Pronto and Hitachi Construction Machinery have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to advance open mine automation solutions. The partnership aims to give mining companies flexible options that improve productivity and safety while addressing labour shortages. The companies say an open ecosystem will combine expertise in mining operations, equipment, digital technologies and automation, allowing mines to use equipment from different manufacturers rather than depend on one platform or vendor ecosystem.
OEM-Agnostic Autonomous Haulage
Pronto is a global leader in OEM-agnostic Autonomous Haulage Systems (AHS). Its tiered portfolio can retrofit haul trucks from any manufacturer and scale from regional quarries to deep-pit operations. Pronto says its systems have autonomously hauled millions of tonnes in mixed-fleet operations across three continents. Hitachi Construction Machinery brings mining equipment expertise and a customer base, and will transition to the LANDCROS brand in April 2027. Anthony Levandowski, Pronto Chief Executive Officer, said: “Mine operators have been clear: they want automation that works with the fleets they already own, not another closed, single-vendor ecosystem. Pronto has proven OEM-agnostic autonomous haulage at commercial scale, and Hitachi Construction Machinery brings decades of mining equipment leadership, a global customer base, and an open autonomy vision that we share. Together, we can give every mining operation a practical, affordable path to autonomy.”
Flexibility for Operators
Masafumi Senzaki, Hitachi Construction Machinery President and Executive Officer, said: “For decades, we have worked alongside mining customers around the world and have developed a deep understanding of their diverse needs and the challenges they face. Through our collaboration with Pronto, we will combine Hitachi Construction Machinery’s equipment expertise with advanced automation technologies to provide customers with greater flexibility and options in adopting automation solutions. This partnership represents an important step in realising the desire embodied in the ‘O’ of LANDCROS—to openly co-create new businesses and value with customers and partners across the mining industry, and to grow together.” Christian Kurasek, Pronto CFO, told IM: “Pronto is currently operating in NA, SA, and EMEA. Hitachi shares our vision of OEM-agnostic autonomy to give operators choice to choose the best trucks for their fleet while independently choosing the best AHS technology.” A project to apply Pronto AHS on HCM machines is already in the works but not yet running.
Existing Deployments and Standards
Pronto supports Heidelberg Materials and expects more than 100 trucks to be outfitted across more than a dozen sites. It has automated Bell ADTs in Brazil through Prontobras and is deploying in Saudi Arabia. HCM’s OEM-led AHS has operated for more than 144,000 working hours with zero safety incidents and moved more than 58 Mt at Whitehaven Coal’s Maules Creek with 28 EH5000 trucks. Wenco International Mining Systems’ Fleet Management System (FMS) supports the system. Wenco led ISO 23725 for FMS-AHS interoperability and created openautonomy.com, having trialled open autonomy on Scania trucks at Rio Tinto’s Dampier Salt and Channar iron ore mine in the Pilbara.