With the implementation of the Integrated Operations Centre (CIO), the Quellaveco copper mine in Peru will become the first Anglo American operation in the world that has been 100% digital since its inception. Anglo American Peru comments: “Thus, while other mines adapt their processes to technology, a project conceived to put data at the service of mining has emerged in Peru. This ‘brain’ of Quellaveco’s operations is currently being built in the same area where the concentrator plant is located, which will receive the ore extracted to obtain the copper concentrate.”
It adds: “The CIO is to a digital mine what a control tower is to an airport. It is an environment in which all operations are controlled and integrated, and each step is planned to meet the annual production plan. With the CIO in Quellaveco, the entire copper production chain will be followed, from extraction to shipment. The role of the CIO is to control production data, safety reports, autonomous processes, environmental measurements, among others, in real time. The CIO is innovative because it changes the work approach of a mining company towards a proactive model. You do not react to what happened, but anticipate what could happen.”
At the CIO, data analysis is carried out to maximise each factor and trends are predicted, following not only operational information, but also commercial and financial information that contributes to the value chain. The CIO makes real-time and intelligent mining possible, because the status of machines can be monitored with sensors and the movement of vehicles and people. Also have information available online, and standardise and optimise processes permanently.
Collaborative and synergy environments are developed in this integrated centre, because the work is focused on managing the operation as a single team instead of the objectives of each area. Actions are also taken with the CIO to maximise the safety of the mining process and minimise the exposure of workers to risk. “Finally, this centre will require specializsd job profiles that fulfill various tasks, which is why it will also be an attractive space to attract the best talent in the mining industry.”
In summary, with the CIO Anglo says it is possible to:
- Make the entire system visible with unique and transparent information
- Improve decision-making and be clear about responsibilities
- Increase security through more stable operations
- Have a platform to drive improvements in production
- Have a solid infrastructure on which new technologies can evolve
