 short tons for the international mining industry since the mid-1990s. The trusted diesel-electric drive concept ensures the highest level of cost-effectiveness and, when paired with a Liebherr R 996 B or R 9800 mining excavator, the trucks are perfectly suited for the demands of mining environments. Customers can expect a high level of performance from these machines at the lowest cost per ton.