Products with Mining Certification

Intrinsically safe smartphone certified for Mining

• Certifications for mining locations:
  • ATEX: Ex I M2 Ex ib op is I Mb IP64
  • IECEx: Ex ib op is I Mb IP64
• Ambient temperature: 0°C ... +50°C

RAG Deutsche Steinkohle AG

Mineral coal digging in Germany is one of the most challenging and complex industrial branches in underground mining and rightfully enjoys international acclaim. The RAG Deutsche Steinkohle AG digs up raw materials at depths of 1,200 meters under the surface and, in six coal mines, produces up to 33 percent of the total coal demand of Germany.

The challenge

The organization and coordination of staff members, machines and material is a huge logistical challenge. 25,000 miners are working under extreme conditions twenty four-seven. To dig and provide the anthracite coal in such great depths, it is necessary to cover long distances to get the workers and machines to their correct working spot. Smooth processes, thorough human resource planning and a high efficiency of materials and vehicles are crucial for successful mining. The biggest challenge is the logistical planning and realization, precisely the transportation of the miners, their working materials and the coal itself.

The requirements

The communication, as well as the logistical planning and realization without mobile devices weren’t on time anymore and produced poor results. Lack of efficiency, high manpower requirements, insufficient planning and the inability to analyse data and procedures signaled the need for a mobile solution. What was once handled by paper, clipboards and huge staff costs, is now handled by a computer-based communication system and explosion-proofed handheld computers.

The goal

The goal of this change is to improve the flow of materials, better plan the workforce and improve the efficiency of transportation and storage, as well as ensuring a better capacity utilization of machines and vehicles. A crucial point for realizing these goals was the tracking of transits and a detailed analysis of personnel and material movement.

After careful examination, ecom instruments GmbH was chosen as the technology partner for the switch from analog to digital. They are the leading global specialist for mobile devices in hazardous areas, who can deliver the essential know-how and hardware. As a traditional German company, they can also guarantee the necessary service intensity and proximity to the project. The migration occurred on the basis of detailed proof and test runs with support of up to five ecom employees, who checked the devices and performance under real conditions.

The system allows constant transit tracking and material regulation by checking in and out with a PDA at each gateway, thereby ensuring compliance with schedules. Because of the extremely dangerous mixture of coal dust and methane in mining, the usage of dedicated handhelds with special mining-license is needed. The devices are to be intrinsically safe handhelds computers such as the i.roc® Ci70 –Ex, the only PDA with ATEX, IECEX and American mining-license worldwide.

The complex overall system successfully combines the technology of open cast mining and the IT and technology of underground mining. By digitizing the logistics processes, material utilization can not only be effectively controlled and monitored, but can also be evaluated based on the collected data. This allows continuous process optimization in terms of the use of materials, equipment and personnel, therefore having a direct effect on productivity and profitability of the RAG. Analyses provide information about vulnerabilities and enable improvements to be made in both processes and technology, so important personnel and resource savings can be made. Specifically, 95 percent of the material requests can be handled within 24 hours and schedule compliance rate was increased by approximately 100 percent. In return, the accident rate from 2002 to 2013 was reduced by 94 percent, a huge success for the work safety.