'REDEFINING' THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MINING AND TECHNOLOGY

CATERPILLAR'S POTENTIAL ACQUISITION OF MINING SOFTWARE COMPANY RPMGLOBAL COULD BE TRANSFORMATIVE FOR THE AUSTRALIAN RESOURCES SECTOR.

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Q uestions surrounding technology, automation, intelligence and artificial (AI) are already being asked in boardrooms across Australia and around the world, but a recent potential acquisition might have brought the future a lot closer than expected.

News surfaced in September that Caterpillar, the world's largest manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, was in discussions for a potential $1.1 billion acquisition of mining software company RPMGlobal.

Veritas Securities Limited research analyst Max Moore described the move as "of the highest quality".

"Getting acquired by the biggest original equipment manufacturer (OEM) in the world says a lot about the quality of the business," Moore said in the Australian Financial Review.

The move could also have far-reaching effects on the mining industry itself.

According to Curtin University associate professor in the school of minerals, energy and chemical engineering Eric Lilford, the acquisition would bring the potential of the future into the present day.

"The move brings software and equipment closer together," Lilford told Australian Mining.