Mako, Senegal - 2023
Overview
A mining operation located in Senegal recently transitioned its production tracking and fleet management from manual paper-based plodsheets to Cat MineStar Edge. While the investment in this cloud-based fleet management system (FMS) represented a significant technological step forward, the site faced challenges in achieving full operational uptake. The primary objective of the engagement with MTS was to bridge the gap between the installed technology and the site’s ability to extract actionable data and operational value from it.
Operational Challenges
Despite the deployment of the FMS, the operation continued to struggle with low system utilisation and inconsistent data visibility. This can often happen at a more mature operation with well established existing processes. The transition from manual records to a digital platform requires a shift in both operator behaviour and administrative workflows, which had not yet been fully realised. Furthermore, the site was experiencing frequent unplanned stoppages and data gaps due to the poor health of onboard mining technology hardware. Maintenance processes for critical onboard components—such as GPS devices and FMS radios—were reactive rather than proactive, leading to degraded system reliability and a lack of confidence in the automated reporting.
The MTS Assessment
MTS was engaged to perform a comprehensive technical and operational assessment to identify the root causes of these inefficiencies. The scope of the evaluation covered three primary pillars:
FMS System Maintenance: An audit of the physical health of the hardware and the effectiveness of the onboard technology maintenance schedules. This included evaluating how the site managed the repair and calibration of GPS and communication equipment.
Daily Operational Usage: A review of how dispatchers, supervisors, and operators interacted with the MineStar Edge interface. This sought to identify training gaps and workflow bottlenecks that prevented the system from being used to its full potential during active shifts.
Data Integration and KPI Reporting: An analysis of how FMS data was being captured, validated, and integrated into the site’s broader Key Performance Indicator (KPI) frameworks.
Strategic Roadmap and Outcomes
The findings of the assessment formed the basis of a structured, phased roadmap. Rather than proposing an immediate overhaul, MTS provided a series of manageable steps designed to stabilise the hardware environment and incrementally improve data integrity.
The roadmap focused on establishing robust OT maintenance protocols to reduce unplanned downtime and ensuring that the field hardware was capable of supporting high-fidelity data capture. Concurrently, MTS outlined specific procedural changes to better align daily mining activities with the digital capabilities of Cat MineStar Edge. This strategic approach provided the site with a clear path to move beyond manual tracking, allowing them to leverage their technology investment for improved operational transparency, more accurate reporting, and enhanced long-term productivity.
Frequently Asked Questions
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MTS assessed three areas at a mine in Senegal. The first was FMS hardware: the health of the equipment and how GPS and radio units were repaired and calibrated. The second was daily use, meaning how dispatchers, supervisors and operators used the system on shift. The third was data: how FMS data was captured, validated and fed into the site's KPI reporting.
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Poor hardware health is a common cause. At a mine in Senegal running Cat MineStar Edge, GPS devices and FMS radios on mobile equipment were maintained reactively instead of proactively. This led to frequent unplanned stoppages and gaps in the data. Over time, the site lost confidence in its automated reporting, even though the software itself was working.
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Not necessarily. At a mine in Senegal running Cat MineStar Edge, MTS did not recommend an immediate overhaul. The roadmap started by stabilising the hardware, with proactive maintenance for onboard technology to cut unplanned downtime. Data integrity then improved step by step, once the field equipment could reliably capture accurate data.
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Start by finding where training and workflows break down during active shifts. At a mine in Senegal, MTS reviewed how dispatchers, supervisors and operators used Cat MineStar Edge and found training gaps and workflow bottlenecks. Mature operations with well-established processes often fall back on old habits, so MTS outlined procedural changes that matched daily mining activities to what the system could do.
