More than half a century after inventing the concept,
celebrated the production of the 75 000th articulated
dump truck (ADT). The company has produced more
than half of the ADTs ever made, and 50 000 Volvo
haulers are still in regular use around the world. The
75 000th machine — one of the new generation A45G
full suspension models — rolled off the production line
in late June at the factory where the first machine — the
DDR631 or ‘Gravel Charlie’ — was made, in Braås,
Sweden. The first 15-tonne capacity machine built in
1966 can fit into the haul body of Volvo’s largest ADT, the
55-tonne A60H. And although Volvo articulated haulers
can be found across the world, the 75 000th machine
is staying relatively local, going to Norwegian customer
Leonhard Nilsen & Sønner AS.
Volvo
Volvo Construction Equipment recently
In June, Volvo’s 75 000th ADT — a new generation A45G full suspension model — rolled off the
production line.
Intelligent Mining Conference 2017 spotlights data and digitisation
Hatch regional director: Digital Mining
Australasia, Jeanne Els.
A paradigm shift in the mining industry is
being driven by the fourth industrial revolution
(Industry 4.0) and the advent of the Internet
of Things (IoT), which promotes connectivity,
modularity, and reuse of sensors, data, networks,
and platforms. Because of this, big data and
analytics will play an increasingly important role
in the industry’s future.
Speaking at the Hatch Intelligent Mining
Conference 2017, held at the Indaba Hotel
in Johannesburg recently, Jeanne Els, Hatch
regional director: Digital Mining Australasia,
said that only between 1% and 5% of the data
generated by the mining industry is actually
used for prediction and optimisation. “There
are tremendous opportunities to use data in the
mining industry, and much of it is low-hanging
fruit,” said Els.
Not all of the correct data is being collected, and
what is being collected is either not stored at all,
or often not stored properly, making it difficult
to extract and use for analytics. The lack of
available real-time data is also making the actual
decision-making process more challenging.
Advances in technology offer the mining
industry the opportunity to develop sophisticated
models to simulate processes and systems that
can then be used for prediction of outcomes and
optimisation. “Once this is done in real-time,
you then have the ability to close the loop and
introduce automation,” Els added. “The aim is
to transform mining from a people-intensive
industry to an algorithm-based industry, to get
to a place where we have codified processes and
real-time information to make real-time decisions
— that is really powerful.”
The first major benefits are decreased
variability and increased predictability,
meaning fewer unplanned events such as
unforeseen stoppages, and resulting in
better health and safety outcomes, as well
as improved productivity and efficiency.
According to Els, this also unlocks new ways
of doing business.
However, the biggest challenge for the
mining industry is not technology, but rather
being open to collaborative ecosystems and
open platforms to drive such innovation. “We
have to get to a place where we encourage
different companies working together on open
platforms to develop new applications and
new types of sensors, for example, that will
ultimately unlock this kind of value for the
entire industry,” said Els.
SEPTEMBER 2017
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