ROC Coordinators: the people behind remote mine control
We often talk about AI agents, truck-shovel balancing and multi-agent systems.
But none of this works properly without the people behind the control loop.
At OES, we call them ROC Coordinators.
ROC is our Remote Operations Centre. From one location, the team works with open-pit mines hundreds or thousands of kilometres away. On their screens, they see the same fleet, the same queues, the same delays and the same losses as the site dispatch team.
The AI layer does a lot by itself.
It monitors the fleet, detects deviations, calculates losses, sends directives to operators and recalculates truck-shovel allocation every few minutes. It can forecast queues ahead of time and redirect trucks before an excavator starts waiting.
But automation still needs control.
ROC Coordinators configure the agents for each specific mine: thresholds, rules, priorities, shift logic, fleet behaviour and escalation scenarios. A good algorithm without proper configuration creates noise. A well-configured algorithm becomes a production control system.
They also step in when the system has done its job, but action has not followed. If a directive is ignored, if a machine is not connected, or if a situation requires human judgement, the coordinator takes over and makes sure the shift keeps moving.
This is not “AI replacing people”.
It is AI taking over routine monitoring and recommendations, while experienced people handle configuration, discipline, exceptions and safety-critical decisions.
Our ROC team brings together former dispatchers, production specialists and operational efficiency experts. Because they work across different mines, they see patterns that are hard to notice from one site only.
That is where the real value is.
The platform finds the losses.
The coordinator makes sure they are acted on. And the mine becomes more controllable during the shift, not after the report is written.