Vale, ABB sign deal to expand automation at Brazil iron ore plants

Vale and ABB person entered into a strategical concern aimed astatine processing automation, digitalisation and integrated IT/OT exertion solutions for robust ore processing operations successful Brazil.

The statement follows their enactment unneurotic astatine Vale's Conceição II Model Plant successful Itabira, Minas Gerais, which is the company's archetypal high-tech and AI-enabled robust ore facility.

The companies mean to replicate the exertion systems implemented astatine the Itabira tract crossed aggregate Vale robust ore plants successful Brazil.

These solutions are designed to amended safety, heighten productivity and enactment sustainability successful mineral production.

The Conceição II Model Plant, inaugurated successful June 2026, is simply a cardinal task wrong Vale's Mining of the Future strategy.

ABB served arsenic consultant, exertion supplier and systems integrator, focusing connected precocious automation, digitalisation and IT/OT integration.

As portion of the upgrade, much than 100 monitoring cameras and implicit 7,000 automated instruments, including measurement devices and sensors, were installed astatine the 11.2 cardinal tonnes per twelvemonth facility.

Analytical information tools are applied to oversee, modulate and heighten much than 400 variables passim the full ore processing sequence.

The plan of operational processes was besides reassessed successful bid to foretell imaginable faults and minimise unexpected stoppages.

Vale operations vice-president Carlos Medeiros said: "The Model Plant Project has shown that caller technologies, specified arsenic artificial intelligence, amended worker information and summation productivity, operational ratio and prime successful mining.

"Now, we are going to instrumentality this learning to different Vale operations, expanding the predictability of processes, improving the usage of mineral resources and reducing people's vulnerability to risky activities."

Vale reports that since implementing these integer solutions astatine Conceição II, the tract has seen productivity emergence by 25%, accumulation of premium ore for nonstop simplification summation by 40%, and robust losses successful tailings autumn by 26%.

The automation has besides reduced the request for manual interventions, which contributes to safer operations.

ABB's Automation part focuses connected automating, electrifying and digitalising concern operations crossed assorted sectors, including mineral production.

In June 2026, ABB launched Grinding Connect, a integer work suite for mining operators utilizing gearless mill thrust (GMD) systems.

"Vale, ABB motion woody to grow automation astatine Brazil robust ore plants" was primitively created and published by Mining Technology, a GlobalData owned brand.