Improving fleet management in mines: The benefit of heterogeneous match factor

Mining requires large, expensive equipment: it is known that transportation costs from 50-60% of total operational costs. Mixed-fleet optimization is essential to support business sustainability. A new approach, based on differences in the match factor, is proposed: a heterogeneous truck fleet, a heterogeneous shovel fleet, and a fleet comprising both heterogeneous truck and shovel. Simulation study provides evidence that the match factor can be used to determine ranges for numbers of different types of trucks in an optimal fleet. Choice of heuristic truck dispatching methods has a significant influence on the performance. Additionally, the simulated results reveal differences in production with different heterogeneous fleet types.