AeroScout's Wi-Fi RFID Solution Enhances Communications, Productivity and Safety at Chelopech Mine in Bulgaria
REDWOOD CITY, CA--(Marketwire - September 15, 2011) - AeroScout®, the leading provider of Unified Asset Visibility for improved operational efficiency, today announced that Dundee Precious Metals Inc. (TSX: DPM) has implemented AeroScout's Wi-Fi RFID mining solution for tracking people, equipment and vehicles. Currently in use at its Chelopech Mine in Bulgaria, Dundee Precious Metals is using the solution to improve worker safety and productivity, both on the surface and underground.
Based in Canada, Dundee Precious Metals is an international mining company engaged in the acquisition, exploration, development, mining and processing of precious metal properties. With a dynamic global operation, DPM has taken a strategic, centralized approach to Wi-Fi communications to support emerging business requirements and maximize efficiency across the organization. AeroScout's solution for mines leverages DPM's above-ground and underground Wi-Fi networks to monitor the location of equipment and people throughout the mine's tunnels and facilities.
AeroScout Wi-Fi Tags, which are worn by miners or mounted on vehicles and equipment, transmit important information over the mine's standard Wi-Fi network to AeroScout's MobileView software, which provides a real-time visual representation of the location of these people and assets. MobileView allows DPM to track and manage items and people through an easy-to-use interface and a variety of reports and rules-based alerts. DPM has deployed over 1,000 AeroScout Tags to track miners and monitor vehicle location, which helps decrease equipment downtime and utilize resources more efficiently.
"Due to the complex nature of mines and the challenges associated with communicating underground, we needed a solution that could help us efficiently track the location of equipment and workers in this type of environment. AeroScout provides a flexible and highly reliable solution that has enabled us to understand, in real time, what is going on in the mine and to have an immediate impact on operations," said Rick Howes, Chief Operating Officer at Dundee Precious Metals.
"The Chelopech Mine is committed to the safety of its workers and is using AeroScout to support these efforts. In addition, we are improving efficiency and productivity through asset tracking and management. We are proud of these achievements and encourage the mining industry to learn more about the value of RFID solutions," added Mark Gelsomini, Corporate Director IT at Dundee Precious Metals.
Once a day all workers need to vacate the Chelopech Mine for the purpose of production blasting and explosive gas clearing. Prior to implementing AeroScout, the company kept track of workers by noting who had turned in their cap lamps at the end of their shift. Now, through the use of AeroScout solutions, this process is automated, allowing staff in the control room to quickly determine the location of miners.
Machinery traffic inside the mine is heavy and thus it is critical that workers driving underground can communicate closely with the control room. In the past, workers used a radio checkpoint system to relay their location. Now DPM has visibility into the location of its machinery, which helps the control room more effectively direct traffic, quickly identify problems and rapidly respond in case of emergencies.
"Worker safety is a very high priority for the mining industry," said Janet Chaffin, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Industrial Business at AeroScout. "It is our goal to help Dundee Precious Metals, and the industry as a whole, to operate safely as well as to reduce costs and increase productivity."
About Dundee Precious Metals Inc.
Dundee Precious Metals Inc. is a well-financed, Canadian based, international gold mining company engaged in the acquisition, exploration, development, mining and processing of precious metals. The Company's principal operating assets include the Chelopech operation, which produces a gold, copper and silver concentrate, located east of Sofia, Bulgaria; the Kapan operation, which produces gold, copper, zinc and silver concentrates, located in southern Armenia; and the Tsumeb smelter, a concentrate processing facility located in Namibia. DPM also holds interests in a number of developing gold properties located in Bulgaria, Serbia, and northern Canada, including interests held through its 51.4% owned subsidiary, Avala Resources Ltd., and its 11.6% interest in Sabina Gold & Silver Corp.
About AeroScout
AeroScout is the global market leader in Unified Asset Visibility solutions. Customers improve operational efficiency using AeroScout products that leverage standard Wi-Fi networks to track and manage the location, condition and status of mobile assets and people. AeroScout's customer base consists of leading hospital, manufacturing, mining and logistics organizations, including many of the Fortune 500. The company invented the first Wi-Fi-based Active RFID tag, and today is widely recognized as leading the market in number of deployments. Headquartered in Redwood City, California, AeroScout has offices in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Australia and Latin America. For more information, please visit www.aeroscout.com.
AeroScout is a registered trademark of AeroScout, Inc. Information is subject to change without notice.
