optimization concerns
Common Optimization Problems
- Truck queueing
- Shovel hang time
- Unrealized plant capacity and/or poor blend
- Inefficient shift change
- Fueling issues
- Unnecessary travel time
- Mining sequence delays
- Misdirected loads
- Uneven benches
- Improper blast design
Our Solution
- Excessive truck queuing results in decreased productivity and increased fuel consumption. The DISPATCH system provides proven optimization of truck assignments in real time, minimizing truck queuing at loading and dumping locations.
- Every minute a shovel is not loading trucks is wasted time and money. The DISPATCH optimization algorithm accounts for the number of trucks at each shovel, automatically assigning trucks and reducing hang time.
- Incorrect head feed grade can result in decreased efficiency of, and even damage to, plant equipment. For customers with strict feed grade requirements, the DISPATCH blending module maximizes production while honoring material blend constraints.
- Inefficient operator changes keep equipment out of service and sacrifice productivity. By assigning equipment to park up locations at the optimum time, and tracking the location of all equipment during shift change, the DISPATCH system improves equipment utilization and minimizes the impact of scheduled crew changes.
- A truck running out of fuel is highly disruptive to any mine, while unnecessary refueling reduces equipment utilization and productivity. The DISPATCH system predicts when a truck will need refueling, reducing unnecessary operational delays, and issues alarms when fuel levels reach critical thresholds.
- Unnecessary travel results in wasted fuel and operator time while causing needless wear and tear on equipment. By calculating the best path between start and end points, and issuing alarms when equipment follows an incorrect route, the DISPATCH system ensures that your fleet is traveling as efficiently as possible.
- When steps in a mining process occur out of order, operational delays can quickly accumulate. The DISPATCH system proactively manages and schedules equipment and personnel, allowing multi-stage operations to run efficiently.
- Sending ore to a waste dump is literally throwing money away. And when waste is dumped in a crusher, it can cause costly downtime and disrupt blend quality. ProVision solutions continuously reconcile mined material grade with assigned dumping location, and issue alarms highlighting a potential misdirection.
- Uneven benches require substantial auxiliary equipment rework to avoid damage to haulage equipment. By continuously monitoring track elevation, ProVision solutions are able to inform loading equipment operators of bench grade variations against plan, encouraging corrective action.
- Blast design must be specific to material hardness to avoid waste of explosives and improper fragmentation. The ProVision stratification module profiles material by hole, enabling optimized blast design. Real-time machine guidance ensures operators drill according to plan.