Xstrata Coal New South Wales was awarded the inaugural 2012 Global Industry Sustainability Award for Mine Operator Training at a recent User Group Forum hosted by Immersive Technologies in Melbourne, Australia. The award recognises achievements made in the continual improvement of safety, efficiency and environmental protection via the collaborative development and application of advanced training technologies in the global mining industry.Regional Vice President, David Anderson, presented the award highlighting the high level of commitment and results Xstrata Coal New South Wales has achieved in operator training. “Our customers are a driving force assisting Immersive Technologies to develop industry leading training solutions.  Amongst this group, Xstrata Coal NSW is a standout. The effectiveness of our products is continually increased by customer participation and involvement at all stages of the product development cycle – from preliminary design through to feedback on the latest software release,”

Xstrata Coal NSW Training Manager, Darryl Cooper, accepted the award stating, “Both companies have been able to work together to achieve outcomes that improve the performance of the software and hardware to improve efficiency and availability of simulation in the training arena.”

A recent collaboration between Xstrata Coal NSW and Immersive Technologies around best-practice dust management resulted in the development of new features for a recent version of SimControl, the software at the heart of the PRO3 Advanced Equipment Simulator.

Cooper went on to say “Xstrata Coal has identified improvement opportunities for safety and environmental conditions that will increase standards across the industry; we have also actively participated in testing software and hardware to assist Immersive and the industry in continual improvement of operator training.”