Thiess has announced the safe moving of ten million banked cubic metres using its fleet of six semi-autonomous dozers with the semi-autonomous tractor system (SATS), launched three years ago at the Lake Vermont mine, Queensland.
Thiess Group’s Executive Chair and CEO, Michael Wright, said that Theiss’ relationships with original equipment manufacturers like Caterpillar enable the company to provide its clients with cutting-edge technology to meet operational and sustainability targets.
“Thiess has one of the world’s largest active deployments of semi-autonomous tractor system (SATS) technology. Since introducing this technology at Lake Vermont in 2020, we’ve seen a ten per cent reduction in unit cost and 25 per cent improvement in dozer utilisation,” Mr Wright said.
The Cat® D11 dozers onsite are equipped with Cat MineStarTM Command for dozing, enabling the machine to perform repeatable processes, such as loading the blade, pushing, dumping and grade control with consistent accuracy.
Thiess Group’s Head of Autonomy and Operations Technology, Trent Smith, said that ten million banked cubic metres is equivalent in volume to 4,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools.
“Moving this amount without an operator in the machine is a significant milestone,” Mr Smith said.
“It reflects Thiess’ ongoing commitment to linking people and technology to deliver safety and operational efficiency outcomes. With this technology, a single operator can quickly and easily control multiple dozers from the comfort and safety of a remote operating station, significantly improving production output and reducing fatigue.”
Caterpillar’s Senior Vice President, Marc Cameron, said that the company is proud to collaborate with Thiess as it leverages its technology and delivers demonstrated results in productivity and cost improvement at site.
Hastings Deering Resource Industries’ Business Manager, Brad Scholz, said, “We are excited to celebrate this milestone with our valued client, Thiess. This achievement highlights our strong relationship and commitment to delivering innovative solutions in the mining industry.”
Featured image: The Cat D11 Dozers in operation. Image credit: Theiss
