Schneider Electric and AVEVA, leaders digital transformation, are powering the unification of operations for Vale, one of the five largest mining companies in the world.

 

The combination of AVEVA and Schneider Electric software, technology and mining domain expertise is providing Vale with the ability to integrate, centralise, and remotely monitor operations across its Mariana and Itabira complexes in Brazil.

 

Headquartered in Rio de Janeiro, Vale is the world’s leading producer of iron ore, pellets and nickel, and employs a global workforce of over 170,000 people in 38 countries.

 

The Mariana Complex and Itabira Complex are two of Vale’s major iron ore production sites, located in Minas Gerais, Brazil. Together, the complexes are responsible for more than 75 per cent of the production data from Vale’s Minas Gerais mining operations. 

 

While primarily implemented to improve safety through remote operations, digitalisation is critically important to driving efficiency and sustainability in mining. Through the partnership, Vale can unify operations across multiple sites and upgrade its old system to one capable of remotely controlling all the diverse technologies operating across each mining facility.

 

Crucially, the remote management solution enables Vale to have fewer professionals onsite, increasing safety and reducing operational expenditures while also vastly improving energy efficiency, and therefore, sustainability.

 

“Mining operations are data-rich environments where digital transformation can drive sustainability and productivity gains for improved asset utilization and enhanced value optimization,” commented Marc Ramsay, Vice President, Global Strategic Partners, AVEVA.

 

Schneider Electric deployed EcoStruxure Control Expert – Asset Link, combining AVEVA System Platform and Schneider Modicon M580, to provide visibility and unify operations for Vale.

 

“We are constantly looking to improve safety, efficiency and sustainability, not just now but also for the future,” said Paulo Henrique Fontes Coura, Senior Automation Leader, Vale.

 

The technology enables data to be integrated directly into the system, so Vale’s managers have granular insights without having to manually transfer any intelligence.

 

By bringing this data together, Vale can now create a master operations center and remotely manage everything. This greatly improves operational efficiency and means less people are onsite, providing a significant boost to safety. –Tradearabia News Service