In order to optimize the productivity and utilization of machines and employees in open pit mining, the data obtained is needed above all in the “last mile” of the production process. The problem here is that in opencast mining/mining, work orders were previously passed on to employees in written/manual form. Accordingly, much was lost in the documentation and it was hardly possible to apply BI or AI programs to it. Additional difficulty: the environment, which is by nature highly ferrous and electromagnetic.

Favendo’s partner IGO therefore developed the IGAT platform, which digitizes the production steps of this very last mile and enables real-time measurement of productivity and displays it in a “Productivity Dashboard”.

An important basis for meaningful results in this “Productivity Dashboard” is the position data of machines, equipment and employees. Favendo’s asset tracking solution comes into play to obtain this data. Equipment, vehicles and workers are tagged and tracked seamlessly inside and outside buildings in defined zones. The Favendo Positioning Engine calculates the position data and passes it to the IGAT platform via an interface.

For the harsh mining environment, some adaptation of the hardware was necessary to protect it against the ubiquitous red dust and to make it as durable as possible. For example, the Favendo Relay Compact Tracker Pro was equipped with a special housing that can withstand both heavy dirt and changes in air pressure.

Digitizing the last mile and eliminating paperwork resulted in a daily time savings of about one hour per technician. As a result, productivity increased by 14 percent for a 7-hour shift, while maintenance and repair costs dropped by 18 percent.