There is plenty of talk about what the mining fleet of the future might look like, but across Yancoal’s operations work is also underway on a more immediate challenge – getting better efficiency out of the equipment operating today.
Yancoal Mount Thorley Warkworth (MTW) Maintenance Manager Warwick Gloster said that work ranged from investing in newer, more fuel-efficient equipment to changing engine calibration, cooling systems, tyre pressure management and oil change intervals.
“There isn’t one answer to making a mining fleet more efficient. Some opportunities might give us two per cent, another might give us five, and new equipment might give us more again,” said Warwick.
“Across the size of our fleet and the hours these machines operate, those improvements add up, so it’s about continually looking for the next opportunity.”
Warwick pointed to Moolarben Coal as an example of where new equipment has delivered some of the larger gains. A new excavator delivered in 2025 offers an estimated 10 per cent improvement in hydraulic efficiency and reduced fuel burn, while three older excavators have also been replaced with more fuel-efficient models. The newer models are lighter, require less maintenance and don’t require the additional noise-suppression equipment used on the older machines.
But he said it wasn’t only about replacing equipment. Yancoal has also been looking for improvements that can be made to the machines already in operation.
Fuel calibration trials undertaken in 2024 achieved an approximate 2 per cent reduction in fuel burn, leading to the updated calibration settings being rolled out across both Moolarben and MTW during 2025.
Another opportunity Warwick highlighted was Moolarben’s excavator cooling systems. A modified fan hub, updated controller and new software were installed during 2025, with early results showing improved fuel-burn performance. Further work on the fan-control logic was expected to deliver another reduction of around 2 per cent.
“A lot of these opportunities come from people knowing the equipment really well and questioning whether it has to operate the way it always has.
“You start looking at where energy is being used, where there might be waste and whether there’s another way of doing it. Not every idea is going to deliver a huge saving, but if it works, you keep it and then look for the next one.”
At MTW, Warwick said fleet renewal was also part of the equation. Ten new fleet units introduced during 2025 were designed to reduce fuel consumption by approximately 5 per cent compared with the trucks they replaced.
He said the site was also investigating advanced tyre-pressure monitoring technologies. Maintaining optimal tyre pressures can improve fuel efficiency as well as reduce unnecessary tyre wear, extending the benefit beyond the amount of diesel being consumed.
The same thinking – getting more from the resources already being used – extends into maintenance.
At Cameby Downs, extended oil-drain intervals were implemented during 2025 to reduce oil consumption and the frequency of servicing. Similar oil-life extension trials are underway at MTW.
It is also being applied to major components, with Warwick explaining that Yancoal works with original equipment manufacturers to analyse condition-monitoring reports. The focus on achieving the full lifecycle of critical components and extending component life by comparing their actual condition against current time-based changeout intervals and industry benchmarks.
“The equipment has to tell us it’s safe to do. That’s where the data and condition monitoring become really valuable. If we can understand the actual condition of the oil or a component, we can make decisions based on what’s happening inside the machine rather than simply saying we’ve reached a certain number of hours so it has to be changed.”
While much of the current work is focused on improving the efficiency and life of existing equipment, Warwick said Yancoal is also preparing its people for the technologies that will increasingly become part of mining fleets.
Working with one of its original equipment manufacturers, the company has developed a program that gives employees practical training in assessing new technology and understanding how it can be used to reduce emissions and get more life out of equipment.
“We know technology is going to continue to change, and we need our people to have the skills to understand and work with that technology when it comes.
“But that doesn’t mean we wait for it. We still have equipment operating today and for years to come, so it makes sense to keep looking at how we can operate and maintain that equipment more efficiently.”
