Minnovare and Mining Plus have entered into a collaboration that will enable Mining Plus to offer Minnovare’s Production Optimiser technology to its global client base.

The collaboration is part of the Mining Plus ‘Mining Rocks’ strategic pillar, which is designed to highlight and promote the latest value-add mining technology to Mining Plus clients at a time when the industry is experiencing advances in areas such as automation, digitisation and process QA/QC.

Mining Plus Managing Director, Ben Auld (pictured on the left), said: “We’re always looking for ways to add value to our clients. In line with this, one of our strategies is to actively seek out technology with the potential to provide material productivity improvements or cost reductions to the mining industry.”

The Production Optimiser is a system that delivers better production blasting outcomes in underground hard-rock mines by increasing blasthole drilling accuracy and consistency. The value that mines achieve varies depending on the commodity and mining method, however bottom-line improvements include reductions in dilution and/or improvements in recovery, Minnovare says.

Mines have also seen improvements in drilling productivity and stope cycle time, as well as greater QA/QC and command of their drill data, the company added.

Northern Star Resources, for instance, increased drilled metres by 17% at one of its Kalgoorlie gold operations by using the Production Optimiser.

Minnovare Managing Director, Callum McCracken (pictured on the right), said: “Minnovare’s Production Optimiser technology has been widely adopted already in the APAC (Asia Pacific) underground hard-rock mining market. We (Minnovare and Mining Plus) see its application globally.

“The collaboration enables Minnovare to leverage Mining Plus’s global network of highly skilled mining professionals to assist in the delivery and support of the Production Optimiser. This enables us to deliver our technology and the step change benefits it delivers in new markets, while ensuring we maintain the high level of service and ongoing support that our customers have become accustomed to.”

Mining Plus can work with mining companies and contractors to understand the applicability and value that may be achieved from implementing Minnovare technology, the companies said.

Auld added: “Our clients frequently approach us for guidance on their technology strategy. Many clients simply do not have the time or resources to conduct the required analysis or due diligence for a thorough valuation and implementation. This collaboration goes some way to helping to resolve this ‘pain point’ for our clients.”