Bridgestone Commercial Solutions (BCS), a division ofBridgestone Americas Tire Operations, announces the commercial launch of B-TAG, Bridgestone Intelligent Tag as part of their Bridgestone Mining Solutions offering.
B-TAG is a system that monitors tire pressure and temperature and reports the data in real time, so mine operators can make informed decisions that impact safety, tire performance, maintenance and production.
“Using B-TAG enables productivity gains,” says Kurt Danielson, President, Bridgestone Commercial Solutions. “Manual tire checks on a haul truck can average six minutes a tire. With B-TAG installed, checks take only about one minute per truck. This system allows personnel to minimize downtime and create a safer work environment at the same time.”
B-TAG hardware is installed on the vehicle; data is sent from sensors in the tire to the onboard system in the vehicle, and then may be forwarded to the mine dispatch system, a B-TAG handheld reader or downloaded directly for analysis. Mine operators can not only see data in real time to make immediate decisions, but data can also be compiled in order to identify pressure trends or assess and adjust operating conditions for more long-term solutions.
“Tire pressure and temperature are especially important in mine operations, since vehicles run for extended periods of time and manual measurement often means increased downtime,” says Danielson. “B-TAG monitors without human involvement and gives mine operators the data they need to make adjustments early, which can extend tire life and make the work environment safer.”
B-TAG can be installed by a Bridgestone engineer or authorized servicing dealer. Once the system is installed, Bridgestone support staff can provide training on how to download and interpret data and provide expert consultation.
