By taking advantage of Tru-Trac’s holistic conveyor audits, which provide a ‘360-degree’ view to all components of their conveyor systems, mining operations can identify common issues early on and get actionable insights to keep their conveyor belt systems running smoothly.
Conveyor belt systems are the lifeblood of mining operations, facilitating a constant and uninterrupted flow of materials. Keeping a close eye on the conveyor systems through holistic audits, such as those provided by Tru-Trac, ensures that operations can stay ahead of common issues such as belt misalignment/mistracking, carryback, off-centre loading and spillages, amongst others.
“Tru-Trac’s conveyor system audits are holistic in their approach, going well beyond the surface-level checks provided by traditional conveyor ‘inspections’ and ‘surveys’,” stresses AJ van Eyssen, Field Service Manager at Tru-Trac. “The audits entail a broader more comprehensive assessment of a conveyor system, encompassing not just the evaluation of potential problems but also the root causes of the issues at hand as well as the provision of recommendations to get to the bottom of the identified issues.”
Using the company’s proprietary digital Conveyor Audit reporting system, Tru-Trac’s highly experienced technicians can send real-time feedback to customers via email. The innovative digital system provides comprehensive insights into the condition and performance of each component in the system, accompanied by photos showing areas of concern, required maintenance and recommendations on how to optimise the entire conveyor system.
This is complemented by the recent integration of the Tru-Trac Rip Prevent+ system, an advanced monitoring technology that analyses data from the conveyor belt using artificial intelligence (AI)-based models and algorithms, which presents an exciting prospect for the audit process.
The arrival of yet another Tru-Trac innovation, the newly-launched intelligent belt scale, which made its debut at bauma 2025, further provides another important technological tool to the auditing process. It integrates AI-driven continuous calibration check and real-time load cell monitoring for the accurate measurement and detection of tonnes per hour, as well as advanced conveyor belt monitoring by integrating AI-driven analytics with traditional belt scales.
“By identifying and addressing potential issues early on, our holistic conveyor systems’ audits offer significant benefits, including reduced downtime, improved safety outcomes, enhanced operational efficiency and extended conveyor system lifespan,” says Van Eyssen.
In a recent successful project, the Tru-Trac audit was central to addressing problematic conveyor issues for a Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) mine. The conveyor system was experiencing impact damage on transfer points due to changing operational parameters such as tonnages and belt speeds.
“The impact damage was significant in that the client experienced breakdowns after every two weeks. Following a detailed audit, we recommended the changing of impact beds, chutes and conveyor skating to meet the new operational needs. This has successfully addressed the client’s pain points, with the conveyor system having to date gone for six months without any issues,” concludes Van Eyssen.
