How Booyco PDS opens door to digital twin technology
August 2023
IT in Manufacturing
Long respected for its contribution to mine safety, Proximity Detection System (PDS) specialist Booyco Electronics has highlighted how data can be leveraged to improve safety on mines, while making it more productive and efficient.
“For many years, our PDS has allowed customers to collect data on the movements of their mobile trackless machinery and their personnel,” says Graeme Jardine, chief sales officer at Booyco Electronics. “As the mining sector embraces the power of the digital twin approach, the value of this data is further enhanced as it can now be used to virtually model the optimisation options on a surface mine.”
Jardine explains that modelling allows the benefits of any operational improvements on a mine to be evaluated in advance of implementing them. Changes to existing systems and processes can introduce risks and costs, so it is important for mines to pre-test options as far as possible – quantifying their potential benefits in advance.
“Using a digital twin – the virtual equivalent of the machine in the field – mines can model a number of proposed scenarios and choose the one that is optimal for their operation,” he says. To illustrate this point, he uses the example of heat maps created via Booyco’s Electronics Asset Management System (BEAMS) software suite. A scenario can be created depicting haul trucks experiencing excessive standing time while waiting to be loaded. The mine can use digital twin modelling to investigate the detailed implications and costs of diverting some trucks to an added excavator or shovel. By quantifying costs and benefits more accurately, an informed decision can be made, making the best use of the available capital and resources, and positively impacting the bottom line.
For Booyco Electronics customers, their years of collected data through PDS and the BEAMS software suite, which is a central information hub linking the proximity detection hardware products with monitoring devices, positions them well to advance with digital twin technology as this data can now be used to populate a modelling system. “The modelling process may require an extended period’s worth of data to be input before the results can be regarded as representative and meaningful,” says Jardine. This means that they will not have to wait months or years to generate the necessary data from scratch. As a leader in this field since 2006, Booyco Electronics is able to leverage its technology to harness the potential of digital twin modelling. “We have taken many mines through the process of applying PDS technology, and are now well positioned to walk a similar journey with them towards a digital twin value add,” he says.
Further reading:
Why choose between Capex and Opex if you can Totex?
Schneider Electric South Africa
IT in Manufacturing
In a sector marked by cyclical demand, high capital intensity, and increasing regulatory and sustainability pressures, mining, minerals and metals (MMM) companies are re-evaluating how they approach procurement and investment.
Read more...
AI and the smart factory
Schneider Electric South Africa
IT in Manufacturing
Imagine walking into a factory where machines can think ahead, predict problems before they happen and automatically make adjustments to realise peak performance. This isn’t science fiction, it’s happening right now as AI continues to transform how we run industrial operations.
Read more...
Why your supply chain should be a competitive advantage
Schneider Electric South Africa
IT in Manufacturing
The last five years have placed unprecedented strain on global supply chains. Leading companies are turning the challenge into an opportunity to transform their supply chains into a competitive advantage.
Read more...
Why AI will never truly understand machines
Wearcheck
IT in Manufacturing
Cutting-edge technology and solutions powered by AI are embraced by specialist condition monitoring company, WearCheck, where the extreme accuracy of data used to assess and diagnose machine health is paramount.
Read more...
Buildings and microgrids for a greener future
Schneider Electric South Africa
IT in Manufacturing
Buildings are no longer passive consumers of power. Structures of almost every size are evolving into dynamic energy ecosystems capable of generating, storing and distributing their own electricity. Forming part of this exciting transformation are microgrids.
Read more...
Traditional data centres are not fit for purpose
IT in Manufacturing
Traditional data centre designs are falling short, with nearly half of IT leaders admitting their current infrastructure does not support energy or carbon-reduction goals. New research commissioned by Lenovo reveals that data centre design must evolve to future-proof businesses.
Read more...
AI agents for digital environment management in SA
IT in Manufacturing
The conversation about artificial intelligence in South Africa has shifted rapidly over the past year. Among the technologies changing the pace of business are AI agents - autonomous, task-driven systems designed to operate with limited human input.
Read more...
AI-powered maintenance in future-ready data centres
Schneider Electric South Africa
IT in Manufacturing
The data centre marketplace often still relies on outdated maintenance methods to manage mission-critical equipment. Condition-Based Maintenance (CBM) is powered by AI and is fast becoming a necessity in ensuring both competitiveness and resilience.
Read more...
Powering up data centre mega development
IT in Manufacturing
Parker Hannifin has secured a major contract to supply key equipment for nearly 30 aeroderivative gas turbines powering a new hyperscale data centre in Texas.
Read more...
Building resilient supply chains through smarter e-procurement
RS South Africa
IT in Manufacturing
In a time of constant disruption, from supply chain uncertainty to rising operational costs, businesses that embrace digital procurement are better positioned to stay competitive and resilient.
Read more...
printer friendly version