Mine managers need help. They're pulled in a thousand directions every day and they're still on the hook to keep their site performing better all the time. Even with a technological edge, they can only do so much. It's just not enough for mine managers alone to track KPIs anymore.
So, what about operators?
If you're an operator, you've been left in the dark. Driving a truck all day, you think you're doing a great job — until it's performance review time. Then you discover your metrics are way off: hauling takes too long, dump counts are low, and spotting time just isn't cutting it. Maybe someone should have pointed it out before now, but everyone's busy. What are you supposed to do?
There's an easy fix to the whole situation. Give more power to the operators. Let them see their KPIs in real time. After all, they're the ones who can do something about them.
Mines are a team effort and everyone needs to contribute. Operators want to do a great job, but without feedback they only have their best guesses. Dispatchers don't have time to monitor metrics for every individual operator; they're too busy already. Managers can see data and make recommendations, but it only helps so much when dealing with a situation in the cab.
If operators can see their current performance in the middle of a shift, though, they can take steps so they hit their targets.
For example, take this truck operator. His KPIs are chiefly good; hauling, dumping, and empty travel times are right on track. But, his spotting time needs work. By showing him those KPIs as he's working, he can try to get that spotting time down. Without that feedback, he'd just carry on and waste time until a manager called him in — possibly many months later.
Managers know that real-time KPIs are powerful stuff. Even a slight improvement, repeated enough times, can save hundreds of hours and millions of dollars. Supervisors and dispatchers can advise all they want, but only operators can change their behaviour on the fly. So, why not give them the power to do it?
Wenco is bringing our real-time KPI tool, Dashboard, to mobile units. In the meantime, how can you empower your operators to get everyone working their best? Let us know at info@wencomine.com.