The Komatsu Remote Operations Centre and Longwall Simulation Room has been designed for surface management interaction, software testing, developing customer automation and training without the dangers of in-field practice.
The safety of employees is a mine’s top priority, but the necessary training on new machines and technology can bring up various concerns.
To combat the risks associated with in-field practice, Komatsu developed its Komatsu Remote Operations Centre (KROC) and Longwall Simulation Room to give operators the opportunity to learn in a safer and more controlled environment.
“Our training room incorporates all the features that you would find in an underground longwall mine,” Komatsu national training manager Wikus Louw told Australian Mining. “The idea behind it was to have the full simulation of the mine in one place.”
According to Komatsu product manager, control and automation Shane Cooling, the Longwall Simulation Room provides users with the opportunity to engage with remote management of equipment, with a particular emphasis on autonomous automation.
“In the training room, customers have access to not only the trainers, but Komatsu’s control and automation engineering team if required,” Cooling said. “In this environment, they have the opportunity to exchange ideas with the team and ask questions.”
Louw said that having the opportunity to learn in a safe environment is an invaluable feature of the KROC and the Longwall Simulation Room.
“You get an opportunity to build that muscle memory before you go into a production site,” he said.
“People learn how to manage these machines by doing it, not by sitting in a classroom and listening to someone tell them how to do it.
“The advantages of integrating a hands-on approach into learning are unparalleled.”
Komatsu has received great feedback on the Longwall Simulation Room from those who have experienced it.
“We’ve had people with a mixture of experience and skill level come through the training,” Louw said.
Centennial automation engineer Luke Coleman had the opportunity to visit the KROC and Longwall Simulation Room for training, and said the experience was invaluable.
“The simulator setup in the training room at Komatsu has proved beneficial for multiple applications already,” Coleman said.
“During our transition to remote operations, we had the ability to introduce some of our operators to the control screens in an environment where they were able to collaborate and quickly get a feel for a whole new way of operating.
“Being able to get a feel for the different screens and buttons in the room transferred well to site, as they already had a good understanding of how the remote operations interfaces worked.
“I am able to trial new parameters and sequence tables before any changes are made. Having the shearer and roof supports simulated together means that I can identify any potential issues between the two systems before I make any adjustments at site.
“This experience removed some of the initial worries that come from trying something for the first time.”
And it’s not only those operating and maintaining the machines who are coming through the simulation room’s doors. Customers requiring development changes to their automated equipment can also use the space to test how the equipment will perform underground.
“We invite customers to come and see how their machines function from an automated perspective,” Cooling said. “They can pre-test their sequence tables and see how their equipment will perform. What a company needs today may not be something they necessarily need for tomorrow, allowing for the customer to try a feature out before its implemented underground.”
For Cooling and Louw, the KROC and the Longwall Simulation Room offer a significant benefit by providing customers with a centralised area where they can access and utilise surface and exception management, the essential resources for integration and learning.
“The typical mine face in a coal mine can be upwards of 440m,” Cooling said. “When working underground, the training area is vast and it could potentially take a worker several months before encountering a situation that requires specific training.
“In the KROC and Longwall Simulation Room, we can develop potential faults with learning opportunities quickly identified and resolved in the training environment.
“Having everything readily accessible allows them to quickly observe diagnostics and faults of a machine, which would take longer if they were underground.”
It is no secret that automation and technology are evolving rapidly, especially in the mining space. Komatsu has made sure the KROC and Longwall Simulation Room are ready, with future-focused planning.
“When we started the simulation room, the future was a big part of our planning,” Louw said. “We had to ask ourselves how we could provide a best-in-class product while still leaving space for expansion.”
Cooling and Louw take pride in the collaborative effort dedicated to creating the KROC and Longwall Simulation Room, which serves their customers’ automation requirements and ensures operator training in a secure operational setting.
This feature appeared in the September 2023 issue of Australian Mining.
