There is constant pressure to not only maximise operational output but also to reduce operating costs and minimise maintenance costs. Logimine, manufacturer and developer of mining fleet management systems, addresses these issues with a new range of practical and cost effective control equipment, specifically adapted to smaller scale mines. The range from Logimine is called ‘openQUARRY ‘ and includes the following stand alone products:

L21-W (distributed as ‘Ez-Scale’ in North America) is the latest generation on-board weighing system for wheel loaders and helps optimise loads. It consists of sensors, an intelligent 6″ touch sensitive on-board colour display terminal and integrated software. The required load data is automatically displayed on the on-board terminal to the operator. All the operator has to do is to enter a target load and start loading. The sensor then shows the amount loaded and the amount to go.

A Last Trim Bucket feature allows the operator to adjust the amount of material off the last bucket in order to ensure that the exact target load is reached. The other particularity of the system is that it has a weighing accuracy to within ± 1% with the loader ‘on-the-move’, that is to say without stopping the boom. There is therefore no interruption in the loading cycle. Data as customer, operator, material, truck and loading site ID, date and time, number of buckets, weight of the last bucket and total load can be saved and transferred via any standard USB key, or sent remotely to the office, and/or printed on tickets (with optional printer).

The Ez-Read, external payload display for Caterpillar and Komatsu trucks, allows operators to precisely control loading activities to prevent overloading or underloading of trucks. It incorporates a large LED display unit mounted onto the dumptruck’s exterior. The display is readable in all lighting conditions from 50 m. It indicates the current payload weight to both loader operators and site supervisors. From his cabin, the loader operator is able to load the optimal weight onto the truck. At the same time, supervisors can monitor the loading cycle from pit vehicles to ensure loading is productive and safe. This straightforward product can enable quarries to gain 5 to 7% in loading efficiency while reducing dumptruck component damage and life cycle maintenance costs, the company reports.

Ez-Tracking, radio and GPS monitoring device, enables the tracking of all types of vehicles. It uses powerful UHF TDMA technology to track the vehicles over a 10 km coverage, with no risk of data loss, even when a loader or truck is outside the coverage area. Operators can download and enter data over the network from the on-board control terminals. Managers can track vehicle position, engine speed, distance, hours of operations and even whether or not a vehicle fault has occurred.There are other types of intelligent on-board terminals with radio UHF and GPS system such as Ez-Truck: a truck cycles recorder compatible with TPMS, PLM and VIMS; Ez-Load for the centimetre tracking of loader bucket position; Ez-Drill for centimetre tracking of drill hole, and Super-Visor to enable supervisors to control the production from their vehicles. The terminals are touch tone with bright and large 6″ screens for high visibility. There is no button to press, only required information is displayed.

“What quarry managers require above all are robust, none complex control tools that can cut production costs and prevent failures. The openQUARRY control products are easy-to-use and provide instant upward and downward communication to empower operators, increase work productivity and improve safety” says Beatrice Atkinson, Logimine’s Marketing Manager.

Each openQUARRY product can be used independently from one another and with free production management software. Based on Logimine’s proven PCC4 (Primary Command Centre 4), the openQUARRY software allows managers and supervisors to share via an internet navigator all the data collected from the intelligent on-board terminals. Access is protected with user name and password identification. The software is fully compatible with all systems and equipment. It has an intuitive, high speed interface and does not require any specific IT knowledge to use it.

The software provides quarries and small mines with essential management functionality including:

• ACTIV, enables control of production and maintenance activities remotely from any enterprise PC. Quarry managers can share and visualise all the data collected via the on-board terminals. Data collected can be on vehicle position, loads, cycle time, equipment wear and activity performance.
• ARIAL MAP, displays a cartographic view of the production site (picture or map) which are easily navigable by dragging and zooming. The user can then visualise the geographical position and speed of every vehicle equipped with an on-board terminal.
• DESPATCH, allows supervisors to issue destination instructions to operators via on board terminal installed in the vehicles. Vehicle despatch can be done on the click of the mouse by using ‘drag and drop’ functionality.
• TQM (Total Quality Management) with alert system, provides real time notification to managers of critical events, such as speed limit exceedance or overloading and other issues. At the same time, managers can also send alarm notices on any data to any administrator.

Logimine intends to make the openQUARRY software source code available for free download to enable quarry and mine IT engineers to openly collaborate with Logimine in order to adapt the system to their specific needs at least cost.” Our experience shows that quarries or mine sites of less than 10 vehicles need technically advanced solutions to enable them to optimise their operations and minimize costs. Logimine’s openQUARRY provides quarries with the same advanced control and optimisation advantages that have to date been the preserve of large scale operations.” comments Bruno Laforgue, Mining Engineer with over 19 years experience in the mining industry and Managing Director of Logimine.