Keeping things on track

BHP Billiton (BHPB) is a diversified, multinational resources corporation, with headquarters in Melbourne and London. Considered to be the world’s leading resources company based on revenues generated, it retains a wide variety of mining and processing operations in 25 countries. A core BHPB activity is large-scale mining and transportation of iron ore in the remote Pilbara region of north Western Australia.

BHPB’s dedicated, heavy-duty rail network is a vital component in its vertically integrated, Australian iron ore supply chain. Some of the world’s longest and heaviest trains are under its direct control, operating continuously in the harsh outback environment.

Transportation of iron ore in the remote Pilbara region of north Western Australia.

BHPB needed an efficient software solution that could reliably record and control the thousands of locomotive and ore car assets managed through its state-of-the-art Ore Car Repair Shop (OCRS) and locomotive shops in Port Hedland, WA. In addition to this demanding requirement, the software solution also had to perform a vital damage management function to ensure that BHPB’s rolling stock items are promptly returned to traffic after attention by its skilled technical workforce.

Each of BHP Billiton’s 7200 iron ore cars comprises 53 individual components. With the added complexity of more than 100 state-of-the-art locomotives to manage, BHPB needed to efficiently monitor, assess, repair and service almost 400,000 measurable assets and components, 24 hours per day, 365 days per year.

Keeping each of the 126 tonne-capacity ore cars and multimillion-dollar locomotives in peak running condition is essential in order to optimise availability, reduce out-of-traffic dwell times and to ensure maximum revenue generation. In addition to these mobile assets, BHPB maintains a complex network of stationary components including track, signals, level crossing protection, civil structures and other infrastructure items, all critical to the efficient transport of iron ore.

Preventive maintenance ensures rolling stock returns to traffic after minimum downtime.

The chosen solution needed to seamlessly integrate with existing rail management software, including Rail Historian, to ensure an uninterrupted flow of critical data for technicians, supervisors and managers.

Achieving continuous productivity improvement in a dynamic industry, such as heavy haulage of iron ore, is an ongoing challenge. To effectively meet this target, BHPB selected Loc8 Enterprise, with intelligent asset and damage management features, for deployment at the company’s Port Headland OCRS.

Loc8’s asset and fault management software package is tailored to the needs of rail asset owners, operators and service providers. Leveraging best practice and functionalities, Loc8 delivers a powerful cost-effective product to facilitate sustainable maintenance and asset management.

Through the implementation of Loc8, BHPB has introduced an intuitive program of asset life cycle management and tracking to a component level. They are able to responsively and effectively monitor, report and action asset-specific damage items and to achieve improved efficiency and reduced asset downtime. The customisable statistical report generation feature enables proactive management of individual ore wagons through the OCRS, optimising network operation and facilitating preventive maintenance of infrastructure items and rolling stock.

The complexities and technicalities encountered by rail asset enterprises are effectively handled through this closed-loop mobility solution, specifically designed for remote in-field use. Real-time remote job dispatch to in-field technicians and engineers, intuitive work scheduling and effective mobile resource management serves to further streamline company operations.

Andrea Strickland, supervisor OCRS, BHPB service providers, recognises the benefits, both short and long term - “Loc8 is a great application in all aspects; from training new users, simplicity and to creating reports for future projects and management,” she says.

Integration with other enterprise software systems and data sources, such as SAP, Oracle and specialist rail management products, simplifies business-wide operations and heralds an important revolution in the rail industry - where integration, automated communication and operational rationalisation not only improve service outcomes, but deliver higher margin at all points of the service delivery process.