Mincom, a leading global provider of software solutions and services for asset-intensive industries, has upgraded its industry-leading supply chain solution for minerals and metals mining organisations. Mincom MineMarket 4.4 optimises the tracking and logistics of products – such as coal, iron ore, base and precious metals – from initial extraction, stockpiling, production, shipping and transportation to their eventual delivery to the customer, and simplifies the complex sales and invoicing of these products. With new advanced functionality in port and stockyard management as well as partner trading, Mincom MineMarket 4.4 is one of the mining industry’s most comprehensive solutions for the efficient management of integrated sales, marketing and supply chain processes.
“Meeting the demands of complex contracts, and managing sophisticated logistics is a daily challenge faced by every mining organization,” said John Jessop, President of Global Mining Solutions, Mincom. “Consolidating supply chain data from across the organisation is essential for maximising commercial outcomes. However, the proliferation of disparate systems and spreadsheets can often result in silos of conflicting information, leading to time-consuming error corrections, reactive plan changes, product-quality penalty costs, and missed opportunities to maximize sales.”
Jessop added, “Given its ability to seamlessly integrate with other key business systems, thereby creating a standardised process for collecting data throughout the supply chain, Mincom MineMarket helps mining organizations ensure timely and correct information is visible across the organisation. By combining supply data from mine planning, processing and logistics with demand data from marketing and sales into one system, MineMarket helps ensure that supply and demand are balanced, contracted sales will be delivered, and capital tied up in excess product inventory is minimised.”
Mincom MineMarket version 4.4 includes the following new capabilities:
•Enhanced 3D Stockpile Modelling. While material is stacked in a stockpile, it is often difficult to track its quality and product characteristics. This valuable new feature allows miners to create 3D models of their stockpiles (e.g., coal and iron ore) at bulk terminals or stockyards. With 3D Stockpile Modeling, organisations can now track each batch of product as it is delivered to the stockpile and as it moves through the stockpile during reclaim operations. The 3D model allows the user to efficiently reach into any part of the stockpile and track the product back to the individual producer, mine source and mine area. Not only does this improve ongoing monitoring and planning of stacking and reclaiming, it also ensures the product is accurately blended to meet individual customer requirements for quality and product specifications.
•Updated Demurrage Calculations. This feature is designed for port operators and ore suppliers to help facilitate the movement of large amounts of material through capacity-constrained ports. Demurrage is the charge paid to a ship owner if a container is not loaded and unloaded within the specified time. Demurrage conditions can therefore have a significant impact on a mining company’s cashflow. Mincom MineMarket 4.4 helps capture data surrounding the increasingly complex agreements between suppliers, ship owners, customers and port operators, improving the management of both operations and cash flow.
•Updated Linked Trading. This new capability simplifies data-entry processes, and automates calculations and processes between trading companies. From groups with simple umbrella agreements to those with back-to-back intercompany invoices, Mincom MineMarket provides the flexibility to accommodate any Linked Trading scenario and automate the required functions.
“For 13 years, Mincom MineMarket has helped provide full supply chain visibility to leading mining organisations around the world,” said Jessop. “With the newest release of MineMarket, we’ve broadened the product’s feature set to help our customers achieve even greater productivity and efficiency gains. We can do this by enabling decision-making based on fact, and not on guesswork.”
Mincom MineMarket version 4.4 is available now.