Fuel Management System Built for Mining to Maximise Productivity and Security

If your mining company still relies on manual fuel monitoring, then you need to know about fuel management systems for mining. 

Not closely and accurately monitoring fuel usage in one of the most energy-intensive industries results in higher fuel expenditure and consumption at each plant, and slim profit margins due to fuel inefficiencies. 

Cartrack’s fuel management system solutions help big and small mining companies avoid downtime, prevent fuel theft, and maximise productivity and security.  

Let’s show you how this works.

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In this article, you will:

• Understand what fuel management systems are and how they work

• Learn about the South African mining industry’s need for fuel management

• Discover the benefits of fuel monitoring systems in mining

• Explore how fuel monitoring systems can help businesses with greener mining practices

• Unlock the power of Cartrack’s fuel management solutions

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What is a fuel management system?

A fuel management system is a comprehensive solution for fuel monitoring that electronically tracks fuel levels, fuel consumption and fuel expenditure. In the transportation and logistics industry, fuel management systems have helped businesses save on fuel costs and prevent fuel theft.

In the mining industry, fuel management systems use hardware and software to help businesses:

• Manage their fuel resources effectively by monitoring fuel tanks at remote sites
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• Track the fuel consumption of heavy mining machinery and vehicles on-site
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• Eliminate manual processes like using logbooks to track fuel consumption
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• Get reliable and accurate reports to make data-driven decisions for productivity
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• Improve the environmental impact of their mining operations

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How does a fuel management system work?

This is a hardware and software technology system that typically uses a series of fuel sensors, tags and other telemetric devices to secure your fuel, prevent loss from theft and waste, and automatically capture consumption data. A fuel management system is used to monitor, control, and optimise fuel consumption in industries like transportation, construction, and energy industries.

In vehicles, fuel management systems can help to ensure that fuel is being used efficiently by monitoring the consumption, engine performance, and fuel costs. There are three key components of a fuel management system:

• Fuel sensors: These are installed in the vehicle and monitor the fuel levels to provide accurate insights into consumption.
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• Fuel cards: To capture fuel card transactions and verify these with other information for expense management.
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• Telemetric devices: Wirelessly gather and transmit fuel data, eliminating the need for manual checks and data entry.

These components work together to provide a basic fuel management system. However, because of the various processes involved in mining, a basic system like this is ineffective for maximising productivity and security. 

Cartrack’s innovative fuel management solutions go beyond just monitoring fuel levels in your vehicles. Our fuel monitoring system safeguards your resources at mining sites such as remote petrol stations, fleet vehicles and heavy mining machinery.

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Mining in South Africa and its need for proper fuel management

The mining industry contributes significantly to our nation's economy,  with the sector contributing over 10 billion US dollars to our country’s GDP in 2023.  However, despite this industry being at the forefront of our economic development, several challenges impact profitability and efficiency. Two critical issues that significantly hinder mining operations are fuel theft and downtime on vehicles and machinery. 

Since 2020, there has been an increased reliance on fuel in the mining sector because of the ‘energy crisis’ in South Africa. Most mines now have dedicated power facilities that rely on fuel. Therefore, in addition to the vehicles and machinery used in and around the mine, more companies use fuel to power all the operations at their plant. Further down the value chain, mining companies also have to rely on trucks and other freight to transport material and minerals because of railway system failures. 

Managing fuel security on mining sites is more important now than ever because ignoring this is something businesses cannot afford.

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The benefits of fuel management systems for mining

Now that you know how fuel management systems work in mining, here are the benefits of integrating this system:

1. Reduce downtime and maximise productivity

• Track fuel usage & prevent theft: Monitoring your machinery and vehicle operation with telematics and fuel systems helps you identify potential problems, such as fuel-inefficient operations before they cause any delays.
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• Out-of-hours detection: Identify and stop unauthorised use of vehicles and machinery outside of designated working hours to prevent misuse and ensure your assets are not overworked. This reduces the frequency of repairs, servicing and breakdowns on your fleet.
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• Ensure fuel availability: Monitoring fuel levels helps you anticipate refuelling needs and avoid downtime due to empty tanks.

2. Reduce fuel expenditure

• Consumption analysis: Monitoring fuel consumption allows for an accurate analysis of fuel usage against operational hours, allowing you to pinpoint inefficiencies and address excessive fuel expenditure.
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• Data-driven decisions: Leverage the insights from the system to make informed decisions about fuel allocation and purchasing strategies.

3. Detect fuel theft

• Identify abnormalities: Our software compares fuel consumption data with vehicle and machinery usage data, highlighting discrepancies that could indicate potential theft.
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• Accurate Monitoring: Monitor fuel levels remotely and receive alerts for unusual dips or sudden drops, enabling you to take swift action against potential theft attempts.
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• Enhanced Security: The combined power of sensors, telematics, and software creates a robust security system for your fuel reserves.

Are you still contemplating what a fuel management system can do for your mining operation? Well, consider how it can help you have a better impact on the environment.

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Green mining: Using fuel management systems for the future of mining

The key to tackling climate change lies in understanding how energy-intensive industries, like mining, can transition to cleaner energy sources. Many mining companies have now set “Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG)” goals for the next few years, and are aiming to minimise the environmental impact of the industry. 

Fuel consumption is a significant contributor to the mining industry's carbon footprint. The traditional methods of monitoring fuel consumption using logbooks lacked the data insights to track fuel usage properly. This has resulted in inefficient practices and wasted resources in the past. Today, advanced fuel monitoring systems like Cartrack ‘s gather data on vehicles and equipment, including location, performance, and fuel consumption. These new insights can help improve mining operations and adopt greener mining practices. 

For example, Cartrack’s fuel monitoring system helps managers monitor their fuel efficiency. A fuel efficiency report accessed via Fleet Pages can help businesses make data-driven decisions about their fuel consumption. In addition, managers can monitor their fleet's carbon footprint to improve sustainability with reports such as the TOE/CO2 report.

Combating fuel waste and high consumption is a crucial step towards a green mining future. By optimising fuel usage, promoting eco-conscious practices, and preventing fuel theft, fuel systems empower mining companies to significantly reduce their carbon footprint.

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Cartrack’s fuel monitoring solutions for the mining industry

Here's how Cartrack Zimbabwe safeguards your resources, ensuring your mining operation can maximise production while minimising expenses:

Cartrack’s CANBus integration: This advanced technology goes beyond fuel level monitoring by tapping into a vehicle’s CANBus wires to extract a wealth of data like engine performance and fuel information. By connecting with Cartrack’s telematics device, vehicle and fuel information is automatically stored on Cartrack’s Fleet Pages platform and only a few clicks away. 

Cartrack’s Fleet Pages platform: This is our user-friendly platform that allows you to view gathered and analysed vehicle and fuel information and helps you transform this into actionable insights. Managers can access various reports and graphs on their fleet’s fuel consumption at remote sites without needing access to fleet vehicles or attached tracking devices.

Cartrack’s MiFleet: Our administrative and vehicle cost validation tool is known for helping managers monitor their fleet’s operational costs and validate fuel claims. Managers can set alerts for fuel monitoring that detect any discrepancies between fuel consumption and fuel cost claims. 

Overall, Cartrack’s fuel monitoring tools provide a comprehensive solution for all stages of your mining operation. Let’s unpack how Cartrack’s fuel monitoring solutions are applied to help you increase the efficiency of your mining operations:

Vehicle and machinery usage

Our fuel management systems monitor the fuel consumption of your vehicles and heavy mining machinery while operating on-site. With this system, managers can understand the refuelling process that takes place at any given time on their plant.  

Our easy-to-use fleet management software uses fuel monitoring tools, MiFleet and Fleet pages to help managers remotely validate the refuelling that takes place at their mines. This helps managers:

• Detecting fuel theft: Easily detect whether there is theft at your mining facility.
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• Remotely validate fuel claims: Verify the refuelling activity at your mine remotely through Cartrack’s Fleet Pages
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• Improve productivity: Avoid the downtime from fuel efficiency at your mining facility.

Ultimately, managers get an overview of their entire operation's fuel consumption and can know the exact fuel usage per vehicle.

Transportation

Beyond fuel management, Cartrack's fleet tracking software provides visibility into your fleet once the mining project is completed. Transporting materials around the plant or minerals after they have been processed requires security and live monitoring. Cartrack’s Fleet tracking systems help you monitor your haul trucks, excavators, and support vehicles in real time.

Managers can see their fleet's location, status, and route progress through GPS, telematics and our software.  This helps ensure materials and processed minerals move securely from the mine. Depending on the type of transportation you require, Cartrack’s specialised sensors and AI-powered cameras can also be installed to bolster security. This helps managers:

• Monitor trucks transporting valuables: Secure valuable cargo with advanced tracking and monitoring.
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• Optimise logistics: Minimise fuel waste by improving efficiency and optimising routes for on-time delivery
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• Enhance security: Specialised sensors and AI-powered cameras will deter theft attempts and monitor your fleet while on the road.

Cartrack fleet management systems integrated with fuel monitoring can track your valuable cargo and deter theft attempts, or video evidence can be used if incidents occur at your mining operation.

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Cartrack’s fuel management system helps you achieve excellence, productivity and security in mining

By implementing Cartrack's fuel management system, mining companies can gain a powerful tool to streamline operations, maximise productivity, significantly reduce fuel consumption and expenditure and ultimately improve their profitability and sustainability. 

‍Contact us for a fuel management system demo today.