Fifteen per cent of aggregates and mining companies are saving between 600 to 2,400 hours in employee time a year by using aerial drones, according to a customer survey conducted by US drone-based aerial intelligence company Kespry.
The survey states that another 27% are saving 120-240 hours a year. Kespry surveyed the 220 aggregates and mining customers that use its platform across 3,311 worksites across North America. It found that 20% of companies are saving US$50,000-US$100,000+ a year by using drones, and 24% are saving US$30,000-US$49,999 a year.
Seventy-eight per cent of those surveyed said the drones enable them to more frequently survey their sites on demand, with 655 achieving greater data accuracy while reducing discrepancies and rework. Sixty-nine per cent of customers survey their sites monthly or weekly, with 36% engaged in large-scale surveys of 15 or more sites. Fifty-five per cent of customers stated they have achieved safer operations as a result of using the technology.
Eighty-two per cent of respondents said the ease of use also played a major factor in their decision to adopt the platform. Seventy-nine per cent chose the platform for speed of data capture and turnaround, and another 64% selected it for its turnkey hardware guarantee designed to maximise uptime. Fifty per cent said they replaced contracted surveyors, measuring wheels, and GPS base and rover technology with Kespry.
"More and more mining and aggregates companies are experiencing tremendous productivity, efficiency and safety benefits as they standardise on Kespry and roll out our platform across multiple sites and geographies," said Kespry CEO George Mathew.
Customers typically use the drones for inventory management, mine planning, materials management, contractor benchmarking, and boosting employee safety.
