Spence copper mine celebrates three months of 100 percent autonomous operations

Press Release

July 29, 2024

 A Pampa Norte delegation received executives of the Japanese manufacturer Komatsu, to celebrate three months since Spence achieved 100 percent autonomy in its mine operations, after intense collaborative work of high technological standards by the management and professional teams of both companies.

In the field, they were able to visit the Spence Truck Shop and see the results of this first stage of operation, after 33 CAEX 980E-5 AT trucks and five drilling rigs completed the process in April.

"This has been a process of sustainable technological transformation that today allows our operation to reach full autonomy, with a fleet of 33 trucks and five drilling rigs, which we managed to implement a month ahead of schedule and with zero incidents. We are talking about an automation process in which people have always been at the core, with the aim of building a safer, more efficient, diverse, and inclusive site," expressed Cristian Sandoval, president of Pampa Norte, a business unit that integrates Spence and Cerro Colorado.

Spence celebrated this milestone with national and local authorities, who were able to learn in the field how BHP continues to move towards autonomy, allowing for a safer, more efficient operation and bringing the company closer to the mining of the future. This is in addition to the six large-scale technological innovation projects that Komatsu has active in Chile.

The visit was led by the president of Pampa Norte, Cristian Sandoval, accompanied by the top executives of Spence and Technology of BHP Minerals Americas, while Komatsu was represented by Carlos Soto, vice president of the Komatsu Cummins Group, along with national and regional executives.

Since achieving full autonomy, Spence has completed the movement of 80 million tons of material without incidents, exceeding the production plan to date.

"This is the largest autonomy fleet operating in Latin America and is among the largest in copper production. Today the challenge is to continue collaborating with our teams and experience to not only maintain this operation with high standards of efficiency and safety, but to make it a benchmark for the entire mining industry worldwide," expressed Carlos Soto.

Likewise, Cristian Sandoval, stressed that Spence completed the autonomy process ahead of schedule, with zero safety incidents, a job reconversion of over 80 percent and with a female participation of 50 percent in its teams.

"This process was a challenge that began in a context where there was no confidence that we would be able to achieve the autonomy of our trucks. On this path we had several relevant milestones, such as the high level of labor reconversion, the full incorporation of women, more than 500 trained workers and excellent safety management. Today, Spence exhibits very positive results and can continue to take decisive steps to position our leadership in autonomy at a global level."

The Undersecretary of Labor, Giorgio Boccardo, also highlighted the apprenticeship and training program for the company's workers. "One of the elements we were hoping to see is how the reconversion plans were carried out, how the new roles were relocated and trained. In that sense, we thought it was a very good experience," she said.

Based on technological innovations, the autonomy process at Spence has made it possible to generate knowledge transfer between Komatsu and the company on topics such as theoretical and practical training of system operators.

The transition to Autonomy at Spence has demonstrated in the field that it is possible to reduce people's exposure to risks associated with the mining industry, in addition to contributing to greater competitiveness and allowing the company to use its resources more efficiently.

 

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