Sep 4, 2026 – 5.00amIn a sprawling factory complex midway between Beijing and Shanghai, two companies from almost polar opposite industrial cultures are trying to build something that doesn’t yet exist: a fleet of battery-powered machines big enough to run one of Australia’s largest iron ore operations.Fortescue Metals, founded by decarbonisation warrior Andrew Forrest, knows what it takes to keep enormous machines working around the clock in the heat and dust of the Pilbara region in Western Australia.Subscribe to gift this articleGift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe.Subscribe nowAlready a subscriber? Jessica SierNorth Asia correspondentJessica Sier is the North Asia correspondent for The Australian Financial Review. She is based in Tokyo, Japan. Jessica has previously written on technology, global capital markets and economics.Fetching latest articles
Inside the Chinese factory where Australian mining is being reimagined
Engineers at XCMG, the Chinese state-owned machinery group, have teamed with Fortescue Metals to replace the Australian miner’s diesel-powered machinery fleet.
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