Madison Technologies is deploying industrial-grade networking to keep remote, renewable microgrids online at Australian mine sites exposed to heat, dust and vibration that routinely defeat standard IT hardware. Its solutions combine hardened Ethernet switches, fibre backbones and wireless links to connect pit operations, processing plants and accommodation villages into a single operational technology network. For engineers, the focus is on deterministic communications for SCADA, power management and condition monitoring, with designs that tolerate brownouts, electrical noise and long cable runs typical of large open-cut operations.

Fluor Corporation has secured the engineering, procurement and integrated construction management (EPCM) contract for Teck Resources’ Highland Valley Copper Mine Life Extension (HVC MLE) project near Logan Lake, British Columbia. The undisclosed-value award, booked in Fluor’s third-quarter results, covers brownfield works to sustain one of Canada’s largest open-pit copper-molybdenum operations beyond its current mine plan. Geotechnical and civil scopes are expected to centre on pit pushbacks, tailings and water management upgrades, and plant debottlenecking to support extended ore throughput.

Komatsu has launched the PC950-11 hydraulic excavator for large-scale earthmoving, pairing a high-capacity front shovel with a Tier 4 Final/Stage V-compliant engine to cut fuel burn against previous PC-series models. The machine targets ultra-class truck loading with an operating weight in the 90–100-tonne class and a bucket size suited to 40–65-tonne haul trucks, aiming to shorten cycle times on bulk overburden and ore movement. Komatsu is also pushing operator-focused design, with upgraded cab ergonomics, digital monitoring and optimised hydraulic controls for smoother, more precise digging.