Real-time inventory visibility and management occupy an essential role across the sequence of processes involved in the production and distribution of a commodity. The location, number and capacity of mining and port operations within complicated supply chains mean that their operational efficiency has a major impact on the markets they supply. The likelihood of bottlenecks in a supply chain that consists of commodities being sent from one asset to another is extremely high. A mine sends material via rail to a port (with limited stockyard capacity), where a ship brings it to another port, from where the material may require further handling before reaching its destination.

Every asset along the supply chain has many sources of variations and interdependencies. The key to improving productivity is dealing with the weakest link in the chain and managing capacity buffers to ensure the weakest part of the chain can perform, even when other parts of the chain become inactive. Hence, material buffers are key to production rates.

Unfortunately, increasing storage space is capital intensive in the bulk materials industry as it requires scarce real estate and capital equipment. Besides that, bulk handling operations generate dust, often requiring covered installations. Consequently, the question can be raised: how a mine can improve buffering capacity and increase production without large capital projects? iStockpile from indurad offers a smart way of increasing live capacity.

WHAT IS ISTOCKPILE?

iStockpile is a sensor-based scanning system, which has been specifically developed for rough conditions in the mining industry. It fulfills the following tasks and services:

• real-time and permanent volume and level measurement of the entire stockpile;
• reliable dead stock measurement for precise timing agendas (e.g. material that always remains in stock);
• works reliably in extreme levels of dust and humidity;
• one-time calibration with zero maintenance; and
• improved stockpile utilization and better-buffering capability.

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