The latest fleet management system technology today is increasingly being integrated with other safety and productivity focused technologies, as they are highly complementary to each other in terms of what the data can show and how it can be interpreted and acted on.
Hexagon is one of the companies leading this multi-pronged approach at mining customer sites, one of which is the KAZ Minerals Bozshakol copper mine in Kazakhstan which is using both its OP Pro fleet management and OAS fatigue management systems, which was the subject of a recent video showcase.
Alim Smakov, Head of Sales KZ CA – Hexagon states: “Bozshakol saw the opportunity to improve their operation and they decided to go with Hexagon OP Pro solution and OAS, Operator Alertness System. Every mine wants to be productive. Everyone wants to be safer…Bozshakol is a great example of how it can be achieved.”
“Hexagon OP Pro is good for getting exact information for any type of activity,” says Talant Moldagaliyev, Mine Technology Superintendent, KAZ Minerals Bozshakol. “For example, we have a cycle time. We can drill it down to each activity and then see where we can improve. For the last two years, we’re much improved in terms of reducing waiting time at the shovel. Haul trucks now do not wait, stand there for three to five minutes. The average time has decreased to one to 1.5 minutes.”
That level of detail helps create a safer mine, says Malik Inkizhekov, Mining Director, KAZ Minerals Bozshakol. “We’re always analysing collected data and it’s really good guidance for how to improve our in-pit features like roads and routes, and also how to improve our safety,” says Inkizhekov. “All this data is helping us throughout all the mine, making our pit not only productive, but safer, too.
He adds: “Initially, we didn’t know how tired our guys are that are driving big trucks and what is happening there in this area. And we were wondering if this system can help us to understand better the level of fatigue of our people. What we found out was really worrying because we start started seeing that we had a lot of people that were driving with high fatigue level. We were implementing some measures to manage their fatigue and this system was helping. From that time, I can say that we improved our safety in the pit overall. I think it has big impact. This technology has a big impact, not only for Bozshakol, but for any mine.”
Jamie Caratti, General Director at the operation states: “Bozshakol, as a site, has been here for ten years, of which operational for eight. So it’s a very large-scale deposit. We have about a 45-year mine life at this point in time, and so for us, trying to introduce technologies and things that are going to be more long-term in nature is certainly very important.”
He continues: “The ability to increase efficiencies and to be able to maximise what our trucks can do is hugely important for us, and the FMS side of things has allowed us to be much more efficient as far as how our machines are operating and minimising downtime, but also saving cost and increasing value.”
Caratti also believes that the mine’s adoption of technology points the way forward for other mines in the region. “We are probably one of the higher-level companies with regards to use of technology and adoption of technologies from around the world. However, I think as more companies see what we’re doing and what value we’re gaining out of the projects that we have and the products that we use, I think that there’s going to be a larger scale adoption of technology. We’re absolutely thrilled to be part of that adoption cycle and trying to bring new technologies here, but also to make the industry in Kazakhstan and the wider region safer and more efficient as well.”
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