The future of mining leads through automation and Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) is fully aware. The US-based company was first on the scene, quickly becoming one of the central suppliers for the next-generation technology, which enhances safety, reduces costs and maximizes productivity.

Caterpillar is taking it a step further in 2014.

The following video reviews Caterpillar's commitment to improving the mining industry and reveals how it's going to change the overall functionality, usability and efficiency of autonomous technology.

According to Caterpillar, the capabilities of the autonomous fleet include:

Production - Provides real-time visibility of loading performance, delivers improved shovel loading performance and increases payload predictability.
Position & Material - Monitors material movement and type, alerts operators and planners of misroutes to ensure material is moved to the proper location. Also monitors machine location for the entire fleet and incorporates playback function to analyze dump movement and haul road congestion.
Assignment & Optimization - Schedules and assigns trucks, maximizes production and shovel utilization, minimizes truck wait time and manages shift changes.
Data Share - Enables Fleet to share data and information with other electronic mine management systems.
Multi-Site - A future capability, it enables management of multiple Fleet-equipped mine sites from a single control center.