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ways than one. For one, the OEM was able to improve upon its low-profile bat- tery-powered coal scoops by incorporat- ing the GE Invertex drive system; also, its battery electric Invertex system emits no diesel particulate matter, which reduces noise and heat generation while also improving air quality (versus diesel scoops, from which GE Mining said the domestic coal community is largely removing itself). Having one package, all developed by GE Mining, also has bene- fits from the customer service/OEM sup- port perspective. Moving ahead with the success of its scoop integrations, Klinko noted that the company is now looking for other oppor- tunities for technology transfer. One of those is expected to see an official launch in 2016: a plan to leverage the Invertex drive and GE Fairchild's platform capa- bilities to launch a new 7T battery-elec- tric drive LHD for the hard rock underground market. In addition to the Fairchild line, GE also now owns Australian-based Industrea. Both acquisitions closed in the second half of 2012. Online Monitoring Systems Monitoring of nearly every facet of min- ing has exponentially grown in popularity as the technology with which to achieve it has gotten more and more advanced. This also extends to the monitoring of a mine's fleet of scoops, shuttle cars and other mobile equipment. It is no surprise, then, that Phillips Machine has been receiving very positive feedback from operators on its MineLink system, an online monitoring system for underground equipment that provides diagnostics access from any Internet-ready device. From tonnage to oil temp- erature/pressure and motor and conveyor current/speed, MineLink can provide everything in real-time; capabilities also include incline degrees, equipment opera- tion time and motor overloading/overheat- ing status. In fact, there are currently more than 50 different alarms that can be customized for a mine and set to go off within parameters dictated by each user. Operators can also receive email or text alerts when alarms are activated, sent right to a mobile device or tablet. At the end of each day, all MineLink- linked units can be scheduled to undergo a system backup. If a user needs to be to be added or removed, or if an alarm needs edited, all can be easily done from the system's administration console. If a problem aris- es and OEM support is ever needed, help is just a click away once the user submits a trouble ticket through the system. According to Phillips Sales and Marketing Director C.R. Allen, monitor- ing is an exciting part of the company's lineup, but it is also always looking at mines' feedback to make its offerings even better. "Currently, Phillips is working on pro- jects that reduce total cost of ownership (TCO) for our OEM products," he said of the company's R&D; efforts, adding that the biggest issues being heard from its customers related to issues with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), permitting problems, and of course the ongoing concerns with project financing and output prices. These worries also extend to the costs of adding or replacing a mine's machines, be it a scoop, shuttle car or any other piece of a mine's fleet. While saving mon- ey may be the easiest avenue to take now, it could create issues later. "Most of Phillips' customers have cut their buy/build/rebuild budgets to the low- est possible levels," Allen said. "More repair work is being done at the mine and the equipment is being operated well beyond what is considered to be normal. Operating the equipment for extended periods results in short-term savings, but will increase the costs to rebuild in the future." To that end, the factors considered when making such a move largely come back to two main things: whether the vehicle matches their mining conditions, and if it fits into the budget. "More customers are buying and using used equipment trying to reduce capital costs [and]…the demand for aftermarket parts has increased," he noted. At this time, its engineering group is focusing on advancements in technology that are currently being used on the sur- face, aiming to implement these things into the underground environment. Some of these include high-speed data network use, real-time cameras, proximi- ty detection and cableless haulage. It has been busy testing all of these things, par- ticularly since its monitoring system has been such a positive. "Monitoring the equipment in real- time and scheduling component change- outs is a goal many process improvement professionals are seeking," Allen said. "Running the equipment longer and increasing the life of components and complete machines, reducing labor costs through the use of monitoring will be more important for the future for under- ground miners." s h u t t l e c a r s & s c o o p s c o n t i n u e d 26 www.coalage.com July 2015 Phillips Machine provides both new and rebuild units to the coal industry.