Cemex and Berlin-based startup sensmore are digitising operations at the 770-year-old Rüdersdorf limestone quarry in Germany using AI-based loading and haulage optimisation. On-board edge devices and radar sensors on wheel loaders and haul trucks feed real-time data into sensmore’s optimisation engine, which recommends bucket fill levels, truck–loader pairing and haul speeds. Early results show reduced idle times and more consistent crusher feed, signalling practical pathways to retrofit AI-driven dispatch and loading control into existing European quarry fleets without full autonomy.

Multotec has supplied a customised suite of high-performance spiral concentrators to the Thaba JV chromite and PGM project in South Africa’s Limpopo province, providing an integrated gravity separation circuit tailored to the ore’s specific mineralogy. The solution is engineered to boost chromite and PGM recovery while tightening product grade control, with spiral configurations selected to allow rapid reconfiguration between different feed conditions and product specs. For plant designers and metallurgists, the key point is the emphasis on modular, flexible spiral layouts to sustain long-term performance as ore characteristics change.

FUCHS Lubricants is promoting SOLCENIC GM 20, an MSHA-approved HFAE fire-resistant hydraulic fluid formulated for longwall coal mining roof-support systems. The water-in-oil emulsion is designed for hydraulic roof supports that stabilise the longwall face, targeting consistent performance under high-pressure, high-cycle loading where ignition risk from conventional mineral oils is critical. For mine operators and OEMs, the key implications are compatibility with existing HFAE systems, reduced fire load in gate roads and maingate stations, and support for stricter underground safety regimes.