Perth’s Resources Technology Showcase 2019 Public Exhibition: Step inside the heart of Fortescue Metals Group’s auto mine operations

Get a rare “pit to port” insight into how iron ore mines operate as part of Fortescue Metals Group’s cutting-edge Resources Technology Showcase exhibition display.

From a cloned remote operations centre, you’ll see autonomous haul trucks in action at FMG sites, watch ore being loaded onto the world’s fastest heavy haul railway and products being transferred to ore carriers before being shipped to customers worldwide.

And through virtual reality goggles and augmented reality, visitors will be taken on a ‘tour’ of the company’s fully integrated supply chain.

Fortescue chief executive Elizabeth Gaines said innovation and technology was vital to driving sustained productivity, cost savings and improvements in safety.

RTS2019: Everything to see and do at the free Resources Technology Showcase exhibition

“In 2019, our fleet of autonomous haul trucks achieved a significant milestone of moving more than one billion tonnes of material across 33.5 million kilometres and by mid-2020, our mine haulage operations are set to become the first in the world to be fully autonomous,” Ms Gaines said.

“Automation is a key aspect of our innovation agenda and we are consistently looking to improve the efficiency and accuracy of our autonomous equipment to improve productivity and safety.”

From the operations centre, exhibition visitors will see how FMG team members oversee mining activity and remotely control the autonomous haul fleet, railway and port operations.

There will also be a LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) scanner set up at Fortescue’s booth. This technology uses light to recreate a 3D representation of an environment and is currently used in FMG’s automated trucks, drills and light vehicles to identify obstacles in their travel path.

Members of the public will have the opportunity to interact with the LiDAR and see themselves being projected through the lens.

Visit FMG’s free display at the Resources Technology Showcase between 9am and 6pm on November 27-28 at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Visit rtsperth.com for more details or go to the exhibition’s Facebook events page.