Starting from the first day of production
Eclipse doesn’t need any hardware to be useful. From the first shift, supervisors and pit control can record loads, stoppages and shift hours in any phone, tablet or laptop browser. Nothing needs installing, and entries made without a signal are saved on the device and sync once a connection returns. Dig-block coordinates and grades are imported from the office as blocks are released, so every load is tied to the block it came from from the start.
That gives a mine accurate production records, ore tallies and contractor hours long before any logger is fitted. When automated data does arrive, it goes into the same structure, so nothing already recorded has to be redone or thrown away.
Adding the logger
The next step is a small logger on each machine. It plugs into the machine’s diagnostic connector, or uses a clip-on reader where the manufacturer restricts the port, and reads engine speed and fuel rate directly from the machine’s own network. It adds its own GPS, keeps a copy of everything on its own memory card, and sends its data over 4G or through Eclipse Bridge, which collects from machines and devices that have been out of coverage and passes it on as soon as a connection comes back.
The logger is read-only and removable. Nothing on the machine is changed, so there are no warranty issues and no reliance on the manufacturer’s own telematics. It costs around US$720 per machine, bought once. There are no in-cab screens to buy, no network to build and no telematics subscription.
Mixed fleets are not a barrier
Because the logger reads the machine’s standard diagnostic data and supplies its own position, it isn’t tied to one manufacturer. Most modern heavy equipment uses the same underlying data standard, so trucks, diggers and support equipment from different makers can report into the same system. We confirm each make and model before fitting, but a mixed fleet, or one split between owner-operated and contractor machines is covered.
Checked before it counts
Raw machine data is only useful once it has been checked. Eclipse makes sure re-sent data is never counted twice, sets bad readings aside without deleting them, and tags every figure as manual or machine-recorded so it’s always clear where a number came from.
It then reconciles the logger data with everything else. Contractor hours that would previously have waited for the end of the night shift are recorded automatically as each shift runs. Each load is placed in its dig block from the digger’s position and confirmed as ore or waste by where it is tipped, so pit control’s load count and the ore tally come from the same loads and agree. Loads from outside a dig block are recorded as the waste type already identified in that blasted material’s polygon.
Asking the questions that matter
All of this sits alongside the rest of Eclipse: dig blocks and grades, mill feed and assays, stockpiles, drill and blast, royalty areas and mine targets. Target imports are deliberately flexible, so budgets and plans can be brought in at whatever level and in whatever layout a mine already uses, whether that’s by quarter, month or shift, pit, stage or dig block, and actuals are compared against them automatically.
The report builder lets users ask questions in natural language and drill down from mine to pit, stage, dig block and machine, or from quarter to month, shift, load and material. A question such as “which 777s have an erosion percentage of over 30% for at least half of their shifts in the last two weeks?” becomes a report, not a spreadsheet exercise. The same data is available directly in Power BI and Excel for anyone who prefers to work there.
What you don’t get, and why it may not matter
The most expensive FMS solutions include real-time dispatch optimisation, in-cab operator displays and collision avoidance which Eclipse doesn’t try to replace. For most operations, though, the bulk of the benefit lies in accurate hours, load counts, ore tracking, queue and idle time visibility and dependable reporting which is what Eclipse excels at.
Starting small
We usually suggest starting with 10 to 15 machines that are likely to be reported together (like a contractor's, or a phase/stage). That lets us fine-tune the setup on site and compare the results directly with machines still being recorded manually. Once the process and the data are proven, the logger can be rolled out across the rest of the fleet at the pace that suits the operation.
If an FMS has always seemed like something for larger mines with larger budgets, it’s worth a conversation. Get in touch to find out what Eclipse could do for your operation or login now to check-out the Eclipse Demo.