Transforming Safety and Security at Drummond Colombia

Drummond Company Inc. is a privately held coal mining and processing company originally from Birmingham, Alabama, United States.

The company was founded in Jasper, Alabama, in 1935 by H. E. Drummond, and continues to be managed by his sons.

Drummond operates a mine in northwest Alabama as well as other mines in northern Colombia; it controls over 2 billion tons of reserves and sells approximately 29 million tons of coal annually.

In 2021, Drummond exported 31.5 million tons of coal to customers in more than 30 countries worldwide. It is recognized as a leading producer and exporter of coal that meets the low-sulfur requirements established in Phase II of the Clean Air Act of 1990.

Mining Challenges and Safety Requirements

Different challenges in the Drummond mining required innovative solutions to provide protection and safety beyond traditional video surveillance.

The first challenge was to preserve safety for operators of big backhoes and bulldozers, which have many blind spots, resulting in fatalities among the operators.

Additionally, mining trains overpass different regions transporting coal from the extraction mines to the port located in Santa Marta, a city by the Caribbean Sea. The company needs to track the trains’ routes to guarantee the safety of the minerals.

Finally, as the four mines extend to close to 60,000 hectares, perimeter safety is challenging and demands cutting-edge technology, not only to guarantee security but also to prevent incidents that could affect the operation.

Moving Beyond Surveillance to Operational Intelligence

The mobile video technology of the X series, designed by Hanwha Vision, is the most suitable solution for Drummond Colombia’s needs. The XNV-6013M works in extreme environmental conditions where coal dust, high temperatures, and constant vibrations or shocks can damage any traditional camera.

The Hanwha Vision team proposed edge-computing technology to overcome the long distances from the mining control center. The Solid-Edge camera was the perfect fit for an installation in the Dragalina, a large machine far away from the control room and without the proper connectivity infrastructure. The PNV-A6081R-E2T manages four other cameras that supplement the total solution.

“My experience with Hanwha Vision is 12 years old. We have covered most of the mines, shovels, trains, and even equipment with operational failures to rescue it. We have been go beyond video surveillance to improve our operations with technology such as the Solid-Edge and Wisenet Wave,” said Alexander Castro, Electronic Security Director at Drummond Colombia.

The Hanwha Vision solution enabled the Security Department to shift to strategic data-driven decision-making, generating “actionable data” across the organization.

The insights gained from alarm and video systems are now vital for multiple functions. They directly support operational planning (e.g., establishing changes in the mining plan), engineering (e.g., determining physical protections for facilities), and safety. This data also guides risk mitigation by identifying threats like sabotage, property damage, and unauthorized access, allowing the company to proactively define security designs and controls.