In recent years, Weir has been focused on harnessing digital technologies to improve equipment performance, availability and product quality – what's known as overall equipment effectiveness (OEE). 

This has provided a solid foundation on which to grow its digital capabilities. Having recently added artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities to its suite of digital solutions, Weir is now harnessing these technologies to optimise entire circuits and processes.

As part of this evolution, Weir recently launched its new intelligent solution, NEXT, at MINExpo. NEXT Intelligent Solutions extends and expands Weir's current capabilities and transforms its process optimisation services into real-time digital solutions.

This isn't a one-size-fits-all approach; rather, Weir understands that different customers, operating in various applications, have a range of priorities and requirements. As a result, the NEXT digital offering can be tailored to overcome each customers unique challenges and, ultimately, help them reach next levels of performance.

Weir has developed three packages to service its customers based on their needs and requirements. 

Insight

The Insight package provides actionable visibility of the system health and performance. It includes:

• Condition monitoring: NEXT sensors are designed to monitor the health and measure equipment efficiency based on a range of core health parameters. 

• Performance monitoring: NEXT technology empowers operators to monitor and measure key performance parameters of the equipment and provides them with access to critical information about its operational behaviour. 

• eDocumentation: Allows quick access to critical documentation such as IOMs and more. The mobile app offers important information about the equipment, as well as the ability to request a quote for spare parts. 

• Maintenance reporting: Gain access to the equipment's maintenance history, allowing the operator to have full visibility of any maintenance that's occurred, while also support maintenance scheduling.

Uptime

This package is focused on extending availability using predictive condition monitoring. It does this in two important ways: 

• Wear Detection: NEXT technology allows the operator to monitor the wear of key components of the machinery and gain full visibility of its remaining useful life in real-time.

• Failure Prediction: Built on Weir's propriety data, engineering knowledge and expertise of the equipment's wear and failure conditions, NEXT's digital twin platform combines condition monitoring with intelligent predictive models to help operators foresee equipment failures ahead of time. 

Production

The Production package maximises process efficiency in line with specific customer objectives. It's a two-stage process:

• Stage 1 – Process optimisation: Weir has combined its expertise with AI technology to deliver an Intelligent Assistant for production optimisation. Using advanced AI, the solution considers all necessary variables, such as ore feed, machine drift, production cost and operational targets, enabling maximum production optimisation.  

• Stage 2 – Process optimisation automation: Weir supports its customers in their efforts to meet demand in ways that are sustainable, environmentally friendly and safe. NEXT intelligent solutions use nonlinear algorithms to get closer to the dynamic behaviour of the process. With the power of reinforcement learning, NEXT intelligent solutions deliver true process optimisation.   

Nobody serves more mines than Weir and its NEXT Intelligent Solutions are supported by its global network of service centres, spanning over 60 countries, including all major mining regions. Weir has always prioritised being close to its customers – in the sense of being proximate to their operations, as well as working alongside them to understand their challenges and develop solutions to overcome them. NEXT Intelligent Solutions is taking that to the next level.

Discover how Weir's NEXT Intelligent Solutions can help you reach next levels of performance, today at www.global.weir/NEXT