Fleet Management 2.0

Today’s fleet management systems are increasingly intelligent, integrated and agile. E&MJ looks at the latest advancements. 

By Carly Leonida, European Editor

Gone are the days when the role of a fleet management system (FMS) was simply to dispatch trucks to where they needed to be, when they needed to be there. Today, these systems are increasingly seen as optimization and integration tools; enablers that allow corporate commitments surrounding production targets, and environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues — carbon emissions reductions being the prime example — to be embedded in day-to-day operations.

In addition to ensuring the best possible utilization and availability of equipment as well as maximum tonnages to be moved, operators now expect FMSs to work seamlessly with different safety and maintenance technologies, autonomous haulage systems (AHS), and machine guidance and health products, as well as providing inputs for mine planning and scheduling functions. Data handling, exchange and integration capabilities play a key part in all of this supported by ultrafast, reliable communication networks.

The demands are high, but vendors are rising to the challenge, providing greater control and optionality, new tools and expanded functionality for existing FMS/AHS capabilities.

“More and more, we see operators who want their FMS integrated with other systems to leverage more data and improve productivity and safety,” Jarym Kowalchuk, Head of Product, MineOperate, Hexagon’s Mining division, told E&MJ. “Integrated systems bring the hardware, software, seamless data flow, and automated processes together, leading to improved fleet management efficiency for real-time monitoring and data exchange.”

Kowalchuk explained that there is an increasing need for real-time fleet monitoring and data. Ideally, mines would like their control and maintenance teams to have instant information on the performance and condition of each asset, which allows for optimized haul routes, and better synchronization and hand-offs between maintenance and operations for tasks, such as refuelling and predicted maintenance needs.

Multi-site mine control/monitoring centers for mining companies with two or more operations is another trend. The advantages of this for the mining company include reducing the risk exposure of personnel by removing their physical presence from the mine site, lower operating costs due to less overhead costs (camp, flights etc.) and fewer mine controllers (instead of one team per mine, combining resources.)

“Depending on the commodity and point in the cycle, we also see a lower total cost of ownership (TCO) for FMS solutions being topical,” said Kowalchuk. “Some mines are looking for a ‘lighter’ FMS to digitize their production records without adding too much cost. A big part of the FMS ownership cost is labor, both in mine control and system maintenance functions.”

Underpinning these trends, is the need to reduce carbon emissions and minimize fuel consumption. According to research by McKinsey & Co, 40%-50% of mine CO₂ emissions come from diesel used in mobile equipment, so optimizing utilization and fuel usage is key.

“We have customers who have successfully reduced their total carbon emissions through our FMS system and include these savings in their annual reporting,” Kowalchuk added.

One for All…

Hexagon is leading the way in reducing the FMS hardware footprint: its collision avoidance systems (CAS), operator alertness systems (OAS), machine guidance system and FMS all share a common hardware platform and software ecosystem which makes the complete system easier to maintain and reduces the total cost of ownership (TCO).

“This means that mines can use the same core componentry across their haul trucks, light vehicles, and other assets,” Kowalchuk explained. “The latest release of OP Pro Fleet Management (OP Pro 3.1) also includes integration with Hexagon’s Reverse Assist product. The solution operates on the Power of One Platform; an integrated hardware platform that delivers a seamless user experience on a single user interface.

Additionally, OP Pro Fleet Management provides vertical integration with Hexagon’s interoperable autonomous stack.

Going forward, Hexagon continues to focus on its data and analytics strategy. “We are currently building up our Power of One analytics platform which aims to bring data from across the mine into a unified platform with well-defined data definitions, customer-facing application programming interfaces (APIs), and modern data visualization tools,” explained Kowalchuk.

“In the meantime, we have just completed Fleet Analytics 2.0, which is a program to improve our existing fleet management reporting tools with a newly upgraded application and 40 new reports that are focused on providing improved decision-making support for our customers.”

Reducing the TCO and further integration between OP Pro and the HxGN MineProtect fatigue management and CAS, as well as the HxGN MinePlan portfolio is another objective for future developments.

Sean Perry, Senior Vice President, Material Movement, Hexagon’s Mining division told E&MJ: “Providing interoperability by unlocking data on a single platform is a key focus. Sharing planning and safety data with operations provides insights for faster and more accurate assisted decision-making. We are continuing to expand this same consistent experience across all ancillary equipment and office applications.”

He added: “Autonomous mining equipment is a trend that will continue to grow over the next 5-10 years. For mines with mixed fleets, or for those who perhaps aren’t comfortable with locking in with a particular OEM and autonomous system, Hexagon will continue to deliver OEM-agnostic fleet management and autonomous solutions. We also believe the connections between geoscience, mine planning, and mine operations will continue grow and become more integrated through data to better leverage the maximum economic value of a mine resource.”

Value Through Autonomy

As mentioned, the advent of autonomous mining equipment operation as well as the rapid rise of zero-emission initiatives is having a significant impact on how the mining industry thinks about traditional FMSs. ASI Mining is a supplier of OEM agnostic, autonomous mining solutions.

“AHS is our primary offering,” explained Drew Larsen, Director, Business Development at ASI Mining. “Autonomous mining machines are dependent upon a software layer, generically referred to as a traffic management system (TMS), which conveys missions, maps, traffic rules, and other particulars to autonomous vehicles. While this TMS layer is the core of an autonomous haulage operation, they generally rely on an FMS to provide mission assignments, tied to the mine plan, that the TMS can execute.”

FMSs at open-pit mining operations have traditionally used software algorithms focused on optimizing traditional mine operations, with human operators in equipment and in the control room. These have performed well over time. However, Larsen said that as more fleets explore autonomy and the industry starts to inject zero-emission solutions, such as battery-electric equipment, additional logic around energy management is required.

“Artificial intelligence (AI) and incorporating self-learning algorithms is a development we believe will have a profound impact on fleet management,” he said. “There are already start-up companies exploring self-learning FMSs that provide more autonomous dispatching functionality, making optimization decisions that traditionally were made by the controllers themselves.

“Autonomous systems are great at precisely executing missions from an FMS. Therefore, we believe FMSs will need to adapt and innovate to keep up with new complexities and orchestration requirements stemming from improvements in dispatch algorithms and energy management. These trends will open opportunities for innovation within FMSs as well as other optimization solutions which could add value in the whole technology stack, particularly when AHSs and energy management are involved.”

Early adopters of AHSs have been primarily tier one mining companies with large, complex operations. However, ASI Mining has recently seen smaller mines, which do not operate under an FMS, consider the adoption of autonomy. Larsen said that, in such cases, it’s possible to deploy ASI Mining’s Mobius AHS solution without a traditional FMS.

Mobius is capable of dispatching trucks, providing visualization of asset locations, monitoring asset health information, and generating production reports; all basic functionalities of a FMS. However, for larger and more complex mining operations that need more real-time, optimizing FMS dispatch algorithms, the company recommends choosing an FMS that meets the needs of the site, then integrating an OEM-agnostic AHS solution, such as Mobius.

“Again, while Mobius was designed as a TMS, we’ve found that many mines operating highly functional FMSs, are often underutilizing their capabilities — either because of the rapidly changing nature of their operations and/or because they feel these more complex functions are not delivering the value,” said Larsen. “Also, many mining operations are small or simple enough that large FMSs are simply not required. In such cases, a system like Mobius could become a viable alternative to operate an AHS fleet, without a traditional FMS. It’s also worth mentioning that the modularity of Mobius means that an FMS could always be integrated later once these more complex functionalities are required.”

The underlying driver for most of ASI Mining’s research and development is enhancing the value proposition of autonomy in mining. Since the business case for AHSs is largely driven by an increase in utilization, productivity and reliability, all factors that enhance that realization are ASI’s top priorities.

“At the same time, we’re investing in expanding the automation platform to allow integration with other autonomous equipment, for example, water trucks, light vehicles and drills,” Larsen added. “We’re also closely monitoring emerging opportunities around zero emission initiatives. These will no doubt drive the continued need for autonomous systems that can support a variety of energy solutions and systems. They will need to provide the traffic patterns and vehicle behaviours that may be required with trolley assist, battery electric, and other recharging strategies to operate mines.”

Supporting Future Energy Choices

Nearly all haul truck OEMs are working frantically on the next generation of energy-efficient haul trucks. Larsen said that, because of the complexities between mining methods across different minerals, environmental factors, and availability of low-cost energy, there will likely be a plethora of different energy options moving forward. These could include trolley operations, battery electric, hydrogen, and other hybrid solutions.

“Additionally, truck sizes could be rethought, as a greater number of smaller trucks could emerge as a potential viable alternative to ultra class fleets,” he said. “Each of these potential scenarios will have significant impact on FMS operations and the injection of a potential new software module into the stack; energy management system (EMS). The autonomous systems from ASI Mining, based on the Mobius TMS, are agnostic with regards to FMS, and also truck selection; which gives operations the ability to adapt to whichever FMS or zero-emission truck emerges as the best overall solution for their operation.

Larsen explained: “This interoperability with other third-party FMSs has enabled us to offer clients the ability to leverage their existing investments in legacy FMSs, instead of requiring FMS replacement, as is common on most other AHS offerings. In ASI Mining’s history, integrations with different FMS systems have been performed. Most notable is with the Wenco FMS, which is currently being used by Roy Hill, integrated with Mobius for Haulage.”

Open and Integrated

FMSs are increasingly incorporating Internet of Things (IoT) enabled devices and connectivity solutions. Jason Dos Santos, Product Marketing Manager at Wenco International Mining Systems, explained: “IoT connectivity facilitates data exchange between site equipment and different areas of the network, enabling seamless communication and coordination across sites. The integration of autonomous vehicles, such as haul trucks and drills, is also revolutionizing fleet management in mining. These vehicles can operate with minimal human intervention, following pre-determined routes and performing tasks efficiently. FMSs are evolving to support the integration and coordination of autonomous vehicles, ensuring smooth operation and optimized utilization within the mine’s network.”

Many Wenco customers utilize centralized controls to monitor and manage fleet operations. These leverage advanced technologies, like real-time data visualization and geospatial analysis, leading to predictive modelling to provide a holistic view of fleet performance. Fleet managers can monitor multiple operations, track vehicle locations, allocate resources, and respond to contingencies more effectively.

Wenco systems utilize machine guidance and simulation tools to optimize fleet performance and resource allocation. These consider various factors, such as equipment availability, production targets, and operational constraints to generate optimal schedules, routes, and task assignments. Customers can identify bottlenecks, optimize efficiency, and improve overall productivity by simulating different scenarios.

“Our customers are also utilizing FMSs for closer alignment with their ESG objectives and sustainability initiatives,” said Dos Santos. “Wencomine provides technologies that monitor and aid in reducing emissions by tracking and reducing fuel consumption, thus supporting customers’ environmentally conscious practices. Fleet managers can use these systems to enforce sustainable fleet operations and comply with ESG standards.

“These advancements in FMSs and mine networks support improved efficiency, safety, and sustainability in mining operations. They enable real-time monitoring, data-driven decision-making, optimized resource allocation, and integration of autonomous vehicles, ultimately driving productivity and minimizing environmental impact.”

According to Dos Santos, flexibility and integration are core capabilities of Wencomine. “One of the key pillars of the Wenco mindset is ‘open’,” he explained. “This is an openness to collaboration, interoperability, advancement, integration, and iteration; every new development and acquisition has Wencomine compatibility at the forefront.”

This emphasis extends all the way to system architecture, allowing for interoperability with emerging technologies such as fragmentation tracking, digital blast movement modelling, and material sensing.

Wenco is also persuing open autonomy through ISO 23725: FMS interface to autonomous haulage. This standard aims to bring new entrant autonomy providers into mining, mixed fleet operation, new mining strategies, and enable the application of new technologies.

“Ensuring our long-term customers can take advantage of our latest functionalities and solutions is always top of mind throughout development,” said Dos Santos. “Our philosophy is to make the transition to our next-generation architecture and applications seamless. We know the impact a hardware replacement can have on our customers, so we’re very careful about designing our technology to avoid cases requiring a hardware upgrade to derive optimal value. We obviously strive to avoid the change management requirements that come when a new solution is implemented. As such, our pathway to a new platform is much more evolutionary than revolutionary.”

New Optimization Opportunities

“The trends that we see having the biggest influence on fleet management practices today are carbon emissions reductions and autonomy,” George Mavros, Product Manager — Load and Haul at Modular Mining, told E&MJ. “The two are somewhat affiliated, but they also bring their own challenges. On the autonomy side, Komatsu has a number of well-established products, and we see a need for further integration and interoperability between autonomous solutions and other systems, such as our DISPATCH FMS.

“With respect to carbon emissions, OEMs, like Komatsu, are doing a huge amount of work to develop different hardware platforms — for instance, battery-electric trucks — that support this. But, of course, they also require software that can optimize their integration into mining operations.”

DISPATCH may be one of the longest (if not the longest) standing FMS on the market, but that doesn’t mean that its development has stood still… Far from it.

“We’re working on a number of new features, and also to expand DISPATCH’s current functionality in line with market demands,” Mavros explained. “The latest version includes a new speed monitoring module, and also extended functionality for the existing brakes, park up and shift change modules.”

DISPATCH has recently transitioned to the Linux embedded platform which Mavros said will enable more flexibility when it comes to integration with data from Komatsu and also third-party systems via an API.

“We understand that today there is a need for greater integration and interoperability between different mining solutions,” Mavros explained. “There’s valuable information that can be gained from data sharing and we’re evolving our offering accordingly.”

He said that requests for third-party integrations have thus far involved safety and tire monitoring products, but that Modular will work with customers to accommodate integration requests where possible.

The team is currently working on two new FMS deployments replacing competitor products for tier-one miners — one operation is in Australia and one in Latin America. DISPATCH is now fully integrated with Komatsu’s ProVision machine guidance solution and Mavros said that this capability, combined with the ability to connect with third-party systems, was a deciding factor in both deployments.

There are also some new products in the development pipeline. “We’re working on a series of new applications that will enhance  DISPATCH’s capabilities,” said Mavros. “The first two relate to short-term simulation and refuelling and those are currently in beta testing with key customers. We have additional apps in the works, but you’ll have to wait for more details on those!”

This new series of apps is designed to enable mines to access next-level optimization opportunities. Mavros explained that the addition of short-term simulation will allow mines to optimize fleet movements according to the mine plan, which is a relatively new concept.

“FMSs traditionally optimize for production and cost, but we’ve been hearing for a while that operators would like greater visibility and optionality when it comes to operational optimization,” he said. “This is a live application, so the user will be able to analyse different scenarios and compare the outcomes to the mine plan. The value is that it allows operators to make more informed decisions, and to pivot quickly if unforeseen events or circumstances arise, for instance, a shovel breakdown or a road closure due to extreme weather. Usually, users take actions based on previous experiences, but this functionality allows them to check if those decisions would be best based on the business’ objectives and to quantify them.”

The refuel function can be used for any mobile equipment that needs to be refuelled or recharged (diesel, petrol, battery-powered etc.). Mavros explained that it aims to optimize the refuelling or recharging schedule for the fleet, and also the utilization of refuel/recharge stations. It can be used as a standalone module or can function as an input to the short-term simulation feature to check different scenarios and find the best possible outcome against the mine plan.

Mavros told E&MJ. “We’re not moving away from DISPATCH in any way — the optimization tools built into that have done a fantastic job for the past 40 years — but, given the challenges mines face today, it’s time to build on those capabilities and give miners greater control and agility when it comes to optimization.

“We’ve broken this journey down into steps and will be introducing new concepts, apps and algorithms over the coming months. Having refuel functionality is a good example: it allows mines to optimize fleet movements to improve operational efficiency and production, but also to cut their carbon emissions.

“Additionally, we’ll continue to expand our range of APIs for both internal and third-party systems.”