Singleton Birch invest in connected fleet
Two Cat 988K wheel loaders leading new connected fleet at Melton Ross Quarries in North Lincolnshire
TWO Cat 998K wheel loaders are leading a new connected fleet at Melton Ross Quarries in North Lincolnshire for independent lime suppliers Singleton Birch.
Joined by a Cat 972M wheel loader and Cat 725C articulated dumptruck, the new fleet has been provided by Caterpillar dealers Finning UK and Ireland.
Tasked with loading up to 5,000 tonnes of chalk from the quarry face to the crusher each day, the reliability of the two new Cat 988K wheel loaders is essential if the Singleton Birch team is to maintain lime production.
It is for this reason that quarry manager Tom Gardner opted for a connected fleet solution. ‘Our operation is all about maintaining safe productivity, so we have to know our key equipment won’t let us down,’ he said.
‘By receiving a whole range of data from the machines, such as payload, fuel burn, loading and idling times, we can, for the first-time, really understand what each machine is doing and how it is being operated.
‘Equally, by working with the Finsight engineering team at Finning, who remotely monitor the equipment, we have been able to set up site- and machine-specific reports and alerts.
‘Having now got used to the new machines, we are already using these reports to help the team understand where efficiency gains can be made, with the aim of improving overall performance, whilst reducing wear and tear on each unit.
‘From an uptime perspective, by tracking trending data over the coming months, we will aim to schedule in machine maintenance when it is convenient.
‘Importantly, we will also be alerted immediately if there are any unexpected machine issues that may lead to downtime. Through our support agreement with Finning, we also know that the engineering team will be on hand to ensure a swift response.’
With the Cat 972M tasked with loading lorries and the Cat 725C used as a general utility machine carrying rocks or removing overburden, data from these units will also be collected and monitored by the Finsight team.
