Using Caterpillars Fleet Production Cost Program - FPCMar. 2008 Dr. B. C. PaulNote This presentation covers the use of software proprietary to Caterpillar Equipment Company and includes screen shots from the program FPC by Caterpillar Equipment Company.

What is FPCFPC is a program by Caterpillar used to calculate earth moving cycle times, fleet sizes and costs.In this case Trucks and Loaders are of InterestWe will select a fleet of trucks and loaders to checkA Haul Road ProfileIt will tell us the amount of time needed to move a tonnage and the cost we will incur.

What Do We Want From ThisFor Our Fleet we want to knowWhat is the cycle time for our truck trips toThe MillThe DumpThe Pad Leach AreaHow Well Balanced is Our Number of Trucks and LoadersDo we have enough trucks and loaders to move our quota of overburden, ore, and leach material.When we get this information we will use it for capacity limits in programs like MSVALP and Strategic Planner(Interesting note MineSight is adding a Haulage Program inside MineSight)

FPC Can Be Started From A Desk Top Icon or From Selecting All Programs

The Availability of HelpAfter an inspiringPicture of trucksThis starting screenComes up.

You can click on help

And pick help topicsFrom the pop downMenu.

The Help Topics Screen Contents Tab Gives You a Whole Users ManualOf course other tabsGive you other topicLook up options.

Lets BeginTo Start a project clickOn File and pull downThe menu

Pick New off the Menu

The Project Screen AppearsI put in a project titleAnd explanation(this is for myReference andOrganization)

I identify what it wasPrepared for, byWhom, and when

I select my basicUnits of measurement

I Input Project Specific PlansI input my cost ofDiesel fuel(yours may vary)

I also put what percentOf the scheduledTime the trucks andLoaders actually work(operators getBreaks or may takeTime to get to theirEquipment)On 50 minutes perHour is a broadIndustrial averageAnd corresponds toAbout 87%

More ParametersI need to specify the timePeriod I will work with(the year is most common)

I need to estimate theNumber of hours I willSchedule. This willDepend on how manyDays per week you willWork and how manyShifts.(In this case I assumed5 days per week withTen holidays 250 daysAnd then 24 hours a day)

Bunching is the tendencyOf trucks to not spaceThemselves out evenlyCausing multiple trucksTo arrive to be loaded atThe same time (Cat hasDone extensive work onThis)Operator efficiency measures how much of the machines theoreticalAcceleration and performance the operator will actually achieve. (theDefault is that drivers do better on longer hauls and more poorly onShorter hauls)

Next We Input Our Equipment FleetsPut in a name andExplanation for yourFleet

You may have multipleFleets for exampleYou can have separateFleets for ore andWaste

If you need to doSeveral fleets you canAdd the additionalFleets by pushing theAdd New Fleet buttonTo start entering theNext fleet.

Start By Identifying the Trucks in This FleetClick Add Hauler

The Select HaulerScreen comes up.

Cat Equipment Is Preprogrammed in (Obviously)You can program inOther equipment but toUse the Cat equipment

Click the Cat StandardMachines Radio Button

And Identify that we areWorking on Trucks

A list of Cat trucksAppears scroll toWhat you want to workWith.When you find theOne you are usingClick on it

Your selection turns red

Then click Ok

The Basic Info for Your Truck Comes UpEnter the number ofThese trucks youHave.For some inputs youHave a menu orSub-Screen of choices

Clicking on the littleDoted boxes willActivate those options(for example TonMile Per HourLimits

Or ownership andOperating costs)

The Cat Handbook is a Useful SupplementI clicked on the dotBox by Ton MilesPer Hour

The box came upShowing me theTypical weightDistribution for myTruck.

I still need to knowWhat limits toImpose

This is where the CatHandbook comes inHandy because it hasTypical Ton MilePer hour ratings forTires you may alsoGet such info fromTire manufacturesTon miles per hour are a measure of conditions where tire heating could cause tread separation.

I Can Also Bring Up Costs(In fact I better if I want a cost estimate)It starts with ownershipCosts

I start out working withVehicle hours and life

I enter my scheduledVehicle hours per year

And what I expect forThe vehicles availabilityNow I get operatingHours per year

Given I know typicalEngine hours in aVehicle life I can nowEstimate the years IWill have the truck.

I Enter the Truck CostEnter the completeCost for the truckDelivered erected andReady to work.(Your values may differ)Because tires areAn operating cost andWe dont want to doubleAccount we subtractOut the tire price

We also identify anySalvage value the truckMay have.

The program will thenGet the hourly CapitalCost of the truck.

I Also Enter the Interest, Insurance, and Property Tax CostOne of the problemsWith interest is thatThe amount variesBy year as the loanIs paid off (assumingThere ever was aLoan in the firstPlace).

The Cat ProgramRequires a constantamount

Ideas on InterestOption #1 The money is all investor equityYou can put in a 0 but now you will have to deal with investor return in a separate cash flow spreadsheetOption #2 The loan is simple interest.Simple interest charges a constant amount each year so the number is easy to get (but simple interest loans are rare)Option #3 Go to the Next Slide This is going to take a while.

Interest From a Compound Interest LoanUse A/P at your compound interest rate to get your payment amount (probably annually)Calculate out the principle and interest amount each year and make a cash flow showing only the interestYour Payment Life and Truck Life May be DifferentGet the NPV of your interest payment cash flow at your investor required rate of returnThis interest rate is probably different than the interest rate you are paying the bankNow Get the Total Life Cycle Cost of That Interest NPV over the total service life of the truckEnter this number as the amount of interest(If you are confused see you instructor for a review of Engineering Economics principles)

Input Your Annual Truck Costs for Insurance and Property TaxAs a rule of thumbEach number is about4 to 5% of the averageAnnual investment forA truck.

Wait A Minute What is Average Annual Investment?Trucks loose value as they age and you are usually taxed or insure only the value of the truck (not its new value)The average value of a truck at the start of the year is(N+1)/(2*N)*New Value of TruckWhere N is the years life of the truckWhen you get this number multiply by around 4 or 5% to get average insurance or tax costsIf you know actual tax or insurance costs these numbers are obviously better than rule of thumb estimatesNote also this average annual investment rule does not incorporate the time value of money into the average tax and insurance cost so it is a little off that way also.

Next We Go For the Operating CostsEnter the Cost of yourOperator per hour withThe cost of benefits.(You may be able toGet wage rates fromWestern Mine CostService or contracts orLabor unions in yourArea)Remember to add theCost of vacation,Social Security, Medicare,Unemployment,Workmans Comp,Vacations, and healthOr other benefits youPay these things Called burden typicallyAdd 40 to 65% more toThe wage.

You Need Fuel, Lube, Tires, and Repair Reserve Costs Per HourNote with lubricants youCan either enter anOver-all cost

Or you can break it downBy component.

Where Do I Get Stuff Like Fuel or Repair or Lubricant CostThe Cat Handbook has a table of truck fuel consumption per hourIf you know how many gallons per hour of fuel is burned and the price of your diesel you know the cost per hour for fuelThe Cat Handbook has a table of lubricant costs(Terex has a rule of thumb that lubrication expenses including labor are about 1/4th to 1/3rd of fuel cost)The Cat Handbook has a bar chart showing approximate hourly maintenance and repair costs for their trucksKamatsu has similar tables for their trucks.

We Check Our Truck Cost Fields and Prepare to Do Our LoadersNote I have set 85% availability (your numbers may differ)To load the trucks I clickOn the Select LoaderButton.

It is Similar to What We Had for TrucksI get a separate window

I pick standard machines

I pick power shovel(Interesting Cat doesNot make powerShovels but it hasSome of the big P+HModels)

I click on my shovelAnd it turns red

Next I will click OK

I Set My Loader Info and Cost as Before

The Rimpull Graph Tab Shows a Pre-Entered Rimpull Curve for Cat TrucksThe is where I could enter another trucks rimpull curve if I needed to.I bet you can guessWhat is under theRetarder graph tab.

I Next Prepare to Enter My Haul Road ProfileI enter the nameOf the haul route

An explanation ofThe route

And whether aTruck can passA slower truck(the Cat programUses a bunchingProbability)

One may haveMore than oneCourse such asA course to the mill,A course to theLeach pads, or aCourse to the dumps.After entering aCourse you canAdd another.

I Need Loose and Bank Densities of MaterialsI can click theSelect materialsTab and a list popsUp for me to pickFrom

I can pick as before Click it turns redAnd then Ok(The list in FPC isMuch less extensiveThan in the CatHandbook so youMay want to justManually enter theProperties)

You also need toEnter the tonnage ofMaterial to move perTime period(my example is wastePer year)

If I Have Trouble With a Field I Can Get HelpClick on theQuestion icon

Then drag aQuestion down toThe field orButton in questionAnd click

A help field comesUp.

Enter Your Haul Road Segment By SegmentYou need length(of the segment)

Rolling Resistance

% Grade

And you have aChance to enterAn explanationOf that segment

The default buttonTells me this isThe loaded haulSegment.

Your Return Trip May Or May Not be a Reverse of the Forward HaulIf the return trip isJust a reverse of theHaul you canClick the mirrorHaul road button

It automaticallySets the return haul

If not you click theReturn haul buttonAnd then enterThe return haulOne segment atA time.

Now It Is Time to Select Which Truck Fleet Will Haul Over Which RouteChoose the selectTab

All possibleCombinations comeUp and you checkOff what you wantTo run this time(in this exampleCase with just oneSet the choice is notMuch of a challenge)

Next Go To the Production Cost TabThe select subtabIs up first andShows in red theSelection you areRunning.

Go to The Cycle Times Sub-TabIt has alreadyEstimated a bunchOf cycle timeElements(you cant changeBrown fields)

It does not knowExactly how yourDump point isSet up so you mustEnter the dump time(Note that until youDo this the programWill claim 0Production all overThe place)

You Need to Do Some Loader BalancingIt Starts out telling youSome fractionalNumber of passesTo perfectly fill theTruck. Most loaderOperators will useA fractional pass toComplete the fill.You need to manuallyAdjust to anInteger number ofPasses.

If You Increase the Number of Passes to Get an Integer Your Truck will be OverloadedThe program assumesWhat ever fill factorYou selectedEarlier.

Since you dont wantTo overload a truckMore than 5% youWill want to adjustDown to a lower fillFactor for the averageFill so as not toOverload the truck.

Eventually You Will Balance Your Loader FillCheck the times forYour truck and loaderConfiguration.

The program assumesSingle truck loadingSo there is a truckChange out time(a very impressiveSpeed for one at that)

If you are using aLoading truckConfiguration thatSpots a truck whileAnother is loaded theLoader may not haveThe idol change outTime.

The loader may alsoBe filling the dipperWhile a truck changesYou get your first glimpse of yourCycle time.

Now We Get Some ResultsLook Under theFleet ProductionSub-TabIt give average truck speed.It tells how manyFleet hours orPart of a year thatWill be required toMove the targetAmount of material

It also says howMuch material couldBe moved if the wholeFleet where used forThe scheduled timeIn a year

(This will give you aGood idea of whetherYour fleet is sized toThe task)

You Can Check Your Haul and Return Times by Road Segment

Even Though I Did Not Enter a Ton Mile Per Hour Limit I Check My TMPH demand on the tires to see if I might have trouble

I Can Get My Cost Per Ton for Moving My Material

It Shows You The Impact of Changing the Number of Trucks forOne LoaderThis will help meDecide whetherI want to try aDifferent fleet sizeFor this job.

It Gives Me Results in Terms of Fuel Consumption