Self-Driving Mining Trucks

Self-Driving Mining Trucks Self-Driving Mining Trucks Self-Driving Mining Trucks Walk around a surface mine with 430-ton, 2,600-horsepower trucks hauling material, and you might hope the drivers paid attention to your whereabouts. But if the site used autonomous mining trucks, there might be no driversand youd be perfectly safe.Although human drivers can do the job, autonomous trucks are able to drive an exact route every time without getting bored, tired, or taking time off. That elimination of human error and regular training improves safety and increases a mines productivity.Mining engineers began experimenting with autonomous equipment in the mid-1990s, but it has taken time for the technology to catch up with the idea. Today, however, both Caterpillar and Komatsu manufacture autonomous mining trucks that are used at sites around the globe.The driverless trucks offer mining companies some clear advantages. They need fewer people at the site, plus when theyre operating 24/7 theres never a case of human error because of fatigue, says Michael Murphy, chief engineer of mining and technology solutions for Caterpillar. Whats more, Murphy adds, Human drivers can veer slightly off course from time to time. The autonomous vehicles just do the job, over and over.The use of autonomous trucks improves productivity, lowers operating costs, and increases safety on mine sites. Image CaterpillarThe new equipment relies on advances in computing power and memory, two- way radio communication and research from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency on autonomous vehicles.To navigate around the site, each autonomous mining truck employs both radargert and lidar (light detection and ranging devices) to sense objects around the vehicle. These, combined with high-precision GPS, create an overall picture of location, speed, and possible obstacles.That information feeds into a centralized computer at the sites control center. The computer replaces the drivers job. It reads t he trucks navigation system and selects the best route from A to B. It also directs the truck to a particular shovel. After the truck is loaded, it proceeds to a particular dumping point. Each dump location is recorded so that two loads arent dropped into the same pile.The computer is programmed with scheduling and assignment algorithms designed to maximize productivity and meet each days loading goals. Because of this, the routes from shovels to dumping points are extremely precise, with the trucks running the same paths over and over again. An onboard inertial navigation system acts as a backup, sending an alert if theres a discrepancy between the guidance technologies.The computer functions as a kind of mine air-traffic control, keeping track of everything going on within the mines perimeters. If a light vehicle is moving near an autonomous truck, the system calculates if it will get in the trucks path and when, slowing it down to avoid a collision, Murphy says.The system is sens itive enough to detect a human in a trucks pathor even a kangaroo, which happens frequently at mining sites in cowboyfilm Australia.Automobile engineers have visited with the Caterpillar team to pick their brains on autonomous vehicles, Murphy says. But the trucks have a different mission than an autonomous car. Our trucks are designed to move 100 million tons of material a year safely and efficiently, but getting people around securely is more important, he says.Read the latest issue of the Mechanical Engineering Magazine.If a light vehicle is moving near an autonomous truck, the system calculates if it will get in the trucks path and when, slowing it down to avoid a collision.Michael Murphy, Caterpillar

Big Data and the Business Analyst Job Description Management Resources

Big Data and the Business Analyst Job Description Management ResurcesBig Data and the Business Analyst Job Description Management ResourcesToo Big to Ignore The Business Case for Big Data, a current geschftsleben title, seems to sum up the current thinking Big data will change everything about the way geschftsleben is done. The advent of big data promises to breathe new life into the business analyst job description, opening new avenues of responsibilities and corresponding increases in salaries.To become a senior business analyst, you need three to five years of experience in the role, along with strong technology and analytical and skills.A senior business analyst is expected to perform tasks such as assisting with the implementation and support of business information systems across multiple departments. In addition, a senior business analyst is often required toconduct market analysis, and to analyze both product lines and the overall profitability of the business. Other responsi bilities of a senior business analyst may includeDeveloping and sharing reports that enable advertising, customer service, finance, sales and marketing managers to make better business decisions by understanding geography, supply chain and price.Ensuring that business data and reporting needs are met.Developing and monitoring data quality metrics.Clearly, these responsibilities mesh well with a big data future. TechRepublics Mary Schacklett would agree A big data gruppe in most cases minimally requires an astute business analyst who can work with the end business so the right analytics queries are formed. Kupe Kupersmith heralds the major transformation that big data will bring to the business analyst job description. He writes that the business analyst job of the future will see the business analyst working less in project teams and more in strategy roles like enterprise or strategic BAs, business architecture, management consulting, and managing lines of business.Encouraging num bersConsider this encouraging metric for the business analyst role According to the 2014 Salary Guide from Robert Half, salaries for business analyst managers in finance and accounting at large companies are expected to range from $83,500 to $119,000, an increase of 4.3 percent over 2013. A recent article from Robert Half Technology notes that business intelligence analysts are seeing a average starting salary increase of 7.4 percent.One of the most exciting aspects of big datas impact on the business analyst job description is that these professionals now inform key decisions and serve as business partners across multiple departments to provide the story behind the numbers.High-paying big data jobs await analysts with the right blend of knowledge and skills.Asking the right questionsNew York Times reporter Steve Lohr, based on research from Tom Davenport, sums up the value the business analyst will play in big datas future. Taking advantage of big data will include the ability to ask the right questions, such asHow do you define the problem? What data do you need? Where does it come from? What are the assumptions behind the model that the data is fed into? How is the model different from reality?behauptung skills have always been part of the business analysts toolbox, but the vastness of big data requires an exponential increase in the business analysts ability to tell a compelling story based on the right data.The business analyst of the future will use the analytical skills of today to skillfully - and lucratively - navigate the intricacies of a big data world. The knowledge they bring will, in fact, help narrow the margin of error for businesses by capturing key analytics and enabling sound business decisions.More resourcesIf youre a business analyst who is interested in finding new project and interim work opportunities, Robert Half Management Resources can be a valuable resource in your search. Explore our site to find assignments in your local area.S earch Jobs8 Common Business Analyst Interview QuestionsWhether youre just embarking on thebusiness analyst career pathor youre a longtime professional in the field, preparing to address common types of business analyst interview questionscan help ensure youre ready to impress a potential employer when youre looking for projects. See this post for tips.

How to Gain Executive Support for your Compensation Plan

How to Gain Executive Support for your Compensation PlanHow to Gain Executive Support for your Compensation PlanHow to Gain Executive Support for your Compensation Plan Hassibi, PayScale.comOne of the most daunting challenges faced by HR professionals is getting executives on board with your proposed compensation plan.As HR professionals know, compensation is an area of HR responsibility that can have a dramatic impact on strategic business outcomes.Your job is to get executives to engage early on in the process by asking them for permission to align compensation strategies with business goals. Once you have their buy-in, take some time to understand these two important aspects of your compensation planningWho is your competition for talent?Before you can ask yourself How do I design a compensation plan? you will need to work with your executive team to better understand the market you are recruiting within. You may in fact compete for talent from organizations that are quite differe nt from yours.Here are some common competitive talent scenarios that could apply to your companyYou compete for talent with a different organization type than your own.An example of this is a non-profit company hiring for an accountant job description.Many people understand and argue that salaries will be lower if you work for a non-profit organization as opposed to a for-profit company. But what about a position that is in high demand in any type of organization?Having someone with good accounting knowledge is just as critical in a in a non-profit organization as it is in a for-profit company. Therefore, the challenge may be to benchmark this against a different competitive set.You compete for talent with a different sized company.In most cases (although not all), the size of the organization has a correlation with pay.Generally speaking, the larger the organization, the higher the pay, as the organization has more capital to invest in wages. Even though small company wages are gro wing faster those of medium or large businesses, average salaries often still lag.Be mindful of how your wages stack up when you are benchmarking, since you may be competing in the same talent pool as larger businesses.You compete for talent nationally rather than locally.Most organizations have a subset of their job postings that they recruit nationally. This is often the case with executive positions, but it may also be the case for highly-specialized positions that are specific to your industry.If your target job seeker is geographically mobile, the geographic influence of pay may be less pronounced.In such cases, you may want to consider pricing these jobs nationally. Additionally, you may need to price these jobs nationally to attract a sufficient candidate pool.How competitive do you want to be relative to the market?In plus-rechnen to defining your competitive set, consider how competitive you want to be relative to the market overall.Here are some competitive variables to mu llYour companys expected rate of growth over the next year and beyondYour companys ability to attract and retain talentPredicted changes in your industryRating your companys finances against the competitionAs an example, a very common approach for a high-growth tech company would be to target the 60th-90th percentile, depending on the position. The company may target the 40th percentile for support and administrative positions, the 60th percentile for developers and marketing professionals and the 90th percentile for sales positions.Understanding the importance of different roles in the organization as they align with business goals is key to making good targeting decisions.Employee compensation plan design is a blend of science and art. The artful parte comes with understanding your organization and creating a perfect marriage between business goals and compensation strategy.As your executives see you working towards these company objectives, you will establish human resources as a n integral part of the business, allowing you to create a compensation plan that results in success.