Tag Archives: mine training

RCT helps train up Northern Star and Gold Fields apprentices

RCT says it is working with Gold Fields and Northern Star Resources to provide hands-on training opportunities to apprentices in Western Australia’s Goldfields.

This month, RCT’s Kalgoorlie, Western Australia, branch hosted Gold Fields apprentice Auto Electrician, Michael Schoeppner (pictured on the right), who carried out repair and maintenance work on remotely-operated mining equipment under the guidance of RCT’s experienced workshop staff.

Gold Fields Executive Vice President Australasia, Stuart Mathews, said: “Gold Fields is committed to team development, and we are delighted our apprentices have the opportunity to work with our business partners to receive valuable training, mentoring and experience.”

Following his training experience, Schoeppner will be able to apply his new skills to benefit Gold Fields’ projects in the region, where there is a continued emphasis on the use of remote technologies to improve safety and productivity in its mines, RCT said.

RCT also has a similar arrangement with Northern Star Resources, which saw apprentice Ben Ashby mentored by the company’s bench repair technicians at the Kalgoorlie branch earlier this month.

Ashby’s experience centred on unit repairs and diagnosis with particular focus on repairing remote interfaces and elements of RCT’s ControlMaster® Teleremote and Guidance products.

Northern Star Resources Maintenance Manager, Aaron Armstrong, said: “RCT has a wealth of in-house skills related to mobile plant equipment and electrical systems in the mining sector and we are happy they will share their knowledge with our tradespeople.”

RCT Kalgoorlie Branch Manager, Rick Radcliffe, said: “These training opportunities enable staff from both companies to familiarise themselves with each other’s procedures and technical knowledge providing a strong base for future working relationships.”

ROI dictating technology investment decisions, Immersive Technologies says

Quantifiable return on investment (ROI) is the top factor impacting mining customer experience and technology investment decisions, according to a recent Immersive Technologies survey.

The simulator specialist surveyed over 100 senior mining professionals across Australia, Africa, Europe, Asia, North America and South America to determine which variables drive a positive experience for miners in the introduction of new technologies. These findings coincide with the release of a new Real Results catalogue (RRC) showing in-depth details demonstrating the company’s training approach.

Bryant Mullaney, VP of Managed Services and Consulting at Immersive, said: “The analysis shows us that quantified ROI is a critical aspect impacting not only original purchase decisions, but long-term satisfaction. These findings highlight the need for suppliers to focus in on what the mining customer really wants, which is long term ROI.”

The research suggested that buyer due diligence is becoming increasingly important.

“In a world where any supplier can make claims of ROI it becomes even more critical that buyers ask for submissions of proof or road test suppliers in a limited capacity before making a larger commitment,” Immersive said. “Failure to properly assess supplier claims can result in missed expectations and a high level of project risk.”

The Immersive Technologies RRC documents customers challenges that led them to seek simulation-based training solutions, solutions they used to address their specific challenge and results they reported with in-field data sources.

Almost in response to these survey results, Immersive provided examples where simulator training programmes had alleviated previous issues at mine sites.

In terms of improving reliability and cost control, the company referred to an example from a US mine that needed to improve machine availability and reduce unscheduled downtime.

It was found abusive shifts, body-ups, over speeds, brake temperatures and overloading were causing the majority of premature failures in this example. A targeted training programme identified, isolated and removed risks to machine health, according to Immersive, reducing abusive shifts by 61% and cutting body up and brake temperatures by 53% and 75%, respectively.

And, when it came to results in cost per tonne, a recent experience from a Mexico mine where a customer was looking for tools to reduce unscheduled maintenance and machine damage costs by operators, the company’s simulators also came to the rescue.

The project initially focused on experienced underground LHD operators, with the mine site steering committee setting goals to reduce maintenance costs and increase productivity.

“After the training was delivered in the simulator, trainers spent time in the field to confirm and reinforce the best practices learned on the simulator,” Immersive said. “Analysis of simulator results against real world data at the end of the three-month period showed dramatic improvements were achieved,” adding that upon completion of the project, the training initiative decreased the site’s cost per tonne by 7.53%.

Mullaney said: “We know sharing these results can be a helpful tool to other sites who face similar challenges and are looking for solutions to address them. We are the only mining operator workforce development provider who can back up our claim with an extensive catalogue of real result case studies spanning the last 10 years.”

Roy Hill receives training plaudits at Western Australia awards ceremony

Roy Hill Holdings has been named the Western Australia Employer of the Year at a gala ceremony for the WA Training Awards.

The awards are presented by the Department for Training and Workforce Development, to recognise the outstanding achievement of apprentices, trainees, vocational students and the contribution to training made by trainers, training organisations and employers.

Roy Hill’s acknowledgement as WA Employer of the Year 2018 is in recognition of achieving excellence providing nationally recognised training to its employees, the company said. In addition, this year Tarra Ninyette was also named a finalist in the Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Student of the Year.

Roy Hill CEO Barry Fitzgerald said the award was especially significant given the company is still young and evolving.

“Since Roy Hill’s inception in 2012, we’ve held a passionate belief that by helping our people to continually learn and develop, they can reach their full potential – and we all succeed. We are absolutely committed to the training and development of our people, aligned with our values of Lead, Care, Think and Perform,” he said.

“This year, we have developed and implemented a large number of training and development initiatives for our employees. As Roy Hill accepts this award, we have more than 800 people actively engaged in training programmes, complementing more than 300 staff who have successfully completed an accredited training course in the last two years.

Fitzgerald said Roy Hill allocates additional training days for its site-based operators and trades personnel for their personal development, enabling the development of additional skills for alternative career paths.

“We are also committed to providing people without mining experience, but the right values, attitudes and behaviours with opportunities in the industry, through a willingness to train and develop these people hands on,” he said.

“Our training and development initiatives also extend into the broader community, with the establishment of a curriculum based, learning experience where Year Eight students participate in a hands-on visit to our Remote Operations Centre. This initiative is focused on highlighting both the educational and diverse career opportunities in the mining industry with a focus on science, technology, engineering and maths courses, and opportunities for girls.

Fitzgerald concluded the win demonstrated the company’s commitment to a career enrichment programme of upskilling, providing development and career progression opportunities is not only working, but achieving award winning standards.

Roy Hill operates a 55 Mt/y iron ore operation in the Pilbara of Western Australia.