True Digitalisation of Underground Mining
With new innovative technology, Mobilaris Mining & Civil Engineering and Epiroc take digitalisation of mining operations to the next level. So far, the result has been double-digit productivity increases, higher efficiency, and increased safety for the mining industry. Hans Wahlquist writes.

Many mining companies around the world are facing daily challenges that make mining operations unpredictable, resulting in a waste of valuable time and inefficient use of machines, assets and equipment. During a normal shift, there are many obstacles that can cause differences between planning and reality, for example, machine breakdowns and people taking the wrong decisions due to lack of information. 

With solutions from the Mobilaris Mining Intelligence™ product portfolio, mining companies become aware of what is going on in the mine, right here and now. This information makes it possible to take control over the operations and the resources. With these digital solutions, people can act upon what is happening in real-time and make the right decision faster. These solutions make is possible to find new, more efficient ways of working.

Mobilaris Onboard - a disruptive innovation
The latest product in the Mobilaris Mining Intellince™ portfolio is Mobilaris Onboard, a unique product that runs on a standard tablet mounted in a vehicle. Just like with a GPS car navigator, Mobilaris Onboard makes it easy for anyone underground to navigate to a location or to a moving asset without any specific knowledge about the mine, without any dedicated infrastructure for positioning needed.  

“We are confident that Mobilaris Onboard will cause a paradigm shift in the underground mining industry. It makes every miner aware of the whole real-time situation in the mine and enables a set of unique tools that will increase productivity by less traffic congestions and a safer work environment,” says Hans Wahlquist, VP Business Development and Strategic Product Management at Mobilaris Mining & Civil Engineering.

When every second counts
In the case of a stressful situation like a fire or a collapse that requires evacuation of the mine, time is of essence. Rescue personnel and evacuation leaders need to have the best tools available to ensure that the evacuation is done as quickly as possible and according to defined procedures. With Mobilaris Emergency Support, rescue personnel have access to real-time information on where in the mine people are located – knowing who is safe and who is not. Studies show that with these tools in hand, the time to evacuate people in danger is dramatically reduced.

In partnership with HZL
Hindustan Zinc (HZL) has partnered up with Mobilaris Mining & Civil Engineering and Epiroc to digitalise the Rampura Agucha mine, their flagship of mining operations. Speaking on this association, Leif Johansson, senior Project Manager at Mobilaris Mining & Civil Engineering says, “We feel honoured that Hindustan Zinc has chosen us as a partner for modernising their mine operation even further. We will provide solutions for smooth and seamless operations that define new, more efficient, ways of working.” 

The partnership with HZL includes solutions for situational awareness designed to visualise and support the mining operations in all its complexity, in real-time. By implementing superior real-time 3D visualisation with information from various systems and sensors, HZL will have the tools for superior control and planning of their mining operations. It will also be among the first customers worldwide to implement the new disruptive product Mobilaris Onboard, for navigation underground and a smoother traffic flow.

Hans Wahlquist is VP Business Development and Strategic Product Management at Mobilaris Mining & Civil Engineering.

hans.wahlquist@mobilaris.se