Equipment Tracking Systems Enhance Profitability, Sustainability for Mining Companies

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Surveying and mining services is an industry sector that relies on leased equipment and can benefit significantly from equipment tracking systems.

Environmentalscience.org describes a mining surveyor as a mapping scientist that examines maps and GIS (Geographic Information Systems) data to determine potential areas of new resources. “They will use similar data to determine the potential future use of an existing mine – i.e. whether it is worth the investment to remove the remaining material or to close the mine. This is an essential role in the efficient extraction of material and for determining the future viability of environmental protection and/or profitability.”

According to Wim van Wegen, a writer for Gim-International.com, “while the basic principles of surveying may have remained largely unchanged throughout the years, the instruments remain the same.” Today, van Wegen says, surveying relies upon techniques such as terrestrial laser scanning, airborne laser scanning (or “Lidar”), airborne photogrammetry, unmanned aerial systems (UASs), and satellite imagery, amongst others. All of those techniques capture data that must be processed and analyzed for surveyors to accurately measure areas and formulate mining plans. Nothing can be left to chance – for reasons of safety, but also for time and resource management. A single mining project can spend anywhere between 35% and 50% of its annual operating budget on mining equipment maintenance, according to Bryan Christensen of Mining.com.

Streamline maintenance schedules

When one considers the nature of the work at hand, it’s easy to understand why equipment that operates in such stressful conditions can easily break down. Keeping that equipment in good condition can stave off breakdowns and minimize the inevitable downtime that follows. The best method of keeping equipment in proper order is through routine preventive maintenance. For a big organization with multiple jobs in progress, it’s simply too risky to appoint an already busy employee to keep up with the maintenance schedules for every piece of equipment. Companies no longer have to worry about the errors that inevitably result from manual data entry. Instead, equipment tracking systems enable them to outsource that function to a reliable platform that effectively centralizes all of their equipment data – accurately and in real-time. Equipment and assets no longer fall through the cracks. Repairs aren’t as large and expensive as they would be if the equipment was rarely serviced. And, most important, mining companies maintain the safety of their workers when their equipment is regularly maintained and inspected.

Track equipment with mobile technology

Equipment tracking might be a complex task, but thanks to mobile technology, it’s been simplified and streamlined. All you need is the smartphone or tablet you already carry to manage the complete lifecycle of your vital equipment. To serve the needs of large organizations like mining companies, Asset Panda has created what is among the most powerful equipment tracking systems in the world – and, yet, it’s incredibly easy to use. From our free mobile iOS and Android apps, users can completely customize their equipment and fixed asset data any way they want. They can establish custom notifications and alerts so they never miss crucial equipment maintenance, create work orders, issue reports and save significant time and money.

By:

Courtney Roush

Courtney Roush is a freelance writer, editor, and communications strategist with 25 years of experience. Her favorite discipline is crisis communications – and it’s a highly relevant one in our present times.

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