How real time is leading the way in a data driven world

RTI Head of Research and Innovation Robin Sheehy with RTI CEO Jason Fisher.

If there is one company in the Greater Whitsunday region that knows the business value of sixty seconds – it is Real Time Instruments.

Real Time Instruments (RTI) has been developing a world -leading suite of elemental analysers and moisture analysers, for the past 20 years.

Recently RTI was named the winner the Premier’s Export Award for Resource and Energy which is a testimony to the heart of the business – their team and their innovative set of skills.

RTI Head of Research and Innovation Robin Sheehy said RTI manufacture equipment for measuring the on-site quality of material on conveyor belts at mining or metal processing facilities, here in Mackay.

He said it helps their mining and Mining Equipment, Technology and Services (METS) clients use that information to extract more value of what they are doing on their sites, in real time.

RTI’s Elemental Analyser handles any bulk material on a conveyer belt, which can be in powder, granular or rock form.  The analyser measures up to sixty elements, from ash to sulphur.

And their Moisture Analyser can obtain data from biofuels to pulp cement.

Mr Sheehy said there is a one-minute turn around on the technology of their analysers, making sure the job is more efficient because ‘data is king’.

He said alternative to RTI’s analysers is a traditional laboratory, where test results can take several hours. However, the RTI Analyser can retrieve data in one minute.  “There are so many decisions that our clients can make onsite, quickly.

“And some of those decisions you cannot make without technology like this and that is the pathway you are walking on with clients, who are used to making decisions based on waiting 11 hours for a result because that is what we reference against. But it is a different way of thinking about it. Most people grasp pretty quickly the value of making a quick decision,” he said.

Real Time Instruments CEO Jason Fisher says part of RTI’s vision is trying to change a paradigm.

“A lot of the paradigm is around being involved in a laboratory sense, that is the most accurate, it is gospel, that is what signs off on quality or quantity and type of element.  But we have demonstrated that in real time, using our Analysers, it is just as good.

“We understand that laboratories have a purpose and hold us to account.  It is not a matter of automation coming in and replacing something is tested and true. They have to work in tandem with each other.

“In most cases in mine sites around the world the laboratories have a huge back log, so many samples and work to get through, so we are complimentary to them so we can speed up the process,” Mr Fisher said.

Mr Sheehy said RTI are not the first to bring some of the core technology to the Australian market, but their decision to manufacturer their own instrumentation was a gamechanger to evolving their business.

“The real light bulb for us was that we were servicing and trying to make gauges we were bringing in from overseas or from suppliers in Australia and making them work for our customers.

“We were just fighting a lot and we weren’t getting the success we were after for our customers.  And we sat down, and we looked at all the things we were having problems with and had a long think about what a good improvement would be. It wasn’t so much a flick of a lightbulb but a long think about the problems and how we could solve them. Then made the decision that we could do it – how hard could this be?”

 From there onsite manufacturing has been a major benefit, especially when they are facing quality issues and product development.

“We can change what needs to be fixed, it gives us the control.” It has been the elite problem-solving skills of their staff and ability to think differently, that RTI have been able to use technology to their advantage and make it appropriate for the mining and METS industry.

In recent years, the company has focused on developing technology that still generates radiation, but with the option of ‘turning off’ the radiation during transport, which has been a challenge for many of their clients.

“We now have a system that can generate the neutrons on the fly, turn the power off and the radiation is gone.   It is such cool technology.”

And cool technology it is.  Real Time Instruments is another great example of home grown, Greater Whitsunday innovation. 

For more information on Real Time instruments visit: https://realtimeinstruments.com/