SRK Consulting has announced a new partnership with Mine Tech Services (UK) Limited (MTS), a leading specialist in mining technology.

MTS is a team of world-class experts that provides consulting, training and specialised software development for continuous improvement in mining operations and asset health, SRK says. Its mission is to help clients better use their fleet management systems, turn their data into actionable information, deliver new insights and effectively manage what matters.

By joining forces, SRK says it and MTS will provide clients with unparalleled insights into their data, allowing them to radically improve the efficiency of their mining operations. This includes helping mines to:

• Understand the root causes of inefficiencies through collecting and analysing data – then provide practical recommendations and supporting tools to enable the mine site team to implement solutions;
• Review the effectiveness of operational policies, such as shift changes, as well as road design and management protocols, and then help mine sites develop more refined solutions;
• Reduce fuel burn and CO2 emissions through highlighting underperforming trucks, high consumption road segments and operator performance inconsistencies;
• Measure the effectiveness of mine-to-mill programs by monitoring the transportation of ore from the face through to the mill, as well as the impact of blasting on digging efficiency; and
• Have confidence to forecast productivity improvements through modelling of opportunities.

SRK says it has a proud tradition of investing in emerging technologies.

Accordingly, SRK has co-invested in the development of Haul Road Explorer (HRE), a data visualisation software that leverages existing hardware and systems. A powerful feature of HRE is its ability to record the on-board health and link this to the geographic location as this can be used to show safety regulators that the proposed policies are robust, the company says. Another distinctive feature of HRE is its ability to merge data from multiple complementary sources to enable rapid, repeatable and more detailed diagnostics. The software processes vast volumes of data and presents it simply and clearly, giving decision makers the information they need to act swiftly and effectively.

Past SRK technology initiatives include forming Gemcom (now part of Geovia GEMS) and co-investing in Leapfrog to develop implicit modelling techniques. More recent initiatives include development of EasyMine to expedite field logging, EasyMineXR for collecting and visualising geological data, and several software programs for open pit berm-bench design and mine ventilation modelling.