Capital Equipment News February 2020

New wheel loader monitoring system for mining After 18 months of successful field trials, MineWare has announced the launch of its Argus Wheel Loader (WL) system – an OEM independent wheel loader monitoring system that is said to lift productivity and reduce cost per tonne in real time.

Argus WL guides operators to move the right amount of material with every load.

Argus WL delivers real-time feedback to the wheel loader operator via an intuitive touchscreen to make material handling and loading jobs safer, faster and more accurate. MineWare vice president of marketing and sales Roy Pater says Argus WL extends MineWare’s portfolio of monitoring systems as customers continue to digitise their operations and leverage real-time informa- tion across more of their ground engaging equipment. “Building on the success of our Argus and Pegasys monitoring systems for electric rope shovels, hydraulic excavators and draglines, Argus WL was developed based on a growing demand from our customers to improve efficiency, effectiveness and payload accuracy across their large wheel loader fleets,” he says. “Argus WL does this by weighing each bucket in real time, without the need to stop and calculate payload before dumping the load. This we understand from our custom- ers is an unacceptable practice required Specialist vibrating equipment OEM Kwatani is leveraging a recent multi-year service contract at a large mining customer in the Northern Cape to further boost the area’s local economy. “Our branch near the customer’s mining operation has for many years employed and developed local expertise,” Kim Schoepflin, CEO of Kwatani, says. “Our latest initiative takes this further, by upskilling a local sub-contractor to conduct certain mainte- nance work on our behalf.” A lengthy selection process was conduct- ed by Kwatani to find a suitable sub-con-

from other similar systems today, losing valuable production time to repeat this with every bucket load. “Argus WL was a natural progression for us, meeting the industry’s need for a system purpose built for large wheel loaders used in mining that would lower production costs, reduce machine stress and improve safety.” Pater says the multi-purpose nature of the system was a key point of difference with Argus WL offering advanced functionality in truck detection, structural monitoring, as well as payload optimisation in real-time. “The real-time nature of Argus WL tractor, followed by ongoing training to empower artisans and other workers with specialised skills. Schoepflin says it was also important to involve the mine itself, so that they remain confident in the strength of their supply chain. “Promoting local employment, skills and sustainability cannot be a tick-box exercise,” Schoepflin says. “It has to be based on proper engagement, hands-on training and the sub-contractor’s own commitment.” She warns that mining legislation and regulatory pressure can tempt stakeholders to rush such a process. “This would be a

really stands our system apart as it gives operators direct feedback for them to make smarter loading decisions to optimise truck loading and payload management,” he says. “Argus WL guides operators to move the right amount of material with every load, helping mines to reduce payload variability, meet production targets and predict the oper- ations forecasts more reliably, when analysing machine productivity by shift and operator.” Developed on an open IoT platform, the interoperable system works on any OEM machine and integrates seamlessly with third party production software. b mistake; rather, it should be treated as an opportunity to strengthen the capability of all stakeholders.” Kwatani’s 35 years of experience in heavy duty minerals applications means that the OEM now has approximately 800 vibrating screens and feeders in the Northern Cape. The maintenance contract is an ideal op- portunity to involve and foster the technical capability of local players, she says. It was vital that the chosen sub-contrac- tor already had considerable experience and capacity, equipment and relevant expertise. b

Kwatani’s multi-year collaboration boosts local mining economy

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CAPITAL EQUIPMENT NEWS FEBRUARY 2020