After lengthy deliberations involving several software vendors, Fortescue Metals Group, Australia’s third largest iron ore producer after BHPBilliton and Rio Tinto, has picked MineSight for its mine planning needs. “We decided to use MineSight because we found it to have a comprehensive suite of mine planning capabilities most suited to our operations, a demonstrated track record of quality improvements and the service and support is outstanding,” said Andrew O’Dowd, FMG’s Manager of Operations Planning.
Based in Perth, Western Australia, MineSight Applications is one of nine global offices operated by Tucson, Arizona-based Mintec. The company turned 40 last year and is in the midst of a growth spurt, recently opening an office in London, England, and now employing almost 180 people worldwide.
Pioneering mine planning tools such as MineSight Schedule Optimizer and MineSight Haulage were significant keys to the FMG deal, as well as MineSight’s dedication to support and services. “This sale represents a significant breakthrough for us in the Pilbara region,” said MineSight Applications Perth manager Glenn Wylde. “Along with the sale to BC Iron last year, and headway at other major sites, we are pushing hard into one of the largest growing mining regions in the world.”
MineSight licenses are being installed and implemented in Perth where numerous training classes have been taught in MineSight Applications’ dedicated training facility. By year’s end, the company expects MineSight to be unveiled at sites across the Pilbara, enabling FMG to simplify and consolidate its mine planning process.
It has been a busy few months for the Perth branch. In December, MineSight Applications announced it had landed a deal in Mongolia, winning a contract to supply software for openpit operations at Rio Tinto/Ivanhoe Mines-run Oyu Tolgoi, one of the world’s major new copper mines. In fact, MineSight’s client list reads like a who’s who of copper mining: PT Freeport, Grasberg; OTML, Ok Tedi; Xstrata, Mt Isa; Kennecott Utah Copper; and Equinox Minerals, Zambia.