We are closing the chapter on an exceptional field validation and product refinement collaboration with Niobec and Komatsu.
At Niobec’s underground mine in Québec, our team spent nearly ten months developing an exploration drift with the Komatsu MC51 mechanical cutting machine, testing its performance and durability under real world conditions. Everyone played a critical role. Niobec welcomed us on site to test at full scale, and our team’s work in the field surfaced insights that were brought directly to Komatsu’s on-site and technical development teams. Together, we worked through those findings which helped Komatsu to develop an improved cutting head, one that increased reliability, reducing downtime by 25% and allowed for more cutting time per shift. At peak performance, the MC51 achieved greater than 3.8 meters per shift and more than 5.7 meters in a single day.
This is what collaborative product development is meant to do. It takes theoretical possibility into real trials, where evidence confirms or improves the approach, advancing the whole industry through greater efficiency, stronger safety, and fewer people exposed to hazards underground.
Thank you to the Niobec and Komatsu teams for their partnership, their confidence, and their collaboration on this work.
