MINING SOFTWARE
RPMGlobal ’ s David Batkin says there has been increased demand for the simulation of alternative trucking fleets through such solutions as its HAULSIM software . Pictured here is the trolley line ( in green ) and charging station being simulated in the background
automation as anything automated in the mining space needs a very robust plan to start from .”
Greater stakeholder transparency and accountability requires not only lots of data , but the ability to use this data to generate a plan for operations that can be understood by all stakeholders involved in mining .
RPM , as a company with enterprise level software solutions , says it is able to provide this context with an offering across the entire mining value chain .
Looking for transparency across all levels – site- , corporate- and community-level – more mining companies are looking to incorporate enterprise-level solutions , according to Batkin . In the mine planning space , this is seeing more companies tie planning with simulation to test options and scenarios that don ’ t have the ticket
price of technology trials but do provide a visualisation that can inform all stakeholders .
In terms of where the most transformation is
At the project development and deposit exploitation stage , more focus is increasingly placed on converting the data generated by mining assets into near real time actionable insights that allow a faster reaction to the changing environment of operations .
Limited communication at the underground mine can create inefficiencies in scheduling and managing machines ’ availability and uptime . These can include longer-than-planned maintenance periods , with more time spent on administrative tasks than actual revenue-driving activities . As a result , there is a need to eliminate variability and unknowns from production and equipment maintenance processes to keep up fleet availability .
Underground mining operations involving a lot of mobile machines , such as LHDs , dump trucks , drilling and auxiliary equipment , often become a closed silo of information . Once underground , the machine is hardly visible – both to the OEM that delivered it and to the central services of the mining company responsible for planning its maintenance and supplying relevant spare parts .
To address this issue , TALPA has implemented a system in partnership with a major mining company and a leading OEM , allowing for a reduction of equipment service costs of more than 35 %/ y , it claims .
The system , which has been implemented in stages , began with the optimisation of service scheduling based on the information about the engine hours of the machines recorded in near real time automatic mode by the system . This was later complemented by displaying full sets of error codes and signals generated by the integrated machines . The virtual advisory to the service personnel was made available at the third stage , allowing all parties to understand issues registered at each unit and plan fit-for-purpose actions in a timely manner . Furthermore , the system provides an interface to the central procurement system and provides equal information to the OEM , allowing for a timely supply of required spare parts and major stock optimisation opportunities .
TALPA enabled the mine operator to track and manage all its machines in a single system , allowing employees previously occupied with timeconsuming tasks such as fault finding and service scheduling to focus on critical processes such as fleet availability for production . The customer leveraged TALPA ’ s monitoring and analytics system ' s deep capabilities to reduce costs and boost its productivity . The list of benefits included : n Improved service scheduling by understanding the exact time to
TALPA has implemented a system in partnership with a major mining company and a leading OEM that allows for a reduction of equipment service costs of more than 35 %/ y , it claims
service a fleet of over 150 machines based on permanently available knowledge of engine hours left until the next service , the recent workload of particular machines and registered errors ; n Timely reactions to critical warnings and trends in the intervals between scheduled services in order to prevent damage to the machines requiring major overhauls ; n Precise preparations for the service events , knowing the exact technical conditions of the machines and allowing for the timely delivery of spare parts and components ; n Reduced downtime of machines , as the system allows for early detection of potential issues and prompt maintenance ; and n Increased equipment availability , as the system allows for better planning . TALPA ’ s Industrial AI Platform solves industry-specific problems and delivers fast time to value , the company says . “ Using TALPA ’ s maintenance dashboard allows for improving key processes throughout the workflow , delivering a clear understanding of the technical state of the fleet based on OEM standards as well as real
technical conditions , and allowing optimisation of after-sales services for OEMs and technical operations for the end-user ,” TALPA said . “ Delivered
to the full extent as a service , TALPA ´ s platform allows for cost-efficient and worry-free implementation regardless of the fleet size and location of the operations .”
34 International Mining | FEBRUARY 2023