Boliden, a leading mining and smelting company, faced unexpected failures with the bearings of a mission-critical conveyor belt responsible for transporting all ore from the crusher to the concentrator. With 24/7 operations at risk, the team used CONNECT to securely share select operational data with SKF experts. This deeper, broader dataset enabled advanced condition monitoring, uncovering hidden issues and operational insights. The solution strengthened predictive maintenance, reduced downtime and led to significant savings.
The CONNECT platform enables BOLIDEN maintenance engineers to collaborate with SKF application engineers and get better insights by combining condition monitoring data from our AVEVA PI System and the SKF Observer platform. This will allow us to reduce unplanned downtime significantly.
--Greger Spetz, Technical Maintenance Manager, BOLIDEN
Challenges
- Critical conveyor belt bearings showed a shorter‑than‑expected lifespan
- Breakdowns risked halting ore transportation from crusher to concentrator, causing production losses and high maintenance costs
- Traditional condition monitoring relied on limited vibration data, restricting diagnostic capabilities
- Needed to securely share maintenance‑relevant data with SKF without exposing sensitive process information
Solution
- Integrated SCADA and SKF Observer data into AVEVA™ PI System™ using CONNECT to enable continuous data sharing between Boliden and SKF. Leveraged AVEVA™ Advanced Analytics for rapid deployment of self-service industrial analytics.
Results
- Improved understanding of conveyor performance and operating conditions with end-to-end data availability, enabling early detection and resolution of previously unknown issues
- Empowered collaboration by connecting process and condition-monitoring data
- Reduced downtime and lowered maintenance burden by enabling proactive response to equipment behavior
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