Fabio Mielli, Rockwell Automation, USA, discusses how autonomous decision-making for material handling can help mining operations meet productivity, quality, schedule compliance, and cost-savings goals.
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aterial handling equipment is a critical part of any supply chain – and it is especially critical in the mining industry. Material handling equipment coordinates the movement, storage, blending, and delivery of materials across the mine site – serving as the link between a mine site and the market. While all industries must coordinate logistical planning, equipment maintenance, operator performance, and production scheduling for successful material handling in some shape or form, material handling challenges in mining are more complex. Mining companies face unique challenges when seeking to ship the right product at the right time. Unscheduled equipment relocation, a lack of process standardisation, and operator variability can all lead to consequential costs through the supply chain. Miners are working with large equipment that transports massive amounts of materials over long distances – sometimes several kilometres – which means a problem upstream will reverberate across the site and down the supply chain. This can lead to backlogs, downtime, spillage, and major delays. So, the right execution plan for material movement is
incredibly important. No mining company is immune to these challenges, but for many, reducing complexity as much as possible can provide a more consistent ability to get the right product out the door at the right time. In addition, material handling on mine sites poses safety risks to workers. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that material handling is the leading cause of non-fatal days lost injuries in mining – with the bulk of these injuries stemming from above-ground movement of coal, stone, and metal.1 Automating material handling wherever possible, shifting workers to a safe distance to operate equipment, and becoming more proactive with equipment maintenance can make a big difference. The risk for production issues and injuries increases at sites that perform complex material transfer without a fully automated system in place. At these sites, operators are often overwhelmed with responding to inputs from multiple interfaces, while simultaneously coordinating the flow of work. Even with the best trained operators, companies are susceptible to unscheduled delays, spillage, and a lack of standardisation due to operator variability and miscommunication.
global mining review // July/August 2021
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