Heidelberg Materials is expanding its plans for autonomous heavy mobile equipment across its operations.
The company is progressing with a roll-out involving six sites and two vehicle types across North America, Australia, and Europe. It is part of Heidelberg Materials’ wider initiative to deploy 30 autonomous vehicles in 2026 during an expansion phase, and then introduce more than 100 by the end of 2028.
“Advancing automation and AI applications is a key pillar of our technical excellence agenda as we look to constantly raise the bar for our processes and equipment,” Heidelberg Materials member of the managing board and chief technical officer Axel Conrads said.
The plans are a progression of Heidelberg Materials’ successful trial of an autonomous haulage system, AHS, at its Lake Bridgeport quarry in Texas, USA. The AHS leverage advanced sensors, cameras, and artificial intelligence to autonomously operate haul trucks and other mobile equipment.
The company will expand its AHS programme in North America to incorporate sites in Indiana and Texas. In Australia, AHS projects will be rolled out in New South Wales and Western Australia, while in Northern Germany, Heidelberg Materials will launch an autonomous wheel loader trial at a sand and gravel pit.
“With a strong global autonomous deployment team working closely with best-in-class technology partners, we are now focused on scaling the technology in a disciplined, results-driven way,” Conrads said.
