Netflix is running a series on Formula 1 racing – Drive to Survive – well worth the time, especially if you’re a petrol head. However, there is one statement that stands out during one of the episodes – each F1 car has over 300 sensors collecting up to 750 million data points PER RACE! That’s why all those engineers are hunkered over their bank of displays; monitoring and fine tuning the performance of their respective cars – the driver has it easy!
Now it’s a bit of a stretch to compare Formula 1 with a mining operation but one shared goal between the two industries is their focus to optimise vehicle performance while maintaining the highest levels of safety. Real-time understanding of a vehicle’s various components provides critical insight into the health of that machine as well as the potential impact to the wider operation. Forewarning of the breakdown of an LHD on the production ramp has ramifications for the entire operation. It’s not just the cost of having to recover and repair the equipment post-breakdown, but the lost tonnage and overall productivity from the vehicle and all the other production vehicles that can’t pass.
Real-time monitoring of an underground environment (gases, water, rock movement, etc) is critical for any operation, as is equipment health monitoring. Aside from the extremely low risk of a catastrophic failure, day-to-day monitoring provides benefits that ensure an attractive ROI; typically within a single budget cycle. Key components of an effective system include the ability to monitor:
- Equipment performance – early warning of potential issues;
- State of consumables – fuel, hydraulics, oil, etc
- Tire pressure and temperature*
- Payload*
*- Requires additional hardware
With customisable parameters and KPIs, vehicle health monitoring technologies become an essential tool for both maintenance and operations, enabling actionable insights and in-depth decision-making in real-time. Through advanced reporting and analytics, your operations team is empowered to:
- Compare consumable consumption between equipment;
- Monitor spare part usage against OEM warranties;
- Identify your best performing operators;
- Ensure operators working within specified safety parameters
Whether you are able to collect data in real or near real time, the value will contribute significantly to your overall equipment efficiency. While most Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) provide the capability to download equipment performance and health information, this typically doesn’t happen in real time. OEM telemetry doesn’t even begin to provide the type of raw data that a 3rd party system can, and effective decision making is much elevated when you’re able to take a deeper look into your system.
As a mining technology integrator, our team provides a turnkey solution that addresses all your equipment, regardless of make or model. Working off a single platform and able to integrate with existing mining packages, Ramjack’s client-focused approach ensures your operation will benefit within days of an installation.
