Komatsu and Pronto have announced a strategic collaboration to deploy Pronto’s autonomous haulage technologies to quarry operations in the North American market.
The partnership focuses on the launch of Komatsu‘s smart quarry autonomous system, powered by Pronto, that integrates Pronto’s autonomy technologies into quarry-sized haul trucks.
“Partnering with an industry leader like Komatsu is about more than technology; it’s about accelerating the future of heavy industry. Previously, the most advanced autonomy was reserved for the largest mines,” said Anthony Levandowski, Pronto’s CEO. “Today, by combining Komatsu’s trusted hardware and vast support network with Pronto’s scalable, intelligent autonomous platform, we are fundamentally changing the game. We’re enabling a future of enhanced safety and incredible productivity that is now accessible to quarries of all sizes.”
“This collaboration with Pronto accelerates our vision of smart, automated quarry operations,” said Jason Anetsberger, senior director for customer solutions at Komatsu. “We have decades of experience with autonomous haulage in large-scale mining. Now we’re bringing that expertise to quarries of all sizes. It’s a solution that helps drive productivity beyond what was previously possible and can support efforts to enhance safety by facilitating the removal of workers from areas of potential hazard.”
The OEM solution will enable quarry operators to retrofit existing Komatsu vehicles or purchase new trucks equipped with Pronto’s self-driving system, enabling 24/7 operation with minimal human intervention. The result promotes safety by removing drivers from the immediate quarry environment, facilitating consistent cycle times with better fuel efficiency and providing data-driven insights via the Smart Quarry platform designed to optimize the overall operation of quarries.
The OEM solution enables quarry operators to either retrofit existing Komatsu vehicles or purchase new trucks equipped with Pronto’s autonomous driving system for continuous operation with minimal human involvement. The aim of removing drivers from the quarry environment is to reduce safety risks.
In related news, Daimler Truck North America (DTNA) is providing additional non-recurring funding to support Aeva’s development, as the latter advances to series production of its 4D lidar technology