The modest size of Zimbabwe’s mining sector has not prevented Sandvik’s operation in the country from rolling out world class partnerships – including the pioneering deployment of autonomous trucks in a room-and-pillar mining environment.
“The automation project has been particularly exciting for us, as this has demonstrated how we can push boundaries with Sandvik’s leading edge digital technology,” says Brian Chitenderu, Sandvik Territory Manager for Zimbabwe. “At the heart of technological progress like this are the strong relationships of trust that we have built with customers over many years.”
This collaboration allowed an ambitious project to begin a few years ago, in which a progressive mining customer partnered with Sandvik to introduce automation into a low profile, room-and-pillar environment. The trials focused on testing the 45 tonne Toro TH545i underground dump trucks in certain main haulages of the mine. According to Chitenderu, an important milestone was achieved in early 2024 – with a fully automated loop that includes an underground crusher.
“The years leading up to this point saw a great deal of R&D work from our Finland factory, especially regarding the traffic management system,” he says. “This complex system manages five of our TH545i trucks, to which another five may still be added.”
