Komatsu Ltd, through its wholly owned subsidiary in Australia, has acquired iVolve Holdings Pty Ltd based in Queensland, Australia, which is led by CEO Kim Parascos. iVolve is well known supplier of fleet management systems (FMS) for construction and mining equipment. It particular it provides FMS for small to mid-tier miners, contractors, and quarries. iVolve offers systems that visualise operation management information, reduce running costs, and promote safe operations through access to real-time data.

Through this acquisition, Komatsu says it will globally deploy iVolve’s FMS, which has a unique IoT platform, as a new solution to further contribute to improving safety and productivity at customers’ workplaces. After the completion of the acquisition, iVolve will continue to provide its services as an independent group company, and Komatsu says it aims to become the world’s leading FMS provider in the construction and mining equipment market by capturing new business opportunities through Komatsu network.

iVolve’s main FMS package is Mine4D, which focuses on operational efficiency improvements directly related to production and vehicle maintenance. This enables its clients to increase productivity, cut costs and minimise risk. The 4D refers to four key components. iVolve Mine4D Production enables real-time decision making in two ways: by providing real-time feedback to operators in-cab; and by monitoring and recording in real-time all parameters of the haul truck load cycle. This data is sent over the Nexis network to the iVolve Server for real-time access by site personnel as well as for ad-hoc and scheduled reporting purposes.

Then iVolve Mine4D Maintenance provides real-time equipment health data feeds. This data is displayed graphically via iReport dashboards at fleet and individual asset levels, with full data history available for informal and scheduled reporting. Third is Mine4D Guidance. Specifically designed to optimise operator activities, Guidance seamlessly integrates machine guidance and fleet management tasks. Guidance combines the benefits of real-time operational data with the precision of advanced machine guidance and control.

The fourth element is Proximiti™ which integrates a long-range, high-speed GPS based collision awareness system with a short-range, low-speed radar proximity detection system to provide enhanced situational awareness for operators of heavy, medium and light vehicles on mine sites. Proximiti™ alerts the vehicle operator while also providing auditable data via the iVolve Server™ application; the system also supports full play-back capability for incident investigation purposes.

In 2021 iVolve also released Mine4D Go, to unlock the benefits of the Mine4D solution for small & medium size fleets. By combining simple in-cab operator input with intelligent vehicle location awareness, iVolve Mine4D Go calculates complete production cycles for vehicles and reports accurate operational data to site managers. Mine4D Go is simple to install and delivers the foundation for an optimised mining operation that has a direct and immediate impact on a customer’s ROI. Mine4D Go is offered on a hybrid cost-of-acquisition model that includes both fixed and subscription-based pricing, which enables customers to have more flexibility in their budgeting and expenditure.