Edmonton, Alberta - January 21, 2008 - Matrikon announced that a major mining company has selected Matrikon Mobile Equipment Monitor (MEM) to monitor the performance of their heavy mobile equipment. Initial implementation will be at two mine properties, with longer term plans for deployment at additional properties. The value of the contract for the initial properties is $2.8 million. MEM will be used to monitor operational data, including alarms, from the mine’s haul trucks, shovels, and loaders.
MEM collects the data in real-time, provides visualization and trending , and assists operators in determining the best course of action, helping the mining company to realize reductions in maintenance and operating costs and to extend equipment life. Nizar J. Somji, president & CEO of Matrikon stated: "For the past five years, we have been building expertise and leadership in monitoring heavy equipment in the Alberta oil sands. Building on this domain experience, MEM was designed and purpose-built for the mining industry with input from key industry players to ensure that MEM addresses a key mine issue: improving productivity of critical capital assets while lowering cost."
MEM remotely collects all of the available operating data from the equipment’s onboard sensors and systems and transmits it over the mine operator’s network to a central database. The data is available for real-time analysis and visualization by mine monitors and engineers. MEM analyzes this operations data in real-time, providing graphs and trends of ongoing performance, tracking key performance indicators, managing OEM and user defined alarms, and assists with predicting developing problems with the equipment. This allows the experts monitoring the equipment to better manage and schedule maintenance, to react immediately to developing problems, and to assist the operator in determining the appropriate corrective action.
The result is a considerable reduction in operating and maintenance costs, and an increase in equipment availability. Haul trucks, shovels and other heavy mobile mining equipment represent one of the highest operating costs in mine operations, and control of escalating costs is one of he primary challenges facing the mining industry today. The current high commodity prices emphasize the importance of maximizing availability and utilization of expensive production assets to maximize production. As a result, many mining companies are investing in cost reduction and productivity improvement programs to maximize profitability and help ensure viability in an increasingly competitive market. Matrikon has responded to this challenge with the launch of MEM.
