First Indian metals company to implement tele-remote underground mining operations; boosts hoisting capacity and reduces downtime across operations
Udaipur, May 9, 2025 Hindustan Zinc Limited (NSE: HINDZINC), a Vedanta Group company and the world’s largest integrated zinc producer, has significantly advanced its operational excellence with the adoption of emerging technologies across its value chain. As part of its commitment to Industry 4.0 and ahead of National Technology Day, the company unveiled several pioneering initiatives that have transformed productivity, safety, and sustainability across its mines and smelters.
Hindustan Zinc has become the first Indian metals company to successfully deploy tele-remote and guidance-enabled loaders for underground mining operations. These systems, now operational at the Rampura Agucha mine in Rajasthan, allow surface-based operators to control ore loaders during shift transitions, increasing shaft hoisting capacity from 6,500 to 8,000 tonnes per day (TPD).
Another milestone includes the deployment of smoke-hours drilling technology, enabling uninterrupted production during shift changeovers. This innovation has added approximately 22,000 tonnes of annual metal concentrate over the last three years, and is currently implemented at Rampura Agucha and Sindesar Khurd—among the world’s top underground zinc and silver-producing mines respectively.
Hindustan Zinc is redefining smart manufacturing through the integration of AI-driven systems. Partnering with startup Infinite Uptime, the company has installed over 1,000 intelligent sensors for predictive maintenance, reducing unplanned downtime by 500 operational hours.
The company also leverages AI/ML-powered automation to optimize the usage of consumables such as zinc dust, sodium sulphate, lime, and cement, maintaining product quality while ensuring resource efficiency.
Robotics has been introduced in high-temperature smelting operations, enhancing precision and workflow automation. Further, the company is deploying an advanced AI-powered camera surveillance system that has halved manual monitoring and improved compliance and safety standards.
Looking forward, Hindustan Zinc plans to roll out LiDAR-enabled drone-based stope scanning, elevating the accuracy of underground mapping and boosting mine planning efficiency. This initiative is part of the company’s broader engagement with over 40 technology startups through Vedanta Spark—Vedanta’s innovation accelerator program.
These partnerships span over 60 projects focusing on productivity, ESG compliance, safety, and cost optimization. Technologies in play include drone solutions, computer vision, AR/VR, IoT, and AI/ML—underlining Hindustan Zinc’s transformation into a technology-led metals company.
As the market leader in zinc and a top-5 global silver producer, Hindustan Zinc continues to set benchmarks for sustainability and innovation. The company has been recognized as the world’s most sustainable metals and mining company for the second consecutive year by the S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment 2024.
Through initiatives like Ecots—Asia’s first green zinc produced using renewable energy—and its strategic role in energy transition metals, Hindustan Zinc remains a cornerstone of India’s sustainable industrial future.
