Raspadskya said coal supplies were at risk of being incorrectly mixed at its warehouse due to coal concentrate being incorrectly allocated the wrong grade or type- raw coal arrives there in trucks from open-pit mines.

To address the loading issue, the company attached IIoT transport tags developed by Orange Business Services to trucks delivering the coal from the mines to the warehouse.

The Orange system uses Telemetry sensors and real-time tracking (RTLS) systems to read data passing between the truck and the sensors.

Beacons installed in the trucks' cabs then alert drivers if they try to unload coal in the wrong grade bay.

"The Orange Business Services IIoT solution effectively and efficiently automates the control of the coal unloading zone, removing the risk of human error," said Alexey Chervyakov, director for Labor Protection, Industrial Safety and Ecology, Raspadskaya. "The digitalisation of these types of processes guarantees the highest possible quality of coal products and reduces costs by reducing manpower requirements."

"Our work with Raspadskya shows how connected objects can be a game changer for an enterprise, increasing operational efficiency and providing real, tangible business value, said Richard van Wageningen, Senior Vice President, IMEAR region, Orange Business Services. "This project highlights how the power of industrial IoT in automating relatively simple tasks can make a huge difference to output."