The verdict in three sentences
A mining contractor managing 85 machines with paper job cards and spreadsheets suffers unplanned breakdowns at 5,000 to 15,000 USD per day of downtime, before the mine owner's contractual penalties. A custom fleet management system that pulls engine hours from telematics and triggers preventive maintenance costs 80,000 to 160,000 USD and deploys in 5 to 7 months. Lifting availability from 72% to 85% is enough to pay the project back in under a year.
Why spreadsheets break down across three bauxite sites
On bauxite sites in Guinea, or on iron ore and gold sites elsewhere, dust, broken haul roads and 2 x 12 h rotations wear machines twice as fast as a construction site. Oil changes run late because nobody knows the real engine hours, critical parts (hydraulic pumps, tracks, haul truck tyres) are missing from the store, and the maintenance director hears about breakdowns over the radio. The software must put on one screen what the mine bills you on: mechanical availability and utilisation.
| Module | What it delivers | Indicative 2026 cost (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| Equipment and component register | Record per excavator, haul truck, dozer, drill | 8,000 to 15,000 |
| Telematics connector (CAT, Komatsu, third-party units) | Engine hours, alarms, fuel burn | 15,000 to 30,000 |
| Preventive maintenance plans | Automatic work orders at 250, 500, 1,000 h | 12,000 to 25,000 |
| Store and critical parts | Minimum stock, alerts, port import lead time | 12,000 to 25,000 |
| Offline mechanic app | Tablet entry at the machine | 10,000 to 22,000 |
| Availability and cost dashboard | Availability, MTBF, cost per hour | 10,000 to 20,000 |
| Rollout, training, data migration | Go-live on 3 sites | 13,000 to 23,000 |
Total: 80,000 to 160,000 USD depending on the number of OEM brands to connect, integration with your accounting ERP and the volume of history to migrate.
Off-the-shelf CMMS or custom software
Large international CMMS suites are powerful but designed for integrated mines with in-house IT. For an 85-machine contractor, per-user pricing and configuration complexity add up fast.
| Criterion | International CMMS | Custom Kolonell software | Spreadsheets and logbooks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upfront cost | 40,000 to 120,000 USD (configuration) | 80,000 to 160,000 USD | Close to zero |
| Annual cost | 60 to 150 USD per user per month, i.e. 30,000 to 70,000 USD | 12,000 to 25,000 USD maintenance and hosting | Hidden cost of breakdowns |
| Offline use on site | Partial | Yes, syncs back at camp | Yes, but no consolidation |
| Multi-brand telematics | Paid add-ons | Included | No |
| Fit with your hire contracts | Low | Full (hourly billing, penalties) | Manual |
| Time to go-live | 6 to 12 months | 5 to 7 months | Immediate |
KPIs to track from month one
- Mechanical availability: 78% target at six months, 85 to 90% at eighteen months.
- Preventive share: move from 30% to over 70% of mechanic hours.
- Critical part stock-outs: under 2 per month, when import lead times through the port reach 4 to 8 weeks.
- Maintenance cost per engine hour: a 10 to 20% drop is a common order of magnitude.
Mini case study
Mr Camara, maintenance director of a mining contractor in Conakry, runs 85 machines on three sites. Average availability is 72% and he logs about 60 machine-days of unplanned downtime per month, valued at 8,000 USD a day on average in lost production and penalties. With software at 120,000 USD, preventive maintenance cuts those stoppages by a third: 20 machine-days avoided per month, or 160,000 USD per month. Even assuming only a 10% reduction (6 days, 48,000 USD a month), the project pays back within three months of go-live.
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FAQ
Do all machines need telematics units?
Recent CAT or Komatsu machines already have factory telematics that we read through APIs. For the rest, a third-party unit costs 300 to 700 USD per machine plus 10 to 25 USD a month in connectivity.
Does the software work without Internet at the mine?
Yes. Mechanic tablets work offline and sync over camp Wi-Fi or satellite link. A full day of entries is under 5 MB.
Can we track diesel per machine?
Yes, by linking fuel tickets or station flow meters. Theft and consumption gaps are flagged above a threshold, often 8 to 12% over the OEM norm.
How long does team training take?
Plan 2 days for workshop supervisors and half a day for mechanics on each site. The interface is available in French and English with icons for operators with limited literacy.
Can we start with a single site?
Yes, and we recommend it. A pilot on the main site costs 35 to 50% of the total budget and delivers measurable results within 3 months.
Let's scope your project. Tell us your machine count, brands and sites and we will price a fleet system between 80,000 and 160,000 USD with a 3 month single-site pilot. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
