In the mining industry, the visual inspection of equipment condition is a routine task. Some of the items being inspected, such as magnetic plugs, tyres, ground engaging tools, and filter cuts have quantitative data that should be captured and then analysed by a subject matter expert to improve decision-making. Dingo states: “In our experience, these inspections have been predominantly completed by field technicians who use a pass/fail type of criteria and most of the data is either captured on paper, or not at all. This important information rarely makes it into a database where it can be properly analysed by an expert and then stored for future use.”
The Trakka Field Inspection App™ is a new mobile, end-to-end solution for field inspection data capture and analysis. This new app from Dingo enables technicians to capture images, along with notes and ratings, on their mobile devices while physically inspecting equipment. This observation data then integrates directly with the Trakka® Condition Management System “to provide a seamless user experience, while enabling a subject matter expert to review, analyse, and extract the maximum value from this data.
A simple App is deployed to a mobile device which automatically syncs with Trakka. A mine’s equipment is prepopulated on the app and can be easily accessed via a drop-down list. The user selects the asset being reviewed and records images, video, notes, and ratings in a standardised format with ease; this information is then automatically downloaded in real-time to a centralized condition management system, Trakka, via the Auto Sync feature. A reliability expert can review field observations along with other condition management data, such as fluid, thermography, vibration, and onboard – all in Trakka – to improve decision-making and drive better results. This information can also be trended over time to identify potential issues, recognise patterns, and aid with benchmarking. The data is then stored in Trakka for future reference and analysis by reliability and planning. Dingo states: “The Field Inspection App has already significantly helped our customers improve maintenance decisions and achieve better outcomes.”
It was developed independently by Dingo in response to a request from a large Australian mining company. The customer was looking for a solution to help them transition away from paper based reporting, easily capture information in the field and then transmit it in real-time for expert analysis, extract more value from their observation data, and enable long-term trending. “We developed the Field Inspection App to provide a robust, yet cost effective solution that would meet these needs. The product was commercialised in late 2014 and is currently being rolled out to a number of our mining customers in the US, Australia, and Canada.”
The Field Inspection App can be used in any operational area that performs inspections. For example, one company is using it on their mobile, contract, and field fleets for their Bowen Basin coal mines, while a large Canadian copper mine is using it in the mill to improve their inspection process. “The Field Inspection App integrates directly with Trakka, Dingo’s comprehensive condition management system. This seamless connection enables a mine to use observation data in conjunction with fluid analysis, vibration, thermography, and real time data to improve decision-making and drive better results. Trakka also integrates with a mine’s existing ERP system, where work orders are generated and tracked, to provide a true end-to-end solution.”