Sandvik has received five AutoMine orders from the world’s largest underground mining contractor, Byrnecut. The orders, all of which include AutoMine Multi-Lite systems, were booked in Q1 2026 for the Gwalia, Ulysses, Youanmi and Gossan Valley mine sites in Australia and the Navachab mine in Namibia. With these orders, the majority of Byrnecut’s global operations now run AutoMine for loading.
Byrnecut has also acquired AutoMine for Underground Drilling across four of these sites, further strengthening its strategy to expand automation across its global fleet.
AutoMine Multi-Lite is an advanced automation system that enables loaders to operate fully autonomously from the stope to the designated loading or dumping area, allowing a single operator to control up to three loaders simultaneously from a safe, climate-controlled control room on the surface.
Shift changes are one of the largest contributors to downtime in underground operations. Byrnecut is using AutoMine to reduce the impacts by maintaining material movement and drilling progress during these periods. This minimizes downtime and enables consistent production.
Operators also benefit from the system, as they can remotely supervise and control multiple machines, reducing exposure to dust, noise, vibration and other onsite hazards. This approach enhances safety for operators and mine personnel, while also supporting workforce development as moving operators into technology-focused roles and providing real-time feedback helps build skills for an increasingly automated mining environment.
Luke Clements, Manager – Automation and Electrification at Byrnecut commented: “We now have the majority of our loaders running on AutoMine at our sites across the globe. Safety is Byrnecut’s number one priority and AutoMine helps ensure that our people get home safely, while also enabling high productivity through precise, consistent, repeatable operations.”
David Hallett, Vice President – Automation at Sandvik, added: “This deal highlights the growing understanding across the mining sector that Sandvik’s advanced automation solutions help mines run safer, more efficiently and more sustainably.
“Byrnecut and Sandvik have a long history of collaboration, and Byrnecut has been a key development partner in our suite of automation solutions. We are proud to continue supporting them as they expand the use of automation across their global operations.”
