Hindustan Zinc Accelerates Production & Safety with Cutting-Edge Tech Deployments
Ahead of National Technology Day, Hindustan Zinc Limited (NSE: HINDZINC), India’s only and the world’s largest integrated zinc producer, has reaffirmed its leadership in innovation by adopting breakthrough technologies that are transforming the metals and manufacturing landscape.
Pioneering Tech-First Operations
Hindustan Zinc is now the first Indian metals company to implement tele-remote operations in underground mining. At its Rampura Agucha mine in Rajasthan, loaders can now be controlled remotely from the surface during shift changes, enabled by an in-house optical fibre backbone. This move has boosted shaft hoisting capacity from 6,500 TPD to 8,000 TPD.
Another major milestone is the introduction of smoke-hours drilling technology—a first in India’s metal sector. This shift-transition automation allows surface-controlled production drilling, resulting in an average annual gain of 22,000 tonnes of metal in concentrate over the past three years. This solution is operational at both Rampura Agucha and Sindesar Khurd mines.
Smart Manufacturing with AI and Predictive Systems
In collaboration with emerging tech startup Infinite Uptime, Hindustan Zinc has integrated over 1,000 AI-powered predictive maintenance sensors. These sensors have significantly reduced equipment failure risk, cutting nearly 500 hours of unplanned downtime across mining and smelting units.
An AI/ML-based automation tool is now optimizing zinc production by intelligently managing the use of critical consumables like zinc dust, sodium sulphate, lime, and cement—ensuring consistent product quality and operational efficiency.
Safety & Efficiency through Automation
Hindustan Zinc has introduced an AI-powered camera surveillance system across all operations, enhancing workplace safety and compliance while reducing manual intervention by almost 50%. The company is also using robotic automation in high-temperature smelting, improving process precision and ensuring uniform product quality.
Looking ahead, LiDAR-enabled drone-based stope scanning is being introduced to enhance underground mine mapping and improve extraction planning accuracy.
Empowering Startups and Fostering Innovation
Through Vedanta Spark—a global corporate accelerator—Hindustan Zinc is collaborating with over 40 tech startups on 60+ innovation projects. These efforts focus on production efficiency, cost optimization, ESG excellence, and safety enhancement using cutting-edge technologies like AI, computer vision, IoT, AR/VR, and drones.
Internally, Innovation Cafés promote a startup mindset, enabling the company to push the boundaries of asset reliability and operational excellence. Hindustan Zinc also supports MSMEs within its business partner ecosystem across supply chain, mine development, and production functions.
As a vital energy transition metals company, Hindustan Zinc plays a critical role in building a sustainable future.
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