Brazilian miner Vale (NYSE: VALE) inaugurated its first high-tech processing plant using artificial intelligence after modernizing a facility in Minas Gerais state, the company said on Wednesday, achieving a 25% productivity gain in less than two years.
The Conceicao 2 unit is now capable of producing up to 11.2 million metric tons of iron ore per year, compared to 9 million tons in 2024, Vale said in a statement.
The modernization integrated advanced automation, monitoring, and data intelligence to optimize more than 400 variables in the iron ore beneficiation process.
The pilot project also increased by 40% the share of direct reduction pellet feed — a product considered strategic for steel decarbonization — and improved mineral recovery.
“The model plant is more than a project: it represents a new way of operating,” said Carlos Medeiros, Vale vice president of operations.
Digitalization has also reduced manual interventions and improved safety, with remote equipment operation and centralized monitoring, Vale said.
The firm intends to use the model as a reference for other units.
(Reporting by Marta Nogueira; Writing by Fernando Cardoso; Editing by Mark Porter)
