ABB has completed a study to benchmark current hoisting maintenance strategies, reporting that, on average, mining companies have the potential to achieve more than a month of additional production time annually by following recommended predictive maintenance strategies.

The benchmark report includes inputs from mining companies across six regions and eight different industry sectors including diamonds, gold, copper and potash, to better understand the state of hoist maintenance strategies around the world. Collaborating with customers, ABB reviewed every key aspect of the hoist system. The results highlighted that mining companies using reactive maintenance could make up a gap of around 15% in availability compared with those already following more proactive approaches.

As ore grades in established sites become depleted while demand for resources grows, the industry is shifting to deeper mining to reach these critical resources. Mine hoists offer the most efficient way to transport heavy loads of ore from the depths, and therefore must operate at the highest possible levels of reliability and productivity, ABB says. The company identified a need for greater standardisation and insight regarding optimal maintenance strategies to help its customers keep mine hoists running.

The value of predictive maintenance was reinforced through this project. Those faced with the highest levels of availability loss had, on average, dedicated less of their maintenance strategy to proactive approach versus reactive (75% and 25%, retrospectively). While periodic maintenance has been implemented across hoist systems, continuous monitoring and assessment were much further behind. Of those surveyed, only 16% had applied continuous predictive monitoring to their mechanical systems, ABB says.

Using these insights, ABB devised its ‘World Class Maintenance Standard’ for hoists. While every mine hoist maintenance system should be designed for the specific requirements of individual hoists, the standard aims to provide mining companies with a baseline for devising the optimal solution for hoist longevity, ABB says. The standard recommends that 90% of maintenance strategy be focused on predictive maintenance to achieve the highest availability levels.

John Manuell, Global Service Manager for Hoisting, ABB Process Industries, says: “Hoists are one of the most expensive and vital assets within a mining operation, so keeping them running optimally is crucial for an effective mining operation. Without a thorough maintenance program, replacing these systems can be costly, risky and time-consuming. We designed the World Class Maintenance Standard to give users a benchmark to design the right program for their assets and reinforce the value, which, when fully utilised, can keep hoists running for several decades. From here, we are devising a framework to simplify maintenance services, which will be available to customers later this year.”