Case Study: Saskatchewan improves drum hoist bearing monitoring with SymphonyAI

Low speed drum hoist bearing monitoring system Online monitoring with short operating cycle

At a large potash mine in Esterhazy, Saskatchewan, SymphonyAI needed to help protect the site’s only drum hoist, a critical asset used to raise and lower loaded sleds. Because the hoist operates on a 90-second cycle with only a 40-second window of steady full-speed conditions, the customer faced a challenge in capturing repeatable vibration data for reliable bearing monitoring.

SymphonyAI implemented its SpriteMAX online condition monitoring platform to continuously collect vibration data, verify steady speed and rotation direction with a tachometer, and analyze spectra and demodulated signals for early bearing faults. The system alerts the hoist control room and engineers as soon as bearing health changes are detected, enabling planned maintenance, lubrication, or repairs; this reduced reliance on monthly handheld inspections and improved early warning of degradation.

Saskatchewan