The innovation earns an award from the Government of Peru, where the company operates, for its contribution to strengthening human capital and improving competitiveness, productivity, efficiency, and safety.
Source: https://www.diariosur.es/malaga/malaguena-torsa-desarrolla-20191029103917-nt.html
The Málaga-based company Torsa, headquartered in the Málaga Tech Park (PTA), has developed and implemented a high-precision proximity alert system for shovels operating in open-pit mines. This system prevents runovers and collisions between the various vehicles and machines involved in extraction and transport tasks.
The system emits real-time alerts to shovel operators about the type, position, and distance of surrounding vehicles, machinery, and even slopes, aiming to prevent accidents, eliminate blind spots, reduce human error, and enhance safety during all driving and maneuvering operations.
To achieve this, the shovels are equipped with high-precision detection technology based on light and distance parameters. This allows the system to display different risk levels on a screen, depending on the presence of obstacles nearby. It can even indicate the most optimal loading zones for the shovel, increasing operational productivity.
At the Antamina mine, located in the Andes Mountains at 4,500 meters above sea level, Torsa has installed its technology on 12 P&H 4100 XPC mining shovels—among the largest in the world—and on 180 haul trucks with a capacity of over 300 tonnes, as well as on auxiliary vehicles used for cleaning, excavation, and site preparation. Torsa has been working closely with the Antamina mining company for over four years.
Torsa’s innovation has been recognized with a Technological Innovation Award by the Peruvian Ministry of Energy and Mines, through the National Society of Mining, Petroleum, and Energy, in recognition of its contribution to workforce capacity building and the improvement of competitiveness, productivity, efficiency, and operational safety.
Torsa president Mariano Barroso highlighted the significance of having the company’s engineering solutions implemented at one of the world’s largest and most demanding mines, with an annual production of over 430,000 tonnes and strict safety protocols:
“This is a major milestone not only for our company but also for technological innovation from Málaga and Andalusia. Our anti-collision system not only enhances safety for personnel and assets during loading and transport operations, but also boosts productivity and efficiency by analyzing whether truck loads are executed at optimal distances, thus minimizing operational time.”
All the data generated by Torsa’s systems are centralized in a single software platform called .torsacloud. This platform provides each operational profile with the key performance indicators they need, making it a simple, intuitive, and useful interface. It facilitates task execution within mining operations and supports the generation of reports for different company departments.
From mining to energy and logistics
Torsa develops a wide range of products, from the design and manufacturing of technological systems for the mining sector and pharmaceutical logistics, to the development and management of renewable energy facilities. The company employs professionals with over 20 years of experience in R&D in high-tech sectors such as automotive, industrial electronics, and consumer devices.
In addition to its presence in Spain, Torsa operates in Canada, Mexico, Chile, and Peru.
In the renewable energy field— Torsa’s second major area of activity—the company has been developing, promoting, building, and managing clean energy installations for over two decades, especially in wind power, where it was a pioneer in Spain, and in photovoltaic solar energy. Through its subsidiary Torsa Chile, the company has also been developing wind farms in Chile for over eight years.
