Article courtesy of Australian Mining
15.01.2026
Hancock Iron Ore’s cutting-edge railway defect detection program TrackDefectX has earned the company the 2025 Excellence in Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) Application Australian Mining Prospect Award, recognition of a major step forward in rail safety and predictive maintenance.
The application was developed to identify and categorise defects on railway tracks through sophisticated image processing and deep learning algorithms on a range of defect types, including squats, spalling and gauge corner checking.
Specialist track engineer Munish Kumar was on hand representing the multi-disciplinary team at Hancock Iron Ore responsible for the development of TrackDefectX, including head of digital innovation, Chad Burrows, who told Australian Mining that recognition through the award “celebrates the innovation and dedication to unlocking practical and tangible benefits of AI which contribute to safety and productivity”.
“TrackDefectX is our real-time defect detection system that’s redefining our rail safety and maintenance,” Burrows said. “It’s a breakthrough in automating the detection of rolling contact fatigue [RCF] and other critical defects.
“It’s an adaptive learning model; it continuously evolves, ensuring it stays ahead of emerging challenges by delivering instant, actionable insights.
“Our executive chairman, Mrs Gina Rinehart has long championed a culture of innovation across her businesses to achieve safer, more efficient operations and this has put us at the forefront of technological innovation within the mining industry.
“TrackDefectX isn’t just a tool; it’s a future rail solution that’s setting a new benchmark for rail operations,” he said.
With 350,000 images to filter through every month, automating the process has empowered the rail team to intervene quickly and immediately, preventing derailments and saving costs. A reduction in grinding costs alone equates to approximately $400,000 per year, while Hancock Iron Ore estimates track lifespan will be improved by at least 10 per cent.
“Bringing together experts across rail maintenance, data analytics, and the digital innovation team enabled us really challenge what was possible and then make that a reality” he said.
Hancock Iron Ore is now turning its attention to the expansion of TrackDefectX into areas such as track geometry, skewed or cracked sleepers and fouled ballast, leveraging the platform’s flexibility and scalability to build an even more comprehensive railway maintenance tool.
The Excellence in IIoT Application award was proudly sponsored by ifm.