Metal Tech News - The Elements of Innovation Discovered

American motor and power tech leader Cummins and Japanese construction and mining equipment brand Komatsu are continuing their history of innovative collaboration with a streamlined remote monitoring system that can accurately predict mining equipment maintenance needs.

Together, these companies share a drive towards carbon neutrality as well as a long history in the global mining space and strong technical capabilities ideal for co-developing better solutions to the industry's most prevalent issues.

Cummins designs, manufactures, distributes and services engines and power generation solutions. Working in tandem with Komatsu's specialized global service and distribution networks, the companies can produce a more cost-effective and efficient product experience.

"The collaboration between Cummins and Komatsu on broader data sets opens opportunities to build more complex analytics and insights," says Greg Lanz, general manager of technology interoperability for Komatsu. "The secret sauce is combining the expertise of both teams."

This latest joint venture provides a suite of simplified and improved client operations that combines the original equipment manufacturer support from Komatsu and OEM engine insight from Cummins. Vehicle and equipment health and performance data is collected on a single device and managed with a shared system, allowing maintenance staff to work with both companies' expert teams remotely.

By utilizing common data-sharing infrastructure, all parties can access the same input securely and develop joint analytics. The removal of unnecessary data traffic and redundant points of connection allows for improved operations with less hardware to install and fewer components to maintain. Simplified software, minimal hardware and exclusive data flow also inherently improves cybersecurity.

"With this partnership, we are tying two high-value services together," continues Lanz, "By combining data analytics from both Komatsu and Cummins, we can collaborate to help our customers maximize total asset performance and health." 

Effective asset management applications ensure that data is not only plentiful but useful and organized in a solutions-based format. Combining both mechanical and external data such as location, operator ID, and payload provides context and a more holistic view of individual machines and overall fleet health.

Data integration allows accurate prediction of equipment maintenance needs for mines, which lowers production costs and downtime from unexpected stoppages. The technology offers improved insights to help managers make better decisions. Wear and tear can be minimized, prolonging the life of company assets and extending maintenance intervals.

"Cummins has been a long-term partner of Komatsu and has been investing in the key technologies required to support the energy transition in mining," said Masayuki Moriyama, president of the mining business division at Komatsu. "These are critical technologies for helping mining customers reduce carbon emissions and accelerate carbon neutrality. Building on our partnership with Cummins, we are working to accelerate sustainable solutions for our customers."