There are many very expensive and advanced IVMS systems and suppliers in the market today. A high-end mining IVMS unit with an Iridium radio could easily set an unsuspecting contractor back more than $2,000. These IVMS systems are great as they will tell their owners where vehicles are all the time and they will also relay back-to-base what the drivers are doing at any given time.

But is it worth it? It depends.

If you are a truck operator then an advanced IVMS system may well be the answer, as efficiency is the foremost consideration i.e. where is the truck right now, how fast is it going right now, who is driving right now, how long did it stop at the bowser: 24×7, anywhere, any time.

Not the sort of IVMS miners need or want, thank you.

Miners are extracting and processing minerals, they are not fleet operators in the first place. They have light vehicles (mostly) and drivers that go about their normal business, there is no need to stare at a screen and see where they and the vehicles are all the time. This is what makes mining IVMS unique: it is there to address driver behaviour. It has the same long term results: improved driver safety and reduced operating costs, but it is not an immediate IVMS, it is a delayed IVMS. We need the information overnight so we can prepare an exception report at maybe 3:00 am in the morning, so if the vehicle goes outside 3G/4G coverage for a while it makes no difference, we will get the information when they come back anyway. Enters the mine manager at 7:00am and an IVMS report is in his in-tray, highlighting things that stand out: the ones that refuse to wear seatbelts, the ones that keep on speeding, the ones that refuse to stop and rest.

We are also experiencing that miners are not inclined to buy expensive IVMS systems – mining, like all other businesses, need to keep an eye on the bottom line. So, if they can get 90% there for a small fraction of the price then spending the rest just to get the last 10% is simply not justifiable.

Contact Digicore if you need IVMS. We have been suppliers of mining IVMS since 2007 and we understand the challenges miners face – a mineral that sells at a massive profit today is in the red a few month later. Our IVMS systems are there to match these fluctuations and often enough start at a very low price from where they can be upgraded – fact is however that we have many mining companies very happily using a very cost-effective IVMS system to great advantage, with no interest in making some IVMS supplier smile all the way to the bank.