Visibility
Accurate picture of present system capacity
Planning
Mathematically reliable estimates of future system capacities
ROI
Value of upgrades is demonstrated before CAPEX
El cliente
The customer is a coal mining company which operates a mining complex in central Queensland.
Los desafíos
The client was in the process of increasing their product output through a series of de-bottlenecking exercises for their underground operations. They were also planning upgrades to increase the capacity of their coal handling preparation plant (CHPP) and the efficiency of their train load-out (TLO).
The client’s mines operate within a system where multiple producers share rail infrastructure and depend on the same haulage providers to transport coal from their TLOs to export terminals. Before investing heavily in infrastructure improvements, the client needed to be certain that the greater network would be able to handle expected increases in output.
La solución
Polymathian utilizó datos disponibles públicamente, información de la industria y la amplia experiencia del cliente para modelar el complejo sistema gracias a RACE, nuestra herramienta patentada de apoyo a la toma de decisiones para cadenas de suministro basadas en ferrocarriles.
Multiple scenarios, such as different TLO configurations and impact of external factors, were then tested within this simulated system revealing the changes and upgrades that would pay off in the real world. By the end of the six-week project, a year’s worth of cloud computation time had been used to analyse the client’s operations under many alternative scenarios.
Los beneficios
Reliable insights
Educated guesses and industry estimates have been quantified and verified using data-driven analysis.
Full system overview
The client has mathematically accurate insight into current and future capacities and constraints for their operations.
Strategic planning
The client can now identify which operational improvements will result in the highest long-term value.
Improved service levels
Contracts can consider the opportunities and limitations of the wider network for more reliable order fulfilment.
Apoyo para la toma de decisiones
RACE enabled planners to make more intelligent and strategic planning decisions for scenarios such as:
- What TLO system is required to achieve target production volumes to maximize profits and ensure delivery on customer contracts?
- Given system capacity constraints, how can ROI be achieved if a second TLO is built?
- Which upgrades will reduce bottlenecks and achieve desired throughput?
- How will TLO performance be affected if network throughput ramps up?
- What are the optimal train load-out configurations, loop arrangements and recharge times?