(December 30, 2021) When a fully loaded dump truck broke down on the ramp to the crushers at the Bagdad mine recently, mechanics were under a time crunch to get it fixed.
Finding the problem was particularly vexing for Chad Huston, Certified Diagnostic Mechanic, and his team. It appeared to be an electrical short, but tracking it through the web of wires and circuits was complicated.
Fortunately, they had a road map at their fingertips, a company-issued electronic tablet that allowed them to access the manufacturer’s website and open the full wiring diagram. In the days before mobile devices became standard equipment in the field, finding that information would have required a trip or two to the shop, roughly 2 miles away. Now, the schematics, specifications, troubleshooting guide and repair procedures are available through their electronic tablets. As a result, Huston and his team were able to track the short and fix it in the field within a few hours.
“I think it’s great having the tools right here with us,” Huston said. “If we’re out in the field or wherever we’re at, we always have access to where we can look at schematics or part numbers or whatever. It’s definitely going to make life easier. I think it’s a great system.”
The mobile devices are just one component of a transformation the company is going through as it converts to a digital workforce that eliminates paper while making information and data more accessible and useful, said Jeff Champ, Director-Enterprise Architecture.
“Digital workforce is about empowering our employees and enabling them not only in the field but also with self-service transactions like changing bank accounts for direct deposit,” Champ said. “Digitization brings with it the opportunity to have an integrated, beginning-to-end digital process which drives increased efficiency and value.
Early adopters lead the way
The technology rollout started with pilot programs in Bagdad and Morenci in 2018.
Initially, the conversion was confined to a couple of common forms that were widely used and generated a lot of paper – light vehicle inspections and workplace exams. It has since expanded to every company site and includes virtually all enterprise-level forms. Digital forms also provide an added benefit to company safety systems by providing real time information on workplace conditions to every employee. In the past, this information relied on it being passed on through word of mouth where now it is at everyone’s fingertips as soon as it loaded into the system.
The latest add-on is a Quick Response (QR) code system, called Connected Asset, which still is being implemented. The QR label will be affixed to equipment, whether it be light-duty trucks, haul trucks, dozers, or stationary machinery like crushers. Scanning the QR code will allow the user to access everything from equipment information (including parts stock on hand), manufacturers’ diagrams and specifications, procedures, and instructional videos to maintenance histories and repair notes on that particular piece of equipment. Just about anything that can be referenced digitally for a piece of equipment will be available through Connected Asset, Champ said.
So far about 2,100 QR codes have been attached to vehicles and equipment companywide. The focus of Connected Asset has moved beyond information into real-time data related to equipment health. Included will be Sensor data and RAMP alerts as well as advanced analytics driven equipment health.
QR codes provide immediate access to critical data
Installing QR codes on equipment and vehicles will increase efficiency by ensuring front-line mechanics, operators and supervisors have immediate access to all of the information they will need on that specific machine, said Reem Issa, Mechanical Engineer II-Morenci.
Issa recently spent weeks searching for the schematic diagram of a piece of heavy equipment manufactured in the 1980s. The drawings were not available online or in any of the paper records on the site. Eventually, a detailed diagram was found stored on a single computer terminal. That schematic was scanned into the system and linked to the QR code, so it will be available to anyone who services that piece of equipment in the future.
“It takes me from taking three weeks to find one drawing to a few seconds. It’s very efficient,” Issa said.
Beyond the technology, the digital shift also required a significant culture change within the workforce. At first it was a very different experience, but once individuals realized the value of the digital workforce, acceptance has taken off with deep adoption globally.
Widespread deployment of technology planned
The company has issued nearly 8,000 mobile devices, both cellular phones and tablets, putting them in the hands of workers who benefit from having the technology. Not only do they benefit from digital processes, real-time data and self-service, they also now have access to Freeport’s suite of collaboration tools, including Teams. Organically driven by the workforce, Teams is often used for remote support leading to much more efficient use of time and availability of those resources.
Another benefit of going digital is documents can be retrieved through electronic searches, said Heather Jewell, Senior Supervisor-Mine Operations, who was instrumental in implementing the pilot program at Bagdad.
In the past, if the Mine Safety and Health Administration was performing a review, the inspector would typically ask for all workplace examinations for a particular location or piece of equipment. Under the old paper system, the forms had to be located and retrieved manually, often from a warehouse where they were sent for long-term storage. Now, pushing a few buttons will allow all those forms to be retrieved in seconds.
“It is nice to see mining embracing digital tools,” Jewell said. “It’s just so much more convenient. I can’t imagine going backward now and having to do paper.”