Cat, Champion Iron Partner on AI

Champion Iron Limited has signed a Letter of Intent with Caterpillar to implement artificial intelligence based Advanced Drilling Technologies on Cat equipment at its Bloom Lake Mine.

The project will implement a remote-controlled, semi-autonomous and fully autonomous Cat electric drilling fleet, utilizing the technologies engineered, designed, and/or integrated by Caterpillar. The collaboration will aim to optimize Bloom Lake's operational productivity and reduce energy consumption, while demonstrating the capabilities of Caterpillar's advanced drilling technologies. A Drill-to-Mill strategy is expected to be deployed based on a series of tightly integrated systems. 

Caterpillar’s integrated technology will assess the status of machines, technologies, and material to enable more timely and accurate operational decisions. The goal will be to deliver a fully integrated drill-to-mill technology solution powered by data connectivity and analytics.

Champion’s CEO, Mr. David Cataford said, “We are honored to collaborate with industry leaders like Caterpillar and Toromont Cat, and are confident that our workforce’s proven operational expertise and ingenuity will be an asset in deploying these technologies. The aim and vision of improving mining practices and ultimately reducing waste and energy use is the foundation of this collaboration..."