How beacons are
helping asset monitoring
in the mining sector

Reusable goods are a key cost saver in warehouse logistics, and yet they are the most common items to go missing in the supply chain, costing businesses billions of dollars annually. These items frequently change hands, get abandoned, and unfortunately are simply stolen. Long-lasting beacon tags — or even disposable tags — allow for real time tracking and recovery of these valuable assets. Along with merchandise and goods, beacons can be used to track and monitor valuable equipment. Their location reports can be accessed passively, or they can be programmed to send immediate notifications if taken out of predefined areas, thus reducing the cost of replacement.

Warehouses tend to not be flexible spaces, and anywhere up to 30% of their space is being used inefficiently for storage. The use of Bluetooth tags on assets allows them to be stored wherever it is most convenient to make good use of space — and they can be easily found the next time they’re needed.

Human error is a reality, and the regular use of Bluetooth tagging and beacons means that no guesswork will ever be needed to find important assets or goods. Not only can they be easily located, but because space can be used more efficiently, beacons will power an increase in employee productivity. It’s expected that improving efficiency in logistics9 efforts by just 30% could create more than $300 billion in savings across the European market.

More than half of logistics leaders state that improving employee production is a top concern. It’s not enough to just know their team’s movements, but knowing how and when each person moves contributes to an ability to optimize the whole team’s long term performance.

Studies show that an optimized team can lead to:

• Reduction of labor cost
• objective measurement of team performance
• real time tracking of daily progress
• ability to accurately forecast project plan completion

Now that many surface deposits have been exhausted, the use of heavy equipment in deep mining operations has grown. With that growth has come a distinct problem for monitoring the location of people and assets. The knowledge is crucial for productivity, safety and profitability, but until the use of beacons, communication methods were reactive instead of proactive.

Bluetooth beacons can track the location of each transport vehicle within the mine and navigate it in real time through the route best equipped to carry its load. Those locations and travel times can be monitored remotely, enabling a deeper understanding of productivity levels and asset tracking. The efficiency of hauling operations can be tracked and improved with this insightful data.

In mining particularly, as well as in most other industrial operations, safety and security are foremost considerations for management. Keeping access restricted in secure areas and reminding employees of safety protocols is another essential benefit that beacons can provide.

If visitors or staff access an area that they are not authorized for, proximity beacons can provide immediate alerts to control rooms and leadership. Automated systems can then shut down access points as programmed.

Likewise, when personnel access areas for which specific safety equipment is prescribed, employees can be given an alert reminding them of the protocol and requiring them to confirm compliance before moving on. For instance, if a hardhat and safety glasses are required, the employee is alerted within seconds of entering the area, clicks their compliance in a proprietary app, and continues on safely. Secure access control and safety compliance rank as some of the most important benefits of beacon usage in high-risk locations.

For more information on how to apply the benefits of beacons and wayfinding components to your industrial application, contact us at beacons@xsights.com.au for more information, or fill out the contact sheet here.