The world is hungry for minerals. Nickel, lithium and copper were materials once tucked away in obscure trade reports. Now, they headline conversations about energy security and economic growth. According to the International Energy Agency, demand for nickel and other rare earths has jumped by up to 8%, while copper supply is projected to fall short of demand by 30% by 2035. Potash demand is also forecast to climb 70% by 2050, as populations grow and food production expands, Björn Jonsson, Global Business Line Manager, Mining & Minerals, ABB Process Industries, says.
These numbers represent the cables, batteries and steel that keep our lights on, our cars moving and our crops growing. But to reach them, the mining industry must dig deeper than ever before. Near-surface deposits are dwindling, pushing mining operations further underground and into shafts that stretch thousands of meters from the earth’s surface.
At these depths, hoisting systems become the backbone of efficient ore extraction. They are the critical mechanism that makes deep mining possible, transporting essential minerals from the rock face to the surface with efficiency and reliability. To fulfill this role, it’s essential that they operate around the clock. Every minute of downtime means material stays underground and output is delayed.
The challenge is clear: if mining is to meet rising demand while cutting costs and lowering its carbon footprint, the industry must re-imagine the hoists that make deep mining possible.
Why deeper hoisting requires a different approach
Traditional haulage methods, like trucks and conveyors, buckle under the weight of greater depths. Ventilation costs soar, friction losses multiply and travel times stretch.
Hoisting systems, by contrast, are purpose-built for vertical transport. They consume less energy per metric tonne of ore, require a smaller surface footprint and can be scaled to handle massive payloads. Furthermore, current friction hoists can move ore loads of up to 75 metric tonnes and at speeds approaching 18 m/s. With continuous investment and innovation, these figures will climb higher still.
But the deeper we mine for these critical minerals, the more complex the equation becomes. So, how can we ensure modern hoisting systems are fit for purpose – and what are the current barriers preventing progress?
Barriers to progress
Transforming hoisting systems is not as simple as swapping out old equipment for new. Obstacles remain, both human and institutional. One of the most pressing challenges is the growing skills shortage. Maintaining a hoist demands highly specialised expertise, yet many mines operate in remote regions where attracting and retaining qualified personnel is a constant struggle.
Even when skills are available, cultural resistance can slow progress. Long-serving maintenance crews, who remain the backbone of today’s mining operations, may view new digital tools with caution. For some, the concern is job security; for others, it’s the steep learning curve that comes with unfamiliar systems.
These barriers cannot be bulldozed with technology alone. Overcoming them requires solutions that adapt to the realities of the workforce and regulatory environment, rather than expecting people to bend to the technology.
Here, usability is just as important as safety. Digital hoisting platforms must be as intuitive as a smartphone, whether accessed from the control room or underground. Operators should not need to be programmers to interact with data.
Solutions built for the future
Beyond making digital hoisting solutions fit people, they must also future-proof operations. Mining is an industry where reliability is measured in decades, not years, and modern hoists are often designed to outlast the mine itself. With availability rates typically exceeding 90%, even under extreme conditions, they provide a level of continuity that few other assets can match. Crucially, when one ore deposit is depleted, hoist systems can often be refurbished and repurposed for use in new shafts, extending their value well beyond the boundaries of the original project.
Therefore, predictive maintenance powered by artificial intelligence will be vital to transform hoist management from reactive firefighting into proactive care, keeping systems reliable for decades. In doing so, mines can reduce costly downtime and extend the life of equipment well beyond what was once thought possible.
At the same time, pressure to reduce mining’s carbon footprint is growing. Ore haulage remains one of the most energy-intensive activities in a mine, and while hoisting is often the most energy-efficient alternative, its sustainability profile depends on how systems are designed and operated. A lifecycle analysis conducted by ABB found that the largest environmental hotspot in a hoist system is electricity consumption, followed by the material use of ropes and skid plates. Depending on the electricity mix, optimising these factors can save up to 266,000 tons of CO₂e over a 25-year period – the equivalent of the annual emissions from nearly 2,500 gasoline-powered cars or the yearly energy use of about 1,300 homes.
Here, productivity and sustainability are not opposing goals. Systems that consume less energy also require less maintenance and experience fewer breakdowns. Smarter hoists achieve this not only through digital monitoring and predictive maintenance, but also through advances in the ropes themselves. ABB’s collaboration with Bridon-Bekaert Ropes Group (BBRG), for example, is pushing forward lighter yet stronger ropes that reduce energy use, extend service life and enhance safety. With these technological improvements, efficiency becomes a win-win: lower costs, higher uptime, smaller footprint.
Progress is already being made. In northern Sweden, LKAB recently completed a generational upgrade of eight hoists at its Kiruna mine, the largest underground iron ore mine in the world. By integrating mechanical, electrical and automation systems, the hoists now deliver higher productivity with lower energy consumption, setting a new benchmark for efficient deep mining.
These examples highlight a critical point: the hoists of tomorrow are not just mechanical machines; they are systems of systems. Integrated, efficient and tailored to the future.
Looking ahead
The critical mineral supply problem is deep. The solution must go deeper with high production levels. At depths approaching 3,000 m or even 4,000 meters, safety, reliability and sustainability must be designed into every bearing, rope and control system.
As an industry, we stand at a crossroads. Demand for critical minerals is climbing, costs are rising and sustainability expectations are sharpening. The path forward is clear: create hoist systems that are low-carbon, digitally enabled and human-centred.
That is why ABB is investing not just in the hoist, but in the ecosystem that surrounds it. ABB Abilityâ„¢ Smart Hoisting brings predictive monitoring, data-driven maintenance and integrated safety to every hoist, turning a critical asset into a digitally enabled system with decades of reliable performance.
Alongside partners, ABB is extending innovation even further. To add to the work with BBRG, ABB is exploring low-capital-cost hoisting technology to open new opportunities for underground mining projects with EcoHoist.
And with Gravitricity, ABB is re-imagining end-of-life mine shafts as energy storage systems, proving that hoisting expertise can also help enable the global energy transition.
With hoisting at its core, the mining industry can reach the resources the world needs more safely, efficiently and sustainably than ever before. And with ABB at its side, miners can be confident those systems will be ready for the challenges of tomorrow.