ETMS - Summary

Managing tires, especially tires for large earth mover fleets is a much more complex task than most people realize. As industries continue to improve their safety, preventative, predictive and planned maintenance programs the days of simply regarding tires as “large, black rubber things” has passed. Today’s tires are highly engineered products that require attention and care to achieve the optimum life and performance for which they were designed.

In fact, because operating conditions at jobsites vary so widely, many of our customers use tires and compounds specifically designed for their site and only their site. Operations increasingly understand the benefits in effective management of their tire programs not only because of the outright cost but also because of the safety aspect, product availability, and equipment uptime.

A multi-dimensional approach is our primary tactic to help our customers achieve their goals. We don’t simply look at the tire itself; we don’t stop with the equipment it’s mounted on. Tire management is an ongoing process as we constantly evaluate and incorporate better ways to serve our clients. Just some of the factors we take into consideration include:

• A customized system geared to each particular site
  
• A dedicated team of professionals - hands on people, certified tire service personnel, world class mine tire superintendents, tire engineers, mining engineers, mine maintenance superintendents, surface and underground operation superintendents, IT technical personnel, surface and underground MSHA instructors.
  
• The tire itself (Selection of the tire brand, type, compound and air pressure)
• The equipment being used
• The wheel and its hardware (Type, flanges, lock ring, valve and spacers)
• Additives and fillers (Nitrogen, foam, liners, tubes and Tire Life type additives)
• Additional items such as rapid deflation devices, rock ejectors and electronic tracking implants
• Mine Engineering concerns (Future haul runs, super elevations, cycle times and load requirements)
• Mine Maintenance concerns (Scheduling of downtime, maintenance of equipment to facilitate the best tire life and best practices to perform work efficiently)
• Mine Operations concerns (Haul road conditions, proper load centering, clean up and equipment operation awareness)
• Purchasing Department concerns (Adherence to and assistance with budget, invoicing/billing, procurement and associated documentation)
• Tools (Torque multiplication devices, cleaning tools, non-destructive testing equipment, etc…)
• Work areas (cleanliness, organization, safety)
• Tire Storage
• Training (Tire fitters, equipment operators, maintenance personnel and all other mine members)
• Data tracking software (Tires, components, trending, failure modes etc…)
• Reporting (A comprehensive tire report monthly including data on all areas)

This type of comprehensive approach allows us to track and report on a multitude of criteria, adjusting our tactics to best suit the needs of that particular site as conditions change.