Hammer Kazakhstan, part of Russian group Hammer Rus and partner 5DT recently successfully launched their second simulator at the training centre of the Eurasian Resources Group (ERG) in Rudny, Kazakhstan which serves the Sokolov-Sarybai Mining Production Association (SSGPO) JSC mines, SSGPO being the largest iron ore enterprise in Kazakhstan’s mining industry with over 100 truck drivers.
The simulator is based on the Hitachi EH3500AC heavy-duty dump truck and by end April 2021 more than 50 drivers will have been trained on it. Earlier in January 2021, it commissioned a sim based on the Caterpillar 777E and 777F mining dump truck, which has already trained more than 65 drivers at the centre. A third sim for the BELAZ 75131 is also set to arrive, meaning training and certification will take place on almost all types of carrying capacity and transmissions of dump trucks involved in SSGPO.
Changing commands on the monitor such as ‘Start the vehicle’, ‘Head to the loading area’, ‘Wait for the signal of an approaching loader’, ‘Error: overspeed’ help the operator better understand what is happening. The company also says this is the world’s first mining truck simulator that is intensively being used 24 hours a day in two shifts and without breaks for weekends and holidays. “Hammer Kazakhstan ensures a round-the-clock and smooth operation of the simulator thanks to our professional instructors and service personnel, implementing this complex and ambitious project with the largest iron ore mining enterprise in Kazakhstan.”
ERG states: “The new system will not only teach the primary skills of driving a dump truck, but will also significantly improve the qualifications of experienced drivers.” The mining dump truck training simulator consists of two components – hardware (simulating a dump truck workstation) and software (provides the instructor with tools for training, including group training). Various training scenarios are presented. The main one is general driving, from the moment the engine starts.
“The uniqueness of the simulator lies in the fact that the image is transmitted not on projectors, but on liquid crystal monitors, while the system is built into the classroom,” says the General Director of Hammer Kazakstan Fuad Maksadov. The simulator is made so that the person integrates as quickly as possible. To do this, we have recreated a dump truck control panel that is close to reality. The simulator will help you develop the right driving habits, at the same time quickly and safely.”
Grigory Podskalnyuk, Head of Road Transport at SSGPO JSC comments: “Having completed training on such a simulator, the driver will be able to feel more confident in his career. This will ultimately contribute to lower production costs, increased productivity and, most importantly, safer driving.”
The development of safe driving skills is also aimed at the ability of the program to create various weather and time conditions, as well as simulate emergency situations. Engine fire, tyre explosion, brake system failure and more incident types are simulated in realistic mode and require the operator to make a decision as quickly as possible. This has already been tested by six leading drivers of the road transport department from the Rudny and Kacharskaya sites. After appropriate training, four of them will become instructors in training and testing the knowledge of other operators of the large-capacity equipment of the association.
“We can safely say that such systems are the future,” summed up VP Production of JSC SSGPO Sergey Kuzmenko. “It will be the next step in our drive to implement an Industry 4.0 program.”
