MineWare, after 18 months of field trials conducted across three Western Australia mine sites, has launched a new OEM-independent wheel loader monitoring system that, it says, lifts productivity and reduces cost per tonne in real time.

Argus Wheel Loader (WL) delivers real-time feedback to the wheel loader operator via an intuitive touchscreen to make material handling and loading jobs safer, faster and more accurate, according to MineWare.

The tool builds on MineWare’s Argus and Pegasys monitoring systems for electric rope shovels, hydraulic excavators and draglines.

MineWare Vice President of Marketing and Sales, Roy Pater, said Argus WL was developed based on a growing demand from MineWare’s customers to improve efficiency, effectiveness and payload accuracy across their large wheel loader fleets.

“Argus WL does this by weighing each bucket in real time, without the need to stop and calculate payload before dumping the load,” he said. “This, we understand from our customers, is an unacceptable practice required from other similar systems today, losing valuable production time to repeat this with every bucket load.”

Pater said the multi-purpose nature of the system was a key point of difference, with Argus WL offering advanced functionality in truck detection, structural monitoring, as well as payload optimisation in real-time.

“The real-time nature of Argus WL really stands our system apart as it gives operators direct feedback for them to make smarter loading decisions to optimise truck loading and payload management,” he said.

“Argus WL guides operators to move the right amount of material with every load, helping mines to reduce payload variability, meet production targets and predict the operations forecasts more reliably, when analysing machine productivity by shift and operator.”

Developed on an open IoT platform, the interoperable system works on any OEM machine and integrates with third-party production software, according to the Komatsu-owned company.

Pater said Argus WL leverages MineWare’s 15 years of experience in ground engagement equipment monitoring, productivity improvement and payload optimisation to create a purpose-built system made for mining.

“Argus WL takes productivity monitoring for wheel loaders to a new level, by working smarter, not harder, to get the job completed successfully,” he said.