Caterpillar has acquired Skycatch, a provider of spatial data capture, processing and analysis solutions for the mining industry, following its recent acquisition of RPMGlobal. The deal expands Caterpillar’s portfolio of data-driven mining technology solutions intended to help customers optimise material movement.
Skycatch’s technology captures high-frequency, high-precision, large-scale spatial data and pairs it with artificial intelligence capabilities that identify, measure and interact with the data. The company says this gives mining customers a more up-to-date view of their operations, improving the speed, accuracy and precision of decision-making.
By generating a near-real-time digital twin of the mining site and integrating it into existing software, customers can incorporate current data into their planning and execution workflows, with the aim of improving decision-making and reducing delays. The technology is designed to work across both staffed and autonomous fleets.
“Acquiring Skycatch aligns with our strategy to solve our customers’ toughest challenges,” says Denise Johnson, group president at Caterpillar Resource Industries. “By integrating near-real-time, high-resolution spatial data into both RPM and MineStar solutions, we can help customers improve mine site performance by enhancing safety, productivity and predictability across their operations using both staffed and autonomous fleets.”
“Skycatch’s ability to process large volumes of spatial data at dramatically improved speeds opens up a fundamentally different way of operating,” says Richard Mathews, chief executive officer of RPMGlobal. “With a near real-time spatial view of the operation, miners can adjust plans as conditions change, improve alignment between planning and execution, and deliver more predictable outcomes.”
“We’re incredibly proud of what Skycatch has built over the past decade and excited for this next chapter with Caterpillar,” says Christian Sanz, founder and chief executive officer of Skycatch. “This next step strengthens our ability to support our customers while increasing the value we can deliver.”
Image: Caterpillar
