Material Handling: Navigating Operational Challenges

Challenges in material handling include billing discrepancies and equipment accountability, manual grading processes affecting quality assurance, railway siding efficiency issues impacting profitability, and pilferage and loss prevention concerns during transport.

Pilferage and Loss Prevention

During transport, coal trucks may dump high-quality coal and pick up inferior quality coal, leading to losses. Wagons may be misplaced or become untraceable, resulting in significant damages.

Billing Discrepancies and Equipment Accountability

Material handling equipment is often rented out, leading to complexities in billing and accountability. Processes are required to verify equipment usage before payment, leading to inefficiencies and delays.

Grade Control and Quality Assurance

Grade control processes are manual, leading to errors in segregating materials and tagging trucks. Inaccurate grading results in downstream quality issues, affecting the final product's quality and performance.

Railway Siding Efficiency

Loading companies at railway sidings must adhere to government guidelines regarding turnaround time and wagon loading.

Automated Billing and Acconting

Cognecto's sensor-based technology accurately tracks equipment usage, fuel consumption, and operating hours. This data seamlessly integrates with billing software, automating payment processes and ensuring accurate accounting.

Sensor Integration

Utilizes sensors to track equipment usage.

Direct Billing Integration

Links sensor data directly to billing software.

Mobile App Backup

Offers a mobile app for manual input in case sensor data is unavailable.

Grade Control Optimization

GPS Integration

Utilizes RTK GPS technology for centimeter-level accuracy.

Real-time Visibility

Provides complete visibility to stakeholders throughout the process.

Material Tagging

Tags materials accurately during loading and unloading.

Vision Analytics for Efficiency

vision analytics tools optimize stockpiling and loading processes at railway sidings, reducing loading time and ensuring uniform loading patterns. This minimizes delays and prevents damages during transport.

Vision Analytics

Utilizes vision technology for efficient stockpiling and loading.

Optimized Loading

Ensures uniform loading patterns for efficient transport.

Damage Reduction

Minimizes damages by optimizing loading processes.

Telematic Device for Asset Tracking

specialized telematic devices for tracking railway wagons, even in remote locations. This device operates without battery for extended periods and provides accurate location data, reducing losses due to misplaced or disconnected wagons.

Telematic Device

Tracks wagons for extended periods without battery.

Location Tracking

Provides accurate location data for lost or disconnected wagons.

Cost Savings

Helps to minimize losses due to misplaced or disconnected wagons.

Enhance billing accuracy, operational efficiency, and material quality

ThyssenKrupp Group utilizes Cognecto's sensor-based technology at their Dolbe Steel plant in Maharashtra to streamline payment processes for rented equipment, leading to a 15% increase in billing accuracy.

Hindalco, employs Cognecto's software at railway sidings to enhance turnaround time for loading and unloading, resulting in a 10% improvement in operational efficiency.

benefits from Cognecto's vision analytics, reducing damages by 90% during loading delays and ensuring material quality, contributing to a more reliable supply chain.

15%

Billing and Accounting Precision

90%

Grade Control Enhanceament

9%

Optimizing Turnaround Time

Unlocking Material Handling Precision with Cognecto's Solutions. Optimized billing, enhanced grade control, streamlined loading, and minimized pilferage losses.

get started

Seamlessly integrating this data with billing software

Advanced GPS and RTK components to precisely identify and tag materials

Ensures level stockpiling and uniform loading, slashing loading delays.

FAQs

Answers to questions you might have about

Whatis haul path analysis using AI?

Haul path analysis involves assessing the condition andlayout of roads used by dumpers and HEMM. Vision-based AI detects defects likepotholes, ravelling, and surface erosion, and geotags them on a site map.Timely identification of such issues is crucial for maintaining roads,maintaining speed limits, reducing equipment damage, and improving safety andproductivity. Haul path insights also aid in planning maintenance schedules andreducing safety risk during material handling operations.
Cognecto uses AI-powered defect detection and heatmap generation to assesshaul road conditions and support safe and sustainable mining.

How do drones help in mining?

Drone-based image analytics in mining involves capturingaerial images of mine sites to monitor terrain changes, assess stockpilevolumes, and detect surface anomalies. Drones provide a bird’s-eye view,enabling quick surveying of large areas with minimal manual effort. Whencombined with AI, these visuals help identify inefficiencies in land usage,potential hazards, or deviations in haul road conditions. It supports proactiveplanning and enhances site safety, environmental monitoring, and compliance tracking.
Cognecto integrates drone visuals with analytical layers to provideactionable insights on terrain mapping, road health, and mine siteproductivity.

How to Detect and Reduce Idle Time on a Construction Site?

Idle equipment consumes fuel and delays projects. By comparing engine-on time with GPS movement or task engagement, machines that are powered but inactive can be flagged. Alerts are generated for prolonged idling, enabling managers to adjust schedules, address material delays, orreallocate resources. Over time, idle time analytics helps improve fleetutilization, fuel efficiency, and overall site productivity. Cognecto monitors engine, GPS, and task data to identifyidle time in real-time—helping managers reduce fuel wastage and enhanceequipment efficiency.

Can AI help in locating loading and dumping by truck in mines on map?

Loading and dumping visualization involves capturing theentire process of material handling using cameras and analytics to evaluateload accuracy, dumping efficiency, and cycle times. It helps detectoverloading, underutilization, and unsafe dumping practices. This visibilityenables managers to optimize machine cycles and reduce inefficiencies. Byreplacing manual tracking with digital analytics, mines can ensure consistentoperations, identify process bottlenecks, and streamline fleet utilization.
Cognecto uses AI cameras and analytics to visualize each load and dumpevent, generating insights that improve cycle effectiveness and equipmentdeployment.

How can we increase safety at mines?

PPE monitoring ensures that all workers wear required safety gear such as helmets, jackets, boots, and gloves. Using computer vision, AI can automatically detect PPE compliance in real time and send alerts for violations. This reduces manual dependency on safety personnel and ensures adherence to safety standards 24/7.AI-based systems also enable safety audits, helping identify high-risk behaviour trends and areas requiring additional training. Cognecto delivers round-the-clock PPE monitoring using vision AI, ensuringsafety compliance and auto-flagging safety gear violations in real time.

Whatis DGMS digital compliance in mining?

DGMS digital compliance refers to the use of digital tools and platforms to ensurethat mining operations adhere to safety regulations set by the DirectorateGeneral of Mines Safety (DGMS). Traditionally, compliance depended onpaper-based documentation and manual inspections. Digital systems automate thisby enabling real-time logging of safety checks, trip history, driver behaviour, and equipment conditions. These systems help mines become audit-ready, avoidpenalties, and ensure a safer working environment.

Integrated Solutions for Efficient Material Handling Operations