By Savannah Hicks
From Kazakhstan to Chile, copper mines around the world are running complex operations to produce a resource that keeps the lights on, the water hot, and our technology working smoothly.
According to a 2023 report from Mining Technology, Kazakhstan is the world’s ninth largest producer of copper, and KAZ Minerals is one of the leading copper producers in the country.
Hexagon partners with KAZ Minerals by deploying fleet management and safety solutions to help overcome operational challenges at its Bozshakol mine in Kazakhstan. With over four decades of projected copper mining ahead at this site, KAZ Minerals is focused on the long-term sustainability of its operations and helping to lead the way on implementing mining technologies in Kazakhstan.
“It’s a very large-scale deposit,” said Jamie Caratti, General Director, KAZ Minerals Bozshakol. “We have about a 45-year mine life at this point in time, and so for us, trying to introduce technologies and things that are going to be more long-term in nature is certainly very important.”
Hexagon OP Pro at BozshakolAccording to site leadership, implementing the Hexagon OP Pro fleet management system is having a significant impact on wait times, leading to improved productivity and profitability. A combined hardware and software solution, OP Pro automates workflows, optimises haulage and blending, and delivers situational awareness.
“Hexagon OP Pro is good for getting exact information for any type of activity,” said Talant Moldagaliyev, Mine Technology Superintendent, KAZ Minerals Bozshakol. “For example, we have a cycle time, we can drill down to each activity and then see where we can improve. For the last two years, we have much improved in terms of reducing the waiting time at the shovel. Now, haul trucks do not have to wait, standing there for three to five minutes. The average time decreased to one or one-point-five minutes.”
The data collected from OP Pro can help drive decision-making for multiple aspects of the operation, from designing roads and routes to enhancing operator safety.
“We’re always analysing collected data,” said Malik Inkizhekov, Mining Director, KAZ Minerals Bozshakol. “It’s really good guidance for us on how to improve our in-pit features like roads and routes, and also how to improve our safety. All this data is helping us throughout all of the mine, making our pit not only productive, but safer too,” he continued.
Hexagon Operator Alertness System (OAS) at Bozshakol
KAZ Minerals is taking even more significant measures to improve safety by deploying the Hexagon Operator Alertness System (OAS), an integrated fatigue and distraction-detection, alerting, and reporting solution, at its Bozshakol site. OAS helps keep operators safe by delivering audible and vibratory alerts of fatigue and distraction events to avert imminent accidents, empowering them to act. OAS has helped increase safety at the mine by bringing more awareness to operators’ fatigue levels, leading to the implementation of increased fatigue management measures at the site.
“We were wondering if this system could help us understand the level of fatigue of our people better. What we found out— it was really worrying, because we started seeing that we had a lot of people that were driving with a high fatigue level,” said Inkizhekov.
In addition to preventing fatigue and distraction-related incidents through alerts, OAS is helping mines like Bozshakol build a data-driven safety picture of a mine’s operators, leading to actionable insights for mine leadership.
“We implemented some measures to manage their fatigue, and this system was helping. From that time, I can say we improved our safety in the pit overall. I think this technology has a big impact, not only for Bozshakol, but for any mine,” Inkizhekov continued.
Hear directly from our customers at KAZ Minerals in this video.
Join us in Montreal, Quebec, for CIM Connect! On May 4-7, 2025, visit Booth 1807 to learn more about how Hexagon is partnering with companies like KAZ Minerals to improve safety, enhance productivity, and leverage data to optimise their operations.
Throughout 2025 we’ll be blogging about the challenges facing the mining industry. Drawing upon insights from thought leaders in our customer community and from within Hexagon, we’ll share how trusted partnerships and proven technology are addressing those challenges, helping to improve safety and cut costs while balancing the demands of productivity and sustainability.