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August 2016 www.coalage.com 65 operating ideas continued sustainable success for any technology deployment. Clear, timely and easy-to-interpret feedback influences operator behavior. MineWare system deployments provide simple, clear feed- back on the remaining payload to fill the truck currently being loaded. This is the core, primary mechanism through which pay- load optimization is achieved. It also informs the operators of their overall loading performance throughout the shift to track improvements over time. The system also compares each opera- tor's loading performance to all other operators, by operator and by machine to provide peer-based benchmarking and to identify those needing additional training. On each in-cab display, a simple green fill-bar graphic pro- vides the operators with all the information they need to control their truck payload. KPI bars along the bottom and side drives a "keep it in the green" behavior for increasing consistency and minimizing variation between operators. This intuitive design has yielded documented improvements in average truck payloads of more than 5%. Mine Plan Compliance Mine plan compliance is ensuring the material excavated and loaded matches the mine's plan. To ensure compliance with plan, loading machine operators must be provided with real-time, in- tuitive information that allows them to stay on track and avoid wasted effort and cleanup work. Intuitive real-time displays help an operator avoid an issue before it has the chance to occur. All the effort in getting maximum productivity out of a loading unit is worthless if all they are doing is loading the incorrect material. MineWare provides operators with real-time, 3-D, color-cod- ed feedback on where they are digging compared to where they are meant to dig. This critical information is available both on the loader in real time, and back in the office where engineering and supervisory staff can quickly assess the progress of the excavation. Alternative technologies such as UAVs and terrestrial scanners can provide quality data for detecting mine plan deviations, but the real-time nature of generating profiles on the loader allows the operator to avoid such deviations before they occur. Significant reductions in deviations from the plan have been achieved through the system's clear, concise and real-time oper- ator feedback. With the 3-D displays, an operator and supervisor can quickly assess how well they are digging to plan. Now the operator is loading quickly, accurately and is taking the right material. The next consideration is to minimize machine damage so as to maximize availability. Machine Damage Management Minimal benefit can be gained by increasing loading tool produc- tivity if it results in increased maintenance costs and correspond- ing downtime. However, with the right monitoring system, loader productivity can be maximized without compromising the goal of minimizing machine damage. Smooth, competent loader op- eration can and does outperform rough operation, which yields higher production rates and significantly less machine damage. Potential machine damage is a function of equipment vibra- tion. By analyzing vibration and providing operators the key met- rics, in real time, machine damage can be minimized. If one tries to break a piece of fencing wire by pulling on each end, it will take considerable time and strength. However, if the same piece of fencing wire is bent back and forth the desired ob- jective can be achieved with a lot less effort. A loading machine is no different. Continual loading, unload- ing, and vibration take their toll on the machine and all its com- ponents. In fact, a doubling in machine load can equate to an up to eightfold increase in damage done. MineWare records real-time strain gauge data on loading equipment and focus on the cumula- tive impact of load and vibration in measuring machine damage. Small reductions in vibration equate to significant savings in com- ponent life. The MineWare system displays each operator's rate of damage to the machine as they are operating and contrasts that with the average levels for the machine. Historical information demon- strates that variations between operators are common. Minimizing the variation in operator performance will im- prove overall machine availability. Involving the operators by keeping them informed, helps them evolve their loading tech- niques and attitudes to smooth the operation and increase overall productivity and minimizes its effect on machine availability. This is a principal success factor for the system. It is often said that the most important person on a mine site with respect to productivity is not the mine manager, not the en- gineer, not the supervisor, but it is the humble machine operator. If operator behavior can be changed and improvements real- ized in the three dimensions of loading tool performance: payload compliance, mine plan compliance, and machine damage man- agement, then reporting and analysis will be more of a "check and balance" rather than a means to an end. MineWare has demonstrated the ability to implement the be- havioral changes necessary to ensure both payload and mine plan compliance, and still minimize machine damage. This proven value proposition makes the deployment of the system extremely compelling for any property interested in significantly improving productivity, availability and compliance with plan. MineWare Pty Ltd. founder and CEO Andrew Jessett estab- lished MineWare in 2005 after independently creating and com- mercializing the world's most advanced dragline monitoring sys- tem, the Pegasys Dragline Monitor. Today, Jessett continues to drive MineWare's growth and development in delivering sophisticated dragline and shovel monitoring technologies. Stress data from two different operators on the same day, with the same conditions and the same production rate.