With the release of System 6 last week, Wenco lays a path to next-level performance for modern mines. Years of research and development in partnership with forward-thinking companies has resulted in this comprehensive suite of solutions one that resets the bar for mine productivity, intelligence, and technical interoperability.Over the next few weeks, we're shining a light on key elements of this new system, detailing how it paves the way for mines to improve performance now and scale their output in coming years. Today, we're exploring the most obvious update for current Wenco customers — a new, more intuitive interface for Fleet Control, reimagined from the ground up.
Mine Monitoring and Control, Reimagined
This latest release of the Wenco Mine Performance Suite breaks new ground with a more flexible and intuitive design for its equipment monitoring and control application, Fleet Control. While Wenco's Fleet Control and MineVision have always made it easy for mines to command the activity of their fleet, recent technological advances now allow these systems to better address the real challenges of today's mining environments.Now, Wenco has merged these two applications into one. Fleet Control now uses a set of tabbed windows, similar to common commercial software such as Adobe Photoshop. Dispatchers can open multiple windows at the same time, resizing each to concentrate on particular points of interest. They no longer need to switch back and forth between a shovel-dump schematic and a real-time map. Schematics, maps, equipment lists, and certain reports all live in the same workspace. Mines have the freedom to configure a fully customized picture of current activity and mine details. Dispatchers can even open several windows of the same view, setting each at its own zoom level. In this way, dispatchers can keep close eyes on particular equipment or locations, while also maintaining a full view of the mine.This overhauled design makes fleet management exceptionally more intuitive for mine personnel. As each operation sets different priorities and experiences unique hauling and loading challenges, it only follows that greater flexibility gives dispatchers the power to work more effectively. Beta testers have called this new design "a leap over what it was".
The Next Evolution of Mapping
Beyond integrating maps into Fleet Control, System 6 also advances the graphics and mapping capabilities of Wenco technology as a whole.System 6 draws on a custom-built graphics engine that greatly enhances all visual data used throughout the Mine Performance Suite. Maps now load in rich topographic detail that dispatchers can easily explore through simple dragging and scrolling. The new engine also supports multiple map functions, so dispatchers can keep several windows of maps open at once without noticing a drop in performance. More than ever before, mapping is central to the Wenco experience.We've also renovated the way our mapping system handles mine activity playbacks. From the mapping window, dispatchers can now select a timeframe for a playback, press play, and watch activity progress as if it were happening in real time. Rewind and fast-forward functions allow users to scrub through the timeline until they reach a moment of critical interest. Then, dispatchers can pause the activity to examine it in greater detail. This function gives mines a whole new depth of understanding and insight over the system's previous playback capabilities.
New Dispatch Configuration Increases User Adoption
System 6 also makes it easier for mines to take full advantage of automated, algorithmic dispatching. An updated Dispatch Configuration interface allows dispatchers to simply drag trucks from one group to another, checking dynamic sidebars to see reporting details like Loading Unit Projections and Dump Targets. As with other views in Fleet Control, Dispatch Configuration now appears as another tabbed window. Mines never need to take their eyes off production to adjust dispatching parameters — all monitoring and control happens together as an intuitive, unified activity.Our research team has always known that mines get optimal production results from using automated, algorithmic dispatching. Yet, many mines have struggled to make full use of this technology — especially when software made counterintuitive but effective dispatching decisions. This upgraded Dispatch Configuration makes it obvious to dispatchers how to configure the system for optimal value, while also showing dispatch details that prove any unexpected results. Ultimately, this additional information is giving mines increased confidence in the system and helping them get higher production output.
The next step...
Although these features offer a major competitive advantage, they only scratch the surface of the possibilities available through Wenco System 6. Tie-down dispatching. Predictive maintenance. Data analytics. System 6 enables all of these solutions to operate in tandem, scaling their total capability to support mining companies in extracting unrealized value. It's the next step along the path to a future for the mining industry that's smarter, safer, and far more productive than ever before.For more information about the new Fleet Control or another component of Wenco System 6, please contact us at info@wencomine.com or 604.270.8277.