A tight labour market is making autonomous conversions a very attractive proposition for employers, an industry expert said.
A rising number of mining companies recently opted to automate their heavy vehicle fleets instead of offering jobseekers more lucrative incentives. The Australian resources sector faces a shortfall of up to 86,000 workers in the next decade according to Minerals Council of Australia forecasts.
This is why ABD Solutions is confident there will be high demand for its Indigo Drive platform, which is promised to quickly and cost-effectively convert any mine truck into an autonomous vehicle.
The software interface is touted to be user friendly for route planning, drive-by-wire, communication (radio, V2X, GPS/GNSS), obstacle detection (LiDAR, camera/radar), and vehicle health and diagnostics (OBD2, telemetry/sensors). Its modular architecture simplifies the integration process into existing fleet management software, and can even be removed and fitted to another vehicle.
“It can be installed into vehicles already in use so autonomy can be achieved much faster, and requires significantly less investment, than by replacing the entire fleet,” ABD managing director Matthew Price said in a public statement.
“Driverless vehicles enable site operations to become more streamlined by removing downtime and delays caused by staff shortages, and ensuring continuity of projects. The industry also becomes safer by limiting driver exposure to extreme and dangerous environments.”
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