Sure, you know Wenco is a major innovator in mining technology. You know our fleet management systems (FMS) are one of the easiest ways to rein in your mine's cost of production. You know our latest solutions employ leading-edge technology that continues to raise mine performance — things like Big Data, analytics, IoT, and autonomous vehicles. You know we're celebrating our 30th year making mines run simpler, smarter, and safer.
But, did you know Wenco is actually part of Hitachi Construction Machinery (HCM)?
We joined Hitachi in 2009. While we already had good technology and a solid team of engineers, we couldn't kickstart all our plans for the mining industry on our own. To work at the highest level, we needed support from an organization that's been at the forefront of innovation for a century. Hitachi was the perfect fit. The moment Hitachi acquired us, we instantly gained access to a world of resources working to define the future of industry. With deep financial backing and access to some of the brightest engineering minds on Earth, we've been able to scale up our development of the latest mining solutions. Through our relationship with Hitachi, we've created our preventive maintenance and equipment health analysis system, Readyline. This collaborative project with our Hitachi colleagues, experts in heavy machinery, lets us provide practical, real-world value through rich data analysis that decreases unplanned downtime. Similarly, our collision avoidance system, Fleet Awareness V2X, was built on peer-to-peer technology originally developed by Hitachi for use in road vehicles. We received expert guidance as we set out to convert this commercial system into one industrialized to the specific variables and hazards of a mining environment. HCM's autonomous haulage system is a real joint partnership between HCM and Wenco. HCM's understanding of equipment and how it functions matches Wenco's legacy of digital innovation to bring the dream of self-driving trucks into reality. Hitachi sees Wenco as a strategic component of its mining strategy.
"The HCM sales channel helps to enlarge Wenco's exposure to the market," says Satoshi Oshima, global account manager at HCM. "Meanwhile, Wenco reinforces HCM's quality of services. Customers not only need HCM's equipment, but they need systems to manage them as well."
Toshihiko Ito of Hitachi Global Mining (HGM) agrees.
"HGM is promoting the standalone Wenco value-add solutions to non-FMS customers. This is beneficial in exploring additional revenue streams and increasing market presence.
"Wenco's rich and proven products for fleet management, machine guidance, dispatching, fleet safety, maintenance, and intelligence are perfect building blocks to realize HGM's vision."
Hitachi and Wenco will showcase their collaborations in September at Hitachi NEXT — the company's annual event exploring the digital revolution and its effect on industry. At Hitachi NEXT 2017, Wenco will present its Fleet Awareness V2X system, Readyline, and the soon-to-be-released sixth edition of our flagship FMS, Wencomine. The conference runs from September 18 to 20 at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. If you're a current customer or you'd like details on your area of interest, please let us know so we can arrange an agenda to ensure you get the most from the event. In the meantime, check out this sneak preview of the biggest new features coming in Wenco System 6. For more information, please contact us at info@wencomine.com or at 604.270.8277.