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  • Pages
  • Editions
01 Cover
02 Welcome Letter / Sections
03 Article & Interview Directory
04 Section 1: Introduction
05 An Evolving Constitutional Landscape
06 Chile Ministry of Mining Interview
07 Consejo Minero Interview
08 APRIMIN Interview
09 Expert Opinion Article: Francisco Acuña, CRU
10 Expert Insights: Chile’s Evolving Sociopolitical Landscape
11 ESG & Renewable Energy
12 ICMM Interview
13 Aggreko Interview
14 Mining Investment Climate
15 Appian Capital Advisory Interview
16 Expert Insights: Attracting Sustainable Investment
17 Section 2: Production & Development
18 Copper Production & Development
19 BHP Interview
20 Antofagasta PLC Interview
21 Freeport McMoRan Interview
22 Teck Resources Limited Interview
23 Amerigo Resources Interview
24 Precious Metals
25 Kinross Interview
26 Rio2 Limited Interview
27 Lithium
28 SQM Interview
29 Albemarle Interview
30 Section 3: Junior Exploration
31 Study-stage Copper Projects
32 Expert Insights: Chile's Junior Exploration Community
33 World Copper Limited Interview
34 Early-stage Opportunities
35 ATEX Resources Interview
36 Torq Resources Interview
37 Pampa Metals Interview
38 VerAI Discoveries Interview
39 Lithium Exploration and Development
40 Lithium Chile Interview
41 Wealth Minerals Interview
42 Monumental Minerals Interview
43 Section 4: Engineering, Construction & Consultancies
44 Engineering & Consultancies
45 Water and the Environment
46 JRI Interview
47 Wood Interview
48 SRK Consulting Interview
49 Construction & Contractors
50 Sigdo Koppers Interview
51 Züblin Strabag Interview
52 Echeverría Izquierdo Interview
53 Thiess Interview
54 Going Underground
55 Master Drilling Interview
56 Robbins Interview
57 INCIMMET Interview
58 Section 5: Equipment & Technology
59 The Evolution of Mining Equipment
60 Scania Interview
61 Expert Insights: OEMs on Sustainability and Innovation
62 Comminution & Material Handling
63 Metso Outotec Interview
64 ME Elecmetal Interview
65 TAKRAF Interview
66 Haver & Boecker Interview
67 Innovation & Technology
68 Hexagon Interview
69 DSI Underground Interview
70 Dingo Interview
71 Pipes, Valves, Components & Wear Protection
72 Hofmann Engineering Interview
73 Expert Insights: The Benefits of AI and Automation
74 Section 6: Services
75 Drilling & Blasting
76 Geotec Boyles Bros Interview
77 Enaex Interview
78 Services
79 SGS Interview
80 Section 7: Sponsored Company Profiles
81 FreePort-McMoRan Profile
82 Rio2 Company Profile
83 Lithium Chile Profile
84 Metso Outotec Company Profile
85 SGS Company Profile
86 Credits

Rodrigo Couto, President – Latin America,

HEXAGON’S MINING DIVISION

"One of our focuses is educating the market to convince users that sharing data in a meaningful way is going to be beneficial to their operations."

How has Hexagon’s Mining division evolved in recent years and what is the company’s focus today?

Hexagon’s Mining division is part of Hexagon AB, a Swedish multinational technology organization that was founded more than 20 years ago and has grown to have a global presence in 50 countries, generating revenue of US$5.1 billion. Over the past decade, Hexagon has been scaling its mining technology portfolio through a combination of organic growth, M&A and partnerships. These include the January 2022 acquisition of Minnovare, a leading provider of drilling technology that improves the speed, cost and accuracy of underground drilling; and partnerships with OEMs such as Liebherr to advance automation, or fellow technology companies such as HARD-LINE to expand teleoperation capabilities.

Today, Hexagon has a go-to-market strategy called ‘Power of One’, which is a holistic solution connecting all processes of a mine from the pit to the plant, leveraging data from connected workflows to maximize the value of productivity, safety and sustainability at an operation. Our technologies cover the areas of mine measurement, 3D modelling and design, and solve both surface and underground challenges, with the main goal of developing smart mines through a feedback loop between the real and digital worlds.

Hexagon’s mining solutions include fleet management, asset health, machine guidance, and analysis solutions to optimize operations; a safety portfolio including collision avoidance, operator alertness, and vehicle intervention; as well as drill and blast, enterprise, and monitoring portfolios. Through technology, we aim to simplify operations for our clients and make their lives easier.

What would you say are the main barriers to break down the silos that exist in the mining sector?

In 2021, Hexagon implemented 61 projects in Latin America. The main challenge we encountered in most of these projects was to break the paradigm of keeping data inside each silo. Clients care a lot about data and spend a lot of time collecting it, but many do not know how to transform data into actionable information. Hexagon offers clients an integrated ecosystem which guarantees a single source of data, which is automatically transformed into actionable information, connecting different workflows to enhance efficiency and productivity. One of our focuses is educating the market to convince users that sharing data in a meaningful way is going to be beneficial to their operations.

Can you elaborate on Hexagon’s partnerships with HARD-LINE and Liebherr?

We partnered with HARD-LINE, a leading supplier of automation, teleoperation and remote-control technology for the mining industry, to combine our technologies so that mine workers can be removed from dangerous environments. We have already implemented a remote center at Vale in Brazil so they can remotely manage tailings dams from an office. These remote operations run 24/7 to evaluate any kind of displacement or potential risk of failures of the dams in real time.

Hexagon has partnered with Liebherr to deliver next-generation automation solutions. The most impactful aspect of this is Hexagon’s autonomous mission management system, which orchestrates fleet and unmanned mine traffic movements throughout the mine for optimized haulage.

Which areas of mining technology adoption have room for growth in Chile?

Chilean mining is advanced with respect to the adoption of many technologies, and catching up when it comes to collision avoidance systems and fatigue. We have been talking with the unions in Chile to explain that these technologies are not meant to expose drivers, but rather to protect them instead so that they can return home safely.

What are the main factors you believe will drive the growth of mining technology in the coming years?

Over the past two years, the highest demand in the mining technology space has been for collision avoidance systems, fatigue monitoring systems, vehicle intervention systems (VIS), teleoperations and autonomy. We are currently very much focused on everything related to safety, as well as data science, including AI and big data.

Investors are looking to put their money into safe, profitable and responsible operations. Because ore grades are getting lower and ESG standards are becoming stricter, mining companies have to invest in disruptive and transformational technologies to optimize their operations so they can continue to attract investment.

Next:

Interview: DSI Underground