“Changing longwall technologies allows for much higher coal recovery, higher productivity and reduced operating costs,” Dr Mundry told the Longwall 2015 conference yesterday.

“One of the ways longwall mines achieve or exceed their owners’ expectations is through the extensive use of automation. High automation allows predictable and continuous productivity. Caterpillar offers unmatched automation technology to support efficient and productive longwall mining operations.

“Our Cat technology solutions continue to deliver on these expectations. In Poland, the Bogdanka Underground Coal mine was able to achieve a record 24,900 tonne per day from a plough-equipped longwall.

“Extensive use of automation will be critical to mining moving forward because it allows predictable and continuous productivity. The use of indirect and direct toolsets will be intrinsic to operational settings worldwide allowing mines to stay competitive in challenging economic environments.”

Mundry said this will be achieved through partnered condition monitoring and analysis solutions; alongside reliable automation applications.

“Our company continues to lead the way with new software and service tools - that support mine operations,” he said. “Cat Automation maximises safety, equipment and at the bottom line, productivity. When integrated with Cat MineStar technology solutions, longwalls can operate in an efficiency class the world has never seen before.

“In its simplicity this efficiency is achieved by evaluating equipment and application data inputs to provide recommendations for maintenance, component replacement, application and repair, as well as how to create value-added work recommendations for a ‘repair before failure’ approach.”