TOKYO and RICHMOND, BC – Hitachi Ltd. and Wenco International Mining Systems (a Canadian-based subsidiary of Hitachi) have started a joint proof of concept (PoC) project to combine Hitachi's cloud computing service with Wenco's fleet management system (FMS).
Wenco's FMS will be installed at Hitachi's data center in North America, and will provide cloud-based FMS service via the internet. One of Teck Resources' mining operations in British Columbia will use and evaluate the system for 40 days after its launch on January 20.
Using on-board computers, the Wenco FMS is installed on dump trucks, excavators and additional equipment. It displays mine-specific instructions for the operators that help increase efficiencies at a mine site. Currently, the FMS is individually maintained and operated on each mine site, but the cloud-based FMS service utilized in the PoC project will demonstrate the ability for mines with multiple sites to manage their mine sites from one facility. The goal of the project is to reduce the initial start up and operating costs of the FMS in small scale mining.
Hitachi and Wenco will work together toward the success of this PoC project and its future full scale application in other mines. Hitachi has positioned the mining related area as one of the core focus areas of the Social Innovation Business, and will accelerate the global rollout of these business activities. Also Hitachi has organized its smart information related products and services into "Intelligent Operations." After analyzing and evaluating the results of the project, Hitachi will advance the development of an "Intelligent Operations for Mining" solution as a part of its Intelligent Operations.
Watch the Wenco fleet management system video at WencoMine.com.
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