RPMGlobal (RPM), a leader in mining software technology, has announced its new fleet optimisation solution at MINExpo 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

FleetOptimiser continues RPM’s journey towards cloud-based solutions, offering a product designed for customers to calculate and optimise their trucking requirements for a shift, the company says.

The solution combines a 3D, visual user interface with RPM’s universal fleet calculation wrapped up in a secure, web accessible, cloud-based solution.

Up until now desktop models and spreadsheets have been used to calculate the viability of the mine plan. This creates downstream issues with difficulty maintaining data, accuracy issues and version control, RPM says. Several products have provided truck-limited scheduling over the years, which works well in a long-term horizon, however applying the same techniques to the more detailed short-term space has always fallen short.

FleetOptimiser uses the RPM travel time calculation engine, the industry standard, that is embedded across many of their mining software solutions. It calculates productivity for trucks across a haulage network while matching truck productivity to targeted loader productivity.

According to Michael Baldwin, RPMGlobal’s Chief Commercial Officer, engineers have been dreaming about this product for years. “There has always been conflict between planners and operations with respect to what an achievable plan actually is,” Baldwin said. “FleetOptimiser lets the planner optimise realistic targets for the upcoming shifts while operations can use FleetOptimiser to reconfigure fleet throughout the shift as parameters change, all through a web-based 3D intuitive user experience,” he added.

Mine planners who use XECUTE, or other execution scheduling applications, can rapidly react to changes in truck availability by simulating the impact on load productivity, and then incorporate the required changes in their plan.

The solution also provides the user with functionality to update and maintain the current road network if required. Calibrated fleet settings can also be controlled through the solution, allowing for standardisation across the entire organisation.

Baldwin added: “The market’s excitement around FleetOptimiser is clear, and the feedback from our early adopters has been overwhelmingly positive. FleetOptimiser offers planners the solution they have been seeking and promises to deliver a significant productivity shift for the industry.”