Abstract
The mining industry is known for its significant role in the safe extraction of minerals and resources using capital-intensive earth-moving equipment. As underground production equipment design progresses key production tasks change. The need for a thorough understanding of equipment and machinery conditions has become ever more vital. The modern continuous mining system employs various components, including continuous miners, shuttle cars, feeder breakers, roof bolters, and conveyors. The equipment conducts the extraction and transportation of minerals from the extraction face to the surface. Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) is a critical concept in this study, involving the continual measurement and analysis of the OEE parameters, availability, performance, and quality. These parameters provide valuable insights, enabling a deeper comprehension of the machinery and equipment conditions within the continuous mining system. In dynamic industries like mining, timely decision-making, and real-time resource monitoring are important. One method to effectively deliver information for timely decisions is through intelligent data visualization dashboards. The dashboards empower users with actionable insights, streamline data analysis, and improve overall access to information. A guide is demonstrated on how to integrate applicable 4IR technologies to facilitate data collection and transmission in a mine setting.
This study developed intelligent OEE-based dashboards to facilitate decision-making at different levels of mining operations management. To achieve this, the study engaged in a mixed-method approach applied in a case study involving a coal mine. It unfolded in four distinct phases: first the dashboard conceptual design, then design architecture, followed by detailed design informed by study visits to the case mine where
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observations on mine processes, management information systems, and decision support systems were recorded for review, and lastly testing, and trial runs were executed with live data. The outcomes of this research study are four-level hierarchical dashboard designs that align with the levels of operations management at the case mine, facilitating, decision-making at each level.