MiningHow Mineral Resources Streamlined Equipment Tracking During Mine Shutdowns
Mineral Resources deployed MapTrack to assign, track and verify hundreds of tools and equipment items during planned mine shutdowns in Western Australia. The result: faster turnarounds, fewer misplaced assets and simplified compliance across every shutdown event.
Key results
Faster
Shutdown turnaround times
Fewer
Misplaced assets per shutdown
Simplified
Compliance and servicing records
The challenge
Mine shutdowns are among the most equipment-intensive operations in the resources sector. When Mineral Resources schedules a planned shutdown at one of their Western Australian mine sites, hundreds of specialised tools, lifting equipment, torque wrenches, measuring instruments, safety harnesses and power tools are issued to contractor crews over a compressed timeframe. The maintenance stores team, including Gordon Stennings, Maintenance Storeman - is responsible for issuing, tracking and recovering every single item. Before MapTrack, the stores team managed shutdown equipment using a combination of paper sign-out sheets, spreadsheets and physical bin checks. During a typical shutdown, multiple contractor crews from different companies would be on site simultaneously, each requiring different tools and equipment. The volume of transactions - check-outs, returns, transfers between crews - overwhelmed the paper-based system. Items would be issued to one crew, passed to another on site, and returned by a third with no reliable record of the chain of custody. The consequences were predictable. At the end of a shutdown, the stores team would spend days reconciling what had been issued against what had been returned. Tools would be found left in work areas, inside scaffolding, or on contractor vehicles about to leave site. Some items were never recovered. The cost was not just the replacement value. It was the time spent searching, the delays when a critical tool could not be found during the shutdown, and the compliance risk when safety-critical equipment could not be accounted for. Mining regulations in Western Australia require that safety-critical equipment is serviced, tested and within calibration dates. During a shutdown, when equipment is being used intensively, maintaining these compliance records manually was extremely difficult. The stores team needed to verify that every issued item was compliant before it went out, and the paper system made this verification slow and unreliable.
- Hundreds of tools and equipment items issued to multiple contractor crews during each shutdown
- Paper sign-out sheets overwhelmed by the volume and speed of shutdown operations
- Chain of custody lost when tools passed between crews on site without records
- Days spent reconciling issued versus returned equipment after each shutdown
- Compliance verification for safety-critical equipment slow and unreliable with manual records
The solution
Mineral Resources deployed MapTrack in their maintenance stores operation, starting with a comprehensive inventory of all shutdown equipment. Every item was entered into MapTrack with its full details - serial number, condition, calibration date, service history and compliance status. QR code labels were applied to each piece of equipment, creating a scannable link to the asset's complete digital record. The shutdown workflow was redesigned around MapTrack's mobile check-in/out system. When a contractor crew requested equipment, the stores team scanned each item's QR code with the MapTrack app, assigning it to the specific worker or crew. The scan took seconds and automatically recorded the item, the person, the timestamp and the compliance status of the asset at the time of issue. If an item was overdue for servicing or out of calibration, MapTrack flagged it immediately - preventing non-compliant equipment from being issued. During the shutdown, the stores team could monitor in real time which items were issued, which were overdue for return, and which had been transferred between crews. When a piece of equipment was returned, the worker scanned it back in. The system maintained a complete chain of custody for every item throughout the shutdown. Gordon Stennings and the stores team also used MapTrack's maintenance scheduling features to manage servicing requirements. Equipment approaching service dates during a shutdown was flagged in advance so servicing could be arranged before or after the shutdown window, keeping everything compliant. Service records, test certificates and inspection documentation were stored directly against each asset in MapTrack, creating an auditable trail accessible from any device. At the end of each shutdown, the reconciliation process that previously took days was reduced to a bulk scan of returned equipment. MapTrack compared the scan against issued items and immediately highlighted anything still outstanding, giving the team a precise list to follow up rather than a manual spreadsheet comparison.
- Complete shutdown equipment inventory registered in MapTrack with QR code labels
- Mobile check-in/out for every tool issued, with automatic compliance verification at scan time
- Real-time dashboard showing what is issued, to whom, and what is overdue for return
- Maintenance scheduling and compliance alerts preventing non-compliant equipment from being issued
- End-of-shutdown reconciliation via bulk scan - highlighting outstanding items instantly
- Service records, test certificates and inspection docs stored against each asset
Results and outcomes
Mine shutdowns at Mineral Resources now run with a level of equipment control that was not achievable with the previous paper and spreadsheet system. The stores team issues equipment confidently, knowing that every transaction is recorded and every item's compliance status has been verified at the point of issue. The end-of-shutdown reconciliation - previously a multi-day exercise - is now completed in hours. The bulk scan identifies outstanding items immediately, giving the stores team a targeted list to chase. Recovery rates have improved because the team knows exactly what is missing and who had it last, rather than working from an approximate spreadsheet. Compliance has been simplified significantly. When a mine safety inspector requests documentation for a specific piece of equipment, Gordon and the team can pull up its complete history - service records, calibration certificates, inspection dates, assignment history - directly from MapTrack. This documentation is timestamped and tamper-proof, which inspectors and auditors appreciate. The broader impact has been on shutdown efficiency. When crews are not waiting for tools that cannot be located, and the stores team is not spending time on manual tracking, the shutdown stays on schedule. In an industry where every day of downtime has a significant cost, even modest improvements in turnaround time deliver substantial value. Gordon Stennings notes that the system's simplicity was key to adoption across the stores team and contractor crews. The QR code scan takes seconds, the mobile app works reliably in the mine site environment, and the dashboard gives the stores team the visibility they need without requiring technical expertise.
- End-of-shutdown reconciliation reduced from days to hours
- Improved equipment recovery rates through precise tracking of who had what
- Compliance documentation available instantly for mine safety inspectors and auditors
- Shutdown turnaround time improved by reducing tool-search delays
- Strong adoption by stores team and contractor crews due to simple QR scanning workflow
“MapTrack streamlines tracking and asset servicing across mine shutdowns - simple, reliable, and effective.”
About the author
Commercial Director
Jarrod co-founded MapTrack in 2012 and has spent over a decade helping field teams track assets, reduce loss and simplify compliance. He has conducted 300+ user research sessions to shape the platform.
View LinkedIn profile →FAQ
- What is a mine shutdown and why is equipment tracking critical?
- A mine shutdown is a planned period where mining operations are paused for major maintenance, equipment overhaul, infrastructure upgrades or regulatory inspections. During shutdowns, hundreds of specialised tools, lifting equipment, measuring instruments and safety gear are deployed across the site by multiple contractor crews simultaneously. Without tracking, items go missing, crews wait for tools that cannot be located, and the shutdown takes longer than planned. Every extra day costing the operation significant revenue.
- How does MapTrack help speed up mine shutdown turnarounds?
- MapTrack lets the maintenance stores team issue and track every tool and piece of equipment used during the shutdown. Workers scan QR codes to check items out and return them. The stores team can see in real time what is issued, to whom, and what is overdue for return. This eliminates the time wasted searching for misplaced tools and ensures every item is accounted for when the shutdown wraps up.
- Can MapTrack track equipment servicing and calibration for mining?
- Yes. MapTrack tracks service intervals, calibration due dates and inspection records for every asset. This is especially important in mining where safety-critical equipment must be within calibration and serviced on schedule to comply with mining regulations. Alerts notify the team before deadlines, and all records are stored against the asset for audit purposes.
- Does MapTrack work in remote mine site environments?
- MapTrack's mobile app works offline and syncs when connectivity is restored. This is essential for remote mine sites in Western Australia where mobile coverage can be intermittent. Workers can scan QR codes, check equipment in and out, and complete inspections while offline, all data uploads automatically when the device reconnects.
- How does MapTrack support compliance in the mining industry?
- MapTrack stores compliance documentation - inspection certificates, calibration records, safety checks and maintenance logs - directly against each asset. When a mine safety inspector or auditor requests proof that equipment was compliant at a specific date, the records are retrievable in seconds. Automated alerts ensure servicing and inspections are not missed, reducing the risk of non-compliance shutdowns.
Streamline your mine shutdowns like Mineral Resources
QR code tracking · Maintenance management · Compliance tracking · Mining industry · Shutdown management · Hacer Group case study