Eurasian Resources Group (ERG) says the implementation of an artificial intelligence project focused on a smart machine vision system for steel belt monitoring has saved it over $300,000 in production costs within three months of the project’s realisation.

The project, which has been awarded cloud storage space worth some $19,000 as a special prize from VK Cloud in the Industrial AI Battle, was implemented at pellet production section No. 1 of Kazchrome’s Donskoy Chrome Ore Mining and Processing Plant in Khromtau, Kazakhstan.

“SBM, an innovative smart machine vision system for steel belt monitoring, clearly demonstrates that AI has a high potential in the metals and mining industry,” the company remarked.

Alongside the significant production cost saving, ERG said idle time due to overheating was down by 75% since July 2024 after implementing the system. SBM also detected 80% of defects as confirmed by human operators.

The solution includes two key modules:

• Overheating prediction: this module predicts belt overheating before it actually occurs, enabling operators to respond preemptively; and
• Defect detection: this module helps detect defects at an early stage, making it possible to repair them without disrupting the production process.

The technology was developed and implemented by the team of the industrial AI development department at Business and Technology Services LLP (BTS), led by Askhat Bukeyev, in cooperation with experts from Donskoy GOK, Dias Eldes, Nursultan Karasartov and Zharbol Maksat.

Dias Eldes, the Manager of the project, said: “This project is a major step forward for the entire industry. Using AI helps streamline production processes and significantly reduce production costs. We are proud of our team and would like to thank everyone who supported us on this journey.”