This marked the union of two Jakarta offices now operating as one. The office consists of 50 employees from the mining and cement industries and an equal gender distribution.

Approximately 60 people attended the opening event, including guests from the Indonesian Danish Embassy, along with FLSmidth’s Australian leadership team.

The ceremony included an official ribbon cutting, speeches, office tour, Tumpeng cutting and a traditional Iftar dinner as the opening took place during the month of Ramadhan and many people were fasting. Thus, dinner was served at the time of breaking the fast.

Tumpeng is an Indonesian rice dish traditionally served in ceremonial events due to its purposeful meaning – symbolising gratitude, togetherness, wealth and high values.

FLSmidth is a flowsheet technology and service supplied to the mining and cement industries. The company’s solutions help the industry improve operational performance, lower costs, and reduce environmental impacts.

Australian Mining.

The new machine is Caterpillar’s first diesel electric underground load-haul-dump loaders, featuring an optimised lift arm and load-sensing hydraulics to improve breakout force by 35 per cent over the Cat R2900G.

The new R2900 XE works faster in tough conditions than its forebears, delivering 52 per cent quicker acceleration and improved machine response.

Loader buckets come in dour sizes with capacities ranging from 7.4 to 9.8 m³ to suit a variety of loading, hauling and dumping needs. Caterpillar also offers a range of heel shrouds, wear plates and bars to further protect the bucket.

The R2900 XE engine is reliable and durable, delivering up to 335 kilowatts (449 horsepower) with over 31 per cent increased fuel efficiency compared to the R2900G. Its lower engine RPM results in reduced fuel burn, heat, noise, vibration and exhaust emissions, while offering an increase in power and productivity.

The R2900 XE comes equipped with Cat MineStar technology, which allows for machine health monitoring and fully automated haul and dump cycles. Standard Product Link Elite allows the loader to collect and transmit health and condition data locally or via cloud, providing operators and site managers key information about the state of their assets.

MineStar technologies are scalable and can be tailored to meet the demands of different mine sites.

The loader features a comfortable operator cab, which provides fresh, pressurised, temperature-controlled air circulation with air conditioning to enhance operator comfort and decrease fatigue.

Australian Mining.

The mining industry has historically been reactionary in its maintenance approach says Vish Arora, SKF’s Head of Connected Technology, waiting until equipment breaks down before taking action. This approach has several drawbacks, including increased downtime due to maintenance work being carried out only when machines fail, higher maintenance costs that require more resources to repair or replace machines, and safety hazards that can result in worker injuries. He explains that this approach is problematic and highlights the need for a more proactive maintenance strategy.

SKF, a global provider of bearings, seals, lubrication systems, and condition monitoring solutions, is advocating for a predictive maintenance approach that utilises condition monitoring to enhance machine performance. Vish recently discussed the advantages that the mining industry can reap by adopting this approach to equipment maintenance.

Vish explained that SKF has simplified this approach for end-users, breaking it down into four components – connect, detect, inform and improve. The first step is to  identify the assets based on criticality and select the right technology based on application requirement. Once these “assets” are connected with suitable technology , it generate insights on the condition, operation, and performance of the machine.

SKF highlighted that some of the barriers customers face when being introduced to new technology is getting started, which is often related to application assessment and selection of technology. However, they offer a solution by tasking an expert to conduct this condition maintenance assessment. This ensures the user is properly connected and has a better understanding of the process.

Once the technology is connected and the data begins to flow, they enter the detection phase. According to Vish, it is essential to set up the technology properly by having the right database setups that can capture all the failure modes based on the application being monitored. He highlights “the detection phase is where you corelate your process data and your condition data to deliver a  proper performance assessment.” SKF offers multiple ways of data handling, be local on-premises solutions or safe and secure cloud hosting, always making it flexible and accessible. SKF also offers Remote Monitoring Services, where experienced analysts conduct data diagnosis and attend daily alarms, providing detailed report and recommendations for corrective actions. In Vish’s words, “SKF does the real work for the user.”

The inform phase of the process involves providing user-friendly  dashboards enabling end users to easily understand complex data sets . This phase ensures that “the client understands what’s happening and can be proactive, enabling them to make informed decisions in real time”, and managing their inventory effectively. Vish adds “the purpose of the inform function is to generate insights that help to identify the root cause of problems and find solutions.” This collaboration between data analysis experts, miners’ operations and the maintenance teams is crucial for the inform phase to work effectively.

Vish explains that the improve part of the SKF condition assessment monitoring process involves “analysing data to identify recurring issues” and “tracking performance over time.” According to Vish, there are two facets to the improve phase: “the  data diagnosis” and “the domain knowledge.” Domain knowledge, which includes understanding the machine, application, and operation, is crucial to “identifying the characteristics that need to be improved.” In the improve phase, Vish notes that “application engineering, data subject matter experts, and process experts work together to provide the right solution for any problems that arise.” This may involve changes to maintenance schedules, upgrades to equipment components, or improvements to operating procedures. Ultimately, the goal of the improve phase is to “optimise operations, reduce downtime, and increase productivity over the long term.”

These key features throughout the condition monitoring phase are SKF’s differentiator from other companies in the industry, Vish says. They may be able to create software and sensors, but SKF brings experience in application engineering to help customers fully realise the value of condition monitoring.

An example of how this technology can have a significant impact occurred at a cement mill in South Australia. SKF were asked to assess the condition of the mill bearings, and through vibration data analysis, a fault was detected. SKF then implemented an online vibration monitoring system to continuously monitor the machinery. After careful analysis by experts, a visual inspection of the machinery revealed the solution. SKF recommended rotating the outer ring as the timeline for new bearings and the window for shutting down the mill were not imminent. This intervention slowed down further deterioration, extended the bearing’s service life, and postponed a possible investment of $200,000 in new bearings.

Overall, condition monitoring solutions offer a promising opportunity for the mining industry to shift from a reactive maintenance approach to a proactive one, leading to improved equipment performance, productivity, and reduced production losses. By utilising proper assessment and technology implementation, mining companies can achieve significant improvements in their operations. With the potential to predict issues before they occur and provide insights for optimising maintenance schedules and procedures, this approach can be a game-changer for the mining industry.

Visit the website to find out more about SKF Connected Technologies ecosystem.

Australian Mining.

Komatsu provide essential equipment, technologies and services to the construction, mining, energy, government, waste, and quarry industries.

The AFR BOSS Best Places to Work list is chosen by Inventium, a leading Australian behavioural science consultancy, based off its workplaces of the future framework.

Komatsu Australia announced it was a finalist in the agriculture, mining, and utilities list.

To be considered for the AFR Boss Best Places to Work list, companies need to follow a process which begins with nominating itself and answering some short questions.

If a company make it to the shortlist, it would be contacted and invited to proceed to stage two, where it would fill out a more detailed submission, and this puts it in the running for the official published lists.

An entry fee will be paid, which includes consideration overall and for industry lists, consideration for all special award categories and its Best Places to Work benchmarking report.

The company’s staff would be required to complete a short survey and its human resources representative would need to answer questions related to policies and procedures to be considered for the final published lists.

An expert judge panel and Inventium analysts would evaluate the submission and then the final rankings are compiled.

Komatsu chief executive officer Sean Taylor said Komatsu Australia is thrilled to receive the recognition for its positive workplace culture.

“We are committed to creating an environment that empowers its employees to grow, excel and achieve their personal and professional goals. We firmly believe that a supportive and positive work environment is critical to our success,” Taylor said.

Australian Mining.

Australian Mining.