Quality Tracking – A New World of Automation
In the stockyard, stockpile averages produce average quality outcomes.
Axo33 is rewriting the playbook for quality management. Our quality tracking module enables a site to micro-model quality parameters within the stockpile. This helps a steel plant or power station to optimally blend into the yard and furnace. For an export terminal, it can be used to model quality outcomes and optimal reclaim tasks to minimise financial penalties for under-delivery and giving away too high a quality.
Each stockpile is broken down into 0.1m³ cubic blocks when stacked and integrates quality data by parameter from lab sampling or an online belt scanner. As quality data becomes available to the control system it can be appended to each block throughout the stockpile model, allowing for an internal view of the stockpile like an MRI scan.
This level of precision gives the planning team an unprecedented insight into optimal quality management and smarter automation decisions. Stockyard teams can now simulate advanced "what-if" reclaiming strategies before any material is moved, ensuring the reclaimed blend meets contractual and operational specifications. Additionally, as this quality data feeds directly into task automation, even complex blending operations can be handled seamlessly by a single operator from a central control room. No other system offers predictive quality analysis with this level of real-time scanning and data integration.
Our second generation system, first deployed in 2024 at Port Kembla Coal Terminal, has already had a profound impact on GM3 and their planning team of three, saving several hours a day. The accurate modelling and what-if analysis replaced spreadsheets. They now have a fully automated quality system, daily planning time has been reduced by six hours, and human error has been eliminated from the system. Moisture-related penalties have plummeted, and more consistent ash management means lower reliance on high-cost, premium coal. All of this translates to better vessel loading, fewer demurrage charges, and improved revenue protection.
Real-time stockyard visualisation with detailed pop-ups showing information such as Tonnage and Density.
Quality parameters including moisture and ash are tracked in 0.1 cubic metre blocks.
The cross-section shows the internal variability of moisture throughout the stockpile.
Ash levels throughout the stockyard.
Cross Sectional view of Ash levels
Beyond Australia, quality tracking is being rolled out across four export terminals in North America, with the first man-less stockyards now operational in India. The system has been embraced by major global miners for use in their bauxite and iron ore operations, where grade variability from multiple mine sources creates significant challenges in blending.
Here at MRA, we see the most significant opportunity for quality tracking technology within the steel sector. As these plants require precise control over the mix of coal, iron ore, and flux to maintain furnace efficiency and product quality, our quality tracking is the next essential step in optimisation and production improvement. Steel sector clients have already adopted Axo33 technology to improve material flow and reclaimer efficiency, with quality tracking now viewed as a key enabler for their next wave of digital transformation within stockyard production. Across Japan, Korea, and India, there are 31 large steel plants with nearly 300 reclaimers that could benefit from this innovation, replacing traditional spreadsheet guesswork to ensure maximum efficiency and profit.
Beyond coal and steel, quality tracking innovation revolutionises any stockpile quality-based industry. By partnering with thermal power stations, quality tracking allows for precise management of coal blends, based on real-time data, to control emissions, reduce waste, and improve calorific efficiency. With 79 major thermal power stations across India, Korea, and Japan, the potential for both financial and environmental gains in just a single industry is enormous.
Quality tracking integrates seamlessly with Axo33’s existing stockyard management and automation systems, making it a core pillar of an end-to-end digital material handling platform. It offers not only cost savings and efficiency but also the strategic insight needed to make quality-based decisions confidently and consistently.
In a world where material quality is directly tied to operational and environmental outcomes, quality tracking from Axo33 is setting a new global standard. Whether at a mine site, port terminal, steel plant, or power station, the ability to understand and control what’s inside your stockpile, with a streamlined team, eliminated estimations, and automation integration, is nothing short of revolutionary.
Contact Axo33 to learn more or request a demonstration.