A shift in mining systems comes into focus at CIM Connect 2026
15.06.2026The global mining industry is entering a new era, shaped by electrification, artificial intelligence, energy transition pressures, and rising environmental, social, and governance (ESG) expectations. In response, companies are redefining what it takes to compete. The shift is moving beyond incremental equipment upgrades toward integrated systems thinking where productivity, decarbonization, automation, resilience, and energy efficiency are built into the operation from day one.
Railveyor's Capital Sales Manager, Sebastien Pinto (left) with Railveyor's EVP of Sales and Marketing, Thomas Tobin at CIM Connect 2026 in Vancouver
© Railveyor
Against this backdrop, CIM Connect 2026 made one thing clear: the future belongs to mines built around interconnected operating systems that can adapt to shifting market, environmental, and workforce pressures.
According to Railveyor EVP of Sales and Marketing, Thomas Tobin, the consistent message and significant take away from executive panels and technical sessions at CIM Connect 2026 was that competitiveness in the sector will be defined in the future less by optimizing individual pieces of equipment and more by deploying integrated operating systems that simultaneously deliver productivity, energy efficiency, automation, and sustainability.
“The mining sector is moving into a systems transformation era, impacted by the surge in demand for both new earth and traditional minerals extracted with ESG considerations top of mind,” he said. “The event highlighted how electrification, the rapid growth in AI and data-centre infrastructure and increased expectations for resilient, low carbon operations are leading to a rethink of how energy is consumed, where heat and emissions are generated, and which infrastructure choices can permanently lower power loads,” he said.
Haulage solutions are an increasingly integrated part of mine design decision-making as it directly influences all these considerations around energy use, in addition to ventilation demands, workforce requirements, automation readiness, operating resilience and ESG outcomes.
Operational solutions part of mining economics
While electrification dominated discussions during CIM, most of the conversations, noted Tobin, went beyond simply replacing diesel fleets with battery-operated equipment. Tobin observed that with relevance to haulage, operational solutions that pair electrification with efficiency are shaping operators’ approach to mining economics.
“Industry leaders are looking at reducing overall mine energy intensity, and this reframing aligns with our own positioning as a provider of fully electric, autonomous haulage systems designed to bridge that gap between trucks and conveyors,” said Tobin.
In this transformational phase of the mining sector, companies are increasingly evaluating how electrification, automation, energy and sustainability interact across the entire operation, not in isolation within any single operational centre.
“The shift from an equipment selection discussion to mine wide infrastructure choices is a strategic lever for improved long-term performance,” Tobin said.
Resilience as a core design principle
Another important theme to come out of the event that Tobin highlighted was the imperative to build in measures for improved operational resilience from the outset of operations. These measures include adapting for climate change, energy security, workforce availability and supply chain volatility, all of which are vulnerabilities for mining operations.
A depleted graduate pipeline and safety issues are in part driving the sector’s push toward autonomous, centrally managed systems, including haulage. Systems that can deliver on low energy use, lower operating costs, improved safety and reduced emissions are high among planning priorities for operators.
“Autonomous operations which do not rely on a shrinking pool of skilled operators, which introduce hybrid renewable power, back up energy planning and AI enabled decision support are all increasingly part of planning for uncertainty over the life span of a mine. In this context, haulage systems that reduce complexity, lower labour intensity and improve infrastructure flexibility are responding to shifting market needs,” Tobin said.
Extending the life of mines
Tobin noted that side bar discussions during CIM Connect 2026 included a renewed focus on brownfield opportunities. “Revisiting existing mines bringing new technologies and more efficient systems can unlock value in established operations. Modern haulage solutions address challenges such as steep inclines and tighter ramps and can reduce ventilation needs in old infrastructure, potentially extending the life of a mine.”
According to Tobin, CIM defined a clear path for the future of mining. Its systems will be electrified, autonomous, energy efficient, and modular, integrated across operations and not installed independently of each other. The balance between productivity and decarbonization goals, efficiency and resilience mean that infrastructure decisions, including around haulage and energy – will increasingly determine mine safety, cost structure and the ability to adapt over time.
Mining in the 21st century presents new operating system challenges, and companies best positioned for the future are those whose portfolios incorporate deployable, measurable solutions to meet them.
