FLEET MANAGEMENT
Connected fleets
MICHELIN Connected Fleet services and solutions from Michelin Group are designed to provide the tools and information fleet operators and managers need to easily manage their fleets on a daily basis and transform their operational efficiency . It is not just for tyres plus it has a lot of potential in mining – IM got ome insight from André Moreto , Worldwide Marketing Director - Michelin Connected Fleet
Q : MICHELIN Connected Fleet is something you offer across both on and off-road industries - how would you specifically describe its applicability and ' value add ' in mining ? AM : MICHELIN Connected Fleet has a strong positioning on the on-road industry – from long haul transportation to the last mile , and there are a few intersections with the mining industry ’ s needs . We have developed specific solutions for different kinds of fleets in the mining industry , that are currently available in Brazil from people transportation ( bus and cars ) to infrastructure fleet ( material / machinery transport , roads maintenance , etc ). In the mining industry , safety is a non-negotiable priority for overall operations and is directly related to the mine ’ s productivity . MICHELIN Connected Fleet is a true partner to improve operations : avoiding accidents , increasing productivity , reducing costs and CO 2 emissions through drive behavior management , and helping the customer take the best decisions based on insights provided by our innovative solutions . The consultative approach of MICHELIN Connected Fleet helps the customer effectively implement the change management within their organisation .
Q : Can it be adapted to a lot of types of data and how can it enhance safety in mines ? AM : MICHELIN Connected Fleet management solutions provide technology and insights to fully maximise an operation ’ s efficiency & safety . The visibility of a driver ’ s behaviour and live alerts for instant action - like the Smart Cameras , that monitor fatigue and risk behaviors using a powerful algorithm - combined with proactive training and action plans , improve overall driving performance and therefore safety , productivity and fuel efficiency . Fuel consumption and repair costs can be significantly reduced thanks to efficient fleet monitoring tools . Notifications of scheduled maintenance , availability of drivers and vehicles allow the fleet manager to make data-driven decisions that will increase operational efficiency and improve safety .
Q : What are the synergies between Connected Fleet and MEMS ? AM : MICHELIN Connected Fleet targets primarily the support vehicle fleets in mines , whereas MICHELIN MEMS 4 is developed for the rigid dump trucks within the productivity area of a mine . Today both offers are independent but complementary to cover different parts of the mine ’ s ecosystem .
Q : What does it offer mining customers beyond what their traditional fleet management solutions ? AM : MICHELIN Connected Fleet is not in direct competition with above mentioned FMS because the primary target within a mine ( support vehicles ) is different . MICHELIN Connect Fleet ’ s core is the fleet management , always seeking to have a full understanding of the customer ’ s challenges in each type of operation and address these with advanced fleet management solutions to help the mines ’ operations become safer , smarter and more sustainable . MICHELIN Connected Fleet solutions does not replace FMS solutions in mining but can complement it with important features such as idleness management , tipping angle control to avoid truck overturn or management of the weight loaded on each trip to optimise the truck ' s journey . It can also anticipate problems such as lack of pressure in the brakes and other issues that intervene in a mine ’ s production efficiency .
Q Do you have any customer case examples in mining for Connected Fleet ? AM : Brazil is the second largest producer of iron ore and mining is one of the most relevant activities in the country , representing 5 % of GPD through 2 billion tons of product and employing over 2.25 million people . Therefore , every impact in one ’ s operation is significant . For example , in a large iron mine in Brazil the customer experienced an excessive movement of bulldozers and consequently the loss of the machine tracks . The telemetry solution alerts the driver and manager when the movement limit according to the manufacturer ’ s recommendation , is reached . As a result , the customer obtained a 21 % reduction in the track loss in one year , equivalent to almost US $ 6 million . It showcases how powerful technology can be combined with action plans , to improving productivity and reduce costs . data to the LifeHub .”
The fatigue data collected from the LifeBand and stored on LifeHub can then be used to correlate with Asset Health monitoring and FMS production data to bring actionable insights that can increase efficiency , reduce maintenance costs and improve employee wellbeing while ensuring a safe work environment .
KMO-Fleet prepares to scale
KMO-Fleet from the UK-based startup namesake company is one of the more interesting new breed of FMS players to appear . It offers an agnostic integrated solution for the capture of mining equipment operational data and geographical locations , through a novel networking solution , to enable mine production optimisation through the application of AI and proprietary algorithms . The system has been designed to be intuitive , easily installed , and reconfigured , if required and can work in both surface and underground applications . It also runs entirely off V2V communication , so the vehicles are the network . KMO-Fleet intelligently routes the information through the fleet and out of the mine . This negates the need for Wi-Fi infrastructure reducing cost ; improving commissioning time and reducing the impact on the mining cycle .
As the KMO-Fleet system has been designed to be completely agnostic using its own hardware and sensors it supports equipment of any age , any manufacturer , and any model . The loggers are configured by the user using a tablet application which is supplied . This allows the user to deploy the system in an intuitive three stage process . The system can be reconfigured when required and easily scaled with the mine ’ s requirements .
When the truck approaches the loader , data is passed across between the equipment . When the truck passes an uplink ( at a crusher for example ) the loader and trucks data will be sent to the system for classification . This reduces the need for extensive Wi-Fi network infrastructure in the operational environment .
Additional beacons can be added in other areas to monitor interactions with infrastructure these are battery powered and can be configured at the mine ’ s choice ( for example tipping areas or major road junctions ). Additionally , beacons can be configured to act as an artificial positioning network in areas with poor GNSS signals , for example deep steep open-pit operations .
Several classification algorithms have been developed including using AI to classify the data beyond just location so the system knows when a vehicle is idle , when it is hauling , when it is tipping etc . The classifications are available via a database or using KMO-Fleet ' s management platform , to produce data driven decisions to reduce operational costs , improve material movements and increase production . Outputs
46 International Mining | MAY 2024