The mining industry is somewhat forgotten by the masses as rarely do people realize what an important role it plays to provide us with all the necessary raw materials. Without these raw materials being extracted from the earth, many of our livelihoods can become stagnant.
Hence this is one industry that definitely deserves more praise than it actually gets. Over the years, technology has paved the way to achieve remarkable breakthroughs and overcome incredible challenges, thus enabling workers to accomplish unprecedented milestones.
According to a recent study by the NMA (National Mining Association), an American on average uses approximately 3.4 tons of coal and nearly 40,000 pounds of newly mined materials each year.
Furthermore, nearly 50% of all US electricity is generated from coal and uranium along with every manufactured good containing some mineral component, making mining a vital industry for us all.
In 2020 per capita consumption of all minerals extracted from the earth was 38,272 pounds per person, with Natural Gas and Petroleum products leading the tally.
| #1 Ranking: Read how InetSoft was rated #1 for user adoption in G2's user survey-based index |
|
Read More |
Benefits of Using Dashboards
Managing mining operations may look easy to a layman. However, it is an incredibly technical, sophisticated, and extremely complex task. There are tons of variables and factors to consider, not to mention, everything has to be dealt with in real-time.
To be honest, mining operations are so serious the slightest maladjustments or miscalculated maneuvers can result in tremendous losses and failures. This is where technology enables the use of smart and intelligent dashboards. These dashboards are a must for managers and field operators as it is able to provide them with up to date information regarding key metrics and performance indicators.
Supervisors are therefore able to use these dashboards to their advantage and keep track of things in real-time, such as:
- Use them for key decision-making procedures and keeping the production in line with their work policies and ethics.
- Dealing with environmental pollution effectively while ensuring that all machines, apparatus, and mining tools work accordingly without malfunctions.
- Making sure that working conditions are kept at a level where workers and their wellbeing is safeguarded at all times.
- Collect valuable data and information to strategies and formulate both long-term and short-term goals and objectives along with detailed reports.
 |
View a 2-minute demonstration of InetSoft's easy, agile, and robust BI software. |
Important KPIs in the Mining Industry
Here are some important KPIs in mining that are often commonly used:
Average Bucket Weight
As the name implies, the average bucket weight is the measure of how much weight a hauler body that is used in mining operations can carry. This is also relatable to the Fill Factor, which is the percentage of available volume in the hauler body. When it comes to buckets, they often have fill factors over 100%.
The loader bucket fill factor is affected by breakout force, bucket penetration, bucket profile, rack back angel, and ground engaging tools. In the case of hydraulic excavators, bucket fill factors can differ. A fill factor of 87% denotes that 13% of the rate volume is not being used to carry material.
Average Fuel Use per Machine
Just as the name implies, the fuel use per machine is referred to the amount of fuel used by a machine used in mining operations. Fuel management is highly important in the mining industry, and many vehicles used to carry out operations often require diesel oil.
The behemoths that are known as mining haul trucks can use as much as 92 gallons per hour which is equivalent to 350 liters an hour. Many of them run practically 24/7 when mining operations are underway, and therefore it is highly important for managers to measure how much fuel is being consumed in the process.
Average Loading Time
The loading time entails the amount of time taken to fill a complete load. This can include hauler bodies/ equipment as well as vehicles. There are various factors that can influence the average loading time, including the bucket fill factor, loading conditions, loading cycle time, and average load, to name a few.
In short, loading time is the total time for the loader to load the bucket of the truck that is required to deliver a payload. A factor that is commonly ignored when calculating this metric is the waiting time of a loader. This is a noteworthy delay that is not directly caused by the equipment's performance but rather due to the various load-haul equipment combinations that are utilized during the operations.
Average Number of Dumps per Hour
The average number of dumps can also be calculated for a day, a week, and a month depending on whichever metric the manager wants to use as their choice of KPI. It should be noted here, however, that this particular metric depends upon the type of machine.
This is because while both wheel loaders and dump trucks perform cycles and carry payloads, their cycles consist of different steps, and both serve different purposes in the production process.
Average Number of Loads per Hour
The average number of loads per hour refers to the metric that is used to calculate the number of payloads hauler equipment or vehicle can successfully deliver within a period of an hour. Managers can use this metric to contrast and compare capacities of different equipment and machines to manage their operations effectively.
Hence if they have hauler equipment or vehicle with different capacities and loading times, they can decide the better option that offers them the maximum load delivered in the shortest amount of time.
Average Payload
The average payload is a metric that managers in mining operations can use to decide which vehicle or hauler to use, depending on their average capacity to carry materials. This metric can also be used as a factor to evaluate trucks and other hauler vehicles in manning operations to reduce error on material movement and mine production data entry. In some instances, the truck factor can be calculated using three data inputs such as dump t, measured t, and excavator load time.
 |
Read what InetSoft customers and partners have said about their selection of Style Scope for their solution for dashboard reporting. |
Average Swing Time
The swing time is a metric that combines both the average load time as well as the average dump time. Hence, an average swing time for a hauler equipment or an excavator vehicle will include the amount of time it uses to fill a load and measure the amount of time it takes to dump or deliver the payload. In short, this is a measure of efficiency that shows how good a piece of excavator machinery works and how well it can be used to deploy in mining operations.
Change Time
When it comes to measuring productivity at the mining pit, the change time can be used to determine how time is taken to implement shift changes. This metric can then also be used to increase equipment utilization. A time model can also be used to help understand the breakdown of effective machine usage and downtime.
Cycle Distance
Cycle distance is one of the spatial KPIs that superintendents and shift supervisors use. They directly correlate to the efficiency of the mine design approved by the mine superintendents along with the execution quality of these plans.
The cycle distance in this respect provides information with respect to the amount of distance being covered by equipment and mining vehicles to complete their cycle of loading and delivering the payload.
Cycle Time
In order to break it down into completely simple terms, the cycle time is a measure of the amount of time taken for any mining equipment or vehicle to complete their one cycle. This involves the time taken to load along with the time required to deliver the payload as well.
Hence managers can look at cycle times for each mining equipment and vehicle to determine the most effective and efficient combination of equipment and vehicles to manage their operations.