Wenco International Mining Systems has released an update to its core fleet management system that empowers shovel/digger operators to streamline their production environment.
As fleet management systems have matured over the past three decades to become highly optimised for material movement and ore grade control, the opportunities for efficiency gains have become increasingly nuanced. Wenco’s latest FMS features focus on loading unit operators and leveraging the critical role they play.
The first feature recognizes the impact of routine tasks outside of the regular digging and loading process that can incur truck wait time. Examples of these supplementary tasks include clean-up, dig face preparation, refuelling, or performing a short move along the dig face.
Truck wait time is a poor use of both operator and trucking resources - it is generally to be avoided. Therefore, it is important for dispatchers (or dispatching algorithms) to learn of non-productive tasks before they happen so that the system can avoid unnecessary wait time.
Wencomine FMS now gives loading unit operators the ability to inform the system of when these events will occur, in advance, so that its dispatching algorithm can be made aware of instances where the digger will be unable to load trucks. This allows the production operation to best manage wait time aligned with its unique priorities and constraints.
The benefits from coordinating loading operations via a sophisticated system range from identifying the loaded material to specifying the dump location, but these come at the small cost of multiple seconds of interaction with an in-cab screen. To reclaim precious seconds from each cycle, the second feature recently released for Wencomine FMS addresses these ergonomics.
Shovel operators can now leverage digital input signals from a foot pedal, for example, to interact with Wenco’s Mobile Data Terminal (MDT) to rapidly change their location, dig block, material and dump selection while keeping their hands on the equipment controls.
Hands-free interaction for these routine tasks can directly reduce cycle times, translating into more material moved and a smoother production environment.
Combined, these features are primed to improve operational efficiency reduce equipment idle time, decrease fuel consumption, enhance coordination between loading units and mobile equipment, and can reduce cycle times by optimizing shovel operator workflow.