Energy, fuel and carbon management specialists

The challenge. Large mining machines often run their engines while they aren’t moving any material — during shift changes, breaks, refuelling trips and long pre-start checks. That burns fuel and costs money without producing anything.

What we did. We helped the mine cut this unproductive time with places for operators to take breaks and swap over quickly, smarter dispatching, better-placed refuelling and faster pre-start checks.

The result. Unproductive engine time fell from about 5.5 hours to around 1 hour per machine per day — saving 440 000 GJ of energy and 26 000 tonnes of CO₂e a year at the example site.

The challenge. When haul trucks leave the loading area under-filled, the material left behind still has to be collected later — meaning extra trips, extra fuel and extra cost.

What we did. Working within the truck manufacturer’s limits, we helped introduce payload monitoring and loading performance reports, so operators consistently fill trucks to their rated capacity.

The result. Trucks went from carrying about 90% of their rated load to 100–105%. At one site, the average load rose from 298 to 334 tonnes per trip.

The challenge. Heavy truck bodies and poorly matched loader buckets limit how much each truck can carry and mean more digging passes to fill it.

What we did. We supported lighter, stronger truck bodies, better-designed loader buckets and improved loader controls that give operators instant feedback.

The result. On the same truck fleet, the average load rose from 195 to 230 tonnes per trip — with fewer, faster loading passes.

The challenge. Rough, poorly maintained haul roads make trucks work harder: they burn more fuel, wear out tyres faster, travel slower and are less safe.

What we did. We combined road condition monitoring (including SmartRoad™), performance analytics, and better road maintenance and surfacing.

The result. On a well-maintained road, a loaded truck needed about a fifth less power to travel at 28 km/h — 300 kW instead of 380 kW.

The challenge. Every minute a loader waits for the next truck to get into position is a minute of lost production.

What we did. We introduced loading from both sides of the loader, spotter-assist technology that helps drivers position quickly, and smarter truck dispatching.

The result. Loader waiting time was eliminated and the time needed to position each truck was cut to a minimum.

The challenge. When trucks arrive unevenly, loaders either stand idle or trucks queue up — both waste time and fuel.

What we did. We used better dispatching, performance analytics and management of the full truck cycle to keep arrivals steady and predictable.

The result. Each loader moved 7 000 instead of 4 900 tonnes an hour (+40%) using 12% fewer trucks, and the operating cost per tonne fell from R14.00 to R10.20.