en.Wedoany.com Reported - On August 11, Brazilian mining company Vale and ABB formally expanded their strategic cooperation, planning to gradually deploy automation, artificial intelligence, and integrated information technology and operational technology solutions across multiple iron ore processing plants in Brazil. The two companies will use the Conceição II demonstration plant in Itabira, Minas Gerais, as a technological template to advance the digital transformation of other production facilities.
Under the cooperation arrangement, ABB will serve as consultant, systems integrator, and technology provider, responsible for the development, validation, system interoperability, and large-scale application of advanced industrial automation, digitalization, and IT/OT convergence solutions. These technologies will connect equipment and control systems from different suppliers, enabling centralized monitoring of ore processing flows, equipment operations, and production quality data, while using artificial intelligence to assist in adjusting production parameters, identifying failure risks, and reducing unplanned downtime.
The Conceição II plant is the first demonstration project resulting from the cooperation, with an annual iron ore processing capacity of 11.2 million tons. During the transformation, more than 100 surveillance camera devices were installed, and approximately 7,300 instruments, sensors, and advanced measurement devices were connected and automated. The data platform enables real-time management and optimization of over 400 variables throughout the iron ore processing cycle.
Since the technologies were implemented in 2024, the Conceição II plant has achieved a 25% increase in production efficiency, a 40% increase in output of high-quality ore products for direct reduction, and a 26% reduction in iron losses in tailings. The plant has reached its design capacity of 11.2 million tons, a significant improvement over the 9 million tons produced in 2024. All key production decisions are now supported by expert systems, and the need for on-site manual intervention has also been reduced.
Vale officially commissioned the digitally transformed Conceição II demonstration plant in June 2026. The project took approximately one and a half years and implemented 51 production optimization initiatives, including online ore grade analysis, remote equipment operation, robotic arm applications, automatic control of motors and valves, failure prediction, and real-time adjustment of production processes. The plant now also recycles approximately 92% of its process water.
Following the expanded cooperation, the Brucutu iron ore processing plant in São Gonçalo do Rio Abaixo, Minas Gerais, has entered the technology implementation phase, with production operations using the technologies scheduled to commence in early 2027. Vale also plans to extend this model to other business units in Minas Gerais and Pará, though the full list of plants, phased implementation scope, and agreement value have not yet been disclosed.
