IMARC in Sydney later this month will bring thousands of mining leaders, investors and METS suppliers together with a deliberate focus on mine operators as on-the-ground decision makers. Organisers are rolling out structured matchmaking initiatives to connect local site-based teams with technology vendors, aiming to accelerate adoption of solutions such as fleet management systems, ore-sorting technologies and remote operations platforms. For METS firms, the format signals more direct access to operational budgets and shorter feedback loops on deployment constraints at Australian mines.

Two Toyota HiLux battery-electric vehicles are now operating in production conditions at BHP Mitsubishi Alliance’s Goonyella Riverside open-cut coal mine in Queensland, extending BHP’s earlier HiLux BEV trial into a high-duty, hot-climate pit environment. The light vehicles are being used in regular mine operations rather than test tracks, exposing the BEV platform to rough haul roads, dust, and extended shift cycles typical of large truck-and-shovel coal operations. Data from this deployment will inform future mine-spec BEV light vehicle design, charging strategies, and maintenance regimes for heavy mining fleets.

Unplanned conveyor shutdowns in bulk material handling are linked to single belt failures or undetected drift conditions that can stop an entire processing plant or export chain, with losses rapidly escalating per hour of downtime. Pacific Automation’s Smart Series approach focuses on eliminating nuisance trips by improving belt drift detection, pull-wire reliability and misalignment sensing, using smarter field devices and better trip logic. For mining engineers, the message is to treat conveyor protection systems as critical process equipment, not simple safety interlocks, and to prioritise condition monitoring and diagnostics in design and upgrades.