Domestic equipment manufacturer BelAZ and Finland's ZYFRA Group this week announced an extension of their past collaboration at an industry fair in Yekaterinburg, Russia. BelAZ is a major supplier of trucks to mines and quarries in Russia, but claims to export to at least 80 countries worldwide. Helsinki-based start-up (2017) that says it's already connected more than 8,000 computer numerical control (CNC) machines for over 270 enterprises.

"The main goal of our partnership is to understand better the current and future digital needs of the mining industry and to offer vehicles that fully meet these needs so that customers do not have to waste resources and time upgrading them on their own," BelAZ Holding CEO Petr Parkhomchik said in Yekaterinburg.

"Identifying these needs will be the object of our joint research activities with ZYFRA and all our future projects will be based on these studies."

Parkhomchik signed a new strategic alliance agreement with ZYFRA CEO Igor Bogachev at the Innoprom exhibition.

The pair said BelAz had already been working with ZYFRA subsidiary VIST Group on autonomous truck deployment at Russian coal miner SUEK's surface operations.

"Experience shows that thanks to accurate tracking of the geotechnology parameters, fully autonomous and remotely controlled equipment improves transport efficiency by 20% while removing drivers from hazardous work zones," BelAZ says.

"The company expects the solution will be highly demanded on the markets of Sub-Saharian Africa, Chile, Peru and India."

Bogachev said the partnership would give ZYFRA "a stronger presence on the global market" while giving mining companies an option for ordering "equipment from the [BelAZ] plant with their chosen digital features ready installed".