Pit & Quarry, August 2013

turned into an opportunity to coach an operator on best practices and efficient machine operation A second cause of excessive idling is that the equipment is not optimally matched to the application For instance a wheel loader with a six yard bucket may be matched with a hopper that cant handle that much material at once As such that loader may be completing a fairly simple cycle but then sitting and waiting for the material to cycle through the hopper before it can dump the next bucket This idling is not an efficient use of the machine and may indicate a number of improvements your operation should make For instance do you need that large wheel loader with the six yard bucket or would a smaller wheel loader with a three yard bucket be more efficient and ultimately offer a lower owning and operating cost Telematics helps determine the right machine for the job Telematics provides fleet and maintenance managers with real time maintenance data on each machine in a fleet The data is automatically aggregated and saves significant time in collecting data and creating reports Also are there improvements you can make to your plant to allow it to process more material faster This particular example may be an oversimplification but identifying a piece of equipment not operating to its full potential can expose other efficiencies that can be implemented upstream or downstream of that machine Maybe the problem is not with the machine but with the workflow Similarly telematics may help identify underutilized assets and allow companies TECHNOLOGY to make more intelligent equipment purchasing decisions Larger pit and quarry operators with multiple sites may be able to identify underutilized machines at one location and put them to work at another location where the added production is needed instead of making a redundant equipment purchase while an underused machine sits idle elsewhere At its most basic level a telematics program helps you set benchmarks for operation and makes you aware of changes in data that may signify other issues If your fuel use or engine hours suddenly change from one week to the next there must be a reason Telematics gives you that evidence to investigate and improve your business in real time Demystifying Tier 4 With waves of new Tier 4 Interim and Tier 4 Final technologies hitting the market much is made of how these Meeting the Equipment Needs of the Mining and Construction Industries Whether youre drilling in quarries breaking rock on the jobsite or backfilling deep lifts Furukawa Rock Drill USA formerly Kent Demolition Tools and Furukawa Rock Drill provides a reliable cost effective equipment solution To learn more visit us online at www FRDUSA com or call 8005272282 Scan this code for more information on FRD USA www pitandquarry com August 2013 PIT QUARRY 33