HARD DATA (CONTINUED)
The units are moved from the mainland to site in a specialist barge, which is just large enough to transport two Cat 777G’s at a time. Once on
Glensanda, the units are maintained by a
combination of Blackwell and Finning engineers
in a recently commissioned state-of-the-art
maintenance facility, specially constructed over the last two years.
Big enough to hold trucks even larger than the Cat 777G’s, the facility has been constructed with flexibility and future growth potential in mind. With a new crusher, capable of supporting
production levels up to nine million tonnes, currently being commissioned onsite, output levels could rise significantly.
With the new crusher some distance away from the existing one, the focus of the Blackwell team is to make the transition from old to new. For Paul Bird, Glensanda Load and Haul Project Manager for Blackwell, the challenge ahead is to keep up the daily delivery of the required raw material from quarry bench to crusher.
To find out more, Finning News visited the site and spoke to Paul about the load and haul
operation. Paul: “Glensanda is one of those very unique sites with its own challenges that you just don’t come across with other UK quarry operations. It’s a harsh environment where we are extracting
extremely hard and abrasive material.
“This is why we have to rely on what I call ‘Hard Data’ which translates to a wide variety of
information on machine performance, haul road gradients, component health, ground engaging tool wear and much more. You also have to
listen to the machine operators, as they know when something doesn’t feel right and ultimately have the biggest impact on cost, from component life and tyre wear to fuel burn.
“Having now worked onsite with AI since we
were awarded the contract in July 2013 we are currently at a strategically important phase of the contract, with the move to the new crusher just a few months away.
“This is why we have recently started to phase in the use of the Finning Cat MineStar system on both the Cat 777G trucks and more importantly on the Cat 992K wheel loaders. This was
highlighted as an additional benefit of using
Caterpillar equipment when we were at the tender stage with Finning.
“In practical terms our team and Finning staff will monitor the data we get from this system. As part of the phased introduction, we have already been analysing key production and equipment health stats through bespoke daily, weekly and monthly reports compiled by Finning.
“But as we move forward and roll out the system, we will be focusing on loading performance and also looking into how we can potentially utilise the live data feeds we get from MineStar to
manage our overall fleet performance.”
GLENSANDA FACTS
• 760 million tonnes of reserves
• Opened on 5th August 1986
• Quarry Extraction Area is 420 - 520 metres above sea level
• 3 self discharging ships owned by A.I. with up to 97,00 tonne capacity move product
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