NioCorp will deploy the Railveyor™ automated rail-based haulage system as the core ore movement and electric underground haulage solution in its Elk Creek critical minerals project in Nebraska, integrating it into a new twin-ramp orebody access layout detailed in its 2026 feasibility study. The Railveyor installation is intended to replace conventional diesel truck haulage over the main ramp profile, cutting ventilation demand and enabling a fully electrified materials handling chain from stopes to surface. For mine planners and geotechnical teams, the twin-ramp plus Railveyor configuration drives ramp geometry, power distribution design and ground support around continuous conveyor‑like haul paths.

Myers Group has deployed two Hitachi excavators – a heavy ZX530LCH-7 and a mid-sized ZX210LC-7 – at its Johnsons of Wellfield dimensional stone quarry in West Yorkshire, marking the first Hitachi units in its historically mixed fleet. Senior operations manager Ben Strickland reports a “significant reduction in fuel burn”, faster cycle times and better manoeuvrability compared with the outgoing excavators, alongside strong dealer aftersales support. Improved cab ergonomics and operator feedback suggest potential for longer productive shifts and reduced fatigue in primary extraction and aggregate handling.

Vale Base Metals is fast-tracking a Coarse Particle Flotation (CPF) project using the Eriez HydroFloat® process at its Salobo Copper Complex in Brazil to lift throughput and copper recovery on coarser grind sizes. The CPF circuit, installed as a brownfield upgrade to the existing concentrator, is expected to deliver a material increase in processing and production capacity with what Vale describes as “exceptional” project economics. For plant designers and metallurgists, the move signals growing confidence in HydroFloat-scale CPF as a retrofit option for large copper concentrators.