By Danny Gavin, AEM Communications Coordinator --
Equipment manufacturers have placed an increased emphasis on advancing equipment technology over the past decade, building smarter facilities to deliver smarter solutions to their customers. AEM member company Epiroc, a manufacturer of mining and construction products and equipment, is one such company that’s focused on building the future of mining technology.
From autonomous solutions to data insights, the company is making a real impact on safety and efficiency within the industry. The company’s Garland, Texas facility, and all of the innovation that is happening there, will be on display during the AEM Manufacturing Express tour, as the tour makes way through Texas throughout the month of August.
“We’ve evolved from just a machine manufacturing company to a custom solution delivery company, as technology has become integrated into every facet of our operations,” said Epiroc Vice President of Marketing Dustin Penn.
The AEM Manufacturing Express is proud to make a stop at Epiroc on Aug. 5. For more information and to follow along with the tour, visit manufacturingexpress.org.
Shifting Gears to Focus on Technology
The company has a longstanding history, reaching all the way back to 1873, but began homing in on technology in the early 2000’s. Now, automation technology and data collection have become the company’s main area of focus. To make this transformation possible, Epiroc transitioned its workforce priorities, hiring software engineers and data experts in addition to their electrical and mechanical engineers.
Epiroc’s legacy in manufacturing large blasthole drill rigs for surface mining in the U.S. stretches back to the late 1940s. Today, with the total connected fleet of more than 5000 Epiroc surface drills, over 140 machines run completely autonomous on 35 mining sites around the world. These machines can be controlled from over 1,000 miles away, and operators can control multiple machines at the same time.
Epiroc has prided itself on providing data insights to its customers as well, allowing for more informed decision-making and an increase in efficiency. Mining companies can use data insights provided by Epiroc equipment to ensure they’re performing as expected, and they’re able to make the necessary adjustments more quickly if performance is below expectations.
“All of these factors have allowed mining operators to be more effective by letting the machine perform within its intended parameters, and we work to help companies plan correctly to ensure the machine delivers,” said Penn.
Addressing Workforce and Data Needs
Many mining companies have a hard time filling open positions – mining isn’t exactly a glamourous field, the often-remote job sites have much smaller pools of labor to pull from, and experienced operators are continuously aging out of the workforce. Thankfully, with the help of products like Epiroc’s all-electric Pit Viper drill rig, which can be controlled remotely, companies can address these concerns and operate more efficiently while doing it.
“Mines are usually in remote locations, and when operation can happen in a temperature-controlled room in a more populated area, it’s far easier to fill open positions,” said Penn.
Many of Epiroc’s other products can be operated from thousands of miles away, and as a result, companies are able to draw in labor from much larger cities. And, as automation has become popularized in the mining industry, the skills needed to operate a drill have drastically reduced.
In the past, operators had to be in the cab of the machine to make manual adjustments – now, these functions are either remote or are self-implemented in the case of maintenance. Thankfully, experienced operators aren’t out of a job either, and they’re instead able to expand their capabilities and serve as on-site experts.
“Now, operators are more focused on what the outcomes of their actions should be, and what they need to do from a remote location to make it all happen,” said Penn.
Enhancing Safety and Efficiency on The Manufacturing Line
Internally, technology is making an equally important impact on Epiroc’s own operations. The company has seen major safety improvements at its Surface Division facility in Garland.
“Our recordable incident rate has decreased dramatically, due to a combination of a proactive approach, and smart tools being integrated into our factory,” said Epiroc Vice President of Human Resources Amy Castillo.
Digitizing manufacturing, creating consistent processes, and integrating technology on the line has made all the difference in not only bolstering the company’s workforce, but helping current employees work more efficiently.
“We have integrated Visual Factory (VF), a Manufacturing execution system (MES) into our facility. VF provides the operator with precise and detailed instructions on how rigs are built, what tools to use, what parts are required and any data that needs to be recorded,” said Castillo.
Benefits of VF at Epiroc’s Garland facility include:
- A 10% efficiency improvement
- A 50% reduction in training time
- Easy operator cross-training
- Paper instructions are no longer required
- A reduction in quality defects
Epiroc has also been working on innovative ways to train employees to stay up to date with new technology in their machinery. The company does yearly boot camps, training its employees worldwide to be experts on the high-level features and automated components of its machines, and how to maximize them in the field.
“We’ve trained over 300 experts internally – the guys and girls out in the field have to understand how our machines work, and how to use them, and so we’ve put a lot of emphasis on growing our own people to better serve our customers,” said Penn.
Epiroc has been delivering innovative solutions and pushing the future of mining forward for years, and the company has no plans to slow down any time soon. Whether in its own facilities, or for its customers, Epiroc’s focus on technology and delivering advanced solutions has improved the industry as a whole.
