Bridgestone Corporation (Bridgestone) and KOMATSU have launched a collaborative initiative and started field verification to provide new solution services to mining operators.
KOMATSU and Bridgestone Launch a Collaborative Initiative to Provide New Solution Services for Mining Operators
The new program works by real-time exchanging and analysing vehicle data from KOMATSU’s management system, ‘Komtrax Plus’, and tyre data from Bridgestone’s monitoring system for mining vehicles, ‘Bridgestone iTrack’.
By utilising this data to provide insights on the proper use of tyres, the program enables customers to improve the fuel efficiency of mining trucks and use its premium tyres safer, longer, better, and more efficiently. Based on the results of this field verification, the two companies plan to co-develop additional unique services that would not be possible without collaboration.
Through this collaboration, KOMATSU and Bridgestone aim to solve the challenges in severe mining operations by combining their expertise. Tyre failures and vehicle stoppages caused by external factors can negatively affect efficient mining operations because of operational downtime and unplanned tyre replacement before being worn out. By integrating vehicle and tyre data, KOMATSU and Bridgestone strive to quickly identify the causes of failures and implement appropriate emergency measures and preventive actions to minimise downtime.
Fuel Efficiency and Cost Reduction
Through the partnership, several key factors that significantly impact fuel efficiency will be analysed, including:
- Unique features of the mining site (such as slope and road surface).
- Vehicle usage conditions (such as driving route, speed, and load).
- Tyre specifications (pattern and material).
KOMATSU and Bridgestone will analyse this data to help reduce fuel costs.
Bridgestone Optimizes Mining with MasterCore Tyres & Real-Time Data
Bridgestone recently launched its mining solution, ‘Smart On-site’, tailored to each mining site to optimise its operation. The solution is designed to drive value through a combination of a Dan-Totsu product, the Bridgestone MasterCore tyres designed for mining vehicles, and real-time data obtained from the ‘Bridgestone iTrack’ system, such as tyre temperature, air pressure, vehicle location, and speed. These efforts will help Bridgestone contribute to customer operational excellence by amplifying the value of the Dan-Totsu products, the trust with their customers, and the data value.
KOMATSU and Bridgestone are committed to optimising the Total Cost of Ownership through safety and productivity enhancement for mining operators. The two companies also aim to reduce CO2 emissions and improve resource productivity by minimising unnecessary fuel and tyre consumption.
Shingo Hori, Executive Officer and Vice President of the Mining Business Division at KOMATSU says, “Through this collaboration, we will be able to provide a new DANTOTSU solution that combines KOMATSU’s experience with Bridgestone—something neither company could achieve alone.”
“We are thrilled to establish this partnership with Bridgestone and engage in such collaborative efforts. Both companies will accelerate our co-creation initiatives to generate new value and become even more valuable partners for our mining customers.”
Nobuyuki Tamura, Executive Vice President and Representative Executive Officer, BRIDGESTONE EAST CEO, added,
“We are very pleased to work with KOMATSU as a partner to create new customer value in response to our customers, through the further evolution of our mining solution, ‘Smart On-site,’ developed in partnership with KOMATSU, we will contribute to enhancing the safety and productivity of our mining customers.”
