ON THE GROUND
HCM Group’s key capability of interoperability creates simplified connectivity between systems to reduce operational silos,
enabling end-to-end visibility and control across the mining value chain.
Fleet Management System (FMS) and
operations, even though neither the
autonomous vehicles nor the FMS
system is from Hitachi or Wenco.
This allows the customer to choose
whatever solutions it prefers without
being restricted by closed stack OEM
approaches; it also provides a future-
proof way to introduce new vendor
technology into their operations as they
deem necessary.
This open approach also provides
multi-vendor examples for data
intelligence and IIoT. Hitachi can
integrate its operational technology
such as excavators, haul trucks, Wenco
Fleet Management Systems, ReadyLine
and other interoperable technologies
with third party IoT data intelligence
technologies that the customer may
be working with, such as AI vendors or
analytics platforms. For maintenance
and asset health, for example, Hitachi-
Wenco’s ReadyLine technology can
take real time sensor information from
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JULY 2019
Hitachi has developed its technology using open
standards, as well as a focus on interoperability.”
multiple OEM mobile equipment, share
that data with value-add asset health
vendors and bring in additional AI
vendors as the customer sees fit.
Hitachi is currently designing these
type of solutions and will, over time,
make these autonomy and IIoT Data
customers public on timelines chosen
by its customers.
So, exactly what are the benefits of
the HCM system? They become evident
when compared with other autonomy
OEM vendors that require customers
to use the FMS system that works only
with their AHS vehicle, which means a
customer has to implement and learn
a separate FMS system every time
they choose one of these vendors. This
means that the customer is ‘locked in’ to
only the FMS and AHS control system
that that OEM vendor uses – even if
they already have another FMS system
in operation.
This only benefits the vendor and not
the customer. The vendor, as it develops
its autonomy technology, it only has to
test and integrate with its orchestration
and FMS system. It is convenient from
the OEM’s development perspective but
forces the customer to pay for and learn
new systems, as well as integrate their
operations with those systems. This
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