Sandvik’s underground automation technology agreement with Glencore has continued to go from strength to strength, with the AutoMine solution delivering an array of operational benefits.
Sandvik and Glencore signed a six-year purchase agreement in June 2020, where Sandvik would supply drills, loaders and trucks to Glencore’s metalliferous mines in Queensland and New South Wales. The agreement was worth $249 million.
Following the deal’s signage, Sandvik’s AutoMine tele-remote solution was rolled out across six LH517i underground loaders at Glencore’s George Fisher zinc-lead-silver mine in Queensland, increasing productivity and cutting loading times.
Three automated Toro TH663i trucks joined George Fisher in 2024, with the trucks and underground leaders used around the clock and bolstering safety and efficiency across the mine.
“Safety is paramount to us,” Glencore George Fisher mine production superintendent Manfred Drutschmann said.
“With Sandvik AutoMine, we not only remove people from high-risk underground environments but also unlock new levels of efficiency and consistency in our operations. The automated trucks allow us to haul more material faster, without shift change delays, helping us optimise our overall production. That’s a major win.”
George Fisher has also trialled and implemented Sandvik’s AutoLoad 2.0, an AutoMine feature that fully enables automated production cycles.
As of 2025, 10 automated Toro loaders are in operation at George Fisher, with the vehicles successfully running complete cycles without the need for human intervention.
With its gold-level AutoMine subscription, George Fisher can also access traffic control features that allows multiple loaders to operate in close proximity on the same level simultaneously, increasing productivity.
“This is the first time a Sandvik automated trucking solution has been implemented in a mine in Australia, and other mining operations have been watching closely,” Sandvik technical support manager for automation Tommi Rautio said.
“Now that they are seeing what automation can do, I expect a surge in interest.”