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Thu December 15, 2022
Caterpillar
Caterpillar Inc. announced a collaboration with Luck Stone, a large family-owned and operated producer of crushed stone, sand and gravel, to deploy Caterpillar's autonomous solution to Luck Stone's Bull Run Plant in Chantilly, Va.
This will be Caterpillar's first autonomous deployment in the aggregates industry and will expand the company's autonomous truck fleet to include the 100-ton-class Cat 777.
Looking to accelerate autonomous solutions beyond mining, Caterpillar will implement its existing Cat MineStar Command for Hauling system at the Bull Run quarry, on a fleet of 777G trucks. This will allow Caterpillar to gain greater insights on quarry operations in order to tailor the next generation of autonomous solutions specific to quarry and aggregate applications.
This project supports the acceleration of autonomous technology for operations with fewer mobile assets to allow a step change in safety and productivity, as currently experienced at large mining operations.
"Luck Stone and Caterpillar's partnership has been grounded in shared values for many years," said Charlie Luck, president and CEO of Luck Companies. "Together we believe that safety, innovation and a commitment to people are critical, not only to propelling important projects like this, but to ensuring our focus on the future and all of the exciting possibilities technology affords our industry.
"Our collaboration will provide opportunities for associates to learn and grow, improve safety and result in production efficiencies. We are thrilled to partner with Caterpillar to achieve this ‘first' for our industry."
"Caterpillar has a long-standing relationship with Luck Stone, and we look forward to working together to bring the demonstrated benefits of increased safety and productivity to the quarry industry. We're excited to get in the dirt and work alongside Luck Stone's innovative team, so we can learn how to scale our already proven mining solution for another industry," said Denise Johnson, Caterpillar group president of resource industries.
The current autonomy solutions will be implemented in 2024. This project builds on Caterpillar's long history in autonomy and automation. Caterpillar is recognized as the industry leader with the world's largest fleet of autonomous haul trucks, now numbering more than 560 trucks. These trucks have traveled more than 187 million kilometers and autonomously moved more than 5.1 billion tonnes — most notably — all without a single zero lost-time injury.
About Luck Stone
Through three generations of family leadership, Luck Stone has been building strong communities for 100 years. Luck Stone, a division of Luck Companies, is the nation's largest family-owned and operated producer of crushed stone, sand and gravel. A responsive and creative partner to the construction, civil engineering and environmental industries, Luck Stone provides consistent, quality aggregate materials and services that serve as the foundation of roads, bridges and buildings.
With 29 operating locations and over 900 associates, Luck Companies is headquartered in Richmond, Va., where it was founded by Charles Luck Jr. in 1923. Charlie Luck IV leads the company today.
For more information, visit www.caterpillar.com.
Craig Wiant (L) and Johnny Palmer, both of Luck Stone.