Reclaiming value: The Maybach reclamation story

A data-driven approach to earthwork and environmental recovery

Located in the heart of Saarland's mining region, the Maybach mine heap is among many scars left on the local landscape by a centuries-old legacy of industry. It is essentially a 27-hectare trash pile where non-coal-bearing waste rock from neighboring mines was dumped for decades.

But like other mine heaps across Europe, it is in the process of being reclaimed. This 10-year effort began with the massive task of moving 2 million cubic meters (more than 2-1/2 million cubic yards) of soil across the entire length and breadth of the site. Large-scale earthwork and grading are underway, with new soil being brought in and existing soil being compacted and reinforced.Sina Motsch, the young site manager who’s overseeing this phase, is relying on an innovative use of Komatsu’s Smart Construction technology to get the job done.

Reclaiming unused and unsafe land

Located in Friedrichsthal, the mine heap became obsolete when the last of the region’s mines closed. Erosion and other hazards have meant the land cannot be used or developed. Loose, unconsolidated materials discarded there, as well as abandoned mine shafts underground, have made the area unstable.

Work to stabilize the site began in 2020 and is being overseen by the company that ran the now-closed mine. It’s the first step in a massive project that’s expected to be finished in 2028. Once the site is finally safe, with vegetation and wildlife restored, it will be turned over to the community for new, sustainable uses that could include commercial development and recreational areas.

“We had to wait a long time for this,” said Rolf Schultheis, then Mayor of the City of Friedrichsthal, when plans were announced in 2017. “The fact that it is finally starting is a win for the town and its citizens."

_{A Komatsu dozer equipped with smart technology is a key element in building the digital twin that site manager Sina Motsch relies on to monitor site activities.}

Managing vast amounts of detail

As Motsch began the task of overseeing the movement of material at the mine heap, she understood that a project of this scale required something beyond the usual approach.

“For me as the jobsite manager, the daily challenge lies in grasping the latest jobsite development,” said Motsch, who works for Heitkamp Corporate Group. “Materials are being delivered, machines are constantly running, and I’m confronted with a flood of data every day! It’s crucial for me to find an easy way to make sense of it and make use of this information effectively.”

Motsch’s training had introduced her to building information modeling (BIM). She knew she could meet the challenge by integrating BIM methods and creating a continually updated 3D digital twin of the jobsite. While not typically applied to a project of this kind, the approach would allow her to continually monitor progress.

But how to efficiently collect enough high-quality field data to create the digital twin? Drones were great at capturing information periodically, but she needed to collect and process data in real- or near-real time to capture activity as it was happening.

That’s when someone told her about Komatsu’s Smart Construction solutions.

Sina Motsch, site manager for Heitkamp Corporate Group, worked with Komatsu representatives on a method for tracking the massive earth-moving project by using Smart Construction solutions.

Sina Motsch, site manager for Heitkamp Corporate Group, explains how data collected by an intelligent dozer is collected and interpreted to plan and monitor the work.

Harnessing technology on the jobsite

Smart Construction is a suite of solutions that allows jobsites to leverage the power of technology for virtually every facet of operations. To achieve Motsch’s vision, Komatsu Smart Construction specialists and the local Komatsu distributor began by understanding her goals and her challenges. Through their collaboration, they found a combination of on-machine technology, remote technology and data-collection solutions that, together, would deliver exactly what Motsch had in mind.

It works like this: The Smart Construction technology serves as a data collection and processing tool while a 3D machine-controlled dozer is at work. The dozer captures actual height and position data during the filling process and transmits it automatically to the cloud. That dataset is then paired with drone data to create terrain models — a 3D digital twin — of the jobsite daily.

“I therefore have a daily terrain model created by my equipment,” said Motsch. “Right from the start I know where I am standing. Which materials still have to be delivered? Where and how much has been built in? How much material is still missing from this area so I know whether I can reach the work target?”

Smart Construction Dashboard, one of the solutions in the Smart Construction suite, simplified things by integrating data and putting it at her fingertips. “I am able to track the amount of soil delivered at any given time and compare it with the data recorded on the weighbridge. This forms the basis for invoicing, providing me with real-time insights into the fill levels and inventory on the heap."

_{As the dozer works, it captures information that is paired with drone data to create a 3D digital twin of the jobsite on a daily basis.}

Sina Motsch, site manager for Heitkamp Corporate Group, discusses site data collected by Komatsu’s Smart Construction solutions.

Data from the intelligent dozer is paired with drone data to create terrain models — a 3D digital twin — of the jobsite on a daily basis.

Tailoring solutions through collaboration

While Motsch initially assumed modern digital tools weren’t suited for earthwork, her perspective shifted after seeing Smart Construction Dashboard in action. The system combined aerial mapping, 3D design files and machine data into a single view, making it easier to track what was happening on-site and communicate clearly across teams. The ability to visualize the job in real time allowed her team to make more informed decisions, with fewer delays and better coordination.

Bart Vingerhoets, Senior Commercial Manager for Komatsu Europe and someone with many years’ experience with smart technologies, said the way Komatsu collaborated with Motsch and the distributor to solve a problem is typical. Smart Construction can be tailored to each unique jobsite, each fleet and each set of challenges, and teamwork is the best way to match its many solutions to each situation.

“What really makes it powerful for customers is that Smart Construction Dashboard brings the data all together so that stakeholders at all different levels — from jobsite management to the office, to the executives — can all base their decisions on the same information,” Vingerhoets explained. “It enhances decision-making, making it easier, quicker, and based on real data.

“We want to really understand where we can create value for these customer processes,” Vingerhoets said. “We can only do this by talking directly to the customer and by being involved in these processes day in, day out.”

Reflecting on the experience, Motsch added, “There is the opportunity to use modern techniques, technologies and methods to simplify on-site work in earth moving. That's why I find Smart Construction really exciting.”

_{Data collected with a suite of Smart Construction solutions provides information that’s critical when managing such a large project.}

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