Hindustan Zinc deploys IIoT-powered fleet intelligence for mining efficiency

Hindustan Zinc Limited, India’s only and the world’s largest integrated zinc producer, is accelerating its digital transformation with the deployment of a fleet intelligence system powered by the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). The initiative marks a key milestone in the company’s smart mining roadmap, enhancing operational reliability, energy efficiency, and predictive maintenance across its heavy earth-moving machinery (HEMM) fleet.

As part of a company-wide effort to benchmark the reliability and energy performance of HEMM, Hindustan Zinc is continuously monitoring equipment uptime, reliability trends, and energy consumption data in real time. The insights generated are driving predictive decision-making, optimising energy use, and improving the longevity and performance of key equipment.

Over the last three fiscal years (FY24–FY26), this data-driven approach has delivered tangible results. Jumbo drilling machines have recorded a 28% improvement in reliability and uptime, Load Haul Dumpers have achieved a 24% rise, and Low-Profile Dump Trucks have seen an increase of over 27%. Energy efficiency has also advanced, as reflected in the Power Pack to Percussion ratio, which improved from 3.8 to 3.4 for Jumbo machines — signalling more efficient power use and refined control.

“With stronger data capture, cutting-edge IIoT integration, and advanced analytics, we’re moving from reactive to predictive operations,” said Arun Misra, CEO, Hindustan Zinc. “The optimisation of our heavy earth-moving fleet has been a game-changer for our uptime and efficiency.

This project is a clear step towards smarter, real-time decision-making and building a high-performance, energy-efficient mining ecosystem.”
At the core of this transformation is Hindustan Zinc’s Collaboration Centre, the company’s central digital command hub. It aggregates data from plant systems, sensors, and fleet-level IIoT devices — developed in partnership with Machine Max, a Vedanta Spark startup — to provide real-time visibility and analytics for faster, smarter operational decisions.

Through Vedanta Spark, the Vedanta Group’s corporate accelerator program, Hindustan Zinc is engaging with over 20 technology startups on 50-plus innovation projects spanning AI/ML, computer vision, drone solutions, IoT, and AR/VR. These collaborations are driving breakthroughs in production efficiency, cost optimisation, safety, and sustainability.

Hindustan Zinc has already introduced several automation and AI-led initiatives, including an AI-powered camera surveillance system that has reduced manual intervention by nearly 50%, and robotic automation in high-temperature smelting operations to boost precision and safety. The company is also set to deploy LiDAR-enabled drone-based stope scanning to enhance underground mine mapping and extraction planning.