MINE LIGHTING
Paul Moore spoke to Ben Cooper , a Senior Account Manager at leading Australia-based major , Coolon LED Lighting about its scope in mine lighting and reasons for its success
Q Is Coolon ' s focus mainly fixed or mobile lighting in mining or both ? Is it unusual for lighting suppliers to offer solutions to both markets ? A In our case , most certainly both . Coolon focuses on all things mining . There are suppliers that focus on mobile , fixed or both categories . That said , both markets are flooded with cheap and unreliable import fittings , and we aim to fix that for our customers . Coolon focusses on both mobile and fixed plant as we like to provide a one-stop solution for all heavy industrial lighting solutions in the mining sector .
Q You have recently had an order for lighting fixtures on the Adani Liebherr 996 shovel fleet , how did this come about ? A We supplied our CP56 fittings to the Adani Liebherr 996 shovels through a trusted partner . We have become well known from the West to East Coast as the most reliable solution for both mobile and fixed plant in mining and this is what informed that install . We are also a preferred supplier to Adani ’ s Abbot Point Coal Terminal , for example . In terms of size of the lighting order , it ’ s not our biggest , as we also supply lighting for dragline and rope shovel overhauls not to mention large mine infrastructure projects . But regardless of order size , we ’ re certainly humbled to be recognised as a trusted partner in the Carmichael mobile mining fleet .
Q Is mining in Australia now almost 100 % LED or does it depend on the application ? A Certainly the focus is now on upgrading to LED . That said , it was only recently that some minesites developed the confidence to put LED ’ s on some of their larger machines ( draglines & rope shovels for example ) as these machines are challenging to maintain . Whatever you put on them needs to last . In the past , operators were burned by LED suppliers who hadn ’ t built to the Australian mining conditions and they experienced high turnover . Compare that to our fittings that have been going for 10 + years at a time on heavy mobile equipment and harsh infrastructure applications . This is why perceptions are changing but it ’ s important to choose a solution that has been built from the ground up for mining .
Q Is the market in Australia mainly driven by safety , energy efficiency or both ? A A lot of our customers focus is on reducing maintenance expenditure . In the past , with sodium metros etc , it was commonplace to replace bulbs every 6-12 months ( sometimes more ). This meant that minesite lights were thought of as consumable products . With the developments we ’ ve made over the last 15-20 years this is simply not the case . We consider Coolon lights to be infrastructure . With 10 + years of life without skipping a beat and the history and trials to prove it , we ’ ve significantly improved things for maintenance teams all over Australia . Additional benefits also include better energy efficiencies and safety as we ’ ve drastically improved light levels in every install we ’ ve been a part of .
Q Is it mainly driven by equipment contractors and dealers or by the mines themselves ? A Our primary customer is the end-user , it ’ s who we build for and get feedback from that informs our next design iteration . That said , we have very good relationships with local wholesalers in various regions all over Australia and solid partnerships with various contractors and consultants
Coolon LED Lighting has a comprehensive mining offer including supply of lighting solutions for dragline and rope shovel overhauls
where we assist with design and specification . In other words , Coolon fits into the mining ecosystem seamlessly and we try to support other local businesses wherever possible .
Q How would you say Coolon differentiates itself from other majors in terms of the market -local manufacture , range of solutions , quality of build , robustness of products ? A We ’ ve been in the industry for over 20 years . We ’ ve visited hundreds of mine sites all over Australia , we ’ ve designed thousands of lighting designs and installed countless fittings that still work today . We know that our luminaires work in that environment , and they have proved themselves in the field more times than we can count . Our fittings are designed and manufactured in Australia , specifically for our mining conditions . We have a team of over 75 people in the country that work hard every day to ensure we maintain our market leader status when it comes to technological advancement and durability . We have our own R & D engineering team who constantly push the boundaries of what ’ s possible in these heavy industrial environments . We talk to our clients and we make our lighting suit and exceed their needs . We don ’ t focus on being the cheapest like so many others who race to the bottom . Our customers save more money in the long term when they don ’ t have to regularly replace their light fittings . We have developed our fittings so they ’ re virtually indestructible using only the highest quality components and proprietary technology . We have a complete range that covers all areas of the modern Australian mine site .
Q There is a lot of talk now about smart mine lighting where lights react to changing conditions etc , is this an area Coolon is developing solutions for ? A Absolutely . The key though is making sure whatever smart technology is put into an industrial fitting is useful for staff on site . After receiving feedback from various mining companies , we recently released a new range of emergency conveyor lights which , when combined with our free Coolon Reporter app , report live on the battery health of all the fittings within range of the operator . This means maintenance staff on site can be more proactive when it comes to ensuring the health and status of their emergency luminaires , ensuring they are fully functional when and if they ’ re needed . We have some other really exciting stuff in the works that will blow people away when it comes to smart industrial lighting but I ’ m not allowed to talk about that yet . Stay tuned !
46 International Mining | NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2020