Rio Tinto Aluminium is determined to keep Australian operations going during the coronavirus pandemic.
The company partnered with Motorola Solutions to develop a back-up communications solution for its integrated operations centre in Brisbane, Queensland.
The centre provides 24/7 monitoring of all safety, production and quality aspects at the Weipa and Gove bauxite mine sites in Queensland and Northern Territory respectively.
It is essential to coordinating Rio Tinto’s bauxite supply to Australian alumina plants and export markets.
If the centre becomes inaccessible, the system from Motorola can continue tracking mine production movements and critical communications between mines during an emergency.
This was developed and deployed in just five days, with terrestrial trunked radio (TETRA) digital two-way radio communications system that feeds directly into Rio Tinto’s disaster recovery centre.
Martin Chappell, general manager of energy and natural resources for Motorola Solutions Australia & New Zealand said: “Any communications equipment used in mining must adhere to the highest standards to keep workers safe and maintain security and reliability across the entire operation.
“Through a combination of rugged radios, purpose-built dispatch consoles and essential back-up links, we are providing Rio Tinto Aluminium with effective protection for its people and assets to ensure business continuity throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Rio Tinto uses Motorola radio handsets and dispatch consoles across the mine sites to monitor and manage field operations safely and efficiently.