Modern Mining March 2021

undercarriages are huge,” says Stols. “We there- fore developed a universal system that meets the needs of the owner and operator alike, by optimis- ing the efficiency of each individual undercarriage component.” Wear data is collected in the field, uploaded to the cloud-based TrackAdvice platform, and made accessible to the company’s engineering team for review and recommendation. This allows the dealer to plan maintenance and improve stockholding and operational efficiency by constantly monitoring undercarriage performance and cost. TrackAdvice benefits both the customer and the dealer, as the latter is now able to plan systemati- cally in terms of stockholding: “On a 350 t machine, the dealer needs a four to five-month prior warning to manufacture the replacement undercarriage on time.” While testing on the condition monitoring system using sensors has not yet commenced in Africa, Stols says the interest shown by industry is promising. One-stop shop “We want our dealers to be ‘one-stop shops’ for all undercarriage needs. Our dealers measure all the client’s machine models, provide conclusive reports, and calculate the cost per tonne per item, per machine or model. This means that engineer- ing teams at mines receive only one comprehensive report on all the tracked equipment in their fleets.” ITM Africa clients have access to the TrackAdvice service and do business with reputable local dealers backed by the financial ability to maintain stock, and who have the required engineering infrastructure on local soil. Dealers Each dealer in the ITM network has its own fully functional service centre, complete with the presses needed to conduct pin-and-bush changes on machines such as dozers, where the pins and

bushes on the undercarriage are turned every 3 000 to 4 000 hours of operation, in order to extend life- time and reduce cost. “One of our dealers, Spec-Cast Mining in Ekur­ huleni, is in total control of the undercarriages at a platinum and chrome mine in North West Province,” says Stols. “Their cooperation with the client includes being on site every two weeks and attend- ing the client’s engineering meetings, among others, to compile their reports.” He says some dealers have already signed con- tracts with some of the corporate mining companies to provide a one-stop service ranging from monitor- ing the equipment, to stockholding and forecasting assistance. Market Stols says the mining industry at present is “bullish”, although it is not faring as well as in other, pre- COVID-19 years. “Like many other companies, we have had to refocus and re-strategise. Our work depends largely on paying site visits but these have been made all but impossible during hard lockdown. The good news is that the industry is becoming aware of our services and making the change to using the com- pany’s alternative quality products.” He says that, while ITM Africa is focused on busi- ness abroad, the local mining industry seems stable at “relatively good performance”. 

Field data is uploaded to the cloud-based TrackAdvice platform and made accessible to the engineering team.

Key takeaways  Components manufactured by Italtractor ITM are lab-tested for up to 2 000 hours  The company introduced a new, dealer-based distribution strategy and, at present, has a network of seven dealers throughout the continent  ITM Africa has access to a technical team on standby in Italy, who travel to South Africa to provide assistance and training to dealers  On a 350 t machine, the dealer needs a four to five-month prior warning to manufacture the replacement undercarriage on time

March 2021  MODERN MINING  33