MineWare has been ramping up its remote deployment offering during these challenging times, with the Komatsu-owned company’s local teams recently helping a major copper mine in Chile set up its Argus monitoring system on five of its electric rope shovels without stepping foot on site.
The company is focused on helping its customers stay operational and keep safe during the COVID-19 pandemic, and CEO, Jason Fisher, said the company’s ability to adapt and innovate had proven key to finding new and different ways to meet customers’ needs in the field given numerous virus-related constraints.
“Remote monitoring, service and support is a fundamental part of our business. It’s what we know and what we do best,” he said.
“During the pandemic, we’ve pushed the boundaries of these capabilities to help our customers protect their workforce while continuing to drive forward productivity and efficiency.
“Our local field support teams around the world have transitioned to deliver more services remotely, thinking outside the box to perform tasks traditionally delivered on the ground, like the deployment of new systems.”
Fisher said innovation, collaboration and communication have been critical success factors in helping customers adapt to the changing environment.
Referencing the Argus deployment at the Chile copper mine, he said: “Calibrating multiple systems, for the first time virtually, was a historic achievement, made possible by the collective efforts of our remote teams working in close partnership with customer teams in the field.”
Argus, an advanced monitoring system for electric and hydraulic loaders, is designed to manage payload, mine compliance, machine health and situational awareness.
The company’s North American team has also recently been successful in completing its first 100% remote Pegasys dragline system calibration, with instruction to and assistance from the customer, Fisher added.
Pegasys is, MineWare says, an advanced payload and mine compliance monitoring system for draglines that enables mine sites to establish best operator practice.
Fisher believes there will be increased demand from the global mining industry for innovative solutions that facilitate greater connections between remote and in-field workers.
“As we start to see many of the large mining companies return to normal rosters, workforce safety and connectedness will drive continued demand for digital technologies and remote service offerings,” he said.
“The industry needs interoperable, OEM-agnostic solutions that improve the flow and visibility of information between equipment, systems and people – to make operations safer, more effective and more productive.”