COMMENT
Setting the standard : communicating across brands
While advancing technology — particularly performance tracking and maintenance management systems — is touted as the way of the future , such systems can generate massive amounts of data and require substantial investment in both time and money . Until recently , the incompatibility of data between systems added to this investment significantly .
There has been a lot of talk about advancing technology and its impact on those using heavy equipment , particularly in the mining industry . PricewaterhouseCoopers ’ s ( PwC ) global study Industry 4.0 : Building the digital enterprise , which incorporates feedback from more than 2 000 companies in 26 countries ( including 61 in South Africa ), indicates that digitisation is increasing , and the average level is expected to more than double over the next five years , from 33 % to 72 %. This is mirrored in South Africa , where the level of digitisation and integration is expected to rise from 27 % to 64 % during the same period .
The advantages of digitisation are driving the demand for digitisation , with PwC reporting that 87 % of South African respondents plan to introduce new digital products and data-based services over the next five years . More than half of local companies ( 55 %) are using big data analytics in areas such as optimisation of overall business planning , while 83 % expect data analytics to have a significant influence on their decision-making processes in five years ’ time .
However , while many OEMs and third party companies are offering systems that enable owners to track and gather data from their machines , data between systems has not always been compatible , particularly for companies operating mixed fleets .
To address this concern , in 2008 the Association of Equipment Management Professionals ( AEMP ) brought together the major construction equipment manufacturers and telematics providers in the heavy equipment industry to discuss the development of the industry ’ s first telematics standard .
AEMP and the Association of Equipment Manufacturers ( AEM ) recently submitted the revised standard to the International Organisation for Standardisation ( ISO ). The standard was subsequently approved as part of ‘ IS0 15143 : Earth-moving machinery and mobile road construction machinery – worksite data exchange ’, and forms a new section , ‘ Part 3 : Machine data ’, with data points including location , operating hours , fuel use , distance travelled , idle time , and engine operating data .
The standard was published on the ISO website in December 2016 , and plans include extending coverage beyond earthmoving equipment . This standard is the first step to addressing the issue of collating data across mixed fleets , and OEMs like Caterpillar have already started moving towards this interoperability by ensuring that their tracking systems and other advanced technology work across multiple brands .
Progress has also been made in standardisation for proximity detection systems ( PDSs ). From 2004 to 2009 , 35 % of fatalities at mine sites were due to vehicle interaction incidents , and 53 % of these involved pedestrians . In response to these statistics and the Department of Mineral Resources ’ recent promulgation of legislation mandating the use of PDSs for mining operations , the Earth Moving Equipment Safety Round Table ( EMESRT ) started a project to develop an openarchitecture industry communications standard for proximity detection and vehicle interaction .
The collaborative industry working group with both the OEMs and third-party system suppliers — initiated and facilitated by EMESRT — aims to develop a common electronic communication protocol to enable slowdown and stopping of mobile equipment . This protocol is based on the Society of Automotive Engineers ( SAE ) ‘ J1939 : Serial control and communications heavyduty vehicle network ’ standard for communication and diagnostics among vehicle components , which originated in the car and heavy-duty truck industry in the United States and is now in use globally . It forms one part of a new ISO standard that is also under development : ‘ ISO 21815 : Earth-moving machinery – collision awareness and avoidance ’.
Along with achieving functional specifications for PDSs , EMESRT aims to work with OEMs and purchasers to improve design and manufacturing standards , as well as compliance with said standards .
This move to standardise the transmission of data will have a significant — and positive — effect on the industry . The ability to compare performance across different brands and models of machines can result in significant cost savings for fleet operators , and help them determine which equipment will best suit their operating needs .
Robyn Grimsley - Editor Quarry SA robyn @ interactmedia . co . za
QUARRY SA | MARCH 2017 _ 1