ABB and Hitachi join forces for net-zero emissions in mining machinery

ABB and Hitachi Construction Machinery have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to share their expertise and collaborate in bringing solutions to market that will reduce the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with heavy machinery in mining. The target, then, is to accelerate transition to all-electric mines.

Within a clear strategy brought forward by ABB first of all (here, another post about the company’s developments in smart electrification), the two major companies will explore possibilities to apply ABB’s electrification, automation and digital solutions to mining trucks and excavators provided by Hitachi Construction Machinery as part of wider efforts with mine operators to electrify all processes from pit to port.

The agreement between ABB and Hitachi as part of a broader OEM-oriented strategy

Hitachi Construction Machinery also brings expertise in driverless operation and labor-saving technologies. The aim of the combined solutions is to enhance the efficiency and flexibility of customer businesses, contributing to the reduction of CO2 and the realization of a sustainable society.

«ABB is calling for more collaboration between OEMs and technology companies to fast-track the development of new emissions-reducing systems with electrification and automation of the whole mining operation the goal. We are ready to work more with OEMs to establish a common approach for the market, and through strategic collaboration provide solutions that can help enable a low-carbon society and make mining operations more responsible», said Joachim Braun, Division President, Process Industries, ABB. «New emissions-reducing technologies can transform the energy-intensive mining industry to achieve an even more productive, but also sustainable future».

ABB Ability for cold rolling mills

There’s something new under the umbrella of ABB Ability, the digital solution developed by ABB to support customers in several sectors. We have recently been talking about the positive effects on the productivity of a cement plan in Oman. Now, the company has announced the launch of the new ABB Ability Performance Optimization Service for cold rolling mills, offering steel, aluminium and other metals manufacturers opportunities to reach new levels of operational performance through technology, boosting their processes and profitability.

Production processes in control

The data analytics component uses process-specific algorithms based on a century of metals domain expertise to collect high frequency data from mill control systems and discover trends, benchmarks and other performance factors, sending alerts to operators and maintenance when opportunities to optimize performance are identified.

Alongside this, ABB experts are available to provide onsite or offsite support, recommending actions to ensure the mill maintains its performance targets against key performance indicators (KPIs) for productivity, quality and yield. Leveraging the collective strengths of metals producers and ABB experts, access to dashboards is shared, enabling all parties to drill down to individual coil level.