Could you give a summary of the services that Liebherr Mining offers in the southwestern US?

Liebherr Mining provides equipment for open-pit mining and the hard-rock sector, including trucks with payloads ranging from 240 tonnes to ultra-class trucks, as well as a complete line of electrified excavators and mining dozers. With copper and gold markets showing higher demand than usual due to strong prices, Liebherr sees strong opportunities for suppliers like itself. The western US is a significant opportunity for Liebherr due to the importance of copper and gold, as well as the emerging lithium mining technology. Liebherr operates a fleet of ultra-class haul trucks for Asarco in Arizona and provides on-site support at their manufacturing facilities in the west. NGM also operates a fleet of Liebherr trucks at the Cortez mine.

How does Liebherr integrate new technologies in Arizona and Nevada?

Liebherr is working on placing new electrified excavators in these states and has a 150-tonne excavator and a PR 776 mining dozer in stock in Elko. Customers have requested autonomous mining solutions through Liebherr’s partnership with Hexagon. Liebherr’s system is open protocol, allowing it to operate on anyone else’s systems, giving clients the LIDARs and radars, and leaving the system open for any other type of autonomous solution to log in and make the units work on their system. Liebherr has also created upgradeable equipment, enabling the upgrade or retrofit of existing equipment to zero-emission drives. Liebherr’s modular approach allows machines to be energy-type agnostic and drive train agnostic. Thus, customers can have today’s technology with the ability to upgrade products as improvements are applied.

Can you provide more information on Liebherr’s “Zero Emission Mining Program”?

Liebherr’s roadmap for zero-emissions is 2030, and the company believes it is pioneering zero-emission mining. Customers are asking for mining suppliers to focus on zero-emission mining. The initial partnership Liebherr has for zero-emission mining is with Fortescue Metals Group. Liebherr works with them on developing and supplying mining haul trucks that integrate zero-emission power technologies developed by Fortescue Future Industries and Williams Advanced Engineering into the Liebherr T 264 haul truck. Liebherr anticipates the delivery of the first haul trucks in this partnership will happen in the coming two years.

What role do OEMs play in developing new technologies towards more sustainable mining?

OEMs can positively impact the industry by working towards zero-emission equipment. Liebherr is already working to develop zero-emission solutions, such as the Trolley Assist System and a hydrogen engine that was recently presented at the Bauma tradeshow in Germany.

How is Liebherr addressing the current labor shortage in the industry?

The industry is facing a shortage of skilled labor, and Liebherr recognizes that this is a significant threat. The labor pool has shrunk, and there are more technologically advanced products. Mining customers struggle to identify operators. As an employer, Liebherr offers an attractive benefits package and invests in training for its employees to continue to grow. Automation will be interesting in the coming years for retention purposes, and Liebherr can operate its dozer via a remote seat, increasing the focus on safety, which could entice more people to join the industry.

What are Liebherr USA division’s top priorities in the next two years?

Liebherr’s main focus is on expanding its capabilities to serve the copper and gold markets and bringing new product offerings to those customers. Its long-term vision is zero-emission, autonomy, and electrification.