MOTORS & DRIVES
Brazilian miner Nexa uses WEGscan and WEG Motion Fleet Management( MFM) for continuous asset monitoring
It adds that as mining operations across Australia strive to enhance efficiency and sustainability, digital solutions like those offered by WEG, combined with strong technical partnerships, are proving essential, not only for operational excellence but for long-term resilience.
Over in Brazil, Nexa Vazante, located in the state of Minas Gerais, in Brazil, is a leading player in the mining sector and one of the world’ s largest zinc producers. It also stands out for its excellence in online predictive maintenance, using WEGscan and WEG Motion Fleet Management( MFM) for continuous asset monitoring.
During continuous monitoring at the plant, WEGscan sensors installed on the flotation agitator bearing emitted global band alarms, indicating increased vibration. After a detailed system analysis and on-site inspection, it was identified that the bearing mounting bolts were loose, leading to low structural rigidity.
With a swift intervention by the maintenance team, the bolts were properly tightened, and the equipment returned to normal operating conditions. This predictive action prevented significant damage, such as bearing failure, exciter shaft collapse, and a potential sector shutdown, which could have resulted in high costs for the company, including agitator replacement and downtime-related losses.
“ The partnership with WEG in implementing and using MFM has been a real breakthrough in managing our assets. With the system, we receive data much faster, which has made a significant difference in our operations. Moreover, the diagnostic tools and alarms provided by MFM have enabled quick and accurate problem identification, allowing for more effective preventive and corrective actions. This combination of fast data access and advanced features has improved the reliability of our processes, enabling a more strategic and proactive approach to asset management”, emphasises Arley Campelo Nunes, Predictive Maintenance Specialist at Nexa.
The WEG Motion Fleet Management solution has been crucial for maintenance decision-making, leading to cost reductions and increased productivity.
WEG Motion Fleet Management( MFM) is an integrated industrial asset management solution, combining over 60 years of expertise in manufacturing electric motors and other industrial equipment with cuttingedge technology. Consisting of software and hardware, the solution uses advanced predictive algorithms and IoT( Internet of Things) technology to monitor assets in real time.
FLENDER’ s latest solutions outlined at Mining Indonesia 2025
FLENDER is a leading global mechanical power transmission supplier to the mining industry including the large mining market in Indonesia. At the recent Mining Indonesia event in Jakarta in September, it showcased a number of solutions. These included the FLENDER ONE Conveyor Integrated Drive Train with FLENDER AIQ CORE Condition Monitoring – a solution that is uniquely FLENDER; FLENDER Couplings with FLENDER AIQ DETECT for smarter connection monitoring; plus PLANUREX 3 with FLENDER AIQ CORE TORQUE – unlocking real-time torque insights to push milling performance and at the same time.
It also gave an exclusive sneak peek into its latest breakthrough FLENDER Intelligent DriveTrain FIDT – described as FLENDER’ s answer to the mining industry’ s growing demand for Hybrid Conveyor Drives.
Looking at FLENDER AIQ, this is FLENDER’ s digital brand and represents the next era of intelligence in FLENDER gearboxes. FLENDER AIQ offers maintenance support, failure prediction and diagnostics, making FLENDER gearboxes smarter than ever before. All new FLENDER ONE gear units are shipped with FLENDER AIQ sensor technology ex works and intelligent tools for drivetrain and process automation.
With FLENDER AIQ Monitoring & Maintenance, FLENDER offers a flexible solution package that fits mining customer demands. Users can avoid laborious maintenance and service measures and find out about upcoming maintenance tasks at an early stage. The deeply integrated sensor system helps find the ideal maintenance interval. Additionally, the implemented gear unit intelligence can help avoid unplanned shutdowns.
Optimised service intervals are based on oil monitoring, with early failure detection and alarming based on vibration measurement. Storage and visualisation of longtime data is within the FLENDER AIQ web portal. Automated monthly reporting is provided on the gear unit health status.
Mines can make use of FLENDER AIQ Monitoring & Maintenance in different setups from a simple sensor use case, ending in cloud-hosted data with 24 / 7 online availability. It is flexible and optionally upgradeable.
FLENDER:“ FLENDER AIQ Core offers far more than just condition monitoring. For example, the system can independently control sub-processes such as cooling or heating the transmission. With FLENDER AIQ Analytics, the system can also interpret the collected data directly in the sensor. These analysis functions can increase operating times and reduce operating costs. The Flender AIQ Core keeps an eye on the status of your system around the clock. It feels, looks and listens into your drive, measures all relevant data during the running process and evaluates it. Speeds, temperatures and vibrations are measured by the sensors and converted into algorithms. You always know how the gearbox is doing. This creates planning reliability for production and maintenance.”
FLENDER AIQ Core can detect even minor irregularities in operation, assess the condition of components and check the correct alignment of the drivetrain. It logs the operating times of the transmission, including all starts and stops, and the prevailing operating conditions. Maintenance intervals can be planned on the basis of this data and only carried out when necessary. The result is up to 50 % longer oil service life and lower service costs reducing your operating and service costs( OPEX).
46 International Mining | NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2025