• Innovative service portfolio integrates ABB’s core digital grinding technologies into a unified interface, boosting operational transparency for essential mining processes
• Grinding Connect utilizes ABB’s experience from over 160 global gearless mill drive installations
• This comprehensive solution aims to enhance performance, prolong equipment longevity, ensure consistent operation, and facilitate data-informed decision-making

ABB has introduced Grinding Connect, a cutting-edge digital service portfolio tailored for mining enterprises utilizing gearless mill drive (GMD) systems. This global offering is engineered to enhance monitoring of critical grinding equipment, minimizing unexpected equipment failures and streamlining maintenance planning during periods of heightened demand for sustained productivity and reliability.

Developed to meet increasing demands for remote expert assistance, maintenance optimization, and sustained operational efficiency, Grinding Connect operates as a centralized cloud-based platform specifically designed for ABB GMD systems. The solution integrates ABB’s expertise from more than 160 GMD deployments worldwide, combining secure cloud analytics with service workflows to enable users to monitor system status, access service documentation, submit service inquiries, and engage with ABB specialists through a single interface.

With projections indicating a threefold increase in demand for critical minerals by 2030 according to the International Energy Agency, mining operations face intensified pressure to scale production of essential materials. Maintaining continuous performance and reliability in large grinding circuits is vital for plant output, where unplanned downtime reportedly costs up to $500,000 hourly based on ABB studies.

The service portfolio consolidates digital solutions ABB has developed in recent years, including Asset Health and Condition Monitoring analytics, Trendex diagnostics and troubleshooting capabilities, and GMD Copilot – ABB’s AI-driven virtual support assistant. Within the Grinding Connect ecosystem, mining operators gain access to prescriptive maintenance insights supported by over 180 trend indicators, along with alarm systems, event tracking, transient recording integration, and signal correlation analysis.

Designed to deliver anomaly detection, frozen-signal identification, and intelligent alerts, the platform also provides recommended actions from ABB specialists to maintain operational continuity. By enabling remote diagnostics and expert collaboration, the suite minimizes requirements for reactive on-site interventions, allowing service teams to prioritize tasks more efficiently.

“Operators in the mining sector seek actionable solutions to enhance equipment availability, accelerate response times, and make more informed maintenance decisions for production-critical assets,” stated Mikel Torre, Global Business Unit Manager Grinding within ABB’s Process Industries division. “Grinding Connect consolidates ABB’s service expertise and GMD system knowledge into a single digital environment, providing users with comprehensive visibility into asset condition, service history, and expert support. Achieving this level of operational transparency is essential for advancing the industry’s shift toward increasingly autonomous and efficient mining operations.”

Grinding Connect has been developed in accordance with ABB’s cybersecurity protocols and IEC 62443-related product development standards, including penetration testing during verification phases. The solution is available globally for mining clients operating ABB gearless mill drive systems.

ABB’s Automation business automates, electrifies and digitalizes industrial operations that address a wide range of essential needs – from supplying energy, water and materials, to producing goods and transporting them to market. With its ~26,000 employees, leading technology and service expertise, Automation helps process, hybrid and maritime industries outrun – leaner and cleaner. go.abb/automation

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