Hitachi Construction Machinery Co says it is looking to address mining industry demand for “open automation solutions that can be flexibly deployed” through a new alliance with US-based technology company Pronto.
California-based Pronto, which became part of Travis Kalanick’s Atoms business earlier this year, is looking to scale up its deployment of autonomous mining vehicle systems. It has a partnership with Komatsu in North America aimed at the quarry market and has promoted a global agreement with Heidelberg Materials to automate trucks at its operations.
The memorandum of understanding and “strategic partnership” with Tokyo-listed HCMC was aimed at advancing surface mine automation options.
“Through our collaboration with Pronto we will combine Hitachi Construction Machinery’s equipment expertise with advanced automation technologies to provide customers with greater flexibility and options in adopting automation solutions,” HCMC president Masafumi Senzaki said.
“This partnership represents an important step in realising the desire embodied in the O of LANDCROS—to openly co-create new businesses and value with customers and partners across the mining industry and to grow together.”
HCMC is changing its trade name to LANDCROS Corporation and corporate brand to LANDCROS in April, 2027.
Pronto CEO Anthony Levandowski said the company had demonstrated “OEM-agnostic autonomous haulage” at commercial scale. He said: “Mine operators have been clear: they want automation that works with the fleets they already own, not another closed, single-vendor ecosystem. [With HCMC] we can give every mining operation a practical, affordable path to autonomy”.
