Hexagon pitches digital mining tools as critical minerals demand rises

Hexagon is highlighting how digital technologies can help mining operators move faster, recover more value and make better real-time decisions across the mining value chain. The pitch comes as critical minerals remain expensive and complex to extract, process and deliver at scale.

Why it matters: - Critical minerals are essential to modern technology, from copper in smartphones to minerals used in other device components. - Mining remains a long-cycle business, with projects often taking about 15 years before returns begin through dividends. - Small efficiency gains can have outsized financial impact across large mining operations. - Improving ore recovery can potentially generate tens of millions of dollars in added value.

What happened: - Business Reporter published a video featuring Dave Goddard, Mining Division President at Hexagon, on how Hexagon connects digital technologies across the mining value chain. - The video focuses on how Hexagon helps operators improve efficiency, recover more value and make better decisions in real time. - The example highlighted is Codelco’s Radomiro Tomic copper mine in Chile.

The details: - At Radomiro Tomic, each of 100 trucks can haul 300 metric tonnes of material at a time. - Each truckload carries 1,500 kilograms of copper. - Hexagon uses computing, satellite positioning and communications technologies to improve visibility across mining workflows. - The company’s systems help teams spot bottlenecks, anticipate problems and respond before small disruptions become costly setbacks. - Hexagon’s portfolio includes operations tools that streamline daily mine activity. - Hexagon’s resource optimisation tools are designed to improve the net present value of the ore body in the ground. - Hexagon’s safety tools are aimed at protecting mine workers and equipment. - The video invites viewers to learn more about Hexagon’s collaboration with Codelco in Chile through the company’s announcement here.

Between the lines: - The message is not just about digitising mining for efficiency. It is about turning operational data into financial value across extraction, processing and delivery. - Hexagon is framing its tools as a way to reduce uncertainty in a supply chain that is both capital-intensive and volatile. - The emphasis on real-time visibility suggests the competitive edge comes from reacting faster to changing conditions underground and in transit.

What's next: - Hexagon is pushing viewers to watch the video for more detail on the Codelco partnership. - The company is positioning its mining software and hardware stack around three outcomes: productivity, asset value and safety. - The broader case for the technology will depend on whether operators can translate visibility into measurable gains at scale.

The bottom line: - Hexagon is selling a simple thesis: better data, better decisions, more value from every tonne of ore.