RCT supports bulk handling operations

Qube Bulk cargo. Credit: RCT.

RCT, an autonomous solutions provider, has finalized a material handling project with Qube Bulk, a port logistics and infrastructure specialist, at the Whyalla Port in South Australia.

In 2019, RCT installed and commissioned its ControlMaster line of sight automation solution as well as a single camera tele-remote solution onto a Liebherr R920 Excavator. Qube Bulk approached RCT to develop a safer and more productive way to remove bulk cargos - such as coal, dolomite and limestone - from bulk vessels to support the Whyalla steelworks operation.

Machine operators now stand at a safe distance and use the automation technology to carry out the full range of functions that would normally be available to them when sitting in a machine cab.

"Our ControlMaster solution interfaced seamlessly with the excavator's systems and offers operators the exact same functionality available to them under the original equipment manufacturers' guidelines," RCT account manager, Phill Dean, said in a statement. "Now operators have a much safer and productive way of carrying out their work and ensuring operations at the Whyalla port run smoothly."

RCT will continue to provide ongoing support to personnel at the site.

(This article first appeared in the Canadian Mining Journal)