Category: Case Study

Over the past five decades, the advantages of the Taiwan printed circuit board (PCB) industry lay in its complete and centralized supply chain, quality control, and the cross Strait relations. The industry has held 30% market share of the global PCB markets since 2010. Thanks to the rapid development of high-end mobile phones in recent years, the 2017 industrial value of overall PCB industrial supply chain at both sides of the Strait surpassed $30 billion, creating a historical level high. The PCB industry is one of the most competitive industries in Taiwan, while Automated Optical Inspection (AOI) equipment is vital to improving production capacity of PCBs and the yield rate of products. AOI equipment can be placed in the middle of production lines to inspect semifinished products without affecting production capacity. As a result, AOI equipment is an important investment in the PCB manufacturing process with a comparatively high proportion- about 15% of the total investment amount. Difficulties and challenges AOI is an automated visual inspection that scans the surface of a PCB to acquire a clear image. Then depending on computer image processing technology, AOI equipment can check if defects such as short circuits, excessive or insufficient copper, open circuits, nicks, burrs, copper slags, missing components, and deflections exist. As a variety of surface defects exist, the inspection is more difficult compared with that of general electronic components. Currently, AOI inspection is confronted with a phenomenon of overkill. Due to the extremely high yield rate requirement of PCBs, the design parameters of AOI equipment is very strict. As a result, overkill occurs in AOI due to the over sensitiveness of equipment. According to statistics, the overkill rate is as high as 70%, which means 70% of semi-finished goods are qualified. Due to a high overkill rate, a second manual screening must occur to differentiate between real defects and false-positives before they return to the product line. G4 Technology’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) Defect Inspection System G4 Technology Co., Ltd in Taiwan has been committed to providing imaging solutions for machine vision and AOI as well as services for enterprises’ successful application of machine vision technology. The company has strictly controlled quality in manufacturing not only to improve the yield rate of products and production efficiency, but also to effectively reduce inspection costs. Recently, G4 Technology launched their AI defect inspection system demo. This system can capture images using an Allied Vision Manta G-032C industrial camera, a Fuji film high resolution lens, and SUALAB’s SuaKIT AI visual inspection software with the latest deep learning algorithm to inspect, detect, mark, and classify PCB defects in real-time. The deep learning technology released by SUALAB utilizes an artificial neural network to analyze PCB images. Compared with traditional visual technology, this defect inspection system can analyze complex images, significantly improve image interpretation skill and accuracy of automatic visual inspection, and conduct automatic classification of defects. The required image data in the initial stage of deep learning algorithm varies with different complexity of images. Generally, 50 to 100 images are needed, which means this system can easily handle customer-specific defect standards. Manta Camera helps in PCB inspection accuracy and stability The Manta G-032C camera equipped in the G4 Technology AI defect inspection system, is a high-quality industrial camera with 656×492 resolution (0.3 megapixels). Its 80 frames per second is enough to meet normal demand. Generally, a model of corresponding neural network is established after 15 minutes. After which, 80 images per second can be collected and processed in real-time on a production line. “When we selected the Manta camera for this PCB inspection demo, we mainly considered the high-speed requirement of the environment for real-time inspection, which required us to transfer images quickly with comparatively small-sized images. This type of camera has a comparatively high frame rate to meet the requirement of inspection speed,” said Ken Chou, the General Manager of G4 Technology, “In addition, Allied Vision cameras are the best match with the AI inspection algorithm due to its German quality and stability. Actually, according to different applications, almost all Allied Vision camera series can be regarded as ideal choices for PCB inspection. For example, if customers have high requirement on inspected image quality, an Allied Vision high resolution camera series such as Prosilica GT can be utilized.” The Manta is Allied Vision’s most versatile GigE vision camera series. Numerous modular options, including angled head and board level versions, facilitate the camera integration in almost any application. The advanced feature set of the Manta, including multi-camera synchronization, user’s instruction and Ethernet trigger function, simplifies the setup of multi-camera applications and enables to reduce the overall cabling efforts and costs.    

Recently a Delta MP5000 portable barrier stopped a stolen Ford Edge crossover SUV at the North Gate of the Naval Air Station – Corpus Christi. The trespasser had driven across the base to escape but crashed into the Delta unit and erupted into flames. The driver was shot and killed. “The charred SUV was seen in Navy photographs on top of the MP5000,” related Greg Hamm, Delta Vice President of Sales and Marketing, “One photo shows the front of the SUV suspended in the air. Parts of the vehicle are on the ground.” Delta’s totally self-contained MP5000 mobile deployable vehicle crash barriers carry a K8 rating (M40 ASTM rating), stopping 7.5 ton (6400 Kg) vehicles traveling 40mph (64kph). They tow into position to control vehicle access within 15 minutes. No excavation or sub-surface preparation is required. Once positioned, the mobile barricades will unpack themselves by using hydraulics to raise and lower the barriers off their wheels. DC-powered pumps will then raise or lower the barriers. Once the event is over, procedures are reversed and the barriers are towed away. Last year, six of the Associated Press (AP) top-10 football schools stayed one step ahead of terrorists and errant drivers on their campuses by identifying vulnerable areas and securing them within minutes with Delta MP5000 temporary, portable barriers. In many situations such as at the air base, the temporary barriers provide more flexibilities than a permanent solution. Delta always keeps an inventory of the MP5000s for purchase and quick delivery at their manufacturing facility in Palmdale, Calif. In many cases, they are needed for events that come up quickly such as politician or celebrity visits and other unexpected incidents.  

When lifeguard rescue gear had gone missing a few times, and five motors were stolen from another lifeguard club in the region, Waihi Beach Lifeguard Services knew it was time to step up its security. Hamilton-based global technology company Gallagher was happy to get involved, donating an award-winning security system to protect the club’s vital equipment and manage access to different parts of the clubrooms. Andrew Cochrane, Waihi Beach Lifeguard Services Asset Director has been with the club for 24 years. “We are a charity that relies on volunteer support, donations and fundraising efforts for all of our rescue equipment, vehicles and supplies, so any loss is hard to recover from,” said Andrew, “The equipment is not only worth a lot of money, it’s crucial to saving lives. Losing any of it hinders our ability to perform rescues and respond to other emergencies in the wider region.” Between Labour weekend and Easter the club provides volunteer weekend patrols from 10am-5pm. During the busy summer season from mid-December to the end of January regional lifeguards are there every day to keep beachgoers safe and respond to emergencies. The club also has a 24/7 emergency call out squad. Over 15,000 people pass through the building in a year, including school and community groups who use it as a venue. Lifeguards will now be issued with access wristbands to wear while they’re on patrol. Simply swiping the wristband at an access reader will unlock the door. When the day is done, the last one out can set the alarms with a simple exit button at the door. Gallagher’s Mobile Client gives club managers the flexibility to lock and unlock the doors from anywhere, and check in if an alarm is triggered. Steve Cooke, Gallagher Sales Manager, Central North Island said, “It was clear to see how Gallagher could help. Parts of the clubrooms need to be open to the public, but access to the accommodation, office and storage areas needs to be tightly controlled. We installed around $10,000 worth of security equipment to enable all the doors to be managed appropriately. That’s just a small recognition of the enormous value the lifeguards provide to the community.” Gallagher also supports Whangamata Surf Lifesaving, Raglan Coastguard and Waihi Coastguard – among up to 100 other community initiatives across New Zealand each year. “As a security business, keeping people safe is at the heart of what we do; as a result, we’re committed to helping community organisations and causes who share that value,” says Mark Junge, Global General Manager of Gallagher’s security division, “Donating this security system creates a safe and secure environment for staff, volunteers, and other people using the clubrooms – like school groups. It gives lifeguards peace of mind that their people, equipment and vehicles are safe and ready to use when an emergency occurs.”  

The transportation industry is unique in that it plays a role in both the minutiae of our everyday lives and the big picture of the economy’s overall well being. From one’s daily commute by public transit to the movement of goods across countries, the transportation market is extraordinarily crucial to cities around the world and therefore must be functioning at a high level at all times. Providing uninterrupted and efficient transportation service depends heavily on the safety and security of these entities. Due to the high volume of people frequenting transit stations and the importance of the items on ships and ferries, the transportation sector is one that faces significant and complex threats that evolve as the industry advances. The transportation market is heavily regulated to combat these risks and facilitate safe environments, with the implementation of video surveillance a key component of meeting guidelines. Though any kind of surveillance camera provides transportation operators numerous advantages, many are turning to omnidirectional surveillance technology for added benefits. Both 180- and 360-degree cameras enable security personnel to obtain a complete view of transportation entities such as a bus, airport, cruise ship or train station, providing a comprehensive picture with no blind spots. This then leads to various benefits such as: Elevated situational awareness Through the ability to monitor activity across an entire scene, transportation security officials can establish a proactive approach to identifying potential threats before they turn into an incident. Enhanced investigations When an emergency occurs on a method of transportation, an immediate response is necessary to mitigate the risk, restore operations and limit further damage. Omnidirectional surveillance technology provides in-depth intelligence and insight that enables security officials to obtain pertinent details and track suspicious individuals. Improved business operations Innovative surveillance technology can deliver advantages outside of security as well, through the use of high-level analytics for features such as people counting or traffic flow analysis. Optimal mounting options Compact and discreet 180- and 360-degree surveillance cameras are ideal for the transportation industry, where devices must often fit into narrow spaces while still capturing thorough and high-quality imagery. Transportation hubs around the world are looking to omnidirectional surveillance to experience these advantages, and the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) is a perfect example. SRT installed 360-degree cameras in each of its stations in areas that required wider view recording. SRT was able to increase its situational awareness in regard to threats and incidents, providing officials the views they need to decrease risks, identify potential problem areas and aid police in criminal investigations. Across the globe, public transportation agencies must contend with a number of vulnerabilities and threats on a near daily basis, which is quite simply unacceptable when it comes to the impact that this industry has on the world. The use of omnidirectional surveillance technology can help reduce the severity and frequency of these incidents, leading to a safer transportation process for all.  

Electoral commissions have the delicate task of maintaining reliable and correct electoral registers as part of the execution of the election. To help ensure secure and accurate voter verification before issuing ballot slips, the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) in the Philippines has appointed Gemalto, a Thales company, and Nextix as technology partners to develop, deploy and support the Biometric voter verification system for the 2019 Philippines national and local elections. The aim is to automate the verification of voters through the use of their biometrics information. Addressing this need, Gemalto will provide over 30,000 biometric tablets to enable rapid identification and authentication of voters in the designated precincts across the Philippines. With the tablets that feature Gemalto’s Voter Verification System, authorities will be able to reduce fraud by verifying voters’ identity via their fingerprints. This will also help cut waiting times for the voters and authorities tremendously. COMELEC will use the Gemalto solution to verify the identity of voters. This was put to a test at the first time during the mock elections held on 19th Jan 2019, in preparation for the actual polls in May 2019. Instead of manually checking the COMELEC’s voters list, members of the Board of Election Inspectors used the Voter Registration Verification Tablet, a system that removes the need for voters to present their identification card. Thanks to the tablet the electoral board will identify the voter’s with his fingerprint to determine if the voter is registered and whether the individual belongs to the certain precinct. If the individual is a registered voter, the tablet will validate the registration and he will receive the necessary ballot. Fingerprints serve as a key to avoid duplication. The aim is to ensure that citizens are not able to use several identities to vote multiple times. The voter verification system implements a quality control to verify that the data has been captured and verified correctly. Authorities are also able to track voting activity and participation rate via logs and audit reports. These steps will ensure the best possible level of security for elections to take place. “Secure, reliable and comprehensive enrollment and ID verification are the foundations of citizen registration, voting processes and border controls,” said Dir. James Jimenez, “With Gemalto’s voter verification system, we are able to streamline not only the verification but moving ahead, our registration processes bring greater convenience to citizens, guaranteeing the quality and confidentiality of data captured. We are excited to deploy this solution – a first for the Philippines government.” “In today’s environment, authorities face numerous challenges. Biometrics serve as the primary data that establishes an individual’s identity is accurately collected and verified. We are proud that the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) chose Gemalto biometric solution to verify the identity of voters. It is an honor to help COMELEC transform the agility and efficiency of the voters’ verification and registration processes,” said Tan Teck Lee, Asia President, Identity & Biometric Solutions, Thales.  

School safety and campus security are at the epicenter of today’s conversations. Although reports show a decrease in school crimes in the last two decades, school administrators, parents, faculty and communities are remaining vigilant and taking an active stance in determining how to best protect students and staff and create safe campus environments. Aside from active shooting threats, schools must also take into consideration how to find ways to protect students from other incidents such as theft, assault and even bullying. But how has school safety evolved throughout the years to meet the security needs of today? Not long ago, school security was defined by chains on exterior doors, fences to help keep children within a playground, hall passes for students wandering outside of classrooms and emergency phones in strategic locations on college campuses. With the media attention surrounding active shooter incidents in schools, all eyes are on campus security officials and the tools they are currently using to keep students safe. One security resource that has seen significant improvement is the campus lockdown solution. In the past, when a school or campus was placed on lockdown, key personnel were appointed to manually lock doors with a master key, which was not the most efficient method in a crisis situation. This cumbersome technique put administrators in harm’s way and took critical time to execute. New technologies Fortunately, new technologies have been developed to increase effectiveness and protect faculty in the event of an emergency. An example of this type of solution is Vanderbilt’s Security Management System (SMS). By partnering with Allegion and utilizing Von Duprin Remote Undogging (RU) and Remote Monitoring (RM), K-12 and university facilities are able to utilize an electronic override of mechanical dogging during emergency facility lock-downs. The integration allows campus security officials and administrators to remotely monitor and lock down perimeter doors with the touch of a button during emergencies, enabling faster response times and increased safety. Another key resource that has helped improve campus safety is video surveillance and video management systems (VMS). Video data is not only crucial for school administrators during investigations, but it can also deter theft and vandalism, as well as act as a resource during school security breaches. Remote access Today’s VMS solutions allow administrators remote access to video clips for further management and investigation. In addition, by integrating with Vanderbilt’s Security Management Systems (SMS), access control, digital video and alarm monitoring can be controlled from a single platform, improving efficiencies and communications between technologies. Campuses are complex in design and each face unique challenges when implementing solutions to protect students while also enabling access to facilities for visitors. As campus security needs continue to evolve, the solutions designed to keep students, faculty and staff safe will also increasingly shift to accommodate those needs.  

The Bradley Business Center, located in Chicago, has installed a 3xLOGIC infinias Cloud access control system throughout the redevelopment project. HTML Global, an IT managed services provider (MSP), oversaw system installation and continues to provide remote system management. Bradley Business Center (BBC) is the largest redevelopment project on Chicago’s north side, comprising over 500,000 square feet, spread over 22 acres. The BBC offers a unique shared office environment for entrepreneurs and professionals, and boasts a wide array of features and amenities. At present, the 3xLOGIC infinias system manages a total of 43 internal doors throughout the complex, split between BBC managed doors and those for a tenant company, Compass Health Center. The two organizations manage their own access separately but use some of the same network and PoE switches. BBC managed doors are mainly those controlling common areas and shared amenities – parking, fitness facility, rooftop terrace, and others. They also includes data rooms and other sensitive areas within the office space. Both organizations do the day-to-day administration of the system, with HTML Global providing back-up and higher-level functions when requested. “When we started with BBC, they were looking to us for our knowledge base, and we installed a few doors at that time. Then, we built out the system as they added new offices and common areas to be managed,” explained William Hunt, Managing Director, HTML Global, “The distributed Ethernet network can easily handle all the doors and that simplified installation and on-going management. The BBC property management staff don’t want a server onsite, so a cloud solution nicely fits their needs. Another advantage for BBC is our RMR services, and the fact that a cloud-based system is mainly operating expenses, not hardware capital expenses – that’s economically advantageous for a property management business.” “There are so many other advantages to a cloud-based system, especially our ability to add doors when any of the resident companies want to join the system, or to expand the number of doors for existing customers. We can add one door or hundreds of doors upon request,” said Hunt, “Compass likes the system functionality and ease-of-use so much, they recently expanded it to their Northbrook location, too. That way, when staff move between the two facilities, they only need one set of credentials.” BBC controls access by zone and/ or amenity for each credential holder. Administrators can add zones and close access to other zones with a few keystrokes. Door control is granular, making it easy to provide all areas access to senior staff and highly-limited access, for example, for contractors and temporary workers. Such high-level control and ease of use is accomplished with minimal hardware on site. Many administrators were up and running on the infinias system with very little training, if any. With a cloud-based access control system, new tenants can join the system with ease, or a tenant can be removed from the system in a matter of minutes. Hunt said, “As an MSP, we are overseeing a system that updates itself automatically, and because BBC management doesn’t have a full-time IT person, that’s where we come in.” The future looks bright for HTML Global with the Bradley Business Center. Current office space is nearing fully-leased status, and BBC management is looking to expand their property offerings into additional buildings located on the same parcel. Hunt is impressed with another feature of the cloud-based system, “The network is set up on PoE switches, so if a door isn’t acting properly, we can fix things remotely, we don’t need to roll a truck – that’s very cost-effective.”  

Tasmania’s Old Kempton Distillery (OKD) has deployed HID Internet of Things (IoT) enablement platform, HID Trusted Tag® Services, to combat counterfeiting of its world class whiskeys, gins and other liquor products. HID’s innovative IoT platform for brand protection, combined with the web application developed by local integrator AusNFC, enables Old Kempton Distillery to guard against grey market activities and allows customers to authenticate their product at the point of sale. It also strengthens the appellation registration for the Australian island state of Tasmania, which boasts some of the most pristine water and climate conditions for manufacturing premium, top-shelf liquor products. “Old Kempton Distillery makes one of the world’s finest whiskeys, and with counterfeiting in our industry becoming a global issue, we recognized the need to take proactive steps to protect our brand,” said Robbie Gilligan, Business Manager and Brand Ambassador for Old Kempton Distillery, “We were seeking the best brand protection technology available and a solution that would also allow us to securely engage with our customers, long after a sale. We believe that HID Trusted Tag services and the support provided through AusNFC provide just that.” Beyond its anti-counterfeiting features, HID’s IoT offering opens a new and powerful avenue for Old Kempton Distillery to stay connected with customers via direct and hyper-personalized communications that helps the distillery build brand loyalty in a privacy preserving, closed environment. “We find HID’s solutions to be applicable to many different industries,” said Larry Hower, CEO of AusNFC, “HID Trusted Tag services is changing the game for authenticating brands and staying connected to buyers through a mobile experience.” How it works The distillery’s solution incorporates HID Trusted Tag services into the AusNFC web application that drive the front-end mobile experience on customers’ phones. An HID cryptographically secure near field communication (NFC) tag is embedded into the label of every liquor bottle, which links to HID’s cloud authentication service. By tapping their iPhone or Android phone to the bottle, the customer activates a secure communications channel that authenticates the provenance of their premium product – down to the actual bottle number. Each tap generates a unique URL, preventing counterfeiters from copying, spoofing or manipulating the URL for false verification. “HID’s IoT technology is enabling mass adoption of brand protection by major brands worldwide that are seeking to address more sophisticated attempts by fraudsters focused on imitating their products,” said Mark Robinton, Director of Business Development and Strategic Innovation at HID Global, “Manufacturers and consumers alike can rest assured that their product can be authenticated at every stage of its lifecycle – from production to the shopping bag.” The power of HID Trusted Tag services HID Trusted Tag services combine HID’s cloud authentication services with its trusted NFC tags that come in many form factors for variety of product shapes and sizes requiring brand authentication. HID’s trusted NFC tags are embedded into each product during the manufacturing process, and are easily read using NFC-enabled smartphones (both Android and iOS v11, and newer). The advanced cryptographic capabilities of the embedded tags make them virtually impossible to be cloned or copied, and the extended security features in HID’s cloud authentication service provide privacy-preserving brand authentication and consumer engagement in a closed and trusted environment.  

Genetec Inc. has recently announced the immediate availability of a new unified solutions bundle for financial institutions, an all-in-one offering, specifically tailored to help banks with small and mid-sized branches and automated teller machines (ATMs) manage security, make more informed decisions, and collaborate to close incident cases more quickly. The unified solutions bundle combines several easy-to-install, enterprise-class Genetec products, at an affordable price for financial institutions. “Traditionally, financial institutions with small or midsized branch locations and ATMs worked with multiple physical security technology and analytics suppliers to combine solutions that were not designed to work together. This created inefficiency and introduced cybersecurity vulnerabilities, challenging maintenance, and operational situations which increased costs. Our unified solutions bundle solves that problem by bringing security, operations and business intelligence together into one single interface, reducing operator overload and improving efficiency. With Genetec Security Center at the core of this bundle, banking customers can be confident knowing that their solutions are deployed following cybersecurity best practices,” explained Rob Borsch, Commercial & Practice Lead at Genetec. With this new bundle, and the Genetec Security Center unified platform at its core, financial institutions will be able to make the most of their existing security infrastructure to develop strategies to attract and retain customers, reduce fraud losses, and close cases quickly. By using embedded analytics tools to analyze the vast amounts of data and video already being collected, they can make better-informed decisions about staffing and how to manage the flow of people. This can help them become more competitive and have a significant positive impact on their customers’ journey. A unified system can also improve overall branch security by giving personnel all the information they need including alarms and associated video footage, on mobile devices or at their central operations center so they are ready to respond quickly. In an emergency, an IP-based physical security system that includes a map-based interface showing a location’s cameras, doors, and other devices, can make all the difference. The Genetec unified bundle features a Streamvault™ turnkey appliance, pre-loaded with the Genetec Security Center unified platform, and other software including: Omnicast™: An IP-based video management system that goes beyond simple monitoring. Combined with video analytics, it helps secure and better understand banking environment with real-time access to surveillance video from any computer or smart phone. Synergis™: IPbased access control to manage the movement of people throughout buildings, while securing doors and restricted areas in bank branches and administrative offices. AutoVu™: An automatic license plate recognition solution that facilitates vehicle identification. This can assist your marketing and operations team to link specific vehicles to customer or employee profiles in the database, or identify unknown vehicles in your parking area. Camera Integrity Monitor module that alerts customers when a camera is either moved (pointed in a different direction), covered, or tampered with. Retail Sense™ advanced consumer intelligence to empower banks by using existing security data to deliver insights and help transform customers’ in-branch experience. These new insights enable one to make informed, real-time decisions, that increase consumer engagement and profitability by analyzing the data your system already gathers. A free 90-day license of the Genetec Clearance™ digital evidence management system to speed up investigations by securely collecting, managing, and sharing digital evidence from various sources with others. Optional add-ons include: ATM transaction integration (to correlate ATM activity with video footage), Intrusion alarm panel integration plug-in (efficiently respond to intrusion breeches), Sipelia™ intercom hardware & licenses (SIP-based communications between operators and intercom devices), Federation connection license (Connect different sites together), Extended 5 -year warranty, Analog encoder card(s) for 8, 16, 24 or 32 channels.  

Mission Kumba, Anglo American’s iron ore business in South Africa, cemented its position as an early adopter of new technologies when it implemented automated drilling on the Kolomela Mine. This project was the first fully automated drill fleet in Africa which aimed to increase utilisation, improve safety and performance, boost reliability and productivity, and save costs. The remote command of mining equipment relies on line of sight through remote drill monitoring to honour the guidelines of the Mine Health and Safety Act, specifically guidelines towards trackless mobile machinery (TMM). As the preferred supplier to Kumba Iron Ore, Sedna Industrial IT Solutions (Sedna), were asked to provide visual monitoring to support this. “The project’s conceptual phase required creative thinking that led to custom-built products. Sedna provided basic specifications, with minor on site changes to products once introduced and thoroughly tested. Furthermore, their Axis partnership meant we had superior technology and hardware to support the project requirements. Their combined commitment and technical ability is phenomenal and contributed to the overall success of the project” – Pieterjan le Roux Technologist Engineering at Kolomela Mine, Kumba Iron Ore Solution As an Axis development partner, Sedna naturally collaborated with the market leader in video surveillance. The team has worked together on several mining applications in the past, and Sedna relies on the exceptional durability and performance of the Axis products. AXIS P3905-RE network cameras were installed on the drills in order to replace the onboard visibility during the ab sence of an operator, and the Geo-Cam was used with AXIS Q6115-E as the base platform for drill and bench monitoring, from a distance providing a 360 coverage of the entire working area of the drill. AXIS Q8722-E were used as the base for the thermal Geo-Cam for drill and bench monitoring in poor light or high dust conditions. Result The custom-built, world-class mining application reinforces the project through real-time visual monitoring for automated process optimization and early problem detecting. As a result, the Kolomea Mine is benefited from increased efficiency, improved safety, minimized downtime and lowered operating costs. Remote drill visual monitoring Automated drilling presents many benefits as it promises to increase efficiency and reliability, while improving safety, minimising downtime and lowering operating costs. It is best suited for remote and inaccessible locations, and allows for more accurate pressure control and more rapid response to drilling anomalies. Combined with visual monitoring through high definition cameras, a single person can operate multiple drills from a control room on a 24/7 basis. Axis development partner, Sedna Industrial IT Solutions (Sedna), specialising in mining-based systems was approached by Kolomela Mine Project to provide visual monitoring support. Peter Dormehl, Director of Sedna Industrial IT Solutions, has partnered with Kolomela over the years on technical mining solutions, and therefore understood the requirements and client preferences. Dormehl commented, “In making our recommendations to Kumba’s team, we put Axis forward as the IP camera partner of choice. Sedna has worked with Axis for almost a decade and we are confident in their product support. We know their hardware can survive demanding environments, as we’ve deployed their cameras in mining operations worldwide.” Superior technology and hardware A few years ago, Sedna built a Geo-Cam for monitoring operations within environments such as opencast mines, where there is no cabling infrastructure. The robust, mobile device is solar powered and locates positional information or tracks a moving object with GPS. The camera communicates via industrial wireless LAN and can be controlled (Pan, Tilt, Zoom) remotely, allowing for monitoring from remote operations. “Part of our comprehensive solution to Kolomela was to install 7 Geo-Cams, which were used with AXIS Q6115-E network cameras as the base platform for drill and bench monitoring, while AXIS Q8722-E was used as the base for the six thermal Geo-Cams for drill and bench monitoring in poor light or high dust conditions. In addition, we installed outdoor-ready AXIS P3905-RE on the drills, as they are ideal for onboard surveillance. This is recorded and managed on a Milestone platform with the Geo-Cam software,” explained Dormehl. Automatic success “ The drill project deployment was rolled out over eight months by a strong, competent team of experts who helped contribute towards ensuring that our automated drilling delivers against an ambitious growth strategy,” concluded Sipho Mathonsi, Manager Engineering at Kolomela mine.