Tag Archives: Life-Cycle Services

Metso plays software hand in face of mining market competition, industry challenges

With the mining industry’s growing understanding and openness to the benefits of digitalisation and artificial intelligence (AI), it was only a matter of time before some of the big OEMs ventured further into the software development space. That time is now with Metso having, today, opened a Digital Design and Development Studio in Krakow, Poland, to complement its already wide digitalisation offering.

Many mining companies around the world regularly interact with software carrying the Metso name: think of the ACT/OCS-4D™ platforms for advanced process control, the Geminex™ digital twin and HSC Chemistry for minerals and metals process simulation and optimisation, or the Metrics monitoring service.

The company’s latest software developments will go beyond these legacy solutions, leveraging what it refers to as “leading-edge digital capabilities” to solve some of the industry’s major issues.

Olivier Guyot, Senior Vice President for Minerals Digital at Metso, admits the minerals industry might have “missed the first train” when it comes to developing software that leverages AI and machine learning, but he still sees a major market opportunity for Metso, with customers more prepared to embrace digitalisation.

“We have recently had many customer meetings where we have shared our digital strategy,” he told IM. “It has been clear from these interactions that there is an opportunity for us to make inroads into this market.”

Metso doesn’t have an intention to compete with pure software players in this space. It is also cognisant its customers will not be open to adding another vendor to their already extensive list of digital suppliers without a proven value proposition.

“As a result, what we are focused on when it comes to software development, user experience design, data and AI is related to our expertise – equipment, services, process and materials technology, etc – and how to embed and integrate it seamlessly into an already mature plant ecosystem,” Guyot added.

“We really see digital as a complement to our core competencies, rather than something separate.”

When broken down, the rationale for Metso dipping its toe into the software development space now makes sense.

Guyot explains: “I feel we also need to go back to basics: start off with the right level of automation, sensors and analysers at site – these are the data generators. Without the optimisation of these hardware elements, the data coming back will not be accurate enough to produce valuable digital insights and analytics. This is the information that AI and machine-learning algorithms require.

“Without the right quality of data and the right domain knowledge, the outcome of these AI solutions might not be directly usable. We feel we have that domain knowledge, providing a legitimate claim to come and deploy our expertise digitally in many forms for our customers.”

The growing number of digital experts working in the Krakow office – currently estimated to be around 50 – can build these software solutions with knowledge of the underlying hardware in mind. This knowledge will come from interactions and collaborations with product and service experts, personnel at Metso Performance Centers across the globe, and more.

Geminex
Metso’s Geminex uses “first-principle” dynamic process and equipment models for calibrated performance to help provide an ‘accurate’ digital twin for existing operations

The brief for these digital designers is to focus on three key areas:

  • Equipment performance to provide digitally-enhanced Life Cycle Services (LCS), remote condition monitoring and prescriptive maintenance;
  • The process performance digital portfolio to optimise customers’ ore-to-metal operations for efficiency and sustainability; and
  • Business enablement to enhance customer experience and improve employees’ productivity within a data-driven, AI-augmented environment.

“To support these three priorities, we need to continuously develop our digital capabilities and that is what we are doing in Krakow to complement our existing capabilities,” Markku Teräsvasara, President Minerals & Deputy CEO at Metso, told IM.

Of course, the investment in this studio also reflects the industry’s continued requirement to address a growing labour and skills shortage, as well as the expected need to produce more metals for the electrification transition.

“If the industry is to produce more metals in a more sustainable and safe manner, digital solutions will be needed,” Teräsvasara added.

There is clearly an opportunity for Metso to leverage software as a market differentiator, but the move also reflects a growing sense of responsibility to in-source more of the digital supply chain.

Guyot explained: “Cyber security is not something we can delegate to anyone when it comes to servicing customers – especially with more of the information being on cloud-based platforms now.

“The Krakow Studio will allow us to responsibly develop this software hand in hand with cyber security in mind.”

And Guyot and Teräsvasara say this software development responsibility goes beyond just the Metso equipment portfolio, with customers able to also use this new software on all their equipment, irrespective of the supplier.

“Our software will be available to ourselves and our customers,” Teräsvasara said. “We will help our customers with all their equipment and performance issues, as we do with some existing LCS contracts.”

With the investment in this new Digital Design and Development studio, Metso is putting another marker down that could have positive ramifications for its customers and the wider mineral processing sector.

Metso addressing supply chain issues, equipment availability for major North America miner

Metso says it has signed a five-year Metso Owned Inventory Life Cycle Services (LCS) agreement with a major mining company in North America covering key equipment technologies across various sites.

Through collaborative planning between Metso and the customer, the agreement will enable consistency, transparency and ease of doing business, the OEM says.

The contract is one of the largest LCS orders received by Metso, being of significant value, it says. It is intended to help the customer to identify the right parts needed for the equipment and will significantly improve parts availability resulting in higher equipment availability and reliability. Furthermore, the contract will ensure dynamic replenishment of inventory and mitigate risks from sourcing visibility and potential supply chain volatility, Metso says.

Giuseppe Campanelli, President, the North and Central America market area, said: “We are very pleased that our key customer trusts Metso to ensure reliable and efficient production. Metso’s own and managed inventory service concept will ensure that the customer will always have the needed parts available for example during a shutdown.”

Metso has hundreds of LCS contracts around the world that have been tailored to combine Metso Owned Inventory with other expert services. Metso Owned Inventory is designed to meet some of the most common challenges customers have with their inventory, Metso explains.

Metso builds out Ma’aden relationship with Mansourah & Massarah LCS contract

Metso says it has signed a two-year Life Cycle Services (LCS) contract with Ma’aden’s Base Metals and New Minerals company’s new gold processing plant at the Mansourah & Massarah site in Saudi Arabia.

Metso will support the customer in commissioning, ramping up and optimising the new greenfield site, covering both maintenance and plant operations, it says. Other elements of the agreement are field services and recommendations for wear and spare parts management, and advisory and training services.

The agreement demonstrates Metso’s service expertise, and it is an important continuation of the greenfield mineral concentrator and gold processing plant agreement signed in 2019, it said. This contract, related to Outotec at the time, saw a consortium of Outotec and Larsen & Toubro awarded with an engineering, procurement and construction contract to build a greenfield mineral concentrator and gold processing plant in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The Mansourah & Massarah operation has been built in the Central Arabian gold region, with the processing plant capable of up to 4 Mt/y throughput. The concentrator and the gold processing plant has been designed to produce an average of 250,000 oz/y of gold over the life of mine.

The customer has the option to extend the contract by one year.

Kamal Pahuja, President Middle East and India market area, Metso, said: “We are very delighted with the customer’s continued trust in Metso. By choosing Metso’s Life Cycle Services contract, Ma’aden will receive comprehensive and top-notch service solutions as well as on-site technical expertise and support. We are committed to safety and sustainability objectives and will work with and support the customer in achieving their operational objectives. We are also committed to strengthening our service capabilities in the region to serve the growing customer base.”

Duncan Bradford, Executive Vice-President, Ma’aden Base Metals and Minerals BU, said: “Our aim is to lift the productivity of the new plant to the target level, strengthen the skills of our Saudi employees, and achieve our production and safety targets. The new plant will use three different methods of gold processing, including the first autoclave in Saudi Arabia; this requires a lot of know-how and proactive planning for trouble-free operation and maximum productivity. Metso already has a comprehensive range of key equipment for the plant flowsheet, and we will be able to benefit from Metso’s technological and service expertise.”

Metso Outotec to maintain 10 HIGmills for Asia Pacific miner as part of LCS agreement

Metso Outotec says it has signed a three-year Life Cycle Services (LCS) contract for the service of 10 Metso Outotec-supplied HIGmill™ fine grinding units to a mining customer in Asia Pacific.

The purpose of this agreement is to maximise production and increase uptime by improving the performance of the wear parts using Metso Outotec’s proprietary technology, services and technical expertise. Metso Outotec will provide spares and wears for the HIGmills. Other elements of the agreement are process optimisation, repair services, as well as a service exchange program for spare and wear parts management.

The contract is a performance-based service agreement, and it is one of the largest Life Cycle Services orders received by Metso Outotec.

The Metso Outotec HIGmill is an advanced and energy-efficient fine and ultra-fine grinding solution that relies on proven technology, according to the OEM.

Sami Takaluoma, President, Services business area, Metso Outotec, said: “We are extremely glad that our customer shows this confidence and appreciation in our expertise and end-to-end knowledge in sustainable fine grinding solutions and services. Metso Outotec is continuously developing its service capabilities for the customer’s benefit. The latest investment in the Asia Pacific area is our Karratha, Western Australia, facility which will be our biggest service centre globally. The centre will be operational during the fourth (December) quarter of 2023, and it further strengthens Metso Outotec’s presence in the region.”

Metso Outotec says it offers a wide portfolio of stirred mill technologies and supporting services for fine and ultrafine grinding in secondary, tertiary and regrind applications. The stirred mill portfolio includes the Vertimill®, the Metso Outotec HIGmill grinding mill, and the SMD Stirred Media Detritor.

Platinum producer targets improved filter life with Metso Outotec preventative maintenance contract

Metso Outotec says it has signed a three-year Life Cycle Services (LCS) contract with one of the biggest platinum producers in the world, aiming to provide a preventative maintenance solution that will improve machine life.

With LCS, the customer’s critical assets will achieve enhanced availability and higher production, according to Metso Outotec, adding that the performance-based agreement provides, among all, a Reliability Centered Maintenance application that focuses on preventive maintenance.

The value of the order is approximately €16 million ($15.9 million) and it covers 12 filters across five customer sites.

Vivian Pillay, Director, Global Key Account Management in Metso Outotec, said: “We are very pleased to have been chosen as the key supplier of filter services for our customer’s sites. Our service approach will improve the safety, overall filter reliability and performance in line with customer’s throughput targets.”

Metso Outotec’s LCS offering covers the entire after-market portfolio, including process support and optimisation, sustainable wears, spares, and service solutions. Core service elements in the LCS packages for filters are spare parts, repairs, maintenance, reliability, connected equipment and process optimization.

The company says it has the most comprehensive filtration portfolio on the market with 15 different filter types available for hundreds of applications. It has performed over 14,000 filtration tests and has delivered over 5,000 filters around the world.

Metso Outotec integrates filtration expertise into new Larox FFP3716 Filter Plant Unit

Metso Outotec says it is launching a comprehensive Filtration Plant Units offering to maximise operational reliability in different types of dewatering applications where superior process performance combined with energy and water efficiency is required.

The offering consists of three major plant units around Metso Outotec’s Larox® PF and Larox® FFP, and Metso Outotec CC filter technologies, all designed for the dewatering of concentrates and tailings.

The latest addition to the offering is the Larox FFP3716 Filter Plant Unit, which represents the most advanced technology for the safe high volume processing of tailings, according to the company.

All Metso Outotec Filtration Plant Units are scalable and come as complete customisable solutions to meet even the most stringent customer requirements, the company explained.

Toni Kuisma, Product Manager, Filtration Plant Units at Metso Outotec, said: “We have been supporting our customers with filtration solutions for almost 100 years. Today, our selection of filtration technologies is the largest in the field, and their energy, emission and water efficiency is in a league of its own. The Filtration Plant Units combine all this knowledge to provide our customers with unrivalled dewatering performance.”

He continued: “We have also optimised the engineering and delivery process. The new plant unit concept provides the fastest time-to-volume for our customers. Special attention has also been paid to the units’ maintainability through, for example, advanced digitalisation. Their high level of automation enables easy optimisation and remote support.”

These units, which consist of advanced filters, screens, filter feed tanks, slurry pumps and conveyors, are pre-engineered for faster project execution. They are also coupled with process control system and various ancillary products and expert services, supported by the Metso Outotec Dewatering Technology Center (DTC) in Lappeenranta, Finland.

The integrated service offering provided by the company’s global network ranges from filter inspection and dewatering optimisation to spares and wears and remote support and Life Cycle Services.

Metso Outotec Life Cycle Services contracts continue to build in 2021

Metso Outotec says it has experienced substantial growth in its Life Cycle Services (LCS) business by capturing more than 100 new customer agreements during 2021.

The customer base for the new agreements covers global and regional mining companies and large as well as mid-size quarries and aggregates contractors.

An LCS agreement is typically signed for a 12-month period but can also cover multiple years of cooperation, according to the OEM.

The company explained: “Through its deep knowledge of the entire customer process and offering – from equipment to a broad range of services – and supported by digitalisation, Metso Outotec can help customers exceed their performance targets. The Life Cycle Services offering covers the entire aftermarket portfolio, including process support and optimisation, sustainable wears, spares and service solutions.”

Metso Outotec, which has been offering LCS for over 10 years, says it supports customers in ensuring safety and environmental performance, improving reliability and production performance to achieve higher production and resource efficiency, as well as optimising total cost of ownership.

Annami Toukoniitty, Head of Integrated Services Solutions, Metso Outotec, said: “Our customers are increasingly interested in getting the most out of their valuable assets. The agreements are customisable to meet each customer’s unique needs. We are continuously expanding the LCS offering to new technologies; the latest launch was four progressive LCS programs for filtration, and we will soon introduce new technology-specific packages for mining customers.”

The total value of the orders is not disclosed, yet about 90% of the orders are booked to the Minerals segment and 10% to the Aggregates segment. Some of the agreements are performance-based, in which Metso Outotec gets paid according to the output of the customer’s process.

Currently, Metso Outotec has more than 500 long-term service agreements for mining and aggregates customers globally.

Metso Outotec and Boliden renew service contract for Aitik copper mine

Metso Outotec and Boliden have signed an extension of their service contract for Boliden’s Aitik copper mine in Gällivare, northern Sweden.

The “3+2-year extension” of the Life-Cycle Services agreement covers the supply of mill lining, chute lining solutions, preventive maintenance of the grinding circuit and recycling of used wear parts, the mining OEM said. The first part of the contract has been booked in Metso Outotec’s orders received in the September quarter of 2020.

The contract is a performance-based cost-per-tonne agreement, in which Metso Outotec gets paid according to the output of the customer’s process. The goal is to ensure the availability of the grinding circuit and to maximise valuable production time, striving for a common goal that benefits both parties, the company said.

Metso Outotec and Boliden have cooperated since the 1960s. Throughout the decades, the collaboration has evolved to meet new emerging needs, while continuing to improve uptime and annual production, Metso Outotec said.

“Safety is Boliden’s top priority and enhancing it is also embedded in the scope of the new contract,” the OEM said. “Metso Outotec will provide solutions that simultaneously cut maintenance time and increase the wear life of parts even further.”

The new contract also focuses more on the management of worn wear parts, with Metso Outotec developing capabilities to recycle and dispose of them more sustainably. The AG mills in Aitik will continue to use Metso Outotec’s innovative Megaliner™ mill lining.

Megaliner helps to maximise the availability of large mills by using an innovative design that speeds up liner replacement. The larger-than-average liners mean fewer individual pieces are needed. Megaliner also has fewer attachment points compared with conventional liners, further improving installation and removal time, Metso Outotec says. It also improves worker safety during maintenance as the liners are bolted into position from outside the mill.

The pebble mills and two regrind mills at Aitik will be lined with rubber and Poly-Met mill linings, Metso Outotec said.

Aitik is one of the largest copper mines in Europe. In 2019, the mine produced close to 41,000 t of copper, employing nearly 800 people.