A nested multiple objective fleet management system for open-pit mines

Fleet management system (FMS) plays a vital role in truck and shovel open-pit mining operations. The list of expectations from fleet management systems in open-pit mines range from second-by-second data recording to making dynamic operational decisions. In this paper, we propose a nested fleet management system (N-FMS) for open-pit mining operations. The primary contribution of the proposed system is that in contrast to currently available systems, it connects strategic plans to equipment and removes human intervention by incorporating shovel allocation and plant feed optimization in its decision-making models. Another contribution of the proposed N-FMS is that it simultaneously optimizes the utilization of shovel fleet and truck fleet. The proposed system makes decisions using two nested multiple objective mixed-integer linear goal programming models. Results of implementation of the developed N-FMS in a metal mining case study show that compared to locked-in operation, the mine experienced a 14.6% improvement in its required truck fleet capacity to meet the production target