by Kyle Molyneux | Mon 18 Nov 2019
Epiroc and Orica blast off
Epiroc, a productivity partner for the mining and infrastructure industries, has entered into a partnership with commercial explosives provider Orica (ASX: ORI) to jointly develop a semi-automated explosives delivery system, enabling safer and more productive blasting operations in underground mines.
As mines go deeper and ore bodies become more remote the case for blasting automation becomes clearer. The partnership will bring together the deep expertise and experience of two global industry leaders to address the growing demand from customers mining in increasingly more hazardous and challenging underground operations.
Angus Melbourne, Orica’s Chief Commercial and Technology Officer, said: “This exciting partnership with Epiroc will allow us to leverage our exclusive wireless initiating system, WebGen™, to deliver the critical first steps towards the automation of drill and blast operations. Automation is a key pillar of our technology strategy and supports our vision of transforming drill and blast to unlock mining value by creating safer and more sustainable operations.”
Epiroc and Orica aim to design and deliver the first prototype during 2020, with the first commercially available systems to enter service in 2021.
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