Tag Archives: cloud

Gold miner IMK feels the benefit of Volvo CE ActiveCare connection

IoT, Mining equipment, Mining software, , , , , , , , , ,

Since implementing Volvo Construction Equipment’s ActiveCare, Indonesian gold miner Indo Muro Kencana (IMK) has experienced productivity improvements that could easily be replicated across the industry, according to Hendro Sugito, Aftermarket Director at Indotruck Utama, authorised dealer for Volvo Construction Equipment in Indonesia

Gold exploration and mining company IMK, based in Central Kalimantan, connected the country’s largest ever fleet of machines to ActiveCare, the remote monitoring and proactive maintenance service, in November 2021.

IMK’s 52 articulated haulers and seven crawler excavators are fitted with sensors that convey real-time information relating to their production, fuel consumption, health and even operator skill to a portal in the cloud.

Some data points, such as location, speed and load are also communicated from machine to machine to help the operators complete work safely and efficiently.

The dashboards and reports then enable the plant and site manager to identify areas for productivity and efficiency improvements, implement adjustments and set new targets for further progress, according to Volvo CE. This could involve tweaking the number and capacity of machines on site to reduce idling time, finding more direct driving routes, or introducing training for certain operators.

Nine months on, the data has helped IMK increase productivity across its three sites by approximately a third, while reducing fuel consumption for the benefit of the environment and the company’s bottom line, Volvo CE says.

Another major benefit of connecting the fleet has been the positive impact on the convenience, effectiveness and cost of managing machine servicing and repairs, according to the OEM.

With ActiveCare, an artificial intelligence tool monitors all error codes and alarms transmitted from the machines to the cloud. The algorithm sorts through the data, prioritising the alerts according to urgency and severity and attributing probable causes.

This saves a huge amount of time and effort for the plant manager and helps them to determine whether immediate intervention is required for an issue or if the service technicians can wait until the next scheduled downtime. The engineers can also remedy small issues before they have the chance to develop into more serious and expensive problems, and always be ready with the right tools and parts.

Overall, the system has given IMK unprecedented insight into equipment availability, Volvo CE says. This information is key to productivity and profitability in a mining environment where machines are expected to operate almost 24 h/d and any time lost is a loss in earning potential. With ActiveCare, IMK can now optimise its machine availability and ultimately boost overall profitability of its facility, the company concluded.

SES and AXESS to connect remote mining operations with O3b mPOWER

Communications in mining, IoT, Mining services, Mining software, , , , , , , , , ,

SES and AXESS Networks say they are accelerating the digital transition of the mining industry with a collaboration focused on SES’s second-generation medium earth orbit (MEO) system O3b mPOWER.

Under this multi-year, multi-million-dollar agreement, mining sector users will be able to benefit from the cutting-edge low-latency Onshore Energy & Mining mPOWERED connectivity service, they say.

SES’s Onshore Energy & Mining mPOWERED service will provide the highest throughput available from a satellite system and deliver dedicated and carrier-grade networks to AXESS’ customers reliably regardless of their remote locations. O3b mPOWER can deliver up to multiple gigabits per second per site, enabling AXESS’ customers to accelerate the digitalisation of their operations and sites globally, boosting profitability through access to new applications and efficiency, as well as improving staff safety and welfare.

SES’s second-generation MEO connectivity service also brings the cloud closer to the end customers and can enable edge computing to support the use of 5G and IoT in the mining industry, it says.

Simon Gatty Saunt, Vice President of Networks Sales, Europe, at SES, said: “Transition towards smart mining is already turbocharging profits, and revolutionising industry’s environmental and societal impact. We are proud of the success our partnership with AXESS has already had in facilitating this change, thanks to our multi-orbit GEO and MEO network, and are excited to further accelerate it with the O3b mPOWER service.”

Guido Neumann, President AXESS EMEA, said: “This agreement builds on a long and successful relationship with SES, which has helped us to provide our customers with the best-in-class, reliable and resilient connectivity for their operations. As we are seeing a considerable uptake in demand for the carrier-grade solutions globally, but especially in the EMEA and APAC region, we are honoured to play an active role in scaling the digital transition in the mining sector through introducing O3b mPOWER and the Onshore Energy & Mining mPOWERED service.”

Seequent adds to cloud-based geoscience software base with Imago acquisition

IoT, Mineral exploration, Mining services, Mining software, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Bentley Systems’ Seequent business unit has acquired Imago Inc, a developer of cloud-based software for the capture and management of geoscientific imagery.

The acquisition, which comes only a month after announcing the purchase of Aarhus GeoSoftware, will expand Seequent’s technology solutions portfolio while boosting cloud capabilities to help geoscientists and engineers solve earth, environment and energy challenges, it said.

Imago’s cloud-based platform enables the capture, cataloguing and review of drilling core and chip images from any source, to support every aspect of the geological process from exploration to grade control. Continued development of Imago’s machine learning will lead to a step function in the interpretation of geological data, according to Seequent.

Seequent said: “Mining companies around the world apply Imago’s solution in conjunction with geology data management and modelling tools to enable teams to make more confident, profitable decisions using instantly available, high-quality images. Seequent already integrates its Leapfrog, Oasis montaj, Target, and Minalytix MX Deposit with Imago’s solution, making it easy for geologists, engineers and other stakeholders to extract knowledge and learn from geoscientific imagery. The goal is to unlock significant potential for mining and other industries, transforming image data into meaningful insights for geological activities.”

Imago establishes a consistent process for capturing high-quality images, which integrate with existing workflows and allow the application of machine learning

Graham Grant, CEO of Seequent, said: “It’s an exciting step to welcome the Imago team on board to help advance Seequent’s progression into the cloud. We’re continually exploring ways to provide new technologies and solutions to solve workflow challenges, improve operational efficiency and deliver greater value for our users who are working to solve some of the world’s major civil, environmental, and energy challenges. This acquisition demonstrates Seequent’s continued growth and our commitment to make a positive contribution to the industries we serve globally.”

Imago’s Co-Founder, Federico Arboleda, said: “As a small team in Phoenix and Perth, we’re excited to join forces with Seequent, as this will now allow us to substantially scale Imago’s solutions in mining and other markets. We founded Imago to help mining companies manage the high volume and size of geological images and unlock the great value in this geoscience imagery. Image data is an increasingly important source of data across the geosciences – and can come from potentially any source, including core photos, hyperspectral, aerial photos, drones, and handheld devices. It will become even more important to transform image data into knowledge as automation needs increase.”

Worldsensing brings cloud-based CMT hub to geotech industry

IoT, Mining services, Mining software, , , , , , ,

Industrial monitoring company Worldsensing has added the Connectivity Management Tool (CMT) to its Loadsensing industrial Internet of Things (IoT) family.

CMT gives engineers a “unique cloud-based hub” to manage devices, data and networks, building on Loadsensing’s wireless network technology for the acquisition of near real time geotechnical, geospatial and structural sensor information, the company says.

More than 270 engineering consultancies and monitoring technology providers worldwide already use Loadsensing to improve the safety of critical infrastructure, Worldsensing added.

“Our vision for CMT is to help our partners monitor geotech projects more efficiently,” Albert Zaragoza, Worldsensing’s Chief Technology Officer, said. “It will help them stay on top of their network, node and sensor performance and manage a variety of monitoring projects remotely, from the comfort of their office, through a single pane of glass.”

Within mining, construction, rail and structural health management, CMT addresses engineers’ need to automate monitoring projects through the cloud, reducing the need for site visits and improving safety while reducing costs, the company says.

“We know many of our partners monitor projects using spreadsheets, which can be daunting,” Bernat Trias, Director of Products at Worldsensing, said. “We can automate parts of the process so they can focus on what matters the most, which is to ensure the construction process or existing infrastructure are safe.”

Connected with CMT, and to offer additional value to engineering service providers, Worldsensing says it has built a strong alliance partner network that includes data visualisation software leaders such as Vista Data Vision, Maxwell Geosystem and Intelltech.

Worldsensing is also bundling Loadsensing with IDS GeoRadar by Hexagon and integrating the technology into Hexagon’s digital mining geomonitoring hub, HxGN.

IMDEX urges miners to explore cloud-based options

Communications in mining, IoT, Mineral exploration, Mining equipment, Mining events, Mining services, Mining software, , , , , ,

IMDEX’s Dr Michelle Carey and Gervais Perron say the mining technology company’s focus on providing companies with the tools to make real-time decisions in the field can offer improvements across the entire mining value chain.

The company is leveraging developments in communications, data storage and cloud technology to provide the mining industry with applications that can fundamentally improve their operations, it says.

Dr Carey, IMDEX General Manager, Product Development, and Perron, Principal Geoscientist – North America, used a workshop at the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada Convention, in Toronto, in March, to focus on real-time decision making in exploration.

“Our technologies are based on increasing rock knowledge by providing trusted data in real time, to allow clients to make the right decisions at the lowest cost possible,” Dr Carey said.

“That is achieved by enabling clients to drill faster and smarter, receiving accurate subsurface data, having our tools linked to the cloud, and by using the power of the Internet of Geosensors.

“IMDEX is working across the mining value chain in order to change the equation.

“What if your team test more targets and/or decrease the time it takes to define a resource? “Would that be a game changer?”

IMDEXHUB-IQ is at the centre of the company’s solutions – from navigation to driller operable geophysics – and enables the efficient transfer of data from the field to the office, according to the company. It provides secure access to validated data, seamlessly transmitted from a range of sub-surface instrumentation, analytical instruments and mobile form data inputs, IMDEX says.

IMDEX recently said miners were starting to see the benefits of this cloud connectivity, with, at the end of December, 58 of IMDEX’s top 100 clients “HUB-enabled”, up from 49 clients as at June 30, 2019.

Perron said: “Drilling data is the primary source of information used to inform the major investment decisions made by a resource company.

“In our opinion, this needs to be done right from the beginning. Not doing so, can lead to misunderstandings that can have major repercussions down the road.

“The technology is available. Real-time data enables better, faster and more confident decisions to be made.

“At IMDEX, our vision is that all our geoscience sensors we put out there are connected to the cloud for easy and fast access, anywhere, anytime.”

Hawk, FLO-CORP combine process instrumentation and monitoring expertise

Automation, Environmental, Mine surveying, Mineral processing, Mining consumables, Mining equipment, Mining maintenance, Mining mergers and acquisitions, Mining services, Mining software, Power supply for mines, Water management, , , , , , , ,

Hawk Measurement America and FLO-CORP have agreed to merge in a deal that will bring together leading manufacturers and suppliers of advanced process instrumentation and cloud-based monitoring technology.

The combined entity is now a complete flow, level, and asset monitoring solutions provider, the companies said.

Over the past three decades, both companies have worked to develop best-in-class products and design advanced technologies capable of providing solutions for even the most difficult applications.

Hawk has developed and manufactured level measurement equipment based on different technologies such as, acoustic wave, ultrasonic, microwave, radar, flotation cell level monitoring, and fibre optic sensing, while FLO-CORP is behind the CONNEX 3D™ – the industry’s first cloud-based process cellular monitor that communicates to field and host devices via RS485, then transmits wirelessly through cellular data transmission to a cloud-based server.

The merger is a natural progression of the two companies’ focus on providing customers complete solutions to reduce costs, mitigate risks and increase business agility, the companies said.

Jack Evans, President of Hawk Measurement, said: “HAWK and FLO-CORP are merging to increase our already high commitment to our customers by bringing the most innovative products to market and establish a manufacturing base in the Americas. This is a very exciting event for both companies, for our employees, and our customers.”

He added: “By combining HAWK’s award-winning measurement technology, together with FLO-CORP’s measurement monitoring solutions within a subscription-based platform, we are increasing our ability to provide unmatched customer support, innovative technologies and system solutions.”

The combined company is privately held and will operate under the HAWK brand. Les Richards will remain CEO of Hawk Measurement Systems, with Evans retaining his role. Dave Grumney, CEO of FLO-CORP, will become VP of Sales for Hawk Measurement.

Richards said: “The merging of Hawk Measurement and FLO-CORP is a merging of like-minds and philosophies, with the clear goal of increasing our capabilities to help our customers’ results, having available any level measurement, flow, process data collection, remote information distribution, and fibre based sensing solutions.

“This merger will further facilitate a broader product portfolio, technical knowledge, and support infrastructure. Together we will lead the way in providing industry required solutions, reliably and simply.”

Grumney added that the combined company will be able to “fuel innovation” and provide services to its customers that will make an immediate impact to their bottom line.

“Together we will lay down a new level of customer experience that will provide comprehensive solutions with the right field measurements, data analytics to data anywhere with the industry leading Global Enterprise Data Cloud,” he said.

RPMGlobal to provide cloud-based offering for mining software solutions

Equipment maintenance, IoT, Mining equipment, Mining maintenance, Mining services, Mining software, , , ,

RPMGlobal has announced that several of its enterprise software solutions will now be available with a “cloud-hosted offering”.

RPM CEO and Managing Director, Richard Mathews, said moving its software solutions to the ‘cloud’ had always been a goal of the company. “However, we knew that to accomplish this we had to re-architect our suite of software products to enable us to offer this alternative method of delivery to our customers.

“Six years of development later and all the pieces are now in place for RPM to offer our solutions to customers through a hosted offering using a dedicated cloud delivery team as evidenced by our recent sale of a cloud-based solution to a North American customer.”

RPM’s products, which include software for mine design & reserving, mine enterprise planning, mine planning & scheduling, mining simulation, mining financial budgeting, mine operation, and mine, asset & equipment maintenance, have traditionally been deployed by its customers at their mine sites or corporate offices on desktops or servers.

“This approach meant there were some inherent restrictions with respect to accessing the software including the reliability, accessibility and speed of private network connections as well as hardware performance limiting the solutions true capabilities,” RPMGlobal said.

RPM’s cloud hosting solution enables users to access RPM software products, applications, solutions and their associated data from anywhere, anytime from inside a safe, secure and high-performance computing environment, according to the company.

Mathews said: “Whilst we can now offer our customers a cloud-based solution, we will also continue to offer our traditional delivery approaches. This is just another example of how our Intelligent Mining software suite of products gives miners, mining contractors and original equipment manufacturers around the world new, improved and high performing user experience options.

“Every company has different policies and visions for their computing environment, so a one-size-fits-all approach never works. There are certainly companies that want to make the transition to the cloud environment and RPM is ready to support them in this endeavour.”

Mathews concluded: “A successful cloud offering requires us to work closely with our customers and, to that end, we have established a separate team who are tasked with ensuring our customers make a smooth transition to the cloud.

“Our goal is to ensure these customers see quantifiable benefits from RPM’s previous investment made in ‘enterprising’ our products and the obvious flow-on benefits from operating in the ‘cloud’.

There is no doubt that providing software delivery via the Cloud enhances our customer’s businesses whilst improving our ability to service them through better availability, upgradeability and system up-time.”

Centennial Coal looks for efficiency and transparency boost from Icertis platform

Automation, Coal technology, Communications in mining, Mine operation news, Mining services, Mining software, Power supply for mines, , , , , , , ,

Australia mining company, Centennial Coal, has selected the Icertis Contract Management (ICM) cloud-based platform to streamline its contracting process while driving efficiency and transparency across its operations, according to the enterprise contract management firm.

The ICM platform will play a key role in accelerating buy-side contracting, improving Centennial’s compliance and optimising its commercial mining contractors’ on-site performance, according to Icertis.

“Increasing transparency into the contracting process will also improve Centennial’s efficiency by flagging contract expirations and giving the company the ability to properly plan for upcoming projects,” it added.

Centennial’s Group Manager Contracts and Procurement, Colleen Bastow, said: “Employing over 1,600 people and operating five underground mines in New South Wales, we require a contract management solution that helps us to meet our business goal of financial and operational excellence. The ICM platform will equip us with a fully-automated solution for enterprise contract management that turns static contracts into strategic assets.”

According to Icertis, Centennial selected ICM because it offered a standardised platform that seamlessly integrated with its existing systems. “The ICM platform’s scalability and ease of use will also help to accelerate adoption, collaboration and velocity to gain better control of contracting processes.”

Samir Bodas, CEO and Co-founder of Icertis, said: “Icertis has committed to increasing its presence in Australia and New Zealand by expanding our team and offerings to serve our rapidly growing customer list. The region has a large mining presence and we’re thrilled that our dedication to this region has delivered our newest customer, Centennial Coal, a company striving to offer a sustainable approach to mining. The ICM platform enables Centennial to gain full visibility into contract milestones, contractual commitments and obligations – equipping the company with tools to deliver even greater value to its customers.”

Centennial supplies coal to support 40% of New South Wales coal-fired electricity generating capacity alongside a successful export business, according to Icertis.