The use of real-time data, advanced automation and AI tools is helping operations make informed decisions and boosting operational efficiency.

Weir highlights its three NEXT Intelligent Solutions packages, namely Insight, Uptime and Production, that enable customers to apply cutting-edge sensing technologies to deliver enhanced value.

“The three packages highlight the focus at each key step of this journey, allowing the customer to steadily gain more value from this intelligent technology as they progress through the stages of implementation,” says Weir director of digital solutions management Marina Eskola. “At the foundation is our Insight package, which gives the customer access to vital information about the performance and condition of their equipment in real time – through a Web-interface-based dashboard.”

While the goal of the Insight package is to provide visibility across the operation, she explains, the aim of the Uptime package is to extend the operational lifetime of the equipment itself.

“This is where we add predictive capabilities so that we can forecast the remaining useful lifetime of the critical components,” Eskola adds. “This in turn allows the customer to run the components for longer – until their actual condition demands replacement.”

“Another solution in the Uptime package is automated adjustment, allowing certain parameters on our equipment to be adjusted quickly and without the manual intervention of any operators,” she says.

The third element of the NEXT Intelligent Solutions offering is the Production package, aimed at allowing customers to maximise their process efficiency with AI-powered optimisation.

“The NEXT Production package includes an intelligent assistant that we are rolling out this year,” according to Weir head of process optimisation technology Mauricio Vega. “This takes all the data gathered through the Insight and Uptime packages, and gives recommendations to metallurgists, process engineers and operators based on their operational priorities.”

Every mine has its particular targets and imperatives, he notes, so this package helps to guide decisions to achieve those goals, such as a production target or a desired product size for the classification circuit. The intelligent assistant does this by combining Weir’s historical data from equipment operating globally, with the site data from the customer’s control room.

“We also recognise the customer’s constraints – such as energy usage limits – which the intelligent system can take into account,” he says. “This helps pave the way to smart and efficient mining, which is very much the focus of the mining industry today.”