Industry 4.0: AGTECH's innovative software improves mining safety in Kazakhstan

AG TECH is engaged in the production of software and hardware solutions for all sectors of the mining and oil and gas industries of Kazakhstan. The company creates scalable and flexible systems that can significantly increase the level of exports and the local economy. Thus, their Digital Monitoring and Management System (DMS), implemented at mining facilities in Kazakhstan, allows enterprises to reduce fuel costs, as well as production downtime, thereby increasing labor productivity.  

QazMonitor had a conversation with AG TECH CEO Alexander Podvalov about the advantages of advanced domestic software for industrial industries, as well as what makes their ready-made solutions so attractive to foreign investors.

What exactly is DMMS?

Digital Monitoring & Management System is one of the leading AG TECH products. It is a set of tools for monitoring, analyzing and managing all production cycles of industrial enterprises. Our system complies with all industrial safety standards for hazardous production facilities engaged in mining and exploration of minerals.
We automate industrial enterprises to ensure the safety of production and increase the efficiency of business processes.
 

Who are your customers?

The first experience of WMS implementation took place as part of a pilot project at Kazakhmys Corporation at the 67th mine in Zhezkazgan. Then we implemented our system at the Valley mine "Kazzinc".

Kazakhmys liked our product and purchased a system with enhanced functionality.  Now we are actively expanding the functionality of the system at the 67th mine, and we are also working on scaling our solution at 11 other Kazakhmys mines. We have also successfully implemented a project at the ground level, within the framework of which we automated the sampling processes at the Balkhash processing plant.

As for the automation of processes in the oil and gas industry, it is possible to note the implemented project – an interactive information system of the Dispatch and Analytical Center "KazMunayGas".

Negotiations are also underway to digitize 6 ArcelorMittal coal mines and a large project with ERG is on the way.
 

Why do mining companies choose your solutions?

The main reasons are the increase in production efficiency and the improvement of industrial safety indicators.
When it comes to our customers in the mining industry, safety control is crucial, and our products completely solve this problem. Any industrial enterprise knows that in the event of an emergency, financial losses are inevitable. Especially after downtime. Until all the circumstances are clarified and an investigation is conducted, it is difficult to restart the enterprise. The modules of our system allow you to prevent incidents by tracking the location of people in the mine in real time, monitoring equipment, emergency notification and communication inside the mine.

How flexible is your system?

It is fully customizable and scalable. Our key solutions allow us to meet the needs of the industry. For example, interactive mapping, transport infrastructure management, positioning of personnel and mobile equipment, or our equipment operator fatigue monitoring system. DMS also allows for aerogas control and temperature and vibration control of stationary equipment. The customer can choose exactly the modules he needs, and we can provide all these functions in a single package with continuous technical support.

What does it look like in action?

A good example is our integration with Kazzinc and Kazakhmys companies as part of the implementation of a positioning system in mines. We have installed personal tags on miners' lanterns - sensors that help the dispatcher to track the movements of miners in real time and know what they are doing at any given moment. If there is a collapse in the mine, the system draws the fastest escape route and shows the location of the nearest oxygen chamber. The system also prevents mobile equipment from hitting workers inside the mine. The paths are very narrow, and the warning lights turn on a few meters before the car approaches the person. It's all about real-time security.

How do foreign markets react to your product?

During the pandemic, when sales around the world fell, there were difficulties with movement, and now, against the background of the geopolitical situation, many international companies are shutting down business, but we, on the contrary, found a competitive advantage, as we oriented ourselves in time and found our niche.
 
This year we took part in the international forum Digital Almaty 2023, where we presented our product not only to commercial enterprises, but also attracted the attention of the heads of government of the EAEU member states.

We have already received requests from Russia, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, the USA and Canada. And we continue to work on such opportunities. One of our next steps will be to demonstrate our solutions at MINExpo 2024 in Las Vegas, organized by the National Mining Association (NMA). MINExpo 2024 will be the largest and most comprehensive global event in the mining industry. As far as we know, we are the only company from Kazakhstan presenting its solutions at this event.

I think we have every chance to enter a large international market, show what we are capable of, and prove that Kazakhstani companies deserve high world ratings. There are some companies that have already expressed interest in buying our business, but we are carefully studying the proposals, taking into account the potential of the product and the competence of our team.

How has the success of DMMS affected your company?

Over the past two years, the staff of our developers has more than doubled. Accordingly, the capitalization of our business has grown significantly over this period.

I would like to tell you a little about our team. They are very professional, creative and reliable people. Initially, four people were the bearers of our idea: Askhat Musanov (Deputy General Director), Dmitry Martynenko (analyst - art director), Akim Mezhansky (programmer - architect) and me as moderator, co-founder. With the growth of the project, there was a need for additional employees: developers, analysts, designers, etc. New people with high qualifications and a desire for the development of the company joined our team. Today, DMMS projects are supervised by an experienced manager Madina Aitieva. Now we have a fairly large team, very cohesive and effective.

We have representatives in all industrial regions of the country. We can provide technical support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, while foreign companies require a lot of time and cost much more. Therefore, it is much more profitable for local mining companies to work and solve existing problems with us.
 

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