Aggregates Manager Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/891178
A great example of a company that's using drones for stockpile measurement is Whitaker Contracting. Founded in 1957 and headquartered in Alabama, Whitaker Contracting, is leading the way in aggregate measurement and tracking. By using drones, Whitaker's combined yearly cost is 22% less than before. They're measuring their stockpiles twice as frequently, while spending four times less time. 2. Mine Planning at the Speed of Flight Due to the high cost of manned aerial surveys, many companies may only do an aerial survey once a year, while using ground-based surveyors in between. In search of a way to collect data on any site at any time, companies are incorporating drones into the mine planning process. They're finding value in the 2D and 3D models created from data captured by drones. Companies are also using drones to compare volume measurements from stripping, takeoffs and mine reclamation work, as well as to estimate levels of reserves. APAC-Central (Oldcastle) is a great example of a company embracing the benefits drones can offer. David Lloyd, Mine Planning Engineer, needed a full topographic survey of a disused pit so his team could do their initial cut and fill and engineering design. Instead of using a scanner system, having a meeting to plan where they'd drive roads with a dozer, spending a few days driving those roads and spending a full day driving the scanner around - they used their Kespry Automated Drone System and were on-site for just two hours total. 3. Remotely Access Unsafe Areas For staff at aggregate companies, doing inventory means having to climb up and down stockpiles, while carrying heavy equipment. This often results in tripping, falling or sliding. Using drones means that staff no longer need to put themselves in harm's way and can collect all the data they need from a safe distance. "In my opinion, the drone paid for itself the first time I used it." —John P. Davenport, Construction Surveyor, Whitaker Contracting Corporation To learn how the leading aggregate companies are seeing a clear ROI with industrial drone systems, visit www.kespry.com/aggregates Manual inspection of stockpiles often results in slipping or falling Captured data is automatically uploaded to the Kespry Cloud