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Overall mining productivity has risen 2.8% per year from 2014 to 2016 according to McKinsey research. These improvements will become harder to sustain with new challenges facing mining companies (costs of labour, environmental concerns, depth of mines etc..). But technology can enable the continuity in productivity improvements. The challenge facing many mine sites is, how to successfully embrace new technologies and their improvements in productivity and cost savings. There needs to be 3 drivers incorporated Read more…

The Undercarriage Equalizer Bar performs a critical undercarriage function, so identifying any potential problems that can be handled at planned maintenance stoppage would be ideal. Things to look for are: – Equalizer Bar damage – check that there is no damage or cracks in the bar itself Rubber Pad condition – check the condition of the rubber pads between the equalizer bar and the frame Center Pin Pivot shaft and Seal condition – check for Read more…

Undercarriage Inspection software is not the silver bullet to Undercarriage Management but rather an enabler. It is a highly specialized system to evaluate a small but expensive part of the larger puzzle of tracked equipment condition and maintenance management. It should become an integral part of every mine-sites future technology solution for planning and managing the return on assets. Technology improves the speed and effectiveness of gathering and processing information. It allows a picture to Read more…

Undercarriage inspections are the norm whether for a mine-site, construction fleet or in Sales and Service of Undercarriage components Mine-sites use the inspection data to plan their maintenance on the tracked machines and monitor their cost per hour Construction-Fleets use the inspections to monitor the condition of their fleet and forecast the undercarriage repair and replacement spend over the next financial period. Service Providers and Dealers use the inspections to identify sales opportunities by identifying Read more…

Undercarriage components wear at different rates depending on a number of factors: – Working environment Condition of surrounding components Operator skill level Shoe selection Track Tension Maintenance regime The undercarriage is changing daily and the maintenance strategy requires balancing the above factors as best as possible to achieve the TARGET LIFE on the components. This will also result in a target cost per hour. The TARGET LIFE for a particular job site environment and machine Read more…

If you have a fleet of Heavy Equipment that includes Tracked Machines, there will be a line item on the income statement that includes the cost of replacement undercarriage components. The question would be, is that number fair and reasonable? Managing your undercarriage would be one way to determine if this number is fair Another would be comparing the average life achieved on your components and cost per hour against the industry average The benchmark Read more…

Undercarriage inspections carried out regularly on tracked machines by service providers provide a wealth of information about the marketplace. Some of the information to be garnered for a particular territory using the inspection data: – Number of machines in the territory by brand and model Number of new machines introduced to the territory for a given period Average machine usage and total activity levels Activity levels by job-site % market share by Brand of undercarriage Read more…

The TrackTreads Undercarriage system provides inspectors with a unique opportunity to inspect any brand of tracked machine and its undercarriage using the OEM wear limit specifications. This provides Fleet managers with 3 distinct unrivalled opportunities A single portal to view the condition of undercarriage across the fleet Enables Fleet managers to carry out inspections themselves Provides confirmation that inspection measurements are correct Inspection data and corrective actions identified from inspections can be directly loaded to Read more…

Mine-sites perform regular inspections in the field on mobile and fixed equipment. Results are typically written on paper forms or captured on spreadsheets and then re-entered to the ERP system at a later stage once back in office. The TrackTreads system can save both time, money and accuracy by using technology to move the data from the field to the ERP system. The TrackTreads system uses mobile technology to capture inspection data in the field Read more…