RIO Tinto has formally opened a high-tech operations centre in Perth that remotely controls its network of iron ore mines, railways and port operations in the Pilbara.
The operations centre houses 200 controllers and schedulers and more than 230 technical planning and support staff.
Rio Tinto Iron Ore chief executive Sam Walsh said the operations centre “is fundamental to our vision of the Pilbara as a single, integrated one mine logistics system”.
It is anticipated that Rio’s centre would be expanded to cover BHP Billiton’s iron ore operations if the two companies gain regulatory approval to combine their Pilbara production activities.
“We are already seeing the advantages this investment delivers. We can now operate our Pilbara iron ore operations above nameplate capacity, redefining the limits of what was considered possible. And these benefits flow directly to our bottom line,” Mr Walsh said.
“There is no other mining operation anywhere in the world attempting this on this scale.
“Our driverless trucks, remotely operated drill and blasting, automated train systems and remote train loading functions are just the start of a revolution that is transforming the way we extract value from our resources, and will result in a far better, safer industry than could have been imagined even a decade ago.”
Mr Walsh said the technology developed at the operations centre had ramifications far beyond the resources sector, and can be used to improve service delivery across the community.
