Abstract

NGWAKU, S.R.; PASCOE, J.; PELSER, W.A.  and  VAN LAAR, J.H.. Development of a holistic diesel management system to reduce wastage in open-cast gold mining. S. Afr. J. Ind. Eng. [online]. 2022, vol.33, n.3, pp.1-14. ISSN 2224-7890.  http://dx.doi.org/10.7166/33-3-2784.

Fuel prices in South Africa are variable and steadily rising. Diesel accounts for a large portion of operational expenditures in open-cast mining, placing pressure on fleet managers to address fuel theft and wastage. Raw data is often obtained in a variety of formats (handwritten or digital) in this environment. A need therefore exists to capture, interpret, and utilise raw diesel data to gain insights for decision-making. It is critical to develop a diesel management system that can monitor and track fuel usage to increase performance, lower operational and maintenance costs, and eliminate misappropriation. Mining companies could benefit from a comprehensive diesel management system that enabled them to control, report, and track usage. The 'data-information-knowledge-wisdom' hierarchy is used in this study to capture and utilise raw diesel data for wastage reduction, business intelligence insights, and data visualisation to assist with faster decision-making.

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