Modular Mining Systems

Modular Mining Systems is a mining-technology company headquartered in Tucson, Arizona. It develops, manufactures, markets, implements, and services computerized systems intended to improve the productivity, safety, availability, and operational control of mining equipment. Its best-known offering is DISPATCH, a fleet-management system that coordinates haul trucks with loading and dumping locations in open-pit mines. The system combines equipment positioning, dispatch optimization, production reporting, downtime-event management, and other operational data in a centralized platform. The company was founded in Tucson in 1979. During its first two years, it worked with Phelps Dodge to develop and install the initial DISPATCH system at the Tyrone open-pit copper mine in New Mexico. A subsequent productivity study reported a 10% production increase following implementation. The early work established Modular’s core proposition: using real-time information and optimization algorithms to reduce truck queuing, improve equipment allocation, and support more consistent mine production. Modular expanded from its initial open-pit fleet-management focus into underground mining, equipment maintenance, machine guidance, light-vehicle tracking, safety, and autonomous haulage support. DISPATCH Underground, first deployed in 1991 at a South African diamond mine, used underground positioning and onboard computing to track equipment and material movement. The company’s MineCare system addresses maintenance response, equipment-health monitoring, predictive and reliability-centered maintenance, failure analysis, and maintenance-performance reporting. ProVision provides high-precision GNSS-based guidance and feedback for equipment such as excavators, loaders, drills, dozers, and backhoes. RoadMap supports position and safety awareness for light vehicles at mine sites. The company’s technologies are commonly described as part of the IntelliMine suite, an integrated set of mining software, field hardware, communications, and OEM interfaces. Modular has developed interfaces with heavy-equipment manufacturers so that data such as payload, operating parameters, alarms, and component trends can be used by mine-management and maintenance applications. It also provides implementation, training, consulting, process mapping, benchmarking, change-management, and lean-services support. Modular’s international expansion began with installations at mines in North and South America, Australia, Africa, and elsewhere. It established subsidiaries and operating entities in Australia, Chile, Indonesia, China, South Africa, Brazil, Canada, Peru, India, and Russia as its customer base broadened. The DISPATCH system has been deployed at more than 250 active mine sites and has been made available in eight languages, according to the cited reference material. In 2010, the company announced Vale’s Moatize mine in Mozambique as its 200th customer. Komatsu became strategically important to Modular’s development. Komatsu America Corporation acquired a controlling interest in 1996 in coordination with Komatsu Ltd. and acquired the remaining shares in 2003. Modular subsequently contributed supervisory, communications, reporting, operational-intelligence, and vehicle-interaction safety capabilities to Komatsu’s autonomous-haulage activities. A 2011 Rio Tinto agreement to deploy 150 Komatsu autonomous haul trucks in Western Australia represented a major large-scale commercial application of autonomous haulage and an important milestone for the broader Komatsu-Modular technology relationship. Modular Mining Systems remains a wholly owned Komatsu subsidiary and serves mining companies through a combination of branded software and hardware, systems integration, field support, and operational services. Its positioning is centered on digitally enabled mine management rather than on the manufacture of primary mining equipment itself.

Modular Mining Systems was established in Tucson, Arizona, in 1979. Its founding business problem was the inefficient coordination of haul trucks, loading equipment, and dumping points in open-pit mines. Between 1979 and 1981, the company worked with Phelps Dodge to create and install the first version of DISPATCH at the Tyrone copper mine in New Mexico. DISPATCH used computerized dispatching and optimization to assign trucks and generate operational reports during a shift. A productivity study conducted after the Tyrone installation reported a 10% increase in production. The early Phelps Dodge relationship continued to shape the company’s product development. In 1985, Modular developed a DISPATCH configuration for the rail operation at Phelps Dodge’s Morenci mine in Arizona and also installed the system at the El Chino mine in New Mexico. During the same period, Modular began developing an international customer base. Installations included Iron Ore Company of Canada in Labrador and Palabora Mining Company in South Africa in 1985, followed by the Cerrejón mine in Colombia in 1988. To support international growth, Modular established its first subsidiary in Caboolture, Australia, in 1989; that office later moved to Tuggerah. Additional entities were created in Chile in 1993, Indonesia in 1996, China in 1998, South Africa and Brazil in 2000, Canada in 2000, Peru in 2002, India in 2004, and Russia in 2006. A further Brazilian operating location was established in Belo Horizonte in 2009. This network allowed the company to provide implementation and field services near major mining regions rather than relying solely on its Arizona base. Modular extended its technology into underground mining in 1991, when it developed and installed an underground fleet-management system at a South African diamond mine. DISPATCH Underground used infrared beacons, onboard field computers, and central-server communication to track underground equipment and support management of loading, hauling, crews, inventories, materials, and locations. The system was subsequently used by large underground mining operations and was updated for later market requirements. The company broadened its product portfolio under the IntelliMine concept. MineCare addressed maintenance management and equipment health by combining data from mine equipment and original-equipment-manufacturer systems. Its functions included maintenance response, predictive and reliability-centered maintenance, failure analysis, key-performance-indicator reporting, and monitoring of components such as engines, hydraulics, electrical systems, and tires. ProVision applied high-precision GNSS technologies to machine guidance for excavators, loaders, drills, dozers, backhoes, and related equipment. Its safety capabilities included proximity alerts and the identification of hazards and restricted areas. RoadMap was designed to track light vehicles and provide real-time position awareness against a configured mine-road network. Ownership changed during the company’s expansion. In 1996, Komatsu America Corporation, working with its parent company Komatsu Ltd., acquired a controlling interest in Modular Mining. Komatsu America acquired the remaining shares in 2003, making Modular a wholly owned Komatsu subsidiary. The relationship connected Modular’s mine-management software and communications capabilities with Komatsu’s heavy equipment and automation activities. Autonomous haulage became a significant area of that relationship. In 2011, Rio Tinto agreed to purchase 150 Komatsu autonomous haul trucks for its Western Australian Pilbara operations. Modular’s contribution included supervisory systems, operational intelligence, communications infrastructure, reporting, and technologies intended to manage interactions between vehicles and improve operational safety. The project was described as one of the first large-scale commercial deployments of autonomous haulage in mining. By the early 2010s, Modular reported that its DISPATCH technology had been deployed at more than 250 active mine sites and was available in eight languages. In October 2010, it announced Vale’s Moatize mine in Mozambique as its 200th customer. Alongside software and hardware, the company developed a value-added-services practice covering system design, implementation, optimization, training, business-process mapping, benchmarking, change management, and lean services. Modular Mining Systems therefore evolved from a specialized dispatching-software developer into a global provider of integrated mine-management and automation technologies, while remaining within the Komatsu Group.

1. 2016DISPATCH Underground update

   The underground solution was updated to address contemporary market requirements.

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2. 2011Large-scale autonomous-haulage deployment

   A Rio Tinto agreement with Komatsu covered 150 autonomous haul trucks for Western Australia, with Modular supplying key supervisory, reporting, communications, and safety technologies.

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3. 2010200th customer announced

   Modular announced Vale’s Moatize mine in Mozambique as its 200th customer.

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4. 2003Komatsu acquires remaining shares

   Komatsu America acquired the remaining shares, making Modular Mining a wholly owned Komatsu subsidiary.

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5. 1996Komatsu acquires controlling interest

   Komatsu America Corporation, in coordination with Komatsu Ltd., acquired a controlling interest in Modular Mining Systems.

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6. 1991First underground fleet-management deployment

   Modular developed and installed an underground fleet-management system at a South African diamond mine, later known as DISPATCH Underground.

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7. 1989First international subsidiary established

   Modular established its first subsidiary in Australia to support its growing Australasian customer base.

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8. 1985Expansion to additional mine operations

   The company installed or developed DISPATCH applications for operations including Iron Ore Company of Canada, Palabora, Morenci, and El Chino.

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9. 1980Initial DISPATCH development and installation

   Modular worked with Phelps Dodge on the first DISPATCH installation at the Tyrone open-pit copper mine in New Mexico. The initial development and implementation period extended through 1981.

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10. 1979Company founded in Tucson

    Modular Mining Systems was founded in Tucson, Arizona, to develop computerized technologies for improving mine operations.

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A mine-technology specialist focused on real-time operational control, fleet optimization, equipment health, machine guidance, safety, and automation for surface and underground mining operations.

• DISPATCH Fleet Management SystemOpen-pit fleet management

  DISPATCH is Modular’s flagship open-pit fleet-management platform. It assigns haul trucks to loading and dumping points using optimization methods intended to reduce queuing and improve production flow. The platform also supports centralized dispatching, equipment positioning, shift-change coordination, refueling, downtime events, production reporting, blending, equipment-health monitoring, and maintenance tracking. Its use of real-time mine data allows dispatchers and supervisors to manage equipment and operating conditions from a central system.

• DISPATCH UndergroundUnderground mine management1991

  DISPATCH Underground is an integrated management system for underground mining operations. It uses rugged field equipment, underground positioning technologies, and central-server communications to monitor mobile equipment and support material movement, crew management, inventory, fleet monitoring, and location management. The system was first deployed in 1991 at a South African diamond mine and supports multiple underground mining methods.

• MineCareMaintenance management

  MineCare is a maintenance-management and equipment-health platform. It is designed to shorten maintenance response times, support predictive and reliability-centered maintenance, analyze critical failures, and report maintenance KPIs. Interfaces with OEM and other equipment systems provide data on components including engines, hydraulics, electrical systems, and tires, helping maintenance personnel identify trends and potential failures.

• ProVisionMachine guidance and safety

  ProVision uses high-precision GNSS technologies, including GPS and GLONASS, to guide and monitor mining equipment such as excavators, loaders, backhoes, drills, and dozers. It provides operators with immediate feedback and reporting while supporting safety and cost-improvement initiatives. Its safety capabilities include proximity detection and alerts concerning encroaching equipment, hazards, and configured keep-out zones.

• RoadMapLight-vehicle tracking and safety

  RoadMap is a mine-site position and safety-tracking system for light vehicles and other mobile assets. It uses GPS-based positioning and a configured road network to provide real-time awareness of vehicle locations and changing site conditions. The system is intended to support mine personnel, visitors, and safety teams operating around active mining equipment and roads.

• IntelliMine suiteIntegrated mine-management platform

  IntelliMine is the broader integrated suite encompassing Modular’s mine-management software, field hardware, equipment interfaces, and operational applications. It connects fleet management, maintenance, machine guidance, safety, reporting, and related functions so that mines can use operational and equipment data across departments. Modular also provides more than 175 OEM interfaces according to the cited reference material.

• 2011Support for commercial autonomous haulageStrategy

  Mining companies were beginning to scale automated haulage beyond experimental applications, and Komatsu was supplying autonomous trucks for Rio Tinto’s Pilbara operations.

  What changed. Modular supplied supervisory, operational-intelligence, communications, reporting, and vehicle-interaction safety technologies for the planned deployment of 150 autonomous Komatsu haul trucks.

  Aftermath. The project became a prominent large-scale commercial application of autonomous haulage and strengthened Modular’s role in the Komatsu mining-automation ecosystem.

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• 2003Komatsu acquires the remaining sharesM&A

  Komatsu had held a controlling interest in Modular since 1996.

  What changed. Komatsu America Corporation acquired Modular Mining’s remaining shares.

  Aftermath. Modular Mining became a wholly owned subsidiary of Komatsu.

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• 1996Komatsu takes a controlling interestM&A

  Modular was expanding internationally and developing a broader mining-technology portfolio when Komatsu America Corporation and Komatsu Ltd. acquired control of the company.

  What changed. Komatsu America Corporation acquired a controlling interest in Modular Mining Systems in coordination with Komatsu Ltd.

  Aftermath. The transaction established the strategic relationship through which Modular’s software, communications, and automation capabilities became connected with Komatsu’s mining-equipment activities.

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• 2011Rio Tinto orders autonomous haul trucks from Komatsu for Western Australia

  Rio Tinto agreed with Komatsu to purchase 150 autonomous haul trucks for deployment in its Pilbara operations by the end of 2015. Modular's role included supervisory control, communications, operational reporting, operational intelligence, and vehicle-interaction safety technologies.

  Product launch
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• 2010Modular Mining announces Vale's Moatize mine as its 200th customer

  Modular announced that Vale's Moatize open-pit coal mine in Mozambique had become its 200th customer. The announcement also identified Moatize as one of several greenfield mines adopting Modular technology during the year.

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1. Modular Mining Systems