MINING TYRES
MICHELIN 59 / 80R63 XDR3 + and XDR4 EXTRA LOAD tyres . He adds : “ The autonomous machine characteristics continue to remain within the tolerances of the Michelin tyre design , and we continue to work with the OEMs as they tune and develop their autonomous haulage offers .”
TPMS in tandem
IM also talked to Frédéric Marques , Global Business Director , Off Road Solutions at Michelin about the TPMS market and the success of its MEMS offering . For the past two decades the mining industry has been using TPMS to boost mine operations and productivity . Marques adds : “ Mining companies are considering TPMS not only as a safety and productivity tool enabling more production with less equipment , but also as a tool to decrease their environmental footprint . We know from research and many conversations with our global customers that Environmental & Social Governance and climate change are the top priorities for miners worldwide . Our challenge and commitment at MICHELIN Mining is to find ways to help our customers to extract the needed minerals in the most sustainable way , reducing carbon emissions and increasing circularity , while ensuring safety , productivity , and cost reduction at their mine site . TPMS such as MEMS is now more than ever a lever to achieve the same level of production and reducing its environmental footprint by improving tyre life significantly and reducing fuel consumption .
Since 2015 , Marques says that the TPMS equipment rate has continuously increased to more than 50 % on ultra class trucks . Expansion of autonomous fleets has also had its impact on global TPMS demand . “ Some manufacturers have already made TPMS equipment mandatory on their autonomous vehicles . Our capabilities to integrate MEMS4 with autonomous truck systems make it a great addition to any customer ' s setup , adding significant value toward zero accident and zero downtime .”
Michelin expects the demand for TPMS to continue to increase in the upcoming years , not only for ultra class trucks , but also for 100 – 150 ton trucks . “ We found that miners running 100 –
150-ton trucks were in search of a simple , robust plug-and-play solution that sends alerts to their mobile devices should an issue arise . That is why we launched our latest offer MICHELIN MEMS LITE in the second half of 2022 . This simple , budget-friendly option increases safety and savings to a mine ’ s operations through periodic tyre pressure and temperature readings and does not need adding any hardware to the trucks . “
He concludes : “ MICHELIN MEMS is not just a stand-alone tool to enhance tyre life . Our dedicated support teams make sure our customers use MEMS to its fullest potential through custom consultation and expert analysis . And , if you want to go one step further , our MICHELIN Consulting & Services team provides our customers with tyre safety and driver awareness seminars , payload weight and volume studies or customised consulting studies to answer specific questions … when you gain insight into your current operations , you can increase productivity and safety , boost production , and minimise environmental impact .”
Total Tyre Control
For the latest on state-of-the-art mining tyre management software – IM spoke to Al Klinge , Managing Director of KLINGE , part of Michelin , whose flagship product Total Tyre Control™ ( TTC ) has been a world leader since it was introduced in 1987
Q What is the latest with the MEMS4 integration - what synergies have you found between TTC and MEMS ? A The integration set out to add efficiencies and safety for tyre technicians , we just released our second iteration in June that continues down this path . In practical terms MEMS4 users will not need to add tyre inventory separately anymore as it is pulled from TTC and tyre movements are partially input in MEMS4 then pushed to TTC for completion . Our original goal of tyre techs having more time on the tools and thinking about critical safety steps vs entering data is making progress .
Q Are there mines with AHS running your software and what learnings / insights has this given you and your customers into how mining tyres wear and perform on autonomous trucks versus manned trucks ? A KLINGE software currently manages tyres running on hundreds of autonomous trucks spread through our footprint of over 430 sites . However , we don ’ t use any Total Tyre Control data for studies or analysis outside of specific projects with clients , and as they own the data so I can ’ t offer any deep insight . However , without an operator you do lose the ability for someone to simply get out of the truck and have a look at things not to mention , hear or even smell ( in some cases ) tyre issues , but as technology grows these gaps will close too .
Q TyreARM™ is a proprietary auditing & reporting software tool developed by KLINGE to audit and benchmark key facets of on-site tyre maintenance & management . Has its uptake increased as detailed ESG reporting has become prevalent ? A Yes it has and it ’ s great to see more sites and mining companies take tyre safety and continuous improvement more seriously . We ’ re currently expanding the scope of our audit service to better highlight ESG components as well as add new areas . For example TyreARM audits will soon take a deeper dive into end of life tyre strategy and best practices
Q Do you think that if a customer is using your range of software in the way it
Al Klinge , Managing Director , KLINGE was intended , and if they have a well-trained tyre technician teams , that potentially they do not need an onsite third party tyre management company ? A If the tyre technicians are trained , assessed and certified they may have some early success without an onsite service provider . But , I would say they were not adequately covering all their bases . I ' ll offer two crucial factors that sites can use to balance the scales . Firstly , having a seasoned tyre leader on-site is essential to ensure safe and smooth operations . This individual should possess ample experience and excellent communication skills to work within the mine ecosystem . Secondly , bringing in a thirdparty expert auditor . These experts visit annually , focusing on tyre safety , efficiency , and continuous improvement .
Q Do you see mining tyre recycling taking off in Australia and other countries where you are present and how can TTC help optimise the recycling value chain for customers ? A I ’ m all for the adoption of mining tyre recycling in Australia and other countries where we operate where it ’ s reasonably practicable . We need to do whatever we can to help make mining a cleaner industry , and it ’ s very encouraging to see so much progress in this area recently . Through Total Tyre Control , users can effortlessly register tyre disposals , complete with all the necessary EPA information . This functionality empowers sites exploring or initiating tyre recycling programs to access pertinent data precisely when they need it .
18 International Mining | JULY 2023