Loader and excavator scales are now commonplace in the quarry industry, providing live information to operators and management of the weight and type of material loaded into each truck on site.
With accurate weight and a digital record of each load, on-board weighing systems help to ensure the safe loading of trucks to mitigate chain of responsibility risk, reduce machine wear and fuel consumption, and eliminate over- or under-loading.
More advanced systems such as the Loadmaster Alpha 100 loader scale solution, are trade approved to enable quarry managers to transact off the recorded weight and ensure every load is optimised and as profitable and efficient as it can be.
Now, quarry operators that manage their own truck fleet, can take advantage of new solutions from Topcon that digitise information across the entire haul cycle to increase the accuracy and reportability of a quarry’s material movement. Sitelink3D v2, available from Topcon’s exclusive Australian distributor Aptella, now provides straightforward, easy to use reporting that enables quarry managers to see where their product is at all times.
Eliminating paper-based records and manual clickers, truck drivers simply download the Topcon Haul App to their smartphone or tablet for hands-free, in-cab payload logging. Haul cycles are automatically linked to Sitelink 3D v2 for managers to monitor and report on material movements.
Sites and zones can be setup in the Sitelink online platform, with easy to identify aerial and street maps to visualise each region. As trucks arrive, they simply enter a the geofenced site to automatically access tasks and load and dump zones set up for the project. The system helps to ensure each material type is managed efficiently including collection and dump information for every cycle with GNSS location recording and warnings when a driver is in the wrong designated area.
Managers can easily view and change truck routes, to optimise cycles, minimise delays and reduce bottlenecks and queue times.
“Topcon’s Haul Truck app and web-based Sitelink3D solution makes keeping track of material and trucks simple and easy to manage,” said Josh Allan, Civil Business Executive Manager at Aptella.
“When combined with data from Loadmaster loader and excavator scales, Sitelink3D v2 and the Haul Truck app give quarry managers a complete overview of load, haul and dump cycles to make informed decisions and increase productivity.”
Aptella has developed additional reporting tools that compare real-time data collected from truck movements, against tendered costs and expected quantities of materials. The reporting provides live data to management, eliminating the need to quantify work that was completed days or even weeks earlier.
“We listened to customer feedback on how we could enhance the benefits of the Sitelink platform even further,” Mr Allan said. “The dashboard gives managers real-time information in easy-to-read dashboards that are part of our single sign on web platform, enabling them to make informed decisions.”
For quarries using other brands of loader scales, Sitelink3D v2 and the Haul Truck app can be used in conjunction with the Topcon Loader app to deliver the same material management benefits, regardless of technology brand. Using the ‘as measured’ weights of loaded material from the on-board loader scale system, the operator simply enters the data for the truck he’s loaded, and the system will keep track of the material from there.
“Topcon and Aptella recognise that most sites have a mix of machines and technology, which makes open architecture solutions so important to deliver meaningful results for our customers,” Mr Allan said.
“With this new material management platform and upcoming releases such as our new belt scale solution, Aptella is here to support the industry with reliable systems that are tried and tested nationally.”
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Aptella Pty Ltd
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