Predictive conveyor maintenance (Mine)

Discover how Eramet, French leader in the mining and metallurgy sector with 47 production sites in 20 countries, anticipates belt conveyor breakdowns a month in advance, optimizing operations in a continuous-flow mining industry. mining industry.

With sales of €3.5 billion and over 13,000 employees, Eramet excels in manganese, nickel and mineralized sands expertise. mineralized sands. Faced with the challenges of maintenance in a geographically vast environment, where the slightest failure can lead to production losses averaging €160,000, the Group has turned to digitalization to improve its responsiveness. its responsiveness.

At the heart of this transformation, Monixo's predictive maintenance solution won Eramet over with its precise diagnostics. By equipping itself with this cutting-edge technology, Eramet has strengthened its ability to anticipate belt conveyor breakdowns, enabling proactive intervention proactive intervention up to a month in advance of any incident. This innovative approach guarantees not only a significant reduction downtime, but also reinforces Eramet's position as a pioneer of innovation in the mining sector. innovation in the mining and metallurgy sector.

Optimize machine availability through early failure prediction.

Eramet aims to maximize the benefits of proactive failure detection by anticipating problems before they occur. occur, with two key objectives:

1. Achieve 90% uptime - Avoid production losses by increasing the operational availability of your ensuring continuous, optimum operation.

2. Reduce maintenance costs - Prevent major breakdowns to minimize maintenance costs, thereby improving operational efficiency and overall profitability.

Within Eramet's various sites, the diversity of organizational structures and levels of expertise has led to uneven maintenance results. maintenance results. The aim is to harmonize these structures and converge towards best practices in predictive maintenance across the Group, ensuring uniform and efficient management. practices across the Group, ensuring uniform and efficient management.

This collaboration with Monixo offers increased reliability for the majority of Eramet's critical machines, in particular conveyors. Every stoppage of these machines results in a production interruption, jeopardizing the essential transport of minerals from mining extraction sites. By partnering with Monixo, Eramet strengthens its ability to maintain a continuous operational flow, improving productivity productivity while reducing the costs associated with unscheduled maintenance.

Innovation for miles of performance - Precise conveyor monitoring.

Eramet's kilometer-long conveyors, although common in the mining sector, require an exceptional approach to accurately identify potential areas of failure and ensure smooth mineral flow.

To set up this state-of-the-art monitoring system, we undertook the following steps:

1. Advanced sensor equipment - We have equipped the conveyors with state-of-the-art sensors, capturing essential data for precise monitoring.

2. Comprehensive data collection - By accumulating a significant volume of vibration data (overall levels, spectrum) and temperature, we have created a robust basis for the application of our learning models.

3. Expert diagnosis of false positives - Given the heterogeneity of transported rocks, characterized by differences in size, shape and position shape and position, we have developed advanced diagnostics to identify false positives. These random fluctuations in vibrations, generated by outliers, are now under control thanks to our sophisticated approach.

Monixo's solution offers intelligent, targeted conveyor health management, enabling you to anticipate specific failures and optimize overall performance.

Reliable predictions for optimal performance.

Thanks to our advanced predictions, Eramet can now optimize the mobilization of its on-site maintenance resources, while developing new processes such as diagnostic support, a proactive approach, and maintenance plans. developing new processes such as diagnostic support, a proactive approach, and predictive maintenance plans. plans. This revolution in maintenance organization has led to a significant increase in machine availability. machine availability.

The strengths of our solution.

1. Advance prediction - Our models predict incidents at least 1 month in advance, enabling effective interventions.

2. No Undetected or Unanticipated Breakdowns - Our technology guarantees constant monitoring, eliminating unplanned peace of mind.

3. ROI in less than a year thanks to avoided breakdowns - Proactive breakdown prevention means a rapid return on investment with tangible results in less than a year.

Concrete illustration.

A convincing example of our expertise is the early detection of a defective inflection bearing, carried out one month before its replacement. replacement. By monitoring vibrations triaxially, we were able to anticipate the displacement of the EAST inflection bearing on the WEST SIDE. An initial alert prompted the customer to inspect and correct the fault without having to stop production.

By the end of 2020, 1,200 sensors had been deployed, and the return on investment had been achieved before the rollout was completed, thanks to avoided breakdowns.