Tag Archives: GHH

talpasolutions to go ‘full throttle’ into new industries with latest investment

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

Essen-based technology company talpasolutions has raised €4.5 million ($5.5 million) in its latest round of financing to help further accelerate its expansion in key industries such as mining, construction and logistics.

“Thanks to the investment, we are going full throttle into new industries,” Sebastian-Friedrich Kowitz, Co-Founder and CEO of talpasolutions, said. “Over the coming months, we will continue to develop our platform and work on acquiring more international partners and customers. Our goal is to make the Internet of Things a reality in the global heavy industry as well.”

talpasolutions offers software that connects mobile heavy machinery, collects data, and translates machine data into concrete actionable insights for machine manufacturers and operators. It helps companies optimise their machine performance, reduce unplanned downtime and improve safety.

It has tied up with GHH to power the equipment maker’s inSiTE solution.

“talpasolutions enables heavy equipment owners and machine manufacturers in the heavy industry to leverage machine data that would otherwise have been lost,” Kowitz said. “Both the participation of the new investors and the renewed commitment of our existing investors demonstrate confidence that our chosen path is the right one.”

GHH sheds light on underground mining equipment operation with inSiTE

Communications in mining, Equipment maintenance, IoT, Mining equipment, Mining maintenance, Mining services, Mining software, , , , ,

GHH is looking to help mining and tunnelling companies digitise their operations with a new analytics solution that can be used on any brand of equipment.

GHH inSiTE, powered by talpasolutions, provides a digital performance and condition monitoring tool, as well as a baseline for the future of digitally optimised mining operations, the company says. It is used to gain operational safety and cost control without the complexity often associated with acquiring and analysing such data.

Product Manager, Dr Felix Straßburger, said smart management was the future of the industry allowing mining companies to increase their return on investment.

Together with a vast team of external experts, GHH has created a digital analytics platform solution that, it says, transparently depicts on-site operations.

The system receives input directly from machines on site. Location, payload, distances, consumption, exhaust gas values, temperatures and much more are recorded and relayed. While this data has long been held on many machines, a comprehensive consolidation, evaluation and presentation platform was not available, according to Straßburger.

This is where GHH inSiTE comes into play, the company says.

“The software is regarded as a powerful tool that is adaptable and scalable, and thus designed to be future-proof,” it said.

“The connection to common IT infrastructures is guaranteed. All components are connected to each other via the network.”

Receiving this data in close to real time at control rooms, operators have all machine information available to them via PC, tablet or smartphone.

“If something goes wrong, or a change of schedule is required, they can intervene immediately,” the company says.

Even before the market launch, GHH took a major customer on board in 2019 to put the solution through its paces. The results were so convincing that an order was placed in mid-2020, with the contract covering a considerable part of the plant and equipment – around 150 machines.

During trials, the customer was able to achieve fuel savings of 7% and an efficiency increase of 12% in the monitored sub-fleet alone, according to GHH.

K+S shifts digital analytics gears after trials provide InSiTE

Equipment maintenance, IoT, Mine operation news, Mining equipment, Mining events, Mining maintenance, Mining services, Mining software, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

A more than three-month trial of GHH’s inSiTE digital analytics solution on a 14-t-payload LF-14 LHD has convinced potash and salt miner, K+S, to complete a rollout of the platform across multiple mine sites.

GHH inSiTE, powered by talpasolutions, can distil complicated and seemingly random information into powerful tools for analysis, according to GHH, with the manufacturer promising the integration into daily operations leads to continuously improved productivity.

In one of the first applications of GHH inSiTE in an operation in the CIS region, the customer achieved decreased downtime, increased utilisation, a 7% reduction in fuel consumption, the identification of inefficiencies in cycle time, and a 12% boost in overall equipment efficiency, according to the company.

K+S was looking to put the promises of GHH to the test and initially agreed on a technical pilot.

This technical pilot and the promising opportunities regarding data analysis and visualisation must have been convincing because, in July, K+S signed up for a commercial deployment of GHH inSiTE. This will see GHH inSiTE used on 150 machines across its mine sites.

Andreas Walczyk, Program Manager, Digital Transformation, at K+S, told attendees of The 2nd International Conference on High-Performance Mining that the trial was a chance for the company to not only gather machine data, but also leverage it to make improvements to its maintenance, production and training processes.

“The main reason for this pilot was to figure out if we were on the right path regarding data logging, network, WLAN and more,” he said. “The answer is yes; the pilot was and is very successful because all of our expectations were met.”

The company came away with around 3,500 operating hours and 27 GB of data to play with and analyse.

It acquired this by connecting to the on-board CAN BUS and engine control systems on the LF-14, logging the machine data over that three-month period, creating a “data buffer” at each site, displaying said data on customisable dashboards, and connecting it all through a cloud-based WLAN system.

K+S has already started the rollout of GHH inSiTE across its operations, with Walczyk keen to see how the machine-to-machine connection can allow loaders to, for example, pick up data from scalers to further improve the operations’ data analytics.

Dr Jan Petzold, GHH Group CEO, says the GHH inSiTE system does not discriminate between mobile or fixed machinery, with operators and supervisors able to customise their dashboards to monitor the data and key performance indicators most important to them.

“Owning data is not good enough, you need to know what to do with the data,” he said. “There is now a tool available to help you improve your maintenance intervals, your mean times between failures, and you have the chance to store this data for review afterwards. We also enable our customers to integrate the data in existing workflows to take better actions based on actionable insights.”

Following the rollout of GHH inSiTE across the 150 machines at multiple operating sites, Walczyk says K+S will then look to integrate the solution into its SAP system.

Also included on the K+S roadmap is a plan to leverage GHH inSiTE for a move into the predictive maintenance arena at its sites, using the platform for spare parts and resource inventory management, performance benchmarking and innovations for targeted product development.

GHH to create new service base in German potash and salt mining hub

Energy minerals, Equipment maintenance, Mining equipment, Mining services, , , ,

GHH says it is to establish a new service base for its customers in the heart of the German potash and salt mining industry.

The Gelsenkirchen-based mining and tunneling equipment manufacturer took over the business activities of BAT Bohr- und Anlagentechnik GmbH in the village of Krayenberggemeinde on October 1. Through its subsidiary, GSE Europe GmbH, GHH took over the fixed assets of BAT, which will soon be renamed and continued at the site as BAT Bergbau Service GmbH. The company currently has 25 employees.

With this step, GHH wants to provide its German customers with comprehensive services quickly and reliably, it said. This mainly involves repair work, the construction of spare parts and parts logistics. GHH is also considering making the site the centre for its special-purpose machinery manufacturing operations.

“This will not only expand our range of services, but also continue a traditional location in this mining region, which is so important for Germany,” Dr Jan Petzold, CEO of the GHH Group, said.

GHH receives Red Dot award for MK-42 underground dump truck

Mining equipment, Mining industry recognition, Mining services, , , ,

GHH has been awarded a Red Dot Product Design award for its new 42 tonne underground dump truck.

The MK-42 can carry up to a maximum of 45 t with the dump truck tray capacity ranging from 19 cu.m up to 24 cu.m.

What’s more, the truck comes with a best-in-class power rating of 460 kW. It also has a class-leading turning radius and dump angle (of 68°) for improved performance and less material adhesion in the tray, the company says.

“The truck boasts optimal traction and higher driving comfort thanks to oscillating articulation and a front axle suspension system,” GHH says. “The MK-42 has a large, ergonomic ROPS/FOPS certified safety cabin with high performance air conditioning and air filtration. The pressurised cabin is noise and dust isolated with no high pressure hoses inside, and includes a strategically placed trainer seat for on-the-job operator training.”

GHH, together with Studio Heikki Naulapää Oy, created the baseline methodology and design philosophy for the MK-42 from which the GHH team developed the truck.

“This dump truck has been designed in collaboration with operators and miners in order to ensure the most fit-for-purpose product with best-in-class operator comfort and safety in mind,” the company said.

“The powerful, rugged product design lends itself not only to an extremely comfortable ride, but also provides for high productivity while maintaining low operating costs. The truck is strong on the inside and, through advanced industrial design, is also visually extremely appealing on the outside with the clear product colouring providing for maximum visibility in underground mining/tunnelling operations.”

On those companies receiving a Red Dot award, Red Dot CEO, Professor Dr Peter Zec, said: “The winners of the Red Dot Award have proved that they have created excellent products worthy of winning an award. The products won over the jury not only through their aesthetic, but also thanks to their incomparable functionality. With their designs, the award winners are setting new standards in their industry. I wish to congratulate them most sincerely on their success.”

The Red Dot Award: Product Design offers designers and manufacturers from all over the world a platform for assessing their products. In 2020, designers and companies from 60 countries entered more than 6,500 products in the competition, according to Red Dot.

The international jury comprises experienced experts from different disciplines and has been convening for around 65 years to select the year’s best designs.

The adjudication process lasts several days and is based on two essential criteria: the jurors test all of the entries for the aesthetic and materials selected, the level of craftsmanship, the surface structure, ergonomics and functionality.

“After intensive discussions, they make a decision on the design quality of the products,” GHH explains. “True to the motto, ‘In search of good design and innovation’, only the best designs receive an award.”

On June 22, the MK-42 material will be added to the Red Dot Design Museum in Essen, Germany, where materials from all the award-winning products will be on show. The MK-42 will also feature in the online exhibition on the Red Dot website.

Tembo 4×4 grants ACCÈS to Electric Cruiser in Quebec

Environmental, Mining equipment, Mining services, Power supply for mines, , , , , , , , ,

ACCÈS is set to bring Tembo 4×4’s Electric Cruiser to the Canada mining market after the two companies recently signed a distribution agreement covering the province of Quebec.

ACCÈS became Tembo 4×4’s first international partner in 2016 when the initial prototype of its Electric Cruiser (pictured) was still on the drawing board, Tembo 4×4 said. Having launched the Electric Cruiser, Tembo 4×4 followed this up, in 2018, with the addition of the Electric HLX.

The Rouyn-Noranda-based dealer will now bring the Electric Cruiser to its clients in Quebec, many of whom come from the mining industry.

Tembo 4×4 e-LVs are available as all-wheel drive in several versions, all based on the Toyota 70 and Hilux series. The vehicles are equipped with a 65 kW electric motor with 250 Nm torque, the Netherlands-based supplier said.

“The temperature-controlled, modular and exchangeable battery provides a range of 80-100 km in proven underground use,” the company said, adding that they are designed for a service life of 15 years, or 8,000 charging cycles (80% depth of discharge), and can charge from 20-80% in two-and-a-half hours.

The electric mining utility vehicles, which are currently in use across Europe, come with on-board 15 kW charger, can reach a maximum speed of 80 km/h, and are able to negotiate inclines of up to 45°, according to Tembo 4×4.

ACCÈS is not the only distributor Tembo 4×4 has signed up for its electric vehicles in strategic mining hubs. Last year, the company signed an agreement with GHH that saw the Germany-based company offer the Electric Cruiser and Electric HLX in Germany, Turkey, Greece, Russia, India, the USA, Mexico, Chile, New Zealand, South Africa, Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, the CIS and Latin America.

In Australia, GB Electric Vehicles is the exclusive distributor for the Tembo 4×4 Electric Cruiser and Electric HLX.

The company also has suppliers in Saudi Arabia (FHC – Fire and Hazard Control Equipment Co Ltd), Mongolia (BODIZ INTERNATIONAL GROUP LLC) and Norway (Arctic Trucks Norway).

New GHH 45 t capacity dump truck about to enter underground market

Equipment maintenance, Mining equipment, Mining maintenance, Mining services, , , , , , , ,

GHH has developed a new 42 t payload dump truck that, it says, offers maximum drive power, improved turning radius, steep dumping angle and excellent ergonomics and safety.

The German manufacturer of heavy machinery for civil engineering, tunnelling and mining, which has roots that go back to 1758, has three other underground dump trucks in its underground mining portfolio (in addition to two within its low profile dump truck offering and one within its flameproof portfolio) spanning 15-35 t payload applications. The new truck is the largest in its portfolio.

The new MK-42 offers an up to 45 t payload, 19-24 m³ dump body capacity, maximum drive power, a great turning radius, improved dumping angle and excellent ergonomics and safety, according to the company. It has a streamlined, innovative product design, which just received the Red Dot Design Award, GHH added.

The 460 kW Mercedes OM473 forms the engine base, fulfilling the latest EU Stage V emission standards. GHH also offers Tier 3 and 4 versions for less regulated markets, while an alternative Volvo Penta TAD1651 or 1671 engine option is available.

The vehicle rests on Kessler axles with oscillating articulation and front axle suspension, while the power is transmitted by a converter and gearbox combination from the Dana 8000 series.

Designed for use in harsh environments, especially in underground hard-rock mining applications, the MK-42’s dimensions are surprisingly compact at 3,062 x 10,535 x 2,719 mm (WxLxH). A steep dumping angle of 68° leads to high efficiency productivity and improved cycle time, according to GHH.

The company said special emphasis was placed on a safe and simple design, with low maintenance and repair costs, and operator safety and comfort kept in mind through the entire design process. The ROPS/FOPS certified cab is ergonomically designed to be spacious, quiet, pressurised and effectively air-conditioned to ensure maximum operator comfort while minimising fatigue, GHH says. The strategically placed trainer seat, meanwhile, provides for effective operator training.

The new MK-42 fits seamlessly into the manufacturer’s range of dump trucks and is the perfect haulage partner for GHH’s LF-14 loader, with the combination of the two offering three pass loading, GHH said. Extensive consulting, aftermarket support, parts sales and technical training are just a few of the services GHH offers to all customers worldwide.

Global sales will start shortly as the prototype truck enters its final stage of rigorous testing, GHH said, which added that a special version, the MK-A45, will be marketed exclusively for the Russia market.