HD Hyundai XiteSolution (HDX), in collaboration with Gravis Robotics AG, has announced it has signed a ‘groundbreaking’ agreement with Holcim Inc., a specialist in sustainable building materials.
The agreement outlines a strategic partnership for the development and commercialisation of autonomous technology designed to enhance productivity and improve safety in quarry operations and confined material handling applications.
HDX and Gravis Robotics are collaborating to implement jointly developed autonomous technology using Develon’s equipment across Holcim’s operations, with a particular focus on quarry environments including:
- Truck loading of blasted rock for efficient material transport
- Feeding hoppers of mobile crushers and screeners with extracted materials
- Confined material handling at asphalt and aggregate plants
- Stockyard management, optimizing material flow and storage
Through the adoption of autonomous machinery, Holcim wants to improve productivity through increased output and consistency, enhance safety by reducing the number of people on-site, and boost sustainability through optimised machine performance.
Gravis Robotics, in cooperation with HDX, will develop this autonomous tech for construction equipment, and will work with Holcim to facilitate the necessary field support and ensure successful deployment across its operations.
The ultimate goal is to scale and integrate the autonomous technology into Holcim’s operations at a volume that ensures commercial viability for all stakeholders.
Develon’s vision for autonomous machinery has been an ongoing development stream, starting with the Concept-X technology first seen globally in 2019. This progressed to Concept-X2, the remote control/autonomous cabless construction equipment solution first seen at Conexpo in 2023.
The next level in autonomous working from the company being shown at bauma is Real X, which allows the latest smart Develon crawler excavators to carry out a full suite of autonomous tasks including trenching, bulk earthwork, and truck-loading.
With roots in Switzerland, Gravis Robotics is a university-based start-up with over a decade of experience in construction robotics.
