EACON Mining Technology has reached a significant milestone in the deployment of autonomous haulage technology in Australia, commencing day-shift autonomous operations with a fleet of retrofitted Komatsu HD1500 haul trucks at a gold mining operation in Western Australia. The project, located at the Havana Pit within the Paddington operation of Norton Gold Fields (NGF) in the Kalgoorlie Goldfields region, marks the first deployment of autonomous haulage technology in an active mining production environment in the region. It also represents one of the industry’s pioneering retrofit applications of autonomous technology on Komatsu HD1500 haul trucks. The rollout involves six Komatsu HD1500 trucks operating autonomously without safety drivers during daytime production activities. Site personnel are simultaneously being trained and upskilled to support the future transition to night-shift autonomous operations. From Existing Fleet to Autonomous Operations Unlike traditional autonomous haulage projects that often rely on new equipment, the NGF project leverages existing fleet assets. Each truck has been converted for autonomous operation using EACON’s OEM-agnostic autonomous haulage solution, including a drive-by-wire retrofit system. The approach demonstrates how mining operations can introduce autonomous haulage using existing equipment, reducing capital expenditure requirements while minimising disruptions to ongoing production. According to EACON, the project is intended to provide a practical pathway for miners seeking to adopt automation without undertaking wholesale fleet replacement programs. The transition from conventional operations to a fully autonomous production environment follows an extensive period of system development and validation. Prior to deployment, the project team completed drive-by-wire system design, autonomy feature validation, system integration, and a comprehensive series of safety assessments tailored to Australian mining conditions. Extensive Preparation Behind the Rollout Although autonomous operations officially commenced in June, preparation activities began much earlier. Following telecommunications infrastructure orders placed in January 2026, more than five months were dedicated to establishing the foundations required