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Vale and ABB expand AI automation at Brazil iron ore plants
The partners said the AI-enabled Conceição II plant has lifted productivity by 25% since 2024 and cut iron losses to tailings by 26%.
Vale and ABB are expanding their partnership to roll out automation and artificial intelligence across the miner’s iron ore processing operations in Brazil, with a focus on safety, productivity, and sustainability, according to Mining.com.
The companies’ work builds on Vale’s Conceição II plant, which Vale calls its first AI-enabled venture. Conceição II automated more than 7,000 instruments, added more than 100 monitoring cameras, and used data analytics to manage and optimize more than 400 variables in the iron ore workflow to help anticipate failures and avoid unplanned shutdowns.
Vale reported the plant, which has 11.2 million tonnes per year of capacity, delivered a 25% productivity increase after the technologies were implemented in 2024. It also reported a 40% increase in premium ore production for direct reduction and a 26% reduction in iron losses to tailings.
Under the partnership, ABB will provide industrial automation, digitalization, and integrated IT/OT solutions, and the companies plan to gradually apply the technologies to other iron ore plants in Brazil using Conceição II as a blueprint, Mining.com said.