Standardising Undercarriage Management Across a Multi-OEM Mining Fleet
The Problem
A large mining operation manages a diverse fleet of tracked equipment, including electric rope shovels, large hydraulic Shovels and multiple sized dozers from several OEMs.
Undercarriage inspections were being completed by multiple equipment dealers and service providers, with each organisation using its own inspection process, paper forms, electronic capture systems, reporting formats and wear specifications.
The result was a fragmented inspection process.
Reports arrived from multiple sources in different formats, often up to a week after the physical inspection had been completed. By the time the report reached the maintenance team, the machine had returned to production and could have accumulated many additional operating hours.
Each report then needed to be reviewed and interpreted to determine the condition of the undercarriage, identify the maintenance required and decide when that work could be scheduled into the next available maintenance window.
The Key Challenges
The existing process created several problems:
- No standardisation — reports from different inspectors and service providers were presented in different formats.
- Different wear specifications — component wear calculations could vary depending on the inspection source and specifications being used.
- Limited visibility of wear limits — the specifications used to calculate component wear were not always clearly displayed.
- Inconsistent maintenance recommendations — required maintenance actions were not presented in a common, easily recognisable format.
- Delayed reporting — reports could take up to a week to reach the maintenance team after the inspection.
- Additional interpretation required — maintenance personnel needed to interpret each supplier’s report before determining what action was required.
- No consolidated fleet view — inspection results remained within individual reports, making it difficult to compare component condition and performance across the entire tracked fleet.
The TrackTreads Solution
TrackTreads provided a single undercarriage inspection and lifecycle management process across the entire tracked fleet, irrespective of machine type, OEM, inspector or service provider.
All inspectors collect the required measurements, component condition, photographs, comments and recommended maintenance actions using the same structured inspection process on the single system.
TrackTreads applies a consistent methodology to the inspection data while accommodating the different measurement methods and wear specifications required for each OEM and machine model.
Once the field inspection is synchronised, the information is immediately available for review and reporting, even before the machine is back in service.
Instead of receiving multiple report formats from different inspection providers, the mine receives the same standardised information for every machine across the fleet.
The Outcome
The mine moved from managing a collection of individual inspection reports to managing the condition and lifecycle of its entire tracked fleet through one system.
Maintenance teams now have a consistent view of:
- Current component condition and percentage worn
- Component measurements and applicable wear specifications
- Photographs and inspection comments
- Identified defects and maintenance requirements
- Recommended corrective actions
- Component wear rates and remaining life
- Planned replacement timing
- Historical component performance
Most importantly, inspection information is available shortly after the inspection is completed rather than waiting days for individual reports to be prepared and distributed.
This allows maintenance requirements to be identified earlier and incorporated into the next available maintenance opportunity.
At management level, the digitised information can be consolidated across the fleet to identify poor-performing machines and components, compare achieved component life and forecast future maintenance and replacement requirements.
The result is a transition from managing multiple inspection reports to managing undercarriage condition, maintenance and lifecycle performance across the entire fleet.