While their primary objective is to ensure the safety of people, Proximity Detection Systems (PDS) and Collision Prevention System (CPS) installations also have a direct bearing on other critical parameters such as equipment availability and productivity. Through its  field support service technicians, Booyco Electronics ensures the intended benefits and objectives of implementing the technology are realised.

PDS/CPS solutions are critical safety systems in both surface and underground mining environments, particularly due to the significant risk posed by the operation  of trackless mobile machinery (TMM) deployed to work in these environments. To ensure correct and reliable functionality of these systems, Charl Marais, General Manager – Field Services at Booyco Electronics, stresses the need for a regular and robust maintenance regime, customised to specific customer needs.

“Given that we work with safety systems, field support service is a critical arm of our business to ensure that all machines fitted with PDS/CPS solutions comply with our Section 21 responsibilities, as specified by the Mine Health Safety Council,” he explains.

The Booyco Electronics Field Services team is responsible for interfacing with customers, starting from project execution (installation, testing and commissioning of new systems) through to complete lifecycle management of the product. Services include scheduled and unscheduled maintenance, breakdown and repair services, auditing and provision of spare parts as well as upgrades to enhance product capabilities or extension services to lengthen product lifecycle.

“We have more than 200 technicians across South Africa, supporting both Service Level Agreements (SLA) and non-SLA customers. This is complemented by dedicated technical support staff for each area to assist with more advanced tasks,” explains Marais.

Booyco Electronics offers a wide variety of services that can be tailored to individual customer requirements, considering aspects such as fleet size, system type and maintenance requirements as well as monitoring and data requirements, amongst others.

“Our maintenance schedules are adapted based on fleet size, system type and level of protection implemented (Level 7, 8 or 9) and typically include a minimum of one full system functionality test per vehicle per month,” he says. “For each customer, we have a defined scope of work in accordance with the SLA in place. For non-SLA customers, we generally have a different arrangement as may be required.”

For SLA customers, response time is generally less than two hours, while for non-SLA customers this depends on the location and availability of technicians within the area. Understanding the extreme importance of maintaining uptime and production on TMMs, Booyco Electronics ensures its systems have minimal impact on production as a result of its strong ability in servicing customers on a breakdown basis.

This is facilitated by a branch network that encompasses all major mining destinations, namely eMalahleni, Kuruman,  Lydenburg, Richards Bay, Rustenburg, Steelpoort and Welkom, to ensure timely response to breakdowns. The footprint is also constantly reviewed to accommodate new customer requirements.

Given the constant continuous improvements and new advancements in PDS technology, Booyco Electronics continuously adapts its field support services to keep up with the pace of innovation. “We constantly advise our customers on the latest PDS/CPS improvements and advancements available on the market to ensure the best fit-for-purpose solutions,” says Marais.

“We also continually find ways of improving efficiency in our service delivery through the use of technology to manage our operations. Examples include mobile applications for time and travel management, digital certificates of compliance (COC) and service support applications as well as digital customer satisfaction surveys which are currently being developed,” he adds.

In addition, Booyco Electronics places a major focus on increasing its value proposition by using existing data via the Booyco Electronics Asset Management System (BEAMS) interface to not only improve safety, but also to assist customers increase productivity by, for example, removing bottlenecks in production and optimising traffic management.

A case in point is a major mining house which recently embarked on a ‘vehicle risk identification’ project spanning its global operations. The company contacted Booyco Electronics for assistance with data to help understand its operational risk (vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-people interactions) at one of its South African mines where the Booyco PDS has been in use for a number of years.

“Although the mine did not purchase the BEAMS software suite, we were able to access the data and provide the mining house’s global team with valuable input to help them understand the operational risk and to identify ‘hotspots’ for mitigation,” concludes Marais.