Epiroc Expands Mining Automation Through Global Centers
The company operates four specialized facilities to advance autonomous drilling and haulage technology for the global mining industry.
Updated on Oct. 27, 2026 in Robotics
Live Poll
Is the shift toward fully autonomous industrial machinery in mining generally a positive development?
Epiroc maintains four Surface Mining Automation Centers located in Garland, Texas; Logan, Utah; Orebro, Sweden; and Perth, Western Australia. These facilities integrate engineering, testing, and product management to streamline the development of autonomous mining solutions.
Why it matters
By consolidating automation development into these dedicated hubs, Epiroc aims to accelerate the delivery of value from its technology while providing environments for customers to help shape future product roadmaps.
Epiroc operates four Surface Mining Automation Centers that house systems engineering and testing lab rooms for hardware and software development. The company has successfully converted 78 haul trucks for autonomous operation, with those units completing 300 Mt of total haulage.
The players
Epiroc
An international mining and infrastructure equipment manufacturer that develops automation, digitalization, and electrification technologies.
Hancock Iron Ore
A mining entity that partnered with Epiroc to convert a fleet of 78 haul trucks to autonomous operation.
The details
Each automation center serves as a collaborative hub featuring control rooms for remote drill operations and dedicated teams focused on autonomous drilling and haulage. Through an agile development process, the company seeks to shorten the time required to bring new autonomous solutions to mining fleets.
Timeline
Earlier this year: Converted haul trucks reached 300 million tonnes of material hauled.
The Tech Race
Epiroc is positioning its automation centers to lead the transition toward open autonomy, where interoperability across mixed mining fleets is becoming the industry standard. This development follows a trajectory set by the LinkOA platform as it scales to replace legacy manual haulage systems.
Mining operators can leverage these automation centers to conduct remote testing and gain hands-on experience with new autonomous drilling and haulage systems. This collaboration helps reduce the time required to integrate advanced technology into existing fleet workflows.
The takeaway
The adoption of centralized automation centers reflects a growing industry preference for agile, collaborative product development in heavy machinery. Mining companies should monitor these hubs to align their own fleet modernization strategies with upcoming advancements in autonomous haulage.
Further reading
Learn more about the latest innovations in Robotics.
Source note: This article includes information reported by International Mining.
Live Poll
Is the shift toward fully autonomous industrial machinery in mining generally a positive development?
