Epiroc Automation Centers Accelerate Open Mining Tech
The company leverages four global hubs to standardize autonomous drilling and haulage development across mixed mining fleets.
Updated on Oct. 27, 2026 in Robotics
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Epiroc operates four global Surface Mining Automation Centers (SMAC) that centralize the development, testing, and remote operation of autonomous mining machinery. These facilities support autonomous drilling in Garland, Texas, and autonomous haulage platforms in Logan, Utah, alongside sites in Orebro and Perth.
Why it matters
By consolidating systems engineering, testing, and product management into specialized hubs, Epiroc aims to accelerate the deployment of autonomous solutions in mining. This strategy enables closer customer collaboration to shape product roadmaps for open autonomy across mixed-brand fleets.
The centers manage 78 converted haul trucks that have successfully moved 300 million tonnes of material. Development teams utilize dedicated lab rooms for integrated hardware and software validation before field deployment.
The players
Epiroc
A global mining and infrastructure equipment manufacturer that develops autonomous systems and drilling technologies.
Hancock Iron Ore
A mining operator that partnered with Epiroc to implement autonomous haulage on a fleet of 78 trucks.
The details
The centers employ an agile development framework to cycle through system requirements, testing, and iteration rapidly. The Logan, Utah facility specializes in LinkOA—an open interoperability platform designed to connect autonomous haulage vehicles—while other centers focus on drilling-specific autonomous controls. These sites provide the necessary remote control room infrastructure to operate customer machinery from centralized, secure locations.
Timeline
Earlier this year, the converted haul trucks surpassed a milestone of 300 million tonnes hauled.
The Tech Race
Epiroc is scaling its automated mining capabilities to compete with established proprietary autonomy ecosystems. The company is betting on the LinkOA platform to enable interoperability, aiming to displace vendor lock-in in global mining operations.
Mining operators can utilize these centers to integrate and test autonomous upgrades on their existing vehicle fleets. The focus remains on heavy industrial applications rather than consumer-facing technology.
The takeaway
The industry's move toward open autonomy platforms like LinkOA is shifting the focus from individual vehicle performance to fleet-wide interoperability. Watch for future integrations of mixed-brand haulage fleets into Epiroc's automation framework as a benchmark for widespread adoption.
Further reading
Explore more about Robotics and the latest trends in industrial automation.
Source note: This article includes information reported by International Mining.
Live Poll
Is the shift toward fully autonomous industrial machinery in mining generally a positive development?
