TECHNOLOGY ON THE EDGE

Western States is probably most well-known as an equipment supplier, but at the 2019 Idaho Mining Conference WSECO drove home its ability to meet customers’ technology needs as well.

The Cat Command trailer was set up at the Riverside Hotel in Boise earlier this week, where customers had the chance to demo Minestar Command. The system was connected to a D11 dozer in Arizona; from the trailer, customers could operate the dozer just like they would if they were in the cab.

Remote operation technology—both line-of-sight and non-line-of-sight—helps to promote the safety of operators by removing them from potentially hazardous environments. Not only does it improve safety, but the technology can help customers become more efficient as well.

Industry Solutions Manager Tyler Simmons spoke to the benefits of utilizing Minestar and Minestar Edge, and to Western States’ commitment to working as a technology partner with its customers.

“Minestar Edge is all about production tracking, looking at cycle times, looking at dump and load locations, and determining if customers have operational gains from that,” he said, “Let’s look at the operations, look at the data, and lower the cost per ton.”