Why did wireless technology play such a key role in this solution? Describe how the new system changed the production process at the Chelopech mine. Please see attachment.

Wireless Technology Makes Dundee Precious Metals Good as Gold Dundee Precious Metals (DPM) is a Canadian-based, international mining company engaged in the acquisition, exploration, development and mining and processing of precious metal properties. One of the company's principal assets is the Chelopech copper and gold mine east of Sofia, Bulgaria, and the company also has a gold mine in southern Armenia and a smelter in Namibia. The price of gold and other metals has fluctuated wildly, and Dundee was looking for a way to offset lower gold prices by making its mining operations more efficient. However, mines are very complex operations, and there are special challenges with communicating and coordinating work underground. Management decided to implement an underground wireless Wi-Fi network that allows electronic devices to exchange data wirelessly at the Chelopech mine to monitor the location of equipment, people, and ore throughout the mine's tunnels and facilities. The company deployed several hundred Cisco Systems Inc. high-speed wireless access points (in waterproof, dustproof, and crush-resistant enclosures), extended range antennas, communications boxes with industrial switches connected to 90 kilometers of fiber optic lines that snake through the mine, emergency boxes on walls for Linksys VoIP phones, protected vehicle antennas that can withstand being knocked against a mine ceiling, and custom \"walkie-talkie\" software. Dundee was able to get access points that normally have a range of 200 meters to work at a range of 600 to 800 meters in a straight line, or 400 to 600 meters around a curve. Another part of the solution was to use AeroScout Wi-Fi radio frequency identification (RFID) technology to track workers, equipment, and vehicles. About 1,000 AeroScout Wi-Fi RFID tags are worn by miners or mounted on vehicles and equipment, transmitting data about vehicle rock loads and mechanical status, miner locations, and the status of doors and ventilation fans over the mine's Wi-Fi network. AeroScout's Mobile View software is able to display a real-time visual representation of the location of people and items. The software can determine where loads came from, where rock should be sent, and where empty vehicles should go next. Data about any mishap or slowdown, such as a truck that made an unscheduled stop, or a miner who is behind schedule, are transmitted to Dundee's surface crew so that appropriate action can be taken. The Mobile View interface is easy to use and provides a variety of reports and rules-based alerts. By using this wireless technology to track the location of equipment and workers underground, Dundee has been able to decrease equipment downtime and utilize resources more efficiently. Dundee also uses the data from the underground wireless network for its Dassault Systemes' Geovia mine management software and IBM mobile planning software. Before implementing AeroScout, Dundee kept track of workers by noting who had turned in their cap lamps at the end of their shift. AeroScout has automated this process, enabling staff in the control room to quickly determine the location of miners. It is also essential that workers driving equipment underground be able to communicate closely with the mine's control room. In the past, workers used a radio checkpoint system to relay their location. The new wireless system enables control room staff to actually see the location of machinery, so they can direct traffic more effectively, quickly identify problems, and respond more rapidly to emergencies. Thanks to wireless technology, Dundee has been able to reduce costs and increase productivity while improving the safety of its workers. Communication costs have dropped 20 percent. According to Dundee CEO Rick Howes, the ability to use real-time data will increase the company's profit per miner by 10 to 15 percent. The experience of Dundee Precious Metals illustrates some of the powerful capabilities and opportunities provided by contemporary networking technology. The company uses wireless networking, radio frequency identification (RFID) technology, and AeroScout MobileView software to automate tracking of workers, equipment, and ore as they move through its Chelopech underground mine. The chapter-opening diagram calls attention to important points raised by his case and this chapter. The Dundee Precious Metals production environment in its Chelopech mine is difficult to monitor because it is underground, yet requires intensive oversight and coordination to make sure that people, materials, and equipment are available when and where they are needed underground and that work is flowing smoothly. Tracking components manually or using older radio identification methods was slow, cumbersome, and error-prone. Dundee was also under pressure to cut costs because the price of gold had dropped and precious metals typically have wild price fluctuations. Management decided that wireless Wi-Fi technology and RFID tagging provided a solution and arranged for the deployment of a wireless Wi-Fi network throughout the entire underground Chelopech production facility. The network made it much easier to track and supervise mining activities from above ground. Dundee Precious Metals had to redesign some aspects of its production and other work processes and to train employees in the new system to take advantage of the new technology