Read this article in 中文 Français Deutsch Italiano Português Español An intelligent machine ecosystem: Zoomlion’s approach to the future of mining Partner Content produced by KHL Content Studio 16 June 2026 Mining operators around the world are under increasing pressure to produce more material while reducing environmental impact and improving workforce safety. Factor in labour shortages, rising energy costs and stricter sustainability targets, and the logic of investigating automation, electrification and digital intelligence becomes clear. Today, we are increasingly seeing autonomous haulage systems, remote-controlled equipment and real-time operational intelligence moving from pilot projects into large-scale deployments in open-pit mining operations. A number of industry studies have identified the benefits, with a report from Ernst & Young forecasting that digital transformation could deliver an improvement in mining productivity of up to 23% by 2030. At the same time, these technologies are helping operators improve asset utilisation, reduce downtime and optimise energy consumption. According to Yu Xiao Ying, Head of Smart Mining Projects at Zoomlion, today’s productivity targets, safety requirements and sustainability objectives are significantly changing the way mining operations are designed and managed. These changes are shaping Zoomlion’s approach to mining, with the company focusing on integrated solutions built around green power systems and full-stack intelligence. This strategy is already being deployed at scale, with hundreds of Zoomlion autonomous mining trucks operating across mining projects in Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia, while the company’s hybrid and electric mining trucks have each accumulated more than 8,000 operating hours. The evolution of smart mining The concept of the intelligent mine has evolved significantly over the past decade. Early digitalisation initiatives focused primarily on equipment monitoring, fleet management and operational reporting. More recently, however, advances in machine vision, artificial intelligence, connectivity and autonomous vehicle technology have expanded the possibilities for automation. While fully autonomous mining