India’s rapidly growing economy has increased the demand for
various metal ores, which are mined from deposits in various parts of the
country. Illegal mining and various forms of scamming, however, have plagued
Goa, India. In response to these problems, new technology from Telematics4u is
enabling India’s mining operations to be both more self regulating and more efficient,
increasing buyer’s confidence in purchasing their ores. The system is enabled through
GPS trackers installed on shipper’s trucks and weight sensors stationed outside
mining sites. The weight sensors can determine how much ore is in the truck and
the GPS trackers can monitor the location of the ore. All this information is
collected and monitored at a company called Telematics4u. This provides India’s
mines with unprecedented accuracy in terms of how much ore was actually moved
from the mine and where it is at any given time.
One major
advantage of Telematics4u’s new system is it gives India’s mining companies unprecedented
information about how much ore was actually moved from their mines. The scale
systems used are more accurate than the standard models that most of the mines
were previously using. Also, the mining companies can contact Telematics4u
anytime to collect information about the weight of ore moved out of their mine,
making it easier for mines to keep record of inventories and detect fraud.
A second
advantage is the tracking of the ore while in transit. Only transporters who
have the tracker installed on their vehicles are authorized to haul for mines
using Telematics4u systems. Thus, mining companies can be assured that they
will be able to have access to information pertaining to the exact location of
their product in transit, as well as information on how fast its moving. Having
access to driver’s locations provides transparency and can be important when
dealing with customer service issues and potential thefts.
A third
advantage of the system is the increase in buyer confidence. Due to widespread
corruption in the mining industry, certain mining areas in India were banned
from doing business in 2012 as a result of India law[1].
This can put pressure on markets, and increase the cost of ore to buyers. As
the new system helps to assure legitimacy, it can help stabilize India’s mining
industry and make prices and the market more predictable and stable for buyers.
One thing
over looked in the article is the cost associated with installing this
technology, as well as its reliability. Indian mines may be very conscious of
spending, and may not be interested in this technology if it is too costly to
install and operate. In addition, certain areas of India may experience
frequent technological problems, which may result in the Telematics4u’s servers
being down at random periods of time.
[1]
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/indl-goods/svs/metals-mining/mining-turns-to-technology-to-end-fraud-and-bring-transparency/articleshow/51624816.cms
The GPS and weighing stations implemented by Telematics4u seems like an effective way to be tracking the amount of ore coming out of the mines and increase consumer confidence. I wonder if an implication outside of the industry itself could be its utilization by India's Department of Energy regarding conservation efforts. If they could be provided with accurate data regarding how many tons of ore are being extracted from the ground, they could better shape Energy legislation. Although the mining companies themselves might be against mining regulation, it's important to conduct business sustainably and it would be a lucrative opportunity for Telematics4u if the government mandated the technology be used across all the mines to prevent scamming and ensure sustainable mining practices are being implemented. One drawback is that it would probably be very costly and require a lot of government spending to enforce the technology be used on all hauling vehicles and the construction of the weighing stations wouldn’t be cheap either. I’m not sure if the Telematics4u technology is used by companies across the globe but if they offer a superior tracking technology at the right price, I think a lot of mines and companies in the energy sector will be interested in implementing their technology to increase buyer confidence as well as track their impact on the environment.
ReplyDeleteTelematics4u seems to be an increasing company in India due to its solving of scamming problems. Its use of weight sensors and GPS trackers will not only document the flow of activities, but will also result in higher consumer confidence and higher profits. Also, it will provide an abundance of new data that can be used to increase customer service and prevent thefts. Overall, this company can create a major change in the mining industry through the use of these types of technologies.
ReplyDeleteHello Bob,
ReplyDeleteI would like to start by saying that this is a very interesting topic to write a blog post about. I find that the GPS technology that is being developed is crucial for the Indian department of Energy, especially when it comes to conservation of energy. Additionally, i think that this technology could not be coming at a better time. For example, in today's day-and-age a lot of resources are being used at an alarming rate, without any documentation to record the loss and gain of those resources. I like how you dedicated a paragraph in the beginning of the post to talk about the advantages that Telematics4U has; I think that this strengthens the argument that you are trying to make and also drives the point home that we as a society need to start conserving resources more. In conclusion, I would like to end by saying thank you for sharing this blog with the community.