Scania system applies lean production to mining

Scania unveiled a system to help mine operators identify waste in their work processes at MINExpo International 2016.

Scania Site Optimisation is designed to boost logistical flows and can be tailored to an operation’s needs, according to Scania. The system derives from within Scania, which has more than doubled its output per employee in production over the last 20 years, the company says.

“Scania Site Optimisation is a framework of tools and methods which identifies inefficiencies in logistical flows,” says Björn Winblad, head of Scania Mining. “We are able to find and target bottlenecks in those flows using information relayed to us from communication units in each vehicle. That helps us map the flow in the mine – such as where the trucks load and unload – and provides us with data that we can analyze.

“Based on our analysis, we can provide the customer with a choice of services, products and actions to help them improve efficiency,” Winblad adds.

Scania Site Optimisation measures and evaluates production performance in five areas, including time (i.e., cycle time, uptime, queues of trucks), road (i.e., route design, maintenance issues), load (i.e., equipment matching, overloading, spilling), safety (i.e., speeding) and sustainability (i.e., fuel consumption, emissions). Operations can then choose from a range of solutions according to their individual needs, Scania adds.

“We are leading the way with this holistic approach,” Winblad says. “And we can also use our expertise and smart solutions from other industries, such as long haulage transport or bus transport, and apply them in mining.”