Challenge:
Southern Cross Group is a privately-owned Australian company employing around 60 staff – a mixture of management, technical experts and trades personnel. Southern Cross offers its products and services Australia-wide, and is growing into international markets including Africa, Europe and South America.
Southern Cross Mining, a subsidiary of Southern Cross Group, manufactures the Pit Master LED Lighting Tower, a powerful extra low voltage LED Lighting Tower for use in mining and industrial conditions. Under testing, the towers have proven to output lighting that compares favourably to existing metal halide units currently used within the construction, mining and industrial sectors.
With a national fleet of Pit Master LED Lighting Towers now in excess of 1,400 units, Southern Cross Mining had a need for up-to-the-minute information on the movement of its equipment and operating times. The organisation also wanted to remove human error from its asset management processes, as management of the lighting tower lifecycles had previously been conducted using multiple Excel databases. This process was heavily reliant on personnel and the internal knowledge that had been accrued over time, which created an element of risk for the business.
Our asset list has increased from around 800 lighting towers in service to 1400 in just a few months.
The ability to monitor and maintain our assets efficiently and throughout their lifecycle is massive. By doing so, we create a product that is sustainable and secures our future in the marketplace by creating consumer confidence.
- Sheldon Riddick, Group Operations Manager
Solution:
Southern Cross needed a new way to capture the full lifecycle of the Pit Master towers, and ensure the towers were being maintained to the highest standards.
This, coupled with the intention to shift management of the asset fleet to an on-site control room, led to the decision to integrate several existing and in-development software applications into an all-in-one software solution. The system leveraged location and up-time data provided by Teletrac Navman asset tracking devices, producing the controls and monitoring insights Southern Cross needed to capture.
The Capacity Expansion & Technology Integration Project brings together seven core software applications that leverage data from each other to create a bespoke platform that provides a holistic view of equipment movement, maintenance, and productivity, all at the touch of a button. The solution gives managers a comprehensive view of Southern Cross Mining’s Pit Master LED Lighting Towers and vital information such as maintenance scheduling, location, productivity and compliance, while addressing the issues that Southern Cross was encountering with human error and the speed of data-entry for billing.
Sheldon Riddick, Group Operations Manager at Southern Cross Group, identified the need to tackle field challenges related to inefficiencies in paperwork and compliance matters, which was made possible by the essential data provided by Teletrac Navman assets. The team invested considerable time evaluating various suppliers, focusing on product quality, after-sales support, cost, and features. They specifically required a reliable and flexible API with strong support. Ultimately, Teletrac Navman excelled in all these areas, leading to high satisfaction with the service provided and its ability to meet commitments.
Results:
Since implementing the Teletrac Navman data-driven solution, Southern Cross Mining has achieved:
- Complete Visibility: 100% by-the-minute visibility of over 1,400 lighting towers, enhancing operational oversight.
- Increased Efficiency: Greater efficiency and reduced human error in maintenance management, streamlining operations.
- Centralised Monitoring: Enhanced capacity to monitor and maintain the entire fleet from the Southern Cross control room, facilitating seamless servicing and compliance.
About Southern Cross Mining:
As a privately-owned Australian company the Southern Cross Group is owned and operated by a mix of management, technical experts and trades personnel that are leaders in their fields of expertise. The company flexibility, on ground experience and supporting management systems delivers the core underpinning and strength that enables an understanding and appreciation of what is required by the industry to operate effectively.