Aggregates Manager Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/772143
OPERATIONS ILLUSTRATED OUR EXPERTS control and autonomous operations January 2017 Travis Chewning, P.E., is senior director of en- gineering & operational support for Richmond, Va.-based Luck Stone Corp. Chewning joined Luck Stone in 1999 and has enjoyed a career in engineering supporting the operations team. He is passionate about the company's innovation and the aggregate in- dustry. Craig McGinnis is product marketing man- ager, wheel loaders, at Komatsu America Corp. He is responsible for the WA380 through WA600 size wheel loaders. McGinnis has been with Komatsu for six years, starting in marketing engineering, and spending the last four years working with loaders in the rubber tire group. He has a bachelor's degree in materials science and engineering from Illinois Institute of Technology. Mike Wentworth is product manager of Atlas Copco Surface Drilling Equipment for Mining, Rock Excavation and Construction LLC. Wentworth is a product expert and works di- rectly with many Atlas Copco customers. In areas that may have not been easily or safely ac- cessible, remote-control equipment operation makes it possible. This increases reserves, and, in turn, an operation's production. Embracing remote control and autonomous technologies and encouraging OEMs to continue their development of technology provides value and an alternative to traditional methods of mining the previously inaccessible reserves. "We are excited to see some other OEM manufacturers heading in the direction of potentially making RC equipment part of their offering," says Travis Chewning, P.E., senior director of engineering and operational support for Luck Stone Corp. If an area is hard to access, conditions are danger- ous, or even just make for an uncomfortable ride in a machine's cab — such as over extremely rocky ter- rain — consider using remote control and autonomous equipment and equipment with automated features. Integrated machine control uses telematics to track working hours, location, and maintenance alerts to be sent through a secure website allowing remote diag- nosis of problems and later analysis of performance data. Automated features on drills can help operators drill benches with uncertain ground conditions. Use of remote control and autonomous equipment and operations gives Luck Stone employees the opportunity to grow and develop in different areas from their typical job. Current associates don't view autonomous fl eets/ operations as a threat because they realize aggregate operations will not be human-free systems. Securing the workforce of the future continues to be a challenge, particularly fi nding people who want a career as a haul truck driver. Autonomous haul trucks can help alleviate driver shortages. Remote control and autonomous/semi-autonomous equipment and functions give producers the fl exibility to shift resources where they are needed. This makes interchangeability on equipment fairly seamless. "It does a lot when you can shift resources around to other sites, especially if a big project is going on and one site is getting hammered," says Craig McGinnis, product marketing manager, wheel loaders, Komatsu America Corp. "You can do more with less. You are going to be out there producing day in and day out. You need to do what you can to do more with less and make it easier for the equipment operators." Secure the workforce of the future Shift and develop resources Increase productivity and save money Put operator safety fi rst 2 3 6 5