Hitachi Construction Machinery has acquired an equity holding of approximately 12% in Envirosuite for A$10m ($6.77m), becoming its largest single entity shareholder.

The investment aligns with Hitachi's commitment to addressing environmental, social and governance (ESG) and greenhouse gas (GHG) challenges in the mining sector.

Envirosuite, an environmental intelligence technology company, offers real-time monitoring and predictive solutions to industrial operations, which will complement Hitachi's mining expertise and digital solutions provided by its subsidiary, Wenco.

Hitachi's investment will enable further development of Envirosuite's industrial software solutions, focusing on ESG and GHG challenges in mining.

The collaboration aims to enhance safety, reduce environmental impact and maintain productivity at mining sites by integrating Envirosuite's technology into Hitachi's offerings.

Envirosuite's technology combines operational data with scientific methods and predictive models to support decision-making in air quality, dust, noise, odour, vibration and water quality management.

With this strategic investment, Hitachi and Envirosuite will work together to advance environmental intelligence solutions in the mining industry.

Envirosuite CEO Jason Cooper said: “We are thrilled to be launching into the top tier of global mining services with Hitachi Construction Machinery and their subsidiaries. Together, we expect to set new standards in operational management and environmental responsibility for the mining industry globally, which aligns strongly with both companies’ visions for a sustainable world.

“The $10m investment and Collaboration Agreement represents definitive industry validation of our technology at the highest level, and will showcase our ability to help customers achieve their productivity and ESG goals through an innovative site-wide digital solutions approach. This is a significant untapped opportunity in the mining industry.”

Hitachi Construction Machinery vice-president Eiji Fukunishi said: “Through this investment, we hope to leverage Envirosuite’s solutions, data scientists’ analytical capabilities, and its findings and know-how in subscription business in order to further refine Hitachi Construction Machinery’s solutions in the mining business.”