All posts by Paul Moore

Grangex looks to buy Sydvaranger iron mine & work with Anglo American on a restart

Mining mergers and acquisitions, Mining project news, Steel and iron ore

Grangex AB says it has entered into an exclusivity agreement with OMF Fund II H Ltd for the purposes of negotiating final definitive documentation in relation to the acquisition of 100% of the share capital and shareholder loans of Sydvaranger Mining AS from Orion for a total consideration of US$33 million. Sydvaranger Mining was acquired by Orion in February 2023 from previous owner Tacora Resources.

Sydvaranger owns a high-grade iron ore mine in Kirkenes, northern Norway, where Grangex aims to restart production of ultra-high- grade iron ore, in line with its sustainable mining strategy. Orion is a leading private investment fund in the mining industry and as part of the agreement, Grangex has entered into an exclusivity agreement with Orion, pursuant to which Grangex will finalise a due diligence process in Sydvaranger.

Grangex will be supported in its due diligence of Sydvaranger by leading global mining company Anglo American, which previously entered into a royalty agreement with Dannemora in March 2023. The deal is anticipated to close in H2 2023.

Sydvaranger consists of a brownfield iron ore mine and a processing plant. The project net present value of the asset is US$550 million as per the latest definitive feasibility study, calculated using a discount rate of 8%. The asset has substantial infrastructure in place, and benefits from an integrated strategic relationship with the Tschudi Group, a well-recognised Norwegian shipping and logistics company, which has been a partner to Sydvaranger for more than 15 years.

In its most recent operating period, the mine produced an ultra-high-grade 68% magnetite iron ore concentrate with low impurities. The mine’s high-quality iron ore concentrate product will allow for lower carbon intensive steel production.

Upon the completion of the acquisition, Grangex will work with its strategic partners Anglo American and the Tschudi Group and the Sydvaranger team to analyse the best technical approach for the re-start of mining operations with a name plate production of about 4 Mt/y of high-grade pellet concentrate, ideally, a fossil free DRI quality.

In addition, Grangex will work with key local, regional, and national stakeholders to ensure collective support and planning for the re-start of the mine. Grangex views the resumption of operations as supportive for the Norwegian and European Union’s aim to strengthen its raw materials independence and will also be positive for local community and the region.

The acquisition, if completed, will complement Grangex’s Dannemora ultra high-grade iron ore project in the Östhammar municipality in Sweden, and will position Grangex as one of the leading developers of high-grade, low carbon pellet feed production in Scandinavia, making Grangex a key supplier to green steel producers.

Christer Lindqvist, CEO of Grangex, states: “Grangex is delighted to lead this pioneering Nordic cooperation in one of Norway’s most important regions at a crucial time in Europe’s quest for self-reliance in the minerals space. Being well on our way to successfully develop the Dannemora project, we will now proceed with the same speed, energy, and enthusiasm to start an environmentally sustainable and commercially sound iron ore production at Sydvaranger.”

He adds: “The presence of the Tschudi Group in our partnership ensures continuity and a deep understanding of the social and economic conditions and needs in the Kirkenes area. Our collaboration with Anglo American in Dannemora and their ambition to reduce their Scope 3 emissions, serves as a model for the off-take strategy for Sydvaranger. We look forward to reestablishing industrial mining activity in East Finnmark together with all public and private stakeholders.”

Michael Barton, a Managing Partner at Orion, states: “Orion is pleased to announce this initial agreement with Grangex and work toward the completion of the transaction, which will serve as an important step toward the re-start of the mine. Grangex is a reputable mine developer, which will be a good steward of the Mine moving forward.”

Peter Steiness Larsen, CFO of the Tschudi Group states: “The Tschudi Group is looking forward to working together with Grangex and local stakeholders for the re-opening of the mine. Our long-term presence in Kirkenes is based on our strong confidence in the potential of the Sydvaranger mine with its well-maintained world-class infrastructure and local competence. A re-opening of the Sydvaranger mine is now very important for the local community.”

Coking coal major JSW starts up new longwall in Bzie Section

Coal technology, Mine shafts and equipment, Mineral commodities, Mining consumables, Mining equipment

Polish underground coking coal miner JSW Group has announced that a new longwall has been launched at the KWK Borynia-Zofiówka-Bzie mine in the Bzie Section of the Bzie-Dębina 2-Zachód mining area. It is currently in the startup stage.

The N-1 longwall will be mined in seam 416/3 until January 2024. The length of the longwall is 220 m, and its strike is more than 560 m. The longwall’s resources include more than 450,000 t of high quality coking coal. The longwall is 2.6 to 3 m high and has been equipped with 145 sections of powered supports and a longwall conveyor, which were manufactured by Jastrzębskie Zakłady Remontowe (a JSW Group company), as well as a JOY-7LS22 longwall shearer which is made by Komatsu Mining.

The opening of part of the Bzie-Dębina coal deposit is one of JSW’s strategic investments to extract coking coal. Initially, it was assumed that the first coal from the area would come in late 2021. However, difficult geological and mining conditions stood in the way. This is the second longwall operated in the Bzie Section, but the first after the change in the deposit opening concept.

“This is another mining front launched at the company. The longwall startup stage and the setting up of the front will be followed by normal mining of the seam,” said Edward Paździorko, Vice-President of JSW SA’s Management Board for Technology and Operations.

Komatsu hails power and durability of new 980E-5SE ultraclass truck

Bulk handling, Equipment maintenance, Mining consumables, Mining equipment, Mining maintenance, Mining services

The economics of surface mining require the highest production at the lowest lifetime cost per ton (CPT). By combining outstanding build quality with multiple features designed to improve fuel efficiency and reduce downtime, the new 4,400 hp (3,281 kW) Komatsu 980E-5SE electric drive 400 ton class mining truck the leading OEM says offers increased speed on grade in deep pit applications. The truck’s redesigned ergonomic automotive-style cab it says also works to increase operator comfort and lessen driving fatigue.

Leveraging Komatsu’s electric drive truck experience, the 980E-5SE in addition offers the highest-in-class horsepower available on an ultra-class truck. “Engineered to promote increased productivity and a reduced carbon footprint, the 980E-5SE’s electric drive means fewer mechanical components, less maintenance and potentially reduced life cycle costs.” This highest in class horsepower is delivered by a Cummins QSK95 engine, also known as the Komatsu SDA16V190-1 in this application.

When cycling through big loads, durability is key. The 980E-5SE was developed using advanced computer-aided design, finite element analysis and full-scale dynamic testing. Its truck frame is verified to carry a rated payload with the utmost structural reliability.

Automotive-style cruise control governing acceleration and deceleration helps operators maintain a constant speed while concentrating on steering and situational awareness. Traction control helps operators stay on task and operate more efficiently, even in slippery conditions. Wheel traction control technology detects and corrects wheel spin or slide events and engages automatically and independently of the service brakes.

To support increased production and optimised payload, Payload Meter IV (PLM IV) can help maximise cycle efficiency to reduce the machine’s life cycle costs. “Standard on Komatsu mining trucks, PLM IV tracks and records key production parameters, including payload weight, empty carry weight, haul cycle time, average speed and much more.”

Kal Tire – next level tyre service in Chile

Automation, Base metals, Bulk handling, Environmental, Equipment maintenance, IoT, Mining consumables, Mining equipment, Mining maintenance, Mining services, Mining software, Sustainable mining

In April 2023, IM had the unique opportunity to tour the operations of Kal Tire’s Mining Tire Group in Chile, with both Carlos Zuniga, General Manager of Kal Tire Chile, and Mario Gomez, Kal Tire Chile Service Manager, along with a number of their colleagues. This included visits to its repair, training and service hub in the La Negra industrial area outside Antofagasta, as well as its ground-breaking thermal conversion facility close by – which is pioneering large mining tyre recycling worldwide.

It is now managed by its joint venture with Japan’s Mitsui and will be the subject of a follow up article in IM’s August 2023 issue. Finally, it included a visit to Antofagasta Minerals (AMSA)-owned Minera Centinela, one of Chile’s largest copper mining complexes, where Kal Tire Chile has a full service, repair and retread contract.  

 As of March 2023, Kal Tire has more than 300 team members in Chile – of which many are tyre fitters. To give an idea of the scale of its operations in the country – it has numerous comprehensive service, repair and retread contracts of which Centinela is just one. 

Looking at Centinela specifically, it is one of four AMSA mining complexes in Chile, along with Antucoya, Zaldivar and Los Pelambres, with Kal Tire also having a service and repair contract at Antucoya. At Centinela, Kal Tire began its first contract in 2015 so is now into its third contract with the mine. It has two main facilities – the largest one in the sulphides area and the second in the oxides area. They are located close to truck maintenance shops for ease of access to trucks when they come for routine maintenance and to allow liaison with the mine’s own maintenance teams – for example there are occasions where tyres have to be removed in the truck shop for better access to the truck engine or another part of the truck where there is a mechanical issue. The Kal Tire sites and some of the buildings are owned by the mine with some containerised offices and of course all the tyre handling and inspection equipment owned by Kal Tire. This is the normal procedure for these on-site tyre management contracts. 

IM Editorial Director Paul Moore and Mario Gomez, Kal Tire Chile Service Manager, in front of the automated inspection station at Minera Centinela

Adjacent to the office areas are the main tyre stockpiles, which includes a separate area for tyres marked for scrap, plus another area that has tyres awaiting transport to La Negra for repair, used tyres and new tyres in stock, and other tyres awaiting a check to assess if they are repairable or not – once a week a Kal Tire repair expert comes from La Negra to the mine to do this. So really there are currently four types of tyre inspection at Centinela – on the truck via TPMS for pressure and temperature, visual inspection while on the truck, autonomously via the AI-based thermal imaging inspection and the detailed manual inspection both inside and out once the tyres are off the truck.  

Minera Centinela alone has about 60 Kal Tire people, of which four are female tyre fitters, as well as a number of women in other roles. Removing and fitting tyres also has been made much less labour intensive using Kal Tire’s Gravity Assist System, which is its patented mechanical arm that allows technicians to weightlessly manoeuvre tools, such as 35 kg torque guns, to fit and remove wheel nuts. 

Key site equipment at Centinela includes five OTR tyre handlers and a Titan220 jack. The most recent addition to Kal Tire’s site services is an autonomous tyre inspection station that is powered by Pitcrew.ai and its thermal imaging system of which one has been deployed and a second planned. Kal Tire manages all of the tyres onsite, with the exception of the new Llano pit where Phase 1 of the load haul operations are being conducted by a different mining contractor. Kal Tire therefore also manages the autonomous 980E truck tyres – though there are no special procedures for this as the trucks are always stopped in a special area and in non-autonomous mode when the tyres are removed or fitted.

Based on proactive tyre maintenance procedures, all tyre repairs are carried out at Kal Tire’s hub in La Negra, near Antofagasta. On site at the mine activities include tyre removal and fitting with rotation strategies, tyre pressure maintenance, tyre inspections and assessment, rim management, tyre inventory planning and forecasting as well as TPMS monitoring. Rotation is of course from front to rear but specifically they go from the front outer position 1 diagonally opposite to the rear position 6 first to avoid asymmetrical wear and from there to the other side inner rear position 4. The same is done in mirror image when starting with the front outer position 2. Typically two trucks are in the Kal Tire maintenance area at any one time but sometimes if needed it can accommodate three.  

As stated, Centinela has both a sulphides area and oxides area – the sulphides area consisting of Esperanza and Esperanza Sur pits and the oxides area, consisting of the Tesoro Central, Encuentro Oxides, Tesoro Sur, Llano and Mirador pits. Aside from the mining contractor fleet, there are 17 autonomous 980E trucks running at Esperanza Sur and over 50 additional trucks at Esperanza and Encuentro Oxides which are a mix of Caterpillar 793 and 797 trucks plus Komatsu 930s. Centinela has three truck maintenance shops – one in the oxides area then two in the sulphides area – one for Esperanza and one for Esperanza Sur. 

Autonomous Komatsu 980E running at Esperanza Sur

Centinela also uses Michelin’s MEMS4 TPMS across all the mining trucks and support vehicles but the TPMS provision and monitoring is part of Kal Tire’s contract with the mine. The MEMS4 tyre data is analysed in real time by supervisors at the Kal Tire facilities onsite as well as in the mine dispatch control room which is in the IROC in Antofagasta. Kal Tire is also able to see all the truck locations, having access to some of the mine dispatch system data. It is possible to filter trucks which have an alarm that are working and those with an alarm that are parked or in the truck shop.

Geofencing is used to prioritise trucks with known tread damage to go to the autonomous tyre inspection station for continual monitoring, which is located just before one of the main mine fuel farms. The trucks must also stop for fuel at least once a day. Overall, Kal Tire has four priority levels for tyres while they are running on the trucks – P4 means the tyre is in very good condition; P3 is a tyre with non-critical damage – which will be scheduled for a change to allow it to be repaired instead of scrapped; P2 means there is damage that needs inspection and the tyre condition is monitored until it becomes unsafe to continue to operate; with P1 meaning the truck is no longer safe to continue operating and the tyre problem needs immediate attention. The ideal is never to get the point where a tyre turns into P1.  

Thermal imaging proves worth in productivity and safety 

Centinela mine is notable as being the first mine in Latin America to use the mentioned Kal Tire autonomous tyre inspection station – which uses computer vision AI thermal imaging developed by Pitcrew.ai. The entire system is skid-mounted and fully autonomous – with power supplied via its own solar panels. It was installed and commissioned at Centinela as recently as May 2022. 

The main system components are housed in a robust box that contains the hardware and thermal imaging camera itself. The truck passes by the camera and does not have to stop – it just has to slow to 15 km/h on its way to the nearby refuelling station. Currently, as stated certain trucks are prioritised to pass by the system but in future, Centinela plans to add another system near its other fuel farm at Esperanza Sur which would permit all the trucks in the sulphides area of the mine to be scanned in this way. 

The inspection imagery is monitored by Kal Tire at the mine but is mainly assessed by the system software which uses AI to detect anomalies such as hot spots, belt edge and tread separations. It gives the position of the tyre concerned and gives it a priority rating, as mentioned from P1 to P4. These findings are also reported into Kal Tire’s TOMS (Tire & Operations Management System). The system then automates inspection work orders as part of a self-reinforcing feedback loop and then schedules tyre change work as necessary based on damage severity. 

It allows remote monitoring of the tyres meaning less risk to Kal Tire people who now do not have to inspect tyres up close for damage as the system monitors damage in the tyres and crucially whether that damage is getting worse. Without it, staff have to inspect the trucks in the mine at key points such as when the truck comes in for maintenance, when it comes for refuelling or between shift changes. Also, it is not always possible to see tread or sidewall damage by eye. The thermal imaging is able to check every day the temperature difference and the damage dimensions to see if there has been any change, and if it is getting worse, it can be manually inspected or verified. So the truck is only stopped if a P2 or P1 tyre status is identified. 

Today, it is a mix – the mine is using both inspection methods but in the future is likely to transition to relying more on the AI-based thermal imaging. Reduced inspection times also translates to improved productivity and fleet availability. Each truck avoids stopping for 30+ minutes of inspection every week, which all adds up when you consider the system is checking 200 trucks per week. It also picks up damage earlier, so more tyres can potentially be repaired instead of scrapped. And much of this is preventative repair rather than corrective repair – which itself is lower cost. 

This is totally distinct from TPMS which is necessary to monitor the temperature and pressure inside the tyre. Damage in the outer part of the tyre due to separation will also generate heat but this will not initially be picked up by the TPMS system. 

GEOVIA solutions continue integration into Dassault Systèmes’ 3DEXPERIENCE

Environmental, IoT, Mine shafts and equipment, Mine surveying, Mineral exploration, Mining services, Mining software, Sustainable mining

Dassault Systèmes is showcasing the latest portfolio advancements of its mining software brand GEOVIA during the 26th World Mining Congress, taking place from June 26-29 in Brisbane, Australia. GEOVIA says its solutions provide end-to-end virtual twin experiences focusing on the intersection of natural resources, infrastructure and urban planning.

The GEOVIA solutions portfolio is undergoing a major transformation to fully integrate into Dassault Systèmes’ 3DEXPERIENCE platform, creating a single source of truth that “enables organisations to build resilience in a rapidly changing landscape while gaining competitive advantage through collaboration and innovation.”

The statement said: “The latest advancements in the GEOVIA portfolio include virtual twin experiences in geology, earth design, earth resources management, and geospatial disciplines that, combined with the advanced cloud services of the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, empower mining organisations to meet their sustainability targets by optimising their operations with greater collaboration, lifecycle management, and improved decision-making.”

Highlights include:

  • Geology Modeler: accelerates the creation of 3D subsurface geological models, facilitating hypothesis testing and quick updates based on newly available geoscience data;
  • Surface Mine Designer: generates and evaluates multiple pits, pushback and ramp designs through an automated parametric process that safely and technically valid pit, dump and ramp designs linked to geotechnical features;
  • Pit Optimizer: maximises Net Present Value (NPV) by creating and evaluating multiple scenarios for optimised pits, pushback phases, and mining schedules, applying practical mining constraints like minimum mining width and mining direction;
  • Earth Engineering Coordinator: consolidates and federates geoscience and engineering information for seamless downstream consumption.

These solutions and other virtual twin experiences like Strategic Mine Planning, Strategic Geology Modeling and Strategic Resource Modeling are being showcased at the 26th World Mining Congress.

Dassault Systèmes’ presentations include ‘Virtual Twin of the 2050s’ Mines’ by Delphine Gondoin, Business Value Consultant Senior Manager, Infrastructure, Energy and Materials Industry, and ‘Enhanced Grade Control System for Effective Ore Management’ by Dr Min Liang, Global Mining Industry Consultant, GEOVIA.

“We are excited to participate in the World Mining Congress and announce our latest advancements in mining solutions,” said Mauro DelleMonache, CEO, GEOVIA, Dassault Systèmes. “By leveraging the power of the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, GEOVIA solutions enable seamless collaboration, data exchange, and workflow efficiency, empowering mining organisations to make informed decisions, enhance operational performance, and reach their sustainability and operational goals. We are driven by the vision to model a sustainable planet where technology, knowledge and know-how are crucial in promoting responsible natural resources management. We look forward to engaging with industry leaders, exchanging knowledge, and contributing to the future of mining.”

Codelco and contractor Aguas Horizonte look ahead to desal plant ramp-up

Base metals, Environmental, Mineral processing, Mining consumables, Mining services, Sustainable mining

A field visit to the place where the first Codelco desalination plant will be located was carried out this week by representatives of the state mining company; along with Aguas Horizonte, the company developing the project – made up of Marubeni and Transelec; as well as regional authorities and representatives from the local community.

The desalination plant work began last May. It will located 14 km south of Tocopilla, and will cross the communes of Tocopilla, María Elena and Calama. It will supply water to the Codelco operations of the Northern District (Chuquicamata, Radomiro Tomic and Ministro Hales) in Calama and will operate by reverse osmosis, with an initial capacity of 840 litres per second (l/s) but with the potential to expand to 1,956 l/s. The construction of the plant includes maritime works and an underground pipeline with pumping system that will travel more than 160 km towards the mountains.

Seawater will be collected 700 m from the coast and, after the desalination process, the brine will be returned 500 m from the coast, which Codelco says will guarantee a minimal impact on the marine ecosystem. In addition, Codelco’s use of continental water will be reduced by 27%, in an area of ​​water scarcity.

The President of the Codelco board of directors, Máximo Pacheco, affirmed that “in view of the global climate emergency, it is urgent for Chile that large-scale copper mining stop using the 3% of continental water that it requires for its processes, of which Codelco uses approximately half.”

For his part, the General Manager of Aguas Horizonte, Alex Miquel, highlighted that, as Aguas Horizonte, they are proud to have started the construction phase of the project. “Our efforts are focused on carrying out the construction phase from here until the end of 2025 without accidents, and always taking care of the relationship with our neighbours in the Tocopilla commune. We have already taken the first steps by including more than 15 Tocopilla supplier companies and service providers in our value chain, and incorporating the first 25 Tocopilla workers into our workforce. These objectives, together with our commitment to care for the environment, are a fundamental part of our charter of values,” he emphasised.

Arturo Le Blanc, General Manager of Transelec, stressed that, through Aguas Horizonte, “we are developing our company’s first business in the non-electrical sector, which will allow us to diversify our portfolio and participate with more investments in other sectors of the economy , through the construction of linear infrastructure for mining and/or industrial clients.”

Yoshiaki Yokota, CEO of Marubeni Corporation’s Energy & Infrastructure Solution Group, commented: “Having a vision of pioneering ‘green’ business for a sustainable future, we will ensure the successful execution and completion of this important desalination project by making the most of our capacity and global experiences acquired since the mid-1990s, involving plants with a total desalination capacity of 2.5 million cubic metres per day, equivalent to approximately 28,000 litres per second worldwide.”

With a focus on local development, the project, whose construction is expected to start operating in the first quarter of 2026, will employ around 2,700 people at its peak of activity, including its own staff and subcontractors, and priority will be given to the hiring of suppliers and labor of work in the region for its implementation. The working life of the project is almost 30 years.

EACON continues expansion at South Pit, adding 100 hybrid autonomous trucks

Automation, Bulk handling, Coal technology, Equipment maintenance, Mining consumables, Mining equipment, Mining maintenance, Mining safety, Mining services

In November 2020, autonomous open pit haulage technology company EACON Mining began an autonomous driving project in the South Pit of energy company TBEA, a coal mine operated by its Tianchi Energy subsidiary in the northwest of China. The partners embarked on a journey of safe operations that has now surpassed 30 months. Building on a fleet of almost 40 existing trucks, EACON has now announced the upcoming deployment of 100 new hybrid trucks at the mine, marking a significant milestone and expansion.

EACON says it collaborated closely with the OEM to design and build these hybrid vehicles. EACON designed the EEA (Electrical and Electronic Architecture), the specifications for the range-extender, battery and motor systems, and the control strategies of trucks. Compared to conventional fuel vehicles with the same payload capacity, the hybrid vehicles can achieve fuel savings of over 20%.

Since its inception, the South Pit autonomy project has achieved a lot of progress. As of May 2023, the South Pit alone has seen a cumulative autonomous distance travelled of 1.09 million kilometres, EACON Mining says making it the longest accumulated mileage project in China. “We have seamlessly transitioned from single-fleet operations, to six autonomous mining truck fleets since June 2022. The increase in fleet size is still ongoing, and the increase enables stable increases in production capacity.”

The company also mentions diverse operational scenarios. “We have successfully adapted to various mining environments. Our solutions have proven their adaptability and reliability in challenging conditions, enduring extreme heatwaves, freezing winters, and harsh wind and sand environments. Through these rigorous on-site operations in South Pit, our autonomous mining trucks have demonstrated their capability to operate effectively in diverse and demanding scenarios.”

As the client TBEA increases its rated production capacity from 35 Mt/y to 40 Mt/y, EACON is also enhancing its production capacity through vehicle upsizing to meet their growing demands. The existing fleet is also currently undergoing an upgrade from conventional fuel vehicles with a capacity of 70 tons to extended-range hybrid haul trucks with a capacity of 100 tons.

“As we look to the future, EACON remains committed to innovation and efficiency in autonomous mining operations. By the end of July, we will introduce an additional 100 autonomous mining vehicles at the South Pit, marking a groundbreaking milestone of over 100 autonomous trucks deployed in a single mine.”

My Sandvik Onsite leverages data to optimise surface drilling

Automation, Equipment maintenance, Explosives and blasting, IoT, Mining consumables, Mining equipment, Mining maintenance, Mining services, Mining software

Sandvik is introducing a powerful new solution for optimising drill and blast operations called My Sandvik Onsite which it says delivers numerous production management, operational efficiency and maintenance and availability benefits for open pit mines and large quarries.

Built on Sandvik’s OptiMine® technology, the My Sandvik Onsite solution provides and analyses data for drilling optimisation with Sandvik i-series surface drill rigs. The rigs are capable of drilling hole sizes ranging from 64 to 406 mm (2.5 to 16 in) and include Ranger DXi, Pantera DPi and Leopard DI650i, as well as Sandvik DR410i, Sandvik DR412i and Sandvik DR416i rotary blasthole drill rigs.

Designed for customers who need real-time visibility at the shift level and immediate reporting but want to keep or utilise data in their own network, My Sandvik Onsite “transforms data generated by drill rigs into actionable insights for productivity and efficiency improvements.”

“We’re now able to offer this powerful on-premises data solution to our surface drilling customers,” said Tuomo Pirinen, Head of Digital Solutions, Surface Drilling, Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions. “Data can remain in the the mine network on a local server with an optional extension to the cloud.”

“Each surface drilling operation has its own unique priorities and targets for improvement and optimisation,” said Demetre Harris, Product Line Manager, Surface Drilling Automation, Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions. “Whether the main focus is maintenance, productivity or efficiency, our new My Sandvik Onsite solution is the gateway to help any customer achieve their goals. Having production management data, drill plans and equipment health data in the same system eliminates the need to visit multiple portals.”

Production management benefits include the ability to analyse shift performance and monitor fleet operations in real-time to address concerns as they arise. Users can also follow up on drilling targets and identify areas of improvement through deep dives. Wireless drill plan transfer and drill navigation improve hole precision while wireless pattern updates and pattern feedback save time and effort in drilling follow-up. Users can monitor hole quality using as-drilled and measurement-while-drilling (MWD) data and track pattern progress and completion.

My Sandvik Onsite also helps customers improve process and operational efficiency. It visualises bottlenecks and assists in optimising drilling cycles and drilling resources to meet production targets efficiently. The solution analyses work sequences for each hole and monitors time used for drilling and tramming in detail. This enables maximising utilisation and improves performance through detailed tracking and analysis of in-seat operational time against idle time and downtime.

When it comes to maintenance and availability, My Sandvik Onsite helps maximise uptime through equipment monitoring, enabling prompt reaction to deviations and planning of preventive maintenance based on actual data. It provides insights into major onboard component signal data to reduce troubleshooting time. The solution also provides alert reports to help customers identify and address recurring issues and plan ahead for maintenance and spare parts needs.

“Sandvik drills are capable of providing a wealth of data,” Pirinen said. “Our customers can now utilise and display that data to enable a range of improvements. Customers can finally integrate drilling into the rest of the mine operation, as our new solution seamlessly connects with other third-party reporting systems.”

The solution can be integrated with existing systems for planning, production, maintenance and fleet management. Users can complement various ready-made productivity, fleet utilisation, work mode, alert and signal reports with tailored views using My Sandvik Onsite data feeds.

My Sandvik Onsite seamlessly integrates with Sandvik’s AutoMine® Surface Drilling remote operation and autonomy solution and extends the functionality further with in-depth reporting. The solution is also compatible with the cloud-based My Sandvik Productivity offering, providing a telemetry data connection to My Sandvik Productivity dashboards.

Micromine deepens Pitram partnership with NGM after deployment at Goldrush

Automation, Bulk handling, Equipment maintenance, Explosives and blasting, IoT, Mine shafts and equipment, Mineral project development, Mining consumables, Mining equipment, Mining services, Mining software, Precious metals

Micromine has successfully implemented its innovative fleet management system (FMS) and mine control solution, Micromine Pitram, at a new underground mine – Goldrush – part of the world’s largest gold mining complex owned and operated by Nevada Gold Mines (NGM).

For over two decades, the technology suite has been in use at several NGM sites, including Cortez, Goldstrike, and Leeville. The implementation of Micromine Pitram at Goldrush, NGM’s flagship development project, is an important next step in enabling the organisation’s growth ambitions.

Phase 1 of the Micromine Pitram implementation was successfully deployed at the Goldrush operation, consolidating and monitoring production data, including shift and daily production schedules of loaders, trucks, and drill fleets, in addition to improving accuracy on yield forecasting.

As the site’s data backbone, Micromine Pitram also ensures operational teams and regional management have improved insight into shift and production activities to improve productivity and plan accuracy.

Micromine describes Pitram as a market-leading FMS and mine control system deployed to more than 60 of the largest mining operations around the world. “The flexible and easy-to-use platform provides control room operators with a modern suite of tools that includes fleet and mine production monitoring, management of shift planning, materials movement and inventory, and the management of operator qualifications.”

It adds: “By harnessing the power of real-time data, Micromine Pitram also provides teams with increased visibility on live production yields, alleviating the need for manual data collection and reporting by staff from multiple sources.”

“We believe in the power of data-driven decision-making, and we look forward to continuing to evolve with the innovative Nevada Gold Mines team to support their growth ambitions,” said Erich Guevara, Head of Business Unit, Micromine Pitram – Americas. “As a market leader, Micromine Pitram is uniquely positioned to support the rapid decision-making processes critical to large-scale mining operations across the globe. If you don’t have access to real-time information, you don’t have the granularity required to make the best decisions possible on key areas, including shift planning, material inventory management and safety. The implementation of Micromine Pitram at Goldrush is a testament to the platform’s maturity and industry credentials.”

Located in the Elko region, Nevada, the expansive mining complex is the result of the historic joint venture between Barrick Gold Corporation and Newmont Mining Corporation. On an annual basis, the network of ten underground gold mines collectively moves more than 8 million tons of minerals. The Micromine Pitram team will continue to support Nevada Gold Mines and the company says it looks forward to implementing solutions to additional NGM sites in the future as part of their ongoing commitment to innovation and technology.

Epiroc on a boom time for blasthole rig autonomy

Automation, Communications in mining, Equipment maintenance, Explosives and blasting, IoT, Mining consumables, Mining equipment, Mining maintenance, Mining services, Mining software, Steel and iron ore

Epiroc is already the global leader in blasthole drill autonomy with its full autonomous layer for its line of Pit Viper drills, enhanced now also by the Mobius for Drills fleet management, drilling process and value chain optimisation platform. Now it has added to this line up – announcing on June 1 that testing of the new autonomous Epiroc SmartROC D65 MKII surface drill rig with iron ore mining customer Fortescue, in the Pilbara, WA had fulfilled the baseline KPIs on both productivity and efficiency during a year of intensive tests and trials. This was also a world first, no-one has previously achieved automation on a SmartROC D65.

IM Editorial Director Paul Moore caught up with Christopher Blignaut, Automation Manager, Surface division at Epiroc following the announcement to find out more about the journey and the significance of this development.

Christopher Blignaut, Automation Manager, Surface division at Epiroc

The first point of discussion was on the fact this is the first commercial autonomous boom-type blasthole drill, which of course has a very different duty cycle is very different to that of a large mast type blasthole drill. With large mast type drills, there are differences between whether the machine is automated for single row or multi row. But essentially the drills are levelling and de-levelling and going up and down and following the prescribed drill pattern on a large flat bench. A boom-type crawler drill is called upon to do a greater variety of drilling types, occasionally on more uneven ground – including pre-splitting of benches with sometimes a limited working area as well as contour drilling.

So how did Epiroc succeed in making boom type crawler rigs autonomous – was a whole new approach required and what were the challenges? Blignaut: “We have learnt a lot from the autonomous Pit Viper and we managed to bring a lot of that across into the SmartROC D65. And at the end of the day, while the application is different, the individual machine automation components are largely the same as you are still trying to automate what would traditionally be a manual actuation on the machine. But you are right on the application point – the SmartROC D65 is used for production drilling, pre-split drilling and contour drilling. So on this project we started with production drilling as that’s the closest analogue to the Pit Viper autonomous usage. Pre-splitting came next and we have already begun our trials for that. Contour drilling will be later.”

Blignaut added that for pre-split the thought process or the way to approach it technically isn’t that much different. It will be for contour, which may require additional sensors and more data for planning and designing the drill plans as well as the real time information processing to navigate on uneven terrains.

He added that in its testing for production drilling, it has already done some autonomous angled drilling to reflect situations where the hole may have to be angled. So the solution available today can already do that. No additional sensors were required but some new algorithms were developed to allow for it – all part of the full software development for the application: “A lot of the work we have done leading up to the launch of the autonomous SmartROC D65 has been about taking that software layer and really enhancing it in every way working closely together with our partner Fortescue at the trial site. We think we have made the existing algorithms even better – particularly with a drill like the SmartROC D65 you can’t afford to have any inefficiencies in the existing machine functions if you want to consistently achieve the targets set by the mine operations. We sought to keep the total time it is running fully autonomously as high as possible as that is where we get the KPI upsides.”

Many Pit Viper autonomy customers built up to full autonomy through starting with line of sight and through teleremote – with a stepping stone type approach – though today it is more common to go straight to the end game. How does Blignaut see things evolving for the D65? “We still have those phases or steps available as options to allow us to support our full range of customers but our primary goal has been to be able to deliver full autonomy to the Tier 1 miners from the start, so straight away they can plug their SmartROC D65 rigs into their existing fully autonomous Pit Viper fleet. Also we already had the BenchREMOTE and TeleREMOTE available for the SmartROC D65 so this was all about developing the last and missing layer of full autonomy.”

The SmartROC D65 was already quite a smart machine so already had auto rod handling and auto drilling. Auto tramming had to be added but of course this was already being used on the Pit Viper. “For all these functions it has been a question of improving them – as an example with have done a lot of work with AutoDrill in areas like anti-jam and the cleaning process – which have been improved a lot.”

On to performance – in the release Epiroc stated that the autonomous SmartROC D65 proved its greater efficiency versus the manual version thanks to zero idling time during transitions between tramming, positioning and drilling – which provides consistent efficiency in every hole cycle and reduces the total time spent to complete a drill pattern. Then of course you remove the shift changes and downtime associated with that. Blignaut adds: “Beyond that we also see improved performance due to increased consistency in the drill cycle – the metres drilled per operational hour significantly surpassed what was the baseline for manual drills.”

While Fortescue has been the trial partner on the SmartROC D65 project, Blignaut said that almost every major miner that it has partnered on the autonomous Pit Viper has interest in this and then a significant amount of other miners as well. But some other customers will actually take their first step into blasthole autonomy through a SmartROC D65 as in some cases mid-sized miners use these boom-type rigs as their primary drill fleet. In addition, you have a lot of contractors using the SmartROC D65 who also see the need to go autonomous. So there are a lot of different opportunities.

From a machines point of view, with autonomy working on the SmartROC D65, other SmartROC DTH models and other feed modifications will be next. It is just a question of what the next priority model is based on feedback from customers. “The SmartROC D65 was chosen to be first in these drill types because of the sheer mining sector demand for autonomy. Many major mines already had their autonomous Pit Viper platform drills running in some cases for years. Most of these same sites also run SmartROC D65 rigs and are already mature with their autonomous drilling operation.”

What about the autonomous drill operator/controller interface in the operational centres versus what is being used already for autonomous Pit Viper rigs? Will the autonomous SmartROC D65 just get added to that screen? Blignaut: “The aim is eventually of course to have controllers of both drill types use the same screen and we are going to achieve this with our Common Automation Panel or CAP that will be released later in 2023. But for now you will interface with the SmartROC D65 in a similar way but with slightly different hardware. This reflects the fact that the controls on both drill types are different, and the autonomous controller station mirrors the in-cab controls as there are occasions when the controller needs to intervene – perhaps moving the drill from one production bench to another or if there is an autonomous system problem. CAP will see us standardise the controls, which has its challenges but eventually will come the day where the controller shouldn’t have to take over control at all and there are no manual controls in the drill itself either.”

Lastly the command and control system for these autonomous SmartROC D65 drills. Mobius for Drills, developed by ASI Mining (34% Epiroc) is already compatible with the SmartROC D65 and will act as an integrator with the existing Epiroc autonomous layer on Pit Viper drill fleets – and Blignaut said that its importance will only increase once contour drilling is added and the extra variation in operation that brings. It essentially acts as a fleet and traffic management plus optimisation layer. “The goal is that the autonomous drills get on with drilling but that the drill fleet is executing missions controlled by Mobius for Drills which is the primary autonomous drill management interface.” Mobius for Drills will also allow customers to integrate non-Epiroc drill autonomy with Epiroc drills where they have a mixed drill fleet – and these drills could be automated using expertise and technology from RCT Global, now itself part of Epiroc.