Show Sponsor:
On this episode of “Drilling Deeper,” P&Q managing editor Jack Kopanski sits down with Christian Kurasek, CFO of Pronto.ai, to discuss the company’s partnership with Heidelberg Materials and the producer’s recent milestone of 2 million tons hauled autonomously at a Texas quarry.
Pronto and Heidelberg began their partnership in 2023 when Heidelberg began using Pronto’s autonomous haulage system (AHS) at its Bridgeport Quarry in Bridgeport, Texas. Then, in 2024, the producer deployed the AHS at its Lake Bridgeport Quarry in the same city. In early 2025, Heidelberg announced it was automating more than 100 trucks across its sites worldwide. Finally, at the start of this year, Heidelberg shared that in less than eight months, it had hauled 2 million tons autonomously at its Lake Bridgeport Quarry.
In this interview, Kurasek discusses how Heidelberg came to partner with Pronto, what the collaboration has been like to this point and what this milestone means for the greater aggregates industry and future autonomous solutions. Additionally, Kurasek provides insights into the tech behind Pronto’s AHS, saying the company took a ground-up approach rather than attempting to scale down larger tech, and prioritized being “OEM agnostic” to fit into a wider variety of fleets.
Kurasek goes on to talk about the future of autonomy in aggregates, touching on common misconceptions that remain about the technology, the barriers for small- to mid-size producers in utilizing the technology and what other pieces of equipment could be made autonomous moving forward.
There’s so much more to find in this episode. You won’t want to miss it!
For 108 years, Pit & Quarry magazine has been the premier monthly aggregate processing information source. Through multiple platforms, we deliver the very latest in equipment and technology news and information that is critical for safely achieving the highest level of efficiency and profitability. Editors Kevin Yanik and Jack Kopanski cover the market in print, online and through e-newsletters. As respected industry insiders, they moderate the annual Pit & Quarry Roundtable & Conference and speak at industry conferences and meetings.
