The series of studies and field trials of electronic strata monitoring systems show significant potential benefits to the coal mining industry, RMT Trolex business manager John Toplis said.

“I’m excited by the results of the studies that have been carried out and what this means both in terms of safety in coal mines, but also in the impact on productivity levels at a time when the coal mining industry in under incredible pressure to reduce costs,” he said.

“We can demonstrate a return on investment within 2 months of installation and revenues improvements of around $2 million per annum in a typical mine.”

Headline figures from the research show an average of 25% uptime in longwall operations resulting in a 40% increase in production rates following the installation of an electronic strata monitoring solution.

In addition to this a 49% cost-saving was demonstrated through a more intelligent distribution of support collateral and a 65%+ reduction in injury/health related reports through better hazard warning reduced usage of heavy equipment.

RMT Trolex business manager John Toplis said Trolex recently acquired RMT and the company is now looking to take its strata management solutions to a global market.