A SOLUTION IN SIGHT

KAL TIRE EXPLAINS HOW TECHNOLOGY, AUTOMATION AND A TEAM OF EXPERTS CAN ENHANCE TYRE INSPECTIONS TO DELIVER A NEW LEVEL OF SAFETY, PERFORMANCE AND FLEET PRODUCTIVITY.

- KAL TIRE

Like any equipment on a mine, haul truck tyres need regular inspection and maintenance to keep them moving.

But the sheer size of these tyres can make manual inspection challenging and can lead to weak points being overlooked. This in turn can lead to production downtime and potential safety issues.

Seeing this problem required a smart solution, Kal Tire developed TireSight, a system made up of multiple components, including thermal imaging and artificial intelligence (AI)-based software from Pitcrew AI.

TireSight also includes other data such as a tyre pressure monitoring system; all of this is then filtered and validated by a condition monitoring team to prioritise service work and pinpoint potential tyre problems before they arise.

"The main reason regular tyre inspections are done is to monitor the ongoing condition of the tyres," Kal Tire Australia managing director Miles Rigney told Australian Mining.

"If you think about what the tyres are subjected to each day, it's not uncommon for them to become damaged. So first and foremost, we're looking at the tyres to make sure they are in a safe operating condition."