Data-Driven ABB Smart Hoisting Solution 'is Safety Boon'
Electrification and automation giant ABB has unveiled a new digital suite of solutions around mining hoists.
The new products are in a range dubbed ABB Ability Smart Hoisting, and are designed to be integrated to other cloud solutions and extended offerings that "significantly increase the operational performance and reliability of mine hoists", the company says.
ABB is a leader in ‘connected engineering’, optimising how things are manufactured, moved, powered and operated.
The new suite is part of its ambition to transform predictive maintenance for mine hoists.
The old-school approach to hoist predictive maintenance relies on manual data collection and analysis, meaning intermittent issues can remain hidden until a problem emerges. Manual data collection and analysis is also time-heavy, preventing key employees from focusing on strategic performance tasks.
ABB Smart Hoisting 'improves uptime and productivity'
ABB says Smart Hoisting improves the uptime, availability, reliability, performance, and productivity of hoists. It adds that the solution also offers improved cybersecurity and that its drive innovations will make for "more sustainable and profitable mining operations".
“By incorporating advanced monitoring features, it provides actionable information on critical KPIs, ensuring better decision-making and optimisation of hoisting operations,” the company says.
It adds: “The automatic collection, monitoring, and analysis of data will enable mining companies to increase production performance, identify potential functional safety hazards, and optimise maintenance scheduling.”
Charles Bennett, Global Service Manager, Hoisting at ABB, says: “The evolved Smart Hoisting solution redefines the performance benchmarks for mine hoists, and addresses industry challenges around uptime, sustainability, and operational resilience.”
This latest development follows news earlier in the year that ABB has launched a joint digital-twins project with mining and smelting firm Boliden.
ABB is one of the oldest mining tech companies, being founded 140-years ago. It employs 105,000 people worldwide.