IMK Archives - International Mining

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.

Xerotech, a supplier of configurable battery systems, and IMK, an engineering firm that focuses on complete vehicle design, engineering and prototype builds, are to enter into a strategic partnership to help OEMs electrify their fleets.

This new partnership leverages the respective strengths of Xerotech and IMK to create a compelling offering to OEMs who are facing mounting pressure to reduce emissions and adopt electric vehicles. Xerotech’s Hibernium® platform batteries complement IMK’s vehicle design, engineering and prototyping expertise, and enables the new wave of low-volume electrification, the partners say.

The strategic agreement is the next step in the relationship between both companies, with joint projects for construction and mining OEMs already underway.

“The collaboration with Xerotech gives us the opportunity to offer our expertise and capabilities in prototype development and manufacturing to a wider range of OEMs willing to electrify their fleets,” Frank Herrmann, Managing Director at IMK, said.

Thomas Tomaszewski, VP of Business Development at Xerotech, added: “Xerotech’ Hibernium platform removes the electrification barrier of system component availability, but it is partners like IMK Engineering that are essential for design and development of new generation machinery. We are proud to work with Mr. Herrmann’s team and deliver the best-in-class solutions to the end customers.”