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Rio's automation 'just started'

Autonomous haulage trucks at Rio's West Angelas minesite. Picture: Christian Sprogoe Photography.

Rio Tinto's automation push looks set to continue unabated, with the manager of its Pilbara iron ore mines saying the mining giant has "only just started".

Speaking at a business lunch in Perth yesterday, Rio Tinto managing director, Pilbara Mines, Michael Gollschewski said the company did not yet have an automated mine system that was "fully functioning".

"There are a lot of technologies that we're working on that start to get these different things talking to each other that will further drive efficiencies," Mr Gollschewski told the Committee for Economic Development of Australia lunch yesterday.

"We've only just started."

The company is the world's biggest operator of autonomous trucks, has spent more than $500 million on a fleet of automated trains in the Pilbara and has a number of automatic drill rigs.

It is all part of its mine of the future campaign, launched in 2008.

Mr Gollschewski's comments that the miner was looking at technologies that "talk to each other" is part of building an overall technological web where devices are hooked up online together and controlled remotely.

And though the miner has never said it publicly, it has been suggested the mine of the future concept is about having as few workers on site as possible.

Mr Gollschewski said in the past Rio had about 60 drivers for 15 trucks on site. With autonomous trucks the number of drivers would be reduced to eight operators but the trucks would require bigger maintenance crews.