Ed Pearcey
8 min read
Surface mining uses a variety of often highly specialised equipment such as trucks, dozers and excavators for extracting resources from just below the Earth's surface. It is generally more cost-effective than underground mining, with the process tending to recover a higher quantity of the mineral deposits.
However, the process, which encompasses removing layers of soil and rock to access minerals found nearer to the surface, contends with a variety of environmental and business-based issues – and has developed systems and technology to try and do just that.
Mining Technology examines some of the biggest developments in surface mining equipment and how the industry is seeking to use innovation to help overcome problems, improve efficiency and reduce costs.
GlobalData’s Global Surface Mining Equipment: Populations & Forecasts to 2030 report, published in December 2024, estimates that the total number of dozers, hydraulic excavators, motor graders, rope shovels, trucks and wheel loaders across all active mines, excluding quarries, at the end of 2024 was 155,976.
In fact, the total number of active machines is forecast to rise to 170,982 by 2030, a compound annual growth rate of 1.5% from 2024 to 2030, with trucks being the largest contributor, followed by dozers, accounting for 14% of machines, and then hydraulic excavators/shovels at 11%.
The leading OEMs in surface mining trucks are Caterpillar, Komatsu and Volvo, says the GlobalData research, with Tata having a strong position in Asia-Pacific (mainly in India) and Belaz having a strong position in the former Soviet Union. Overall, Caterpillar is seen to be the market leader with a share of around 40%, followed by Komatsu with 20% and Volvo with 10%.
David Kurtz, director, mining & construction at GlobalData, Mining Technology’s parent company, suggests that to some extent the "electrification of surface equipment vehicles is an unstoppable trend in the industry as miners work towards minimising emissions. In some cases, mobile diesel can account for 40% or more of [a mine’s] scope 1 & 2 emissions”.
He adds that “customers place a high emphasis on lifetime costs, and so they are looking to continually improve in that area, as well as limit the environmental impact and continue to extend the technologies available, across areas such as the Internet of Things and connectivity to automation”.
A representative of Sandvik, a Swedish multinational engineering company specialising in mining products and services, says making all types of equipment “more productive and cost efficient while ensuring sustainability means leaning into automation that enables efficiency, ease of use and safety” while “electrification will play a significant part in ensuring sustainable drilling”.
