Hexagon’s Mining division is expanding its 2021 “Power of One” life-of-mine platform into an “Ore to Value” vision that links fleet management, drill and blast, mine planning and plant control through a single data environment. The approach centres on material flow intelligence, using connected sensors, infield apps and cloud-based analytics to track ore parcels from block model to mill and final product in near real time. For engineers, this promises tighter reconciliation, more accurate ore routing and faster feedback loops between geology, operations and processing.

More than $569 million is being directed into regional Western Australia under the State Government’s Seven Cities Vision, with BHP and Rio Tinto jointly committing $150 million for new homes and worker accommodation. The funding targets housing supply and liveability in key mining centres, aiming to ease labour constraints that have driven high FIFO reliance and wage pressure across the Pilbara and other hubs. For mine planners and project teams, improved local accommodation capacity could materially affect workforce availability, roster design and long‑term expansion decisions.

Victory Metals has reported a metallurgical breakthrough at its North Stanmore project in Western Australia, achieving a globally significant heavy rare earth element (HREE) result from clay-hosted mineralisation. Testwork indicates the ore can support dual revenue streams, with both HREEs and additional payable products recoverable from the same feed, improving project economics compared with single-commodity ionic clay deposits. The development positions North Stanmore for flowsheet design focused on selective leaching and impurity control, critical for scaling commercial rare earth production in WA’s Mid West.