MINEXCHANGE 2024 SME Annual Conference & Expo sponsor, Caterpillar, says it will showcase to conference attendees how Caterpillar Mining evolves to meet the challenges faced by today’s mining companies. “Through offering the right equipment, services and technologies required at the site, Caterpillar Mining meets miners’ needs with customised solutions.”
Showcasing the importance of developing a safety culture within the workplace, Caterpillar is highlighting its resilient safety culture programs from Caterpillar Safety Services at MINEXCHANGE. Subject matter experts will be available to walk attendees through the four components of a resilient safety culture – Mindset, Ownership, System and Leadership. “Caterpillar Safety Services works with organisations on their journey to safety excellence, helping them make the workplace safer, their employees feel more valued and their operations more effective.”
Beyond its 1419 exhibit, Caterpillar subject matter experts are set to deliver multiple presentations during the MINEXCHANGE technical program. Found under the conference’s Inclusion & Diversity and Mining & Exploration segments, presentation topics include equipment management performance metrics, leveraging technology, the mine site of the future, mentorship, diversity, and production dozing.
Scheduled presentation topics, locations and times, subject to change, include on February 27 ‘Mine Site of the Future: Considerations for Building an Electric Mine’ from Trenton Lauer. The talk will highlight how the transition to electrification poses substantial challenges to electrical infrastructure. “Strategic planning and placement of in-pit energy transfer infrastructure and understanding intelligent machine assignment are critical to optimising productivity for a battery electric fleet.”
On the same day, Yiwen Hurr will present on ‘Dozers in Action: Leveraging Production Dozing in Mining Applications.’ Dozers can be used as a primary production tool for certain applications. Hurr will compare dozing techniques and considers various applications in which dozers can help improve productivity.
Another Caterpillar talk on February 27 will cover ‘The Power of Mentoring: A Catalyst for Professional Development,’ presented by Flor Rivas. As a minority in the mining industry, Rivas shares personal examples of how mentorship plays a key role in personal and professional development. The presentation also covers Caterpillar’s efforts to help individuals navigate and advance careers in mining, while making the industry more diverse.
The final talk on that day will cover ‘Attracting Diverse Talent to the Mining Industry’ and is being given by Sarah Loomis. “While the industry struggles with attracting diverse workforces, studies show diversity leads to a high performing, highly engaged workforce. The presentation explores how autonomous operations with centralized control rooms offer more of a chance to find and retain diverse talent.”
Moving to February 28, John Hoffman will cover ‘Mining Equipment Management Performance Metrics Interpretation & Action.’ Performance metrics are critical tools to measure the efficiency and effectiveness of the maintenance department. Hoffman will cover how to interpret top-tier metrics for maintenance and repair processes, how to identify opportunities and logical steps to define what actions to take.
The final Caterpillar talk, also on February 28, is titled ‘Mining and Technology – How do the Fundamentals of Your Mining Operations Measure up?’ and is being presented by Robert Riggle. Technology moves the mining industry on many fronts. Riggle will review in detail four key areas – payload, cycle time, operator effectiveness and hourly efficiency – that drive high productivity and lower costs per ton for surface and underground mining haul trucks and loading tools.