Flexco is using the Queensland Mining & Engineering Exhibition in Mackay to showcase next‑generation conveyor reliability tools for coal operations facing tighter maintenance windows and labour shortages. The company is focusing on fast-install belt cleaners, condition‑monitoring hardware and data platforms that allow remote inspection of idlers, pulleys and splices without shutting down production. For mine operators, the pitch is higher conveyor availability on long overland and plant belts, reduced manual belt-walks, and more predictable shutdown planning in high‑throughput Queensland coal plants.

Southern Copper’s Tía María greenfield copper project in Arequipa will be the first mine in Peru to operate Komatsu autonomous haulage system (AHS) trucks, supplied and supported by Komatsu-Mitsui. CEO Julio Molina told Día1 de El Comercio that the deployment will use Komatsu’s state-of-the-art AHS platform, signalling a shift towards driverless haul fleets in the country’s large open pits. The move will require detailed redesign of haul roads, traffic management and dispatch systems to meet AHS requirements for berms, gradients and separation from manned equipment.

Deutsche Bank has cut its Q3 2026 gold price target by 22%, now forecasting an average of $4,300/oz versus a previous estimate above $5,500/oz, while keeping a Q4 target of $4,800/oz, both still above the current ~$4,150/oz spot price. Analyst Michael Hsueh attributes the downgrade to Fed repricing and resilient US macro data, with scenarios in which three to four rate hikes could push gold down towards $3,800/oz. The bank notes continued ETF outflows but persistent central bank buying, and maintains a longer-term upside case of up to $8,000/oz on de-dollarisation.