Diversified miner Rio Tinto has formed an alliance with industrial group Atlas Copco to work together to develop autonomous drilling solutions for surface mining, it said on Thursday.

The company said that the alliance would accelerate the development and deployment of autonomous drilling solutions for the surface mining industry.

Benefits resulting from automating drills included improved operator safety, higher precision of the drilling process and improved equipment reliability resulting in superior performance.

“This partnership will help us to increase our lead on the rest of the mining industry and establish our position as the global leader in fully integrated, automated operations,” commented CEO Tom Albanese. 

“This development will allow for more efficient operations, delivering more tons, faster, with reduced carbon emissions, low costs and a safer working environment.”

Atlas Copco manufactures and supports drills used in the mining and civil industries.

“The surface and underground mining industries are moving faster towards automation and control technologies to increase safety and to deliver greater speed and productivity. Automation and its support is becoming an increasingly important aspect of Atlas Copco’s global business, and we look forward to a very productive cooperation with Rio Tinto for the benefit of both parties and the whole mining industry,” commented Atlas Copco CEO Gunnar Brock.