Diversified Canadian resources company Sherritt International has selected fleet management systems company Wenco to provide a fleet management system (FMS) for its Ambatovy nickel mine, in Madagascar.

Ambatovy produces over 60 000 t of nickel and 5 600 t of cobalt each year. With this level of production occurring over its life span of 29 years, the mine needed a fleet management solution to improve control of its ore qualities. Wenco says that its Wencomine FMS will enhance the site’s tracking of material over its 116 equipment units, maintaining specific ore qualities at the crusher while also keeping steady tonnage in reserve stockpiles.

Ambatovy also favoured Wenco owing to its fuel efficiency, which is provided by an automated fuel dispatching system called Fuel Dispatch. The company points out that fuel is a major cost factor at all mines and the improved fuel security and equipment uptime gained through the Wenco system will improve operational efficiencies at Ambatovy. The Wencomine system at Ambatovy will run on Wenco’s top-level on-board computer, the Trax-5.

Wenco says these terminals allow the mine to add other applications in the future, supporting technologi- cal convergence and reducing the need for more computers on equipment units. “It is great to be in business with a progressive company like Ambatovy.

We are always happy to work with a forward-thinking company that wants to apply technology to improve efficiencies in a tough market,” Wenco Africa regional man- ager Stefan Ströh concludes.

• [Editor:Juan]