Hitachi Construction Machinery and Pronto have entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for a strategic collaboration to develop open automation solutions for the mining industry.
The companies plan to deliver automation options to help mining customers address operational challenges and adapt to changing business conditions.
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The agreement seeks to address increasing industry demand for practical, scalable solutions that improve both productivity and safety amid widespread labour shortages.
Open automation platforms, which can be flexibly implemented with equipment and technologies from various manufacturers, are seen by the companies as essential for avoiding over-reliance on a single technology provider or proprietary ecosystem.
Hitachi Construction Machinery, which provides mining equipment globally and maintains a large customer base, is planning to rebrand to LANDCROS from April 2027.
The company has stated that it is pursuing an approach focused on openly connecting products, technologies and partners as part of this transition.
Pronto, which supplies autonomous haulage systems that can be retrofitted to existing haul trucks regardless of manufacturer, has reported commercial deployments of its technology in mixed-fleet operations across three continents.
Its systems are designed to accommodate different operational scales, from regional quarries to ultra-class, deep-pit mines.
Pronto CEO Anthony Levandowski said: “Mine operators have been clear: they want automation that works with the fleets they already own, not another closed, single-vendor ecosystem.
“Pronto has proven OEM [original equipment manufacturer]-agnostic autonomous haulage at commercial scale, and Hitachi Construction Machinery brings decades of mining equipment leadership, a global customer base and an open autonomy vision that we share.
“Together, we can give every mining operation a practical, affordable path to autonomy.”
Both companies intend to combine their respective strengths in mining equipment, digital solutions and automation technologies through this partnership.
Their goal is to offer mining operators a wider choice of automation solutions that are adaptable to specific site requirements, while supporting broader sector efforts to improve efficiency, safety and operational flexibility.
In April 2026, Hitachi Construction Machinery (Europe) delivered its EX2600-7E ultra-large electric excavator to mining operator Rudnik uglja Pljevlja in northern Montenegro.
