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FGR Automation and Cumulocity IoT improve safety in the field
Technology Category
- Analytics & Modeling - Real Time Analytics
- Platform as a Service (PaaS) - Connectivity Platforms
Applicable Industries
- Automotive
- Mining
Applicable Functions
- Discrete Manufacturing
- Quality Assurance
Use Cases
- Predictive Maintenance
- Real-Time Location System (RTLS)
- Remote Asset Management
Services
- Data Science Services
- System Integration
The Challenge
The mining company was facing challenges in monitoring and collecting data from remote installations. The boreholes in the phosphate mine were located in a remote desert area with no utility-provided electricity or internet. Communications were limited to company satellite phones. If anything happened in one of the boreholes, it would take hours to get medical help or a crucial part. The ability to monitor and remotely supervise the boreholes was not just for compliance reasons, but also for safety. The company needed to collect and turn critical data into value. Another challenge was the pre-permitting process which required a lot of data to prove that the soil is stable enough for the operation.
About The Customer
FGR is an engineering firm established in 1985 that specializes in systems offering significant improvements in overall plant efficiency, control, and profitability with the total automation of manufacturing processes. FGR has developed and installed integrated control systems around the world for refineries, power, water & waste water, truck & train loading, and pharmaceutical product packaging, among many others. The company was brought in to solve the problem of collecting and turning critical data into value in a phosphate mine and dozens more.
The Solution
FGR designed, built and installed solar panels to provide a means of communicating data from the mine and sending it to the cloud for analysis. It then designed, built and installed sensors that could monitor and relay conditions in real time. FGR partnered with Cumulocity IoT to provide an IoT platform to capture the data, analyze it for patterns that signal problems and then send real-time alerts back to the field. The IoT solution allowed the soil measurements to be completed before the drilling took place, to reassure government officials that it is stable enough for a borehole operation. Using Cumulocity IoT, the data could be fed directly into government forms, making pre-permitting a much easier and quicker process. In other mines, FGR and Cumulocity IoT’s combined solution is used to monitor rock containment walls. By monitoring the walls for vibration or movement, potential accidents could be prevented.
Operational Impact
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