IBM and Sandvik Mining and Rock Technology announced this week that they are joining forces and launching OptiMine Analytics, a solution that transforms data into process improvements via predictive insights and actionable dashboards embedded into operation management systems.
In a press release, the companies said that the technology is particularly useful when it comes to dealing with failing equipment and regular maintenance of trucks, haulers, drills, and other machinery.
"Proactively identifying maintenance needs before something breaks is leading to huge cost and time savings," Patrick Murphy, president of rock drills & technologies at Sandvik, said in the media statement.
"Through analytics, machine learning and AI, we are seeing new possibilities for increased operational efficiency," - Paul Muller, Barminco CEOAccording to Murphy, the solution is effective because it allows mining companies to combine equipment and application data from disparate sources in real-time, analyzing patterns in the data and therefore better predicting how the equipment is going to perform under specific conditions and how to get the best out of it.
The executive also said that companies such as Petra Diamonds and Barminco are already using IoT to improve equipment efficiency and help reduce miner exposure to hostile work environments.
"Our top priority is the safety of our employees and if a machine fails underground we need immediate insight into what is happening in that tunnel," said Luctor Roode, operations executive at Petra Diamonds. "With the solution from Sandvik and IBM, we have real-time data that allows us to immediately identify the root cause of the problem and act accordingly."