LIGHTING
Paul Moore spoke to Vice President of Sales at Dialight Asia-Pacific, Scott Cauchi,
about market trends in mine lighting
Q Is it fair to say that LED lighting now dominates new mines and mine
expansions?
A It is definitely heading that way. Australia for example is showing signs
of approx. 80% adoption rate to LED, however other countries are only
starting to increase their adoption rate as the price point comes more in
line with traditional lighting.
Q Is this mainly due to lower maintenance and energy costs?
A The biggest benefits to our customers are the efficacy of the luminaires
with a huge reduction in energy consumption, along with the longevity of
a high quality luminaire. The money saved on energy consumption and
maintaining luminaires, including lamp replacement, makes LED a very
welcome alternative to HID. We are also seeing a shift from HPS lamp
sources, traditionally used for their longer life and higher lumen output.
These conditions were very poor and somewhat dangerous to work in. The
improved CRI is also definitely improving working conditions and safety on
site.
Dialight says the biggest benefits to its mining customers are the
efficacy of the luminaires with a huge reduction in energy consumption,
along with the longevity of a high quality luminaire, such as on this
conveyor installation at a mining operation
Q How would you describe Dialight’s offering to the mining industry in
terms of breadth and type of solutions? Q As a company are you planning to move more into lights on shovels and
excavators?
A The rugged design and high specification of Dialight products make our
offering unparalleled in these adverse environments. With the largest A Dialight is currently focused on fixed plant lighting for heavy industrial,
oil & gas and similar regulated markets. Whilst you never say never, there
portfolio of industrial and hazardous luminaires on the market, coupled
with the Dialight industry leading operating hours and 10 year warranty,
Dialight has become the go to lighting company in the mining industry. is still a long way to go to revolutionise and grow our current serviceable
available markets.
Q Is there also a market for retrofitting traditional lighting in mines with
LED solutions? Is this retrofit market increasing as mines look to increase
efficiency of older assets?
A It would be fair to say that currently the largest opportunities exist in
the retrofit market. As mining companies are constantly looking for ways
to make their operations more efficient, lighting upgrades/retrofits allow
mine sites to show instant results. Dialight Australia have recently
assisted Rio Tinto in their largest single global brownfields retrofit
program, replacing over 2,500 fixtures. As the installation rolls out we are
seeing reduced energy consumption along with a huge impact to the
quality and standard of light on site by the way of colour rendition and
increased lux levels. The result: vastly increasing safety on site.
Q Dialight has traditionally focussed on fixed lighting in mining such as
process plants etc, while others have focussed on more mobile equipment.
What are the different requirements of each lighting solution eg a conveyor
light versus a haul truck light in terms of performance and durability?
A Essentially the same rules apply to each solution. Products need to be of
high quality and specification, and have the right light distribution for
their designated task. They also need to be able to withstand the rigors of
the harsh environments and conditions they are subjected to. A conveyor
light needs a wide walkway distribution and handle constant high
vibration. Haul trucks will inflict similar challenges to a luminaire as far as
durability goes, however the light distribution is targeted to the vehicle
requirements.
26 International Mining | DECEMBER 2018
Q Is a big part of your market also areas like mining villages, mine roads
and mineral ports?
A This is a very large focus for Dialight. You will find that major mining
companies not only require supporting infrastructure like rail, ports and
access roads for the operations, they will also take responsibility for the
upkeep of the satellite towns, such as the street lighting for example.
So it makes sense and gives piece of mind for the same mining company
to utilise a product that it knows and trusts to be installed in these areas.
Dialight Australia have been involved in numerous projects both from an
infrastructure point of view and also from a community perspective. It is
very important for Dialight to support local community initiatives in
conjunction with our large mining customers so that everyone can benefit
by having better quality lighting in their lives.
Q What are the main technology and market developments going forward
in mine lighting in terms of what customers are asking for and in terms of
what solutions are out there?
A As Dialight continues to offer cutting edge technology across the board
with regards to high specification, warranty, efficacy and new product
introduction, we see safety and fully integrated automation as the next big
thing. If you consider a mine site or a gas refinery, the one component that
is fully integrated throughout the entire site, is the lighting system. Now
that we are moving away from traditional HID lighting systems, the new
electronic world of LED opens up a myriad of opportunities from relaying
information critical to operation to integrated safety features never before
possible.