Bosch Rexroth Smart Mine (Smart Mine) has joined the Bosch Rexroth Africa Group, offering innovative Artificial Intelligence of Things (AIoT) solutions to the mining industry. These include Smart Conveyor, Stop-Start Retrofit, Smart Inspection, and Smart Lockout, all of which are aimed at optimising mining operations and promoting sustainable business practices.
Bosch Rexroth Smart Mine offers smart technologies which simplify monitoring and support worker safety.
Jonas Corali, General Manager of Smart Mine, is responsible for driving the mission and vision of the company. Other key personnel include Eddie Kleingeld, Regional Sales and Business Development Engineer, and Rodrigo Conte, Project Manager. The team also includes field engineers: Sifiso Shange, Themba Nyathi and Tshanduko Matshusa. Themba and Tshanduko are both graduates of the Yes4Youth Programme, the government-business collaboration that seeks to reduce youth unemployment in South Africa.
Smart Mine is committed to delivering cutting edge solutions to the mining industry, to drive growth across the African continent.
The company previously operated primarily in Brazil and Chile in South America until it landed its first South African deal in 2019. It later joined the Robert Bosch brand and is now a fully-fledged South African company, under Tectra Automation in the Bosch Rexroth Africa Group. Corali says, “Our mission is to provide AIoT mining solutions that promote sustainability, future readiness, and business growth through digital transformation. Our solutions have already shown significant return on investment for Smart Mine and our clients.
“Safety and efficiency are top priorities in mining and our innovative solutions can help businesses achieve streamlined processes,” Coralli continues. “Smart Conveyor, for instance, serves to monitor idler rollers, using cloud-based temperature sensors to identify potential problem areas along the conveyor belts. The alarm system eliminates the need for manual problem identification and provides instant location detection. The solution helps reduce unplanned maintenance, increasing asset availability in the mining operation,” Corali says.
Smart Conveyor is a scalable conveyor belt monitoring system, allowing for up to 5 000 sensors per kilometre. It is currently used in three mining locations in South Africa and is also suitable for other industries such as cement, logistics, sugar and paper.
Another technology, the Smart Mine Stop-Start Retrofit solution, is designed for use on heavy-duty mining equipment: where it detects lack of motion, it stops the engine. It plays a role in reducing CO2 emissions, supporting a mine’s decarbonisation goals.
Two other solutions offered by the company are Smart Inspection and Smart Lockout. Smart Inspection is a locally developed, web app-based system that streamlines inspection processes, eliminates paper-based forms, and reduces errors. It is customisable to meet each business's particular needs.
Smart Lockout supports the process of isolating energy from specific areas to allow for maintenance on assets – often located at a distance from the energy source. The solution ensures the safety of workers by preventing the accidental startup of machinery during maintenance or repair work, reducing the risk of accidents and injuries.
Corali says one of the highlights for Smart Mine in its operations in South Africa was the first installation of its Smart Conveyor solution. “This was done during the Covid-19 pandemic, but we pushed forward with our mission. Smart Conveyor's remote monitoring capabilities proved invaluable when site access was difficult, enabling mining to continue and minimising risks.”
AIoT enables secure and transparent data sharing, enhances efficiency, reduces costs and improves safety in mining processes. It also enables the tracking and tracing of materials, promoting responsible sourcing and sustainability. Smart Mine's innovative solutions further benefit the wider community and environment, reinforcing Bosch Rexroth Africa’s commitment to sustainable economic growth.
For more information visit: www.boschrexroth.africa