Gold Fields’ mine and machine fleet at its Granny Smith gold mine has been transformed into a state-of-the-art and digitally connected network designed to increase productivity.
Achieved through a partnership between Gold Fields and technology firm RCT, the latest project has seen the Eastern Goldfields underground gold mine become one of the most innovative and digitally connected mines in the world.
Granny Smith is no stranger to RCT, having been one of Gold Fields’ technology partners for more than 20 years.
The project saw RCT’s Kalgoorlie-based team of technicians upgrade the site’s six existing CAT loaders from analogue to digital.
This required the Kalgoorlie branch team to design and build specialised mounts and overhaul the site’s existing cabins.
In addition, a total of 11 Area Access Controls (AAC) were also converted from analogue to digital to facilitate the upgrade.
RCT’s Kalgoorlie Branch Manager Rick Radcliffe said: “We recognise that they made a significant investment into the original technology, and we wanted to find the most cost-effective and sustainable solution available.”
The team converted three of the site’s existing analogue TeleCabins and transformed them into digital ControlMaster Automation Centres for underground use and two surface Automation Centres to digital.
The site chose to use RCT’s own full-scale digital communications solution RCT Connect to meet the demands of autonomous machines across the mine site.
The technology will cater to Granny Smith’s current and future machines.
The Kalgoorlie branch finished the upgrades in December last year, and although the technology has only been in place for a few months, the mine has seen positive results from day one.
Granny Smith Mine Manager Michael Place said: “The ability for the operators to mine from the surface with a pristine picture/video thanks to the digital network has meant they have been able to increase the number of buckets per shift, while adding to the comfort of the operators.
“Implementing the new digital infrastructure RCT Connect has significantly improved both the availability and reliability of Granny Smith’s semi-autonomous remote production loaders and stoping fronts to date.”
The upgrade saw the popular analogue technology that utilises the Yagi antenna replaced with RCT Connect.
Radcliffe continued: “While the Yagi’s have been a tried and tested technology for many years, our digital RCT Connect Access Points has taken the Control Master underground communications system to another level.
“The system is now more reliable and provides a clearer picture and improved operator visibility.
“The feedback we have received from site is that the operators love the new technology and they wished they implemented it ages ago.”
As well as experiencing the significant benefits of digital technology today, Granny Smith is futureproofing itself, allowing it to make small, incremental changes as and when they are ready.
RCT Connect is a plug and play system, making it easy to install and maintain.
The technology has produced a remarkably clearer picture, which has greatly assisted Granny Smith personnel to continue operating their machines safely in high-risk locations.
Radcliffe added: “Another added benefit to moving to digital is that RCT can now remotely support our clients to a higher level and are able to monitor and complete repairs in a short timeframe, as it eliminates the need for a technician to travel to site to troubleshoot in many cases.”
