Hitachi Machinery, Pronto sign mine automation solutions MoU 

Pronto and Hitachi Construction Machinery announced they have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for a partnership aimed at advancing open mine automation solutions.  

The companies said they aim to deliver automation solutions that provide customers with a broader range of options to address challenges such as improving mining operations and adapting to changing business environments. 

Miners are increasingly are looking for open automation solutions that can be flexibly deployed according to the operating conditions of each mine, while making use of existing equipment and technologies from different manufacturers and avoiding excessive dependence on a single technology platform or vendor ecosystem, Hitachi Construction Machinery and Pronto said, adding that they share the view that meeting these expectations requires an open ecosystem that brings together expertise in mining operations, mining equipment, digital technologies, and automation technologies, enabling solutions to be flexibly adapted to the specific needs of each mine. 

Pronto’s OEM-agnostic Autonomous Haulage Systems tiered AHS portfolio retrofits onto existing haul trucks from any manufacturer and scales from regional quarries to deep-pit operations. Pronto’s systems have autonomously hauled millions of tons in commercial mixed-fleet operations, with production deployments spanning three continents.  

Hitachi Construction Machinery has long supported mining operations around the world through the provision of mining equipment and by combining their expertise in mining operations, mining equipment, and automation technologies, the companies said they aim to create new value. 

“Mine operators have been clear: they want automation that works with the fleets they already own, not another closed, single-vendor ecosystem,” Pronto chief executive Anthony Levandowski said in a news release. 

“Pronto has proven OEM-agnostic autonomous haulage at commercial scale, and Hitachi Construction Machinery brings decades of mining equipment leadership, a global customer base, and an open autonomy vision that we share.”