ACT president Steve Barrett said the Intelligent Endpoint real-time equipment monitor product worked “seamlessly” with the company’s ActiveMine wireless communications and tracking system and provided key machine diagnostics and operating data to operations managers.

The memorandum of understanding signed by the two last month allows ACT to provide Intelligent Endpoints to both underground and surface mines, and improves the firm’s access to the surface mining market. In turn, the Wi-Fi networking capabilities of ActiveMine make it possible for 3D-P to offer its product to underground operations for the first time.

ACT says it will develop intrinsically safe versions of the combined system and submit an application to the US Mine Safety and Health Administration for US approval as well as the needed permits for other countries.

“The combination of our organisations’ complementary expertise and technology brings a compelling new offering to the mining industry,” Barrett said, adding that the Intelligent Endpoint product is a standard in above-ground equipment monitoring.

“Now more mines will be able to monitor production and equipment information with Intelligent Endpoints, thereby reducing costs and enhancing productivity,” 3D-P president Al Lehman added.

“The combined offering will also drive best practices and improved corporate decision-making by providing mine managers with real-time visibility of every Intelligent Endpoint-enabled machine across all of their operations.”

3D-P has thousands of its communications products in more than 40 minesites worldwide. In addition to its Arizona headquarters, the company has offices in Wyoming, Washington and Texas as well as in Canada, Australia and Chile.

The final approval for ACT’s ActiveControl system, the MSHA green-light for the system’s wireless Wi-Fi telephone units, was received in late April. The first federal regulatory approval for the system was for its RFID Wi-Fi Tags, which were deemed intrinsically safe in September 2008.