Tag Archives: Position Partners

Position Partners to bring Presien’s Blindsight collision avoidance tech to Australasia

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

Presien and Position Partners have announced a distribution agreement to expand access and implementation of Blindsight, an artificial intelligence-backed collision avoidance system for industries such as mining.

Unlike other alert systems and safety solutions, Blindsight’s integrated camera and AI software sees, understands and alerts operators to potential hazards, the companies say. The Blindsight system can be installed on mobile plant or fixed infrastructure, anywhere.

“We developed Blindsight because we wanted to create a world where every worker is safe, and every employer is successful,” Mark Richards, CEO of Presien, said. “Using AI allows us to protect workers in the most complex of situations and quantify safety metrics, all at once.”

Blindsight’s pre-trained AI automatically detects people, vehicles, traffic cones and custom objects unique to each work site. With automatic, over the air updates, the system is constantly learning and improving. The system’s in-cab visual, auditory, and haptic alerts immediately notify operators to the presence and direction of dangers in real time.

Through the distribution agreement between Presien and Position Partners, these capabilities will be available in Australia and New Zealand for the first time.

Martin Nix, CEO of Position Partners, said: “Increasing safety around working heavy machinery is of paramount importance to our customers, so we are excited to announce our agreement with Presien and introduce Blindsight to the building, civil and mining sectors in Australasia.

“Feedback from early adopters has been extremely positive, particularly around Blindsight’s automated detection of people without the need of a wearable tag. It is an excellent example of how artificial intelligence can be used to benefit humankind.”

Position Partners bolsters Queensland contingent

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

Position Partners, to provide increased support for customers and projects throughout Queensland, Australia, has expanded its geographic reach throughout the state.

The intelligent positioning solutions provider now has employees based in Townsville, Chinchilla and Mackay on-hand to support customers with technical advice, support and installations, calling on the larger Brisbane-based team as required to offer customers full-service capabilities, it says.

Harry Katsanevas, Queensland Regional Manager at Position Partners, said: “We are pleased to announce these changes to give customers throughout the state local support.”

Position Partners offers sales, rental, service and training across its range of civil machine control, GPS and surveying technology, mining fleet management and high precision machine guidance systems. It is also Topcon’s exclusive Australian Partner for Machine Control and Positioning Systems.

“Our Queensland team includes some of our most experienced and capable people across the whole company, with extensive knowledge not only of the technology, but also our customers and the work they do,” Katsanevas said.

“As the leader for our Queensland region, I have one focus, and that is ensuring every aspect of our business is channelled towards our customers and doing everything possible to keep them working as productively as possible,” he added.

With dedicated teams for civil construction, mining and geospatial customers, Katsanevas said Queensland employees bring industry-focused expertise while working collaboratively across the business to meet the needs of customers.

“Our award-winning remote service platform Tokara is one example of a technology that’s been built by our team from the ground up and works across all industries we serve,” he said.

Tokara is a custom-developed web-based service that offers support, training and design updates quickly from a site office or Position Partners branches. It acts as a support and field asset management tool, linking to machines and survey devices in the field, according to Position Partners.

“Our service centres can repair and calibrate everything from a laser level through to survey drones, machine control systems and total stations. We also have applications specialists in areas such as on-board weighing, mass haul scheduling and more that can be called on across all market segments as required.”

Downer to deploy Carlson machine guidance solutions across Australia mine sites

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

Downer has recently invested in Carlson high precision machine guidance solutions to be deployed across four mine sites in Australia, the software solutions company confirmed.

In total, 27 machine systems will be installed across a fleet of dozers, excavators, drills, and supervisor vehicles to increase productivity and optimise mine site operations, Carlson said.

“As a leading mine contractor in Australia, Downer invests in technology and innovation to maximise safety, productivity, and operational efficiency across all stages of the mining lifecycle,” Carlson explained. “Supported throughout Australia, New Zealand, and Southeast Asia by Carlson’s Oceania distributor, Position Partners, Downer has implemented a tried and tested high precision machine guidance solution that is reliable, effective, and user friendly.”

Andrew Granger, Position Partners’ Mining Business Manager, said Downer and the company have worked closely on tailored mining solutions since 2014, when the company purchased its first Carlson high precision machine guidance system.

“Through a deep understanding of Downer’s requirements, along with a commitment by Carlson to listen to customer needs and design solutions to meet them, we were able to deliver a customised volumetrics module to get maximum productivity gains from their technology investment,” he said.

Carlson’s custom-designed volumetrics module is integrated into the Carlson Command software platform to provide office reporting tools to Downer on productivity and utilisation of high precision machine guidance systems.

“It’s a management tool that provides an in-depth understanding of machine and fleet performance,” Granger added. “It gives mine managers visibility into exactly how machines are operating, including the volume and location of material moved per hour.”

Nicholas Duggan, Technology Support Specialist from Downer, said: “Downer is committed to utilising innovative technology that delivers valuable insights and productivity gains to our mining operations. We partner with local companies where possible that have both technical capability and boots-on-the-ground support, which is why Position Partners with the Carlson solution is a preferred supplier.”

The Carlson Machine Guidance products purchased by Downer include:

  • Drill Grade – Carlson’s guidance and monitoring solution for drills;
  • Excavator Grade – Carlson’s digger guidance and monitoring solution for diggers;
  • Dozer Grade – Carlson’s guidance and monitoring solution for dozers;
  • Grade Supervisor – Carlson’s solution to allow supervisors to check production and see how they are performing against targets, and;
  • Carlson Command – Carlson’s office database solution to capture all data coming in from the machines for real-time viewing, reporting, and data analysis.

Granger said: “Carlson’s high precision machine guidance, combined with a robust reporting capability, offers a proven solution for mine sites. The systems are reliable, the interface is simple, and the productivity gains are tangible.”

Mine excavators gain control with FMS and on-board weighing abilities

Automation, Equipment maintenance, Mining equipment, Mining maintenance, Mining services, Mining software, , , , , , ,

A combination of a fleet management system (FMS) and hydraulic on-board weighing technology is set to transform mine excavators into a control centre for increased productivity, according to Position Partners.

The Australia-based positioning technology provider has announced a new solution for excavators working on mine sites, which combines the iVolve FMS (pictured) with RDS hydraulic excavator scales. This enables accurate weighing of material onto trucks, according to the company.

“For haul trucks already fitted with truck scales, the system acts as a tool to validate and compare truck tonnage. If trucks do not have on-board weighing technology, the excavator is able to store and transmit loading information to the truck, allowing mine managers to consistently and reliably track material movement across the site,” Position Partners says.

Andrew Granger, National Manager for Mining at Position Partners, said the combination of iVolve FMS and RDS excavator scales offers mine managers an “exciting productivity tool that maximises an excavator’s capacity by making it the centre of loading operations”.

“In consultation with our customers, we identified a need for this solution in the mining industry,” he added. “Having supported a similar solution in construction for some time, we were able to work with our suppliers to create a tailored system that is specifically designed to meet the needs of Australian mine sites.”

The iVolve fleet management system focuses on operational efficiency improvements directly related to production, maintenance, guidance and safety. This enables customers to increase productivity, cut costs and minimise risk.

The RDS hydraulic excavator scales, meanwhile, give operators accurate bucket weight information at their fingertips, increasing productivity and reducing machine wear.