Hindustan Zinc Limited (BSE: 500188, NSE: HINDZINC), India’s leading and the world’s largest integrated zinc producer, continues to advance its smart mining journey by introducing an Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT)-based fleet intelligence system. Through a comprehensive program to track and enhance the performance of Heavy Earth Moving Machinery (HEMM), the company now monitors equipment uptime, reliability trends, and energy consumption in real time. These predictive insights are driving operational excellence, improving machine lifespan, and reducing energy intensity across mining operations.
Over the past three fiscal years (FY24–FY26), this technology-driven approach has delivered substantial gains in equipment performance. Jumbo drilling machines achieved a 28% rise in reliability and uptime, Load Haul Dumpers saw a 24% improvement, and Low-Profile Dump Trucks recorded more than a 27% boost. Additionally, the Power Pack to Percussion ratio for Jumbo machines improved from 3.8 to 3.4, signaling enhanced energy efficiency and operational precision. These advancements highlight Hindustan Zinc’s strong maintenance culture and commitment to maximizing the performance potential of its machinery.
Commenting on this milestone, Arun Misra, CEO of Hindustan Zinc, said, “By combining advanced analytics, IIoT systems, and real-time data capture, we are shifting from reactive to predictive mining operations. This optimization of our heavy machinery fleet has significantly enhanced efficiency and uptime, marking a decisive step towards a data-driven, high-performance, and energy-efficient mining ecosystem.”
At the core of this digital transformation is Hindustan Zinc’s advanced Collaboration Centre—an integrated control hub for real-time decision-making. The centre consolidates information from plant systems, sensors, and IIoT devices installed in partnership with Machine Max, a Vedanta Spark startup. Through Vedanta Spark, the company collaborates with innovative technology ventures to deploy next-generation solutions, including artificial intelligence, machine learning, IoT, drone mapping, computer vision, and AR/VR tools. These technologies convert raw operational data into actionable insights, empowering both field teams and strategic leaders to make faster, smarter decisions.
This initiative forms part of Hindustan Zinc’s broader roadmap for automation, smart mining, and sustainability. By embedding advanced digital systems into core operations, the company ensures real-time visibility, predictive maintenance, and seamless coordination between teams, resulting in higher uptime and optimized resource use across the mining value chain.
The company continues to pioneer innovation in India’s mining sector by integrating robotics, AI, blockchain, and IIoT to enhance safety, precision, and efficiency. Its recently implemented AI-powered camera network has reduced manual oversight by nearly 50%, improving compliance and workplace safety. Robotic automation in smelting has further optimized operations, ensuring consistent output quality. Looking ahead, Hindustan Zinc plans to adopt LiDAR-equipped drone scanning for underground mine mapping, enabling superior accuracy in planning and resource extraction.
Hindustan Zinc Limited, a Vedanta Group company, is the world’s largest integrated zinc producer and one of the top five silver producers globally, with a 77% share of India’s primary zinc market and exports to over 40 countries. Recognized as the world’s most sustainable metals and mining company for two consecutive years in the S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment (2024), it became the first Indian firm to join the International Council on Mining & Metals (ICMM) in 2025. Its EcoZen brand, Asia’s first low-carbon zinc, has a carbon footprint 75% lower than the global average. A certified 3.32x Water-Positive organization, Hindustan Zinc aims to achieve Net Zero emissions by 2050 or earlier and continues to uplift over 2.3 million lives through its CSR initiatives—cementing its position as a leader in responsible and future-ready mining.
