Epiroc and Hancock Iron Ore reach milestone as Roy Hill becomes world’s largest fully agnostic autonomous mine

Epiroc and Hancock Iron Ore have collaborated closely with this goal: to create the world’s largest fully agnostic autonomous mine. Now, 78 haul trucks have been converted, and 60 of them are allocated to autonomous operation. The next step is to deploy the remaining trucks and finalize the mine’s ancillary vehicles’ communications capability. LinkOA is interoperable and scalable regardless of manufacturer, so called Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) agnostic. Ultimately, the mine’s autonomous fleet will comprise 54 Caterpillar 793F trucks and 24 Hitachi EH5000 trucks.

“Hancock Iron Ore is at the absolute forefront of mining automation, and we are happy to play a key role in their success,” says Helena Hedblom, Epiroc’s President and CEO. “It’s very exciting to see the major progress done on this ground-breaking project, which represents a major step forward for autonomous mining globally.”

Hancock Iron Ore (HIO), one of the world’s leading iron ore producers, was created this year when Hancock’s Atlas Iron and Roy Hill joined forces.

"HIO was inspired by the work of our Executive Chairman, Dr Gina Rinehart AO, and Executive Director Tad Watroba, who selected Epiroc to help lead autonomous mining haulage initially at Roy Hill,” says Gerhard Veldsman, Hancock Iron Ore CEO. “Interoperability opens productivity and safety benefits to many more, an outcome we can all be proud to have been part of.”

Hancock Iron Ore’s autonomous haul trucks are using Epiroc’s LinkOA traffic management and on-board automation systems to navigate the Roy Hill mine’s virtual map, communicating with ancillary vehicles and the Remote Operations Centre (ROC) located some 1 100 km away in Perth. More than 250 million tonnes of material have been moved autonomously using LinkOA and the trucks have safely travelled around 6 million kilometers, equivalent to going around the world more than 150 times, delivering consistent results that redefine what is possible in surface mining.

With most of the 78 converted trucks already operating autonomously, the final phase - bringing all the trucks and ancillary vehicles online - is on track for completion by December 2025, marking the full realization of the world’s largest OEM-agnostic autonomous haulage operation.

Powerful and reliable connectivity is key to the project’s success. The connectivity was implemented in readiness for AHS operations with support from Radlink, which was fully acquired by Epiroc earlier this year.

In August, Epiroc received Hancock Iron Ore’s 2025 Innovation Award for its pivotal role in delivering the autonomous haulage project, showcasing ground-breaking scale, safety, and technological excellence in mining automation.

In the third quarter of 2025, Epiroc recognized around MSEK 300 in revenues from the project. Onwards, Epiroc anticipates annual and recurring revenues from the project, and the order book has been opened for more miners to enjoy the productivity, efficiency and safety of a mixed haul truck fleet.

Autonomous trucks at Hancock Iron Ore’s Roy Hill mine.  

For more information please contact:
Ola Kinnander, Media Relations Manager
+46 70 347 2455
media@epiroc.com

Epiroc is a global productivity partner for mining and infrastructure customers and accelerates the transformation toward a sustainable society. With ground-breaking technology, Epiroc develops and provides innovative and safe equipment, such as drill rigs, rock excavation and construction equipment and tools for surface and underground applications. The company also offers world-class service and other aftermarket support as well as solutions for automation, digitalization and electrification. Epiroc is based in Stockholm, Sweden, had revenues of around SEK 64 billion in 2024, and has around 19 000 passionate employees supporting and collaborating with customers in around 150 countries. Learn more at www.epirocgroup.com