Transforming the Future of Mining

In the modern world, mined minerals have long been intertwined with everyday life. From the time we wake up, flip on the lights and brush our teeth, we’ve already used a list of materials such as copper, steel, aluminum and fluoride.

Beyond personal uses, copper, aluminum and other minerals are critical components in emerging renewable technologies—from wind farms to solar panels to the batteries in electric vehicles. According to recent projections, from 2021 to 2025, the Global Green Technology & Sustainability Market is projected to grow from $11.2 to $36.6 billion.¹ To enable that growth, the World Bank Group estimates that by 2050, production of minerals such as graphite, lithium and cobalt could increase by nearly 500%.²

Caterpillar's mining customers are working to enable the energy transition by utilizing safe, productive and sustainable mining solutions. Our company is well-positioned to support customers in this journey—combining the industry’s broadest machine product and automation portfolio with nearly a century of engineering expertise. Here’s how Caterpillar is focused on expanding our product and service offerings to help customers achieve their sustainability and operational goals:

• Collaboration: Mine sites are complex, and each operation is unique. So, in our relationships with customers, we focus on a specific and collaborative approach to address customers’ unique business challenges. In some cases, a customer's goal requires a product that does not yet exist, so we focus on frontline customer input as Caterpillar designs and develops next-generation solutions to meet their needs.
  
• Electrification and alternative fuels: Caterpillar’s engineers are reimagining our machines at mine sites, enhancing them with alternative power sources and ensuring compatibility with renewable fuels. These solutions help customers run more fuel-efficient sites—reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions while supporting their total cost of ownership objectives.
• Connectivity and automation: What customers really want are sites that are safe, predictable and productive. That’s where Caterpillar stands apart from competitors, delivering key autonomy, alternative fuels, connectivity and digital, and electrification (AACE) technologies. Our MineStar technology suite for staffed and automated mines converge to create and maximize value and safety for our customers at the site level. The suite enables Caterpillar and Cat dealer service teams to digitally connect and monitor machine assets, alerting site managers to predictive maintenance opportunities that enhance safety, productivity and profitability. They also allow for optimized energy management, as the site functions as a connected system. 

Bringing these factors together, Caterpillar signed a series of transformative agreements with key mining customers in 2021. Through these collaborative agreements, we are developing and deploying customized, site-specific solutions to achieve our customers’ bold sustainability objectives to reduce or eliminate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions at their sites. Here are a few of our breakthrough projects that are pushing the mining industry forward:

One of Caterpillar’s new sustainability goals for 2030 is to make every product more sustainable than the previous generation. To deliver on that goal, Caterpillar’s global team of engineers are upgrading our best-in-class designs with cutting-edge product innovations. Examples include:

Ultimately, a future powered by renewable energy is a journey, rather than a destination. We’re proud to support mining customers as they embark on the long road ahead, and to honor Caterpillar’s legacy of ongoing product innovation. It’s just one of the many ways that we’re working together with customers to help them build a better, more sustainable world.   

¹ Research and Markets 

² The World Bank