Coal India Limited (CIL) on Monday has formally engaged Accenture Solutions Private Limited as consultant, for digitalization of mine process in 7 select opencast mines of the company, for accelerated performance enhancement. A contract was signed to this effect.
In a first of its kind venture, the consultant would lead and support the implementation of digitalization and process excellence while assuring 100 million tonnes (MTs) increased coal output from the identified mines.
The aim is to fit together and use the available data analytic techniques to raise mine productivity and efficiency from planning, project monitoring, operations till despatch, through effective system management and dynamic monitoring.
Among many measures, the HEMM deployed in these mines would be fitted with digital sensors to monitor the efficiency of their performance at every level.
The moves helps in addressing the road blocks and take corrective measures. The objective is to extract higher volumes of coal at lower costs.
The 7 identified mines are Kusmunda, Gevra, Dipka of South Eastern Coalfields Limited (SECL) and
Nigahi, Jayant, Dudhichua, Khadia of Northern Coalfields Limited (NCL).
With the fee linked to the performance, the consultant assures an increased quantity of 100 MTs coal by end of FY’ 23 over the combined production of 7 mines at the closure of FY’22, which is taken as baseline figure to measure output enhancement.
Till March 2022 Accenture shall be laying down the digitalization groundwork in these mines.
These high yielding mines accounted for nearly 32% or 188 MTs of CIL’s total coal output of 596 MTs during FY’21. While the 3 mines of SECL contributed around 112 MTs the rest close to 76 MTs came through four of NCL’s mines.
“This is a first of its kind initiative by the company utilizing digitalization to ramp up coal output. It will be enabled in 7 select mines for transformation across the entire business value chain of mining operations,” said a senior official of the company.
In broad terms, consultant’s success fee shall be paid only on achievement of more than a minimum threshold level of the assured quantity. On crossing the threshold level, the consultant would be paid an agreed sum for every additional tonne of coal produced.
“Learning from the outcome and success of this model we may replicate it in our other large mines” said the official.
