Sean Taylor, CEO and managing director of Komatsu Australia, said: "People-powered technology is our central philosophy at Komatsu, and it's this people first approach to technology that we feel we share with BHP."

He added: "Komatsu focuses on autonomous technology driven job creation, with focus on safety, diversity, upskilling and an innovative flexible work force that marries our people's needs with business goals. This is our blueprint for the future."

Komatsu stated it has "a proven record in safety, productivity and lower haulage costs", but also prides itself on "its ground-breaking contributions to autonomous technology solutions in the industry".

Leo Kaloglou, executive general manager - mining at Komatsu Australia, said: "Komatsu has 250 AHS trucks deployed and 180 operating now globally across three continents, across nine mine sites, and recently became the first autonomous truck qualified to operate on private long-term evolution (LTE) mobile broadband technology in commercial operations.

"The operation of FrontRunner AHS technology has been tested across three different commodities in three of the harshest and most extreme environments in the world; in ambient temperatures of -45°C, in temperatures higher than 40°C and finally at extreme altitude. With over 2 billion tonnes of material moved autonomously - more than all other commercial mining autonomous haulage systems - with zero resulting injuries."

With the launch of Komatsu's AHS Center of Excellence in Tucson, Arizona, US, in April 2019 the company has furthered its commitment to innovation, training and people power.

According to Colin Shaw, executive general manager - people and strategy at Komatsu Australia: "We invest time and resources into ensuring forward thinking qualifications are available for our workforce of the future. Qualifications relating to; automation, technology, operations and leadership to name a few."

Komatsu said it is committed to employing local Western Australian workers to support the workforce needs of Komatsu's fleet for the BHP South Flank mine site. Technicians, apprentices, mechanics, electricians and boiler maker welders plus more roles will be recruited. This will add job opportunities for the local Western Australian workforce in both full-time and part-time capacities.