3 MINING TRENDS IN CANADA THAT PROMOTE EFFICIENCY AND SAFETY
By: Evan Lucyk
At Bit Service, we make it a point to stay current with the trends in the mining industry as they evolve. This helps us not only operate at our best as a company and sharpen our knowledge, but it also allows us to serve you better.
Lately, we have seen three key mining trends emerge in Canada that help to promote efficiency and safety that we wanted to share with you.
1. AUTOMATION
These days, you could half-jokingly say that automation is “alive” and well in the mining industry. But it’s actually true. Automation is not only “alive,” but it is thriving, and from the mining and manufacturing standpoint, one of the biggest trends is moving to automation.
The biggest driving force behind this shift is the primary goal of efficiency and safety—a contrast to other trends that are more traditionally fuelled by the purpose of financial gain. Not only is seeing this pivot of priorities refreshing, but it also makes for good business.
A bonus of increased automation that cannot be underrated is the upped safety factor. And by this, we mean the safety of the miners themselves. The whole goal of this automation initiative is to eventually eliminate all humans from underground labor. While that would be incredible, it may never realistically happen. Regardless, the fact remains that increased automation will limit the need for more workers underground, and simple math shows that the fewer people we have underground, the fewer people we have in harm’s way.
Bit Service is a big believer in automation, and we have even published a few articles in the past about it. Our CEO, Scott Bahr, recently discussed what we are doing to introduce more automation into our own Bit Service operations. “In the manufacturing facility, we’re moving to completely automate it—just for the same reason that we have had injuries in the past, [though] not for several years, but it used to happen occasionally, and it’s one of those things that’s nice to be able to eliminate safety hazards by putting machines in harm’s way as opposed to having humans there, which is good.” Scott added that automation is “a nice trend for our industry,” and our whole Bit Service family agrees.
2. BEVS BURSTING ON THE SCENE
Move over, diesel; it’s electric’s time to shine. BEVs (battery electric vehicles) have recently burst on the scene and are taking the mining industry by storm. This trend also shows an encouraging bend toward initiatives that are fuelled by much more than monetary gain.
In an underground mine, you’re operating in an enclosed environment that needs ventilation and fresh air for the safety and well-being of all the people working there. The nice thing about this trend (switching from diesel or other modes of propulsion underground to battery electric) is that the ventilation requirements are greatly reduced.
Swapping BEVs is a two-fold blessing, as it makes the air quality much better for the humans working underground. It also allows the companies to add additional equipment underground without needing to address an increased need for more ventilation. So, while the sole motivation may not be monetary (electric is far better for the environment and the workers), the company still can end up saving by opting for BEVs in the long run by not having to increase things like ventilation, which is extremely difficult to add.
3. PREDICTIVE MAINTENANCE
We’ve all heard the familiar adage, “Time is money.” Predictive maintenance is a current trend that is a reflection of that mindset. It’s aimed at doing exactly as its name says— predicting when maintenance tasks will be needed on your equipment and systems and eliminating costly repairs by preventing breakdowns before they ever occur in the first place.
Predictive maintenance does this by evaluating the condition of equipment via frequent or continuous online monitoring. The crux of the strategy is based on the principles of statistical process control, which enables your company to determine when maintenance tasks will be needed in the future (so you can get to them before the big breakdown).
To learn more about Bit Service and explore how we can help you with your specific needs, contact us today.