Leading underground innovation

Dennis Conner, General Manager — Underground Soft Rock, India, Komatsu shares about driving innovation in continuous mining solutions

- Dennis Conner

At this edition of IME, Komatsu is placing a strong spotlight on the underground soft rock segment, showcasing our 12CM15 Joy Continuous Miner— part of the largest operating fleet of its kind in India and globally.

The Joy CM exemplifies Komatsu’s commitment to enhancing performance, productivity, and safety, while demonstrating the advanced engineering and reliability that define our mining solutions.

Komatsu is deeply committed to the long-term growth of its business in India. We are investing in a world-class manufacturing facility in Nagpur to strengthen our local presence and better support the country’s expanding mining sector. Through our localization strategy and initiatives such as ReadyLine machines, we are enhancing operational agility to meet the industry's growing demand. These efforts enable shorter lead times, consistent product quality, and simplified fleet standardization, while also reducing maintenance and training time—helping customers achieve greater efficiency and reliability.

Our exhibit also highlights Komatsu’s comprehensive service capabilities, featuring the advanced FaceBoss2.0 electrical training panel and AR/VR operator training simulators that reinforce our focus on safety and skill development. The training panel integrates Komatsu’s proximity detection system, demonstrated on the continuous miner display through clearly defined red and yellow safety zones— visually showcasing real-time awareness and operator protection features.

Notably, Komatsu is the only company currently offering this level of advanced proximity detection technology, which is expected to be deployed on continuous miners in India by early 2026. This innovation marks another milestone in Komatsu’s ongoing mission to advance safety, productivity, and sustainability in India’s underground mining operations.

What are the other key features of this machine, and how does it differ from your other models?