Tag Archives: mining software

FQM Çayeli Bakir boosts productivity with introduction of Micromine Pitram

Base metals, Mine operation news, Mining services, Mining software, , , , , , ,

Micromine says the unification of Çayeli Bakir’s mine control and fleet management processes, with the recent implementation of the Micromine Pitram fleet management system (FMS), has resulted in a significant productivity increase.

Located on the Black Sea coast in Türkiye, Çayeli Bakir is a significant copper and zinc mine operated by First Quantum Minerals.

Facing rising operational costs and the complexities of operating multiple ore bodies, Çayeli Bakir implemented Micromine Pitram to unify its mine control and fleet management under one powerful solution.

Since deploying Micromine Pitram, Çayeli Bakir has doubled its target-hitting activities and achieved an average productivity increase of 18%, according to Micromine, with Pitram’s data visualisation and equipment tracking capabilities allowing Çayeli Bakir to optimise its operations with real-time insights.

This unified approach to mine control has enabled more effective decision making and efficient allocation of resources, helping to reduce costs while improving overall safety and productivity, the provider added.

“Micromine Pitram’s real-time monitoring capabilities have transformed our approach to mining,” Çayeli Bakir’s Cost Control & Design Engineer, Sevda Kartoğlu, says. “With Pitram, we can track our assets and personnel, make data-driven decisions and adjust our operations on the go. This ability to optimise our resources on such a scale has been invaluable to our team.”

Integration with ERP systems further enhances Çayeli Bakir’s ability to convert data into actionable insights, supporting the mine’s broader business intelligence goals, according to Micromine.

Specific gains include an 8% increase in production tonnes, a 39% boost in development and a 26% rise in rock bolting. Additionally, the mobile app Pitram Connect allows supervisors to monitor operations remotely, providing on-demand data access and improving response times to any potential disruptions.

Micromine’s Business Development Manager, Credo Unamaca, said: “The ongoing success of Micromine Pitram at Cayeli Bakir demonstrates the impact that digital transformation can have on
mining operations. We are proud to support Çayeli Bakir in achieving its productivity and efficiency goals, showcasing the capabilities of Micromine Pitram as a leader in mine control solutions.”

Leapfrog continues to evolve to tackle increasingly complex mining projects

Mining services, Mining software, , , , ,

Seequent, The Bentley Subsurface Company, has unveiled what it says is a considerable update to its industry-leading 3D earth modelling and analysis tool Leapfrog.

The new functionality enhances core tools and workflows to improve productivity and help solve a range of geoscience challenges in mining projects, including resource estimation, mine planning, and exploration targeting.

Highlights for Leapfrog Geo include:

  • Ability to run multiple instances of Leapfrog on a single machine for project multi-tasking;
  • Visualisation of downhole survey data to aid drilling analysis;
  • Attributed mapping data to create better models more quickly; and
  • A re-blocking tool to easily produce regular block models for mine planning optimisation.

In the 2024.1 release, resource estimation tool Leapfrog Edge also benefits from various performance improvements and the ability to work with more complex deposits.

Rachel Murtagh, Product Manager, Geology, Geostatistics and Data Science, Seequent, says: “The industries we serve are solving critical challenges under increasingly tighter economic and ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) conditions. Our goal is to help our customers focus as much of their time as possible on the geoscience. The latest update of Leapfrog emphasises enhanced productivity, investment in core functionality and puts in place key capabilities to enable an evolving future.”

Leapfrog’s continued customer-led evolution resonates with users and is demonstrated in the number of models created with our software, according to Murtagh.

In 2023, Leapfrog users created nearly 200,000 new geological models, providing crucial subsurface insights for mining, civil, energy and environmental projects.

Murtagh added: “We spend a lot of time listening to customers about what they need to succeed, and we iteratively work through a discover-design-build-test loop with expert and early user groups. This ensures we capture the feel and function that works best of our customers allowing them to master new workflows quickly and become experts in dynamic modelling so they can better understand the subsurface and its resources.

“Leapfrog 2024.1 is a strong release that strengthens and broadens key capabilities of Leapfrog and significantly enhances the users’ experience.”

3D subsurface modelling software Leapfrog Geo for mining and exploration projects allows users to build and refine models fast, the company says.

Murtagh added: “Seequent pioneered implicit modelling in geology with Leapfrog, and we’re still leading the way. Its user-centric, intuitive, well-designed interface and dynamically linked workflows hugely simplify the updating of models with new data. So, we are continuing to build on what’s made Leapfrog so successful.”

Leapfrog 2024.1 release updates boost 3D modelling, interoperability and visualisation capabilities:

  • Users can now run multiple instances of Leapfrog on a single machine, while utilising a single seat. This allows users to work faster, working on one project while another one runs simultaneously;
  • Drilling improvements deliver new visualisation and access to survey data. The visualisation of downhole survey data provides additional insights and validation of drill hole orientation to aid drilling data analysis. Features to evaluate and sub-set by geology, drilling orientation, drilling type, hole diameter and more are also enabled. Other drilling improvements focus on saving time when modelling resource grade or contaminants, flexible tools to execute complete workflows, and gaining more comprehensive context for data in the 3D context alongside other geological information;
  • Improvements to geological modelling with new flexibility for inputs help users create better informed models quicker by supporting attribution of mapped data, improve insights into the data points influencing the model surfaces with updates to mesh surface values, and provide better control over vein surfaces when modelling; and
  • Leapfrog Geo is now interoperable with OpenGround, a cloud-connected geotechnical data management and reporting tool, to streamline ground investigations.

Updates for resource estimation tool, Leapfrog Edge, focus on improved overall performance for estimating resources in situ, including tonnage, grade and metal. They include:

  • Functionality advancements help users work with more complex estimates and better understand their resources. These advancements include enhanced parameter table editing, new change log tracking, upgraded declustering, and improved overall performance; and
  • Regular model outputs from sub-block models can now be produced from Leapfrog Edge, an extension of Leapfrog Geo and readily shared with engineering and mine planning teams to streamline mine planning.

Rob Ferguson, Director of Mineral Exploration at Seequent, says: “Resource estimation is a critical process in the mining industry, providing the foundation for understanding both potential and risks of a proposed project. Trusted estimates and reporting are essential for companies investing, planning and executing mining operations.”

Murtagh adds Leapfrog Edge is fantastically visual and being dynamically linked with Leapfrog Geo estimates are fully integrated with 3D geological models: “Edge combined with Leapfrog Geo delivers a powerful integrated solution for mineral resource estimation and management, but importantly, they deliver a set of tools that aren’t complicated to use.”

With an eye to the future, the Leapfrog 2024.1 release also includes technologies to improve interoperability between desktop and cloud products, which, in the future, will unlock hybrid workflow opportunities through the new geoscience data platform being built by Seequent.

Micromine opens access to advanced cloud-native data management platform

Automation, Mining software, , ,

Micromine has announced that the full versions of its advanced cloud-native data management platform, Micromine Nexus, is now available at no cost to all Micromine customers.

This strategic decision underscores Micromine’s commitment to driving the next generation of mining efficiency by providing unfettered access to advanced data management tools, thereby empowering mining teams to achieve superior outcomes through enhanced collaboration and data integration across the exploration and mining value chain, it said.

“Mining data is not just information; it’s a critical asset that drives the success of exploration and mining operations,” Kiril Alampieski, Micromine’s Product Strategy Manager – Platform, said. “By including Micromine Nexus as a value-added offering for all Micromine clients, we are ensuring that every customer has access to the tools they need to manage their data effectively and efficiently.

“This move sets a new industry standard for data accessibility and reliability, underscoring our commitment to the industry and to making reliable, accessible data management a standard, not a luxury.”

Micromine says it is committed to partnering with industry to deliver the next mining efficiency revolution by connecting teams, technology, and data to enable improved outcomes through informed, timely decision making.

“By offering Micromine Nexus at no cost, the company is making a bold statement: reliable, accessible and efficient data management, and collaboration should be standard industry practice.”

Main image for SFA Feb 2022

FEATURE ARTICLE: Mining Software

Spotlight Feature Article,

This month’s Spotlight Feature Article on mining software delves into the possibilities of creating a continuous and automated feedback loop to optimise mining operations, as well as the latest solutions looking to tackle the industry’s challenges. Within this we hear from acQuire’s CEO, Alison Atkins, on how the company is providing strategic software so when the right information is available to the right people, businesses can make confident decisions around certain ESG issues.

Datamine gains FIFO rostering market share with PeopleTray buy

Mining mergers and acquisitions, Mining software, Uncategorised, , , ,

Datamine has announced the strategic acquisition of PeopleTray, a Western Australia-based company providing mining production and workforce management solutions to mining operations across Australia.

PeopleTray’s flagship Workforce Management Solution provides a complete integrated system for staff rosters, mining camps, health and safety and compliance, according to Datamine. In addition, the MPX Mine Production solution helps engineers and geologists record, analyse and report on production physicals.

Dylan Webb, CEO of Datamine, said: “PeopleTray provides quality solutions that are complementary to Datamine’s comprehensive suite of offerings across the mining value chain. We look forward to supporting the long-term growth of the business through access to capital, international networks and sharing of best practices, and welcome the PeopleTray staff and customers to the Datamine family.”

Tony Hampton, CEO of PeopleTray, added: “We are excited about the opportunities for our customers and our people by joining Datamine. This initiative will help us accelerate our product development and business growth, resulting in new innovations and services to help our customers achieve their goals.”

PeopleTray customers, Datamine says, will benefit from Datamine’s global infrastructure and resources, including deep expertise in R&D and scalable customer support in local languages through 29 global offices. PeopleTray’s focus is FIFO rostering, mining camp management, mine production reporting, training, onboarding, health and safety, supplier management and compliance, it says.

Canary Systems launches new MLWeb3 software platform

Mining services, Mining software, ,

Canary Systems Inc., a leader in web-based data visualisation and geotechnical monitoring solutions, has announced the release of its MLWeb3 software platform, including a host of updated features and enhancements that, it says, will redefine how companies harness the power of data collection, integration and analysis.

MLSuite® is, according to Canary, a vendor-independent platform able to seamlessly connect all the links of a monitoring project (instrumentation, dataloggers, third-party databases and telemetry) in a single interface. This approach opens powerful possibilities for cross-referencing any type of data, for alarming and notifications based on real-world complexity, for forecasting and recognising trends, as well as for effective reporting and risk management.

With the release of MLWeb3, users can expect a transformative experience, thanks to a suite of improvements that elevate the capabilities of the platform, the company says.

New GIS, 3D and charting engine
MLWeb3 offers a powerful GIS and 3D engine, providing users with spatial data visualisation capabilities, Canary says. Users are able to explore data like never before, with immersive 3D visualisations and enhanced geographical insights. In addition, the MLWeb3 charting engine has been completely reimagined, offering users more dynamic and interactive charting options. This allows users to present data in compelling, informative ways to make informed decisions.

Intuitive user experience: the “smart” user interface
MLWeb3 introduces a “smart” user interface that adapts to user needs, streamlining workflows and making data analysis more intuitive and efficient.

Powerful global search
MLWeb3, Canary says, now features a powerful global search function that helps users quickly locate and access the data they need, saving time and boosting productivity.

Redesigned data storage & performance improvements
MLWeb3’s data storage has been redesigned for enhanced efficiency and security, ensuring valuable data is in safe hands. Furthermore, substantial performance enhancements have been made to ensure that MLWeb3 operates seamlessly even with large datasets, enabling faster data analysis.

Deep linking & browser tab support
With deep linking and browser tabs support, users can easily navigate between different views and data sets, simplifying the data exploration process, Canary says.

Commit Works looks to streamline cross-department comms, collaboration with CiteOps 25.0

Communications in mining, IoT, Mining services, Mining software, , ,

Commit Works has unveiled CiteOps 25.0, a pivotal advancement in cloud-driven operations planning & execution software tailored for the mining industry, the company says.

CiteOps 25.0 redefines both front-end and back-end application services, according to the company, ushering in a new era of operational efficiency and collaboration.

Shaun MacRae – Head of Product, says: “CiteOps 25.0 represents a significant step forward in meeting the evolving needs of the mining sector. Our platform’s seamless scaling empowers mining operations of all sizes, facilitating improved collaboration and optimised processes.”

With a fully containerised product operating seamlessly across Windows and Unix server operating systems, CiteOps 25.0 now offers cloud-native application hosting services. MacRae says this new infrastructure empowers its clients to harness the benefits of cloud computing and Industry 4.0 practices, “enabling operational excellence at an unprecedented scale”.

He said: “The addition of enhanced shadow tasks further solidifies CiteOps 25.0’s transformative impact. We’re excited to introduce features that will streamline communication and collaboration across operational teams and departments.”

With this release, Commit Works says it reaffirms its position as a leader in cloud-enabled mining operations software.

Talisman’s ProdMate evolving from its big data roots

Automation, Communications in mining, IoT, Mining safety, Mining services, Mining software, , , , , , , , , ,

“The wider mining industry might have been talking about the concept of ‘big data’ for less than 10-12 years, but it’s been on our agenda since 1988,” Chris Wilkinson, ProdMate Chief Executive Office, tells IM.

“We were the first to apply flash memory in a non-military application, at the time buying 156 kb flash drives to record data coming off continuous miners.

“We were pioneers of ‘mining’ data for improving operational performance.”

Wilkinson and his team, now within Talisman Partners under the Talisman Technical subsidiary that acquired ProdMate in early 2022, have come a long way in the 35 years since it started in the data and process improvement realm.

The company has expanded from analysis of continuous miner operation in coal mines into developing a four pillar-strong ProdMate integrated production management platform that has applications across all types of operating mines.

These make for a holistic, equipment- and mining method-agnostic platform that, when used in tandem and with an adequate change management process in place, can increase production by up to 40% within six months, according to the company.

ProdMate found its feet in the South African coal market in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Then, around 1999, a large international mining corporation came to the company looking to apply the system and change management at one of its mines in South Africa.

“They initially saw a 44% increase in production in the first year and continued driving process improvement and KPI analysis over a further three years to achieve an 80% production improvement and world-class productivity,” Wilkinson said of this mine-site installation.

Such results – with a high-profile client – put ProdMate on the map in South Africa, with around 85% of the domestic coal market eventually taking up its use.

The step-up in performance at numerous mines was also a reflection of ProdMate’s ongoing evolution, according to Wilkinson, moving from a hardware and software company to one focused on powerful software that could be applied on all equipment and mining methods, regardless of vendor.

“We soon realised that it didn’t matter how many sensors on the equipment you had feeding you data, you still needed humans to tell you things about the mining environment to provide that required operational context,” he said.

This led to the development of mobile device software to report, in real time, what the machines were doing. This has since become the ProdNote mobile device software that makes up one of the four modules within ProdMate.

A planning board followed soon after, providing an alternative to the Excel-based reporting that miners had been using. This Excel alternative creates a digital shift plan and targets that all team members can follow. Combining digital planning with machine data process analytics and actual production data, as well as task completion and downtime recorded in real time via the ProdNote mobile device software, completed the “closed loop” digital management system.

The MOS Meeting Manager was the last input to complete the puzzle: “What we felt was missing was an electronic meeting manager that could help clients track issue resolution through action tracking across the mines hierarchy of MOS meetings, making accountability and resolution of problems simpler to manage,” Wilkinson said. “Many clients implemented MOS systems but mine management were concerned that people spent too much time in meetings and not enough time supervising their core functions. We auto linked information to the correct meetings, created data analytics to help make meetings more efficient and allowed clients to track organisational efficiency.”

As it stands today, customers can pick and choose between all of these modules, integrating with any other software platforms they may be using to improve and track their operations.

“The real power of this is when you integrate it all together,” Wilkinson said. “When all four modules speak directly to each other, and to any other complementary systems, there is a clear cause and effect that allows for accelerated and effective decision making.”

It goes further than this, with an embedded digital twin allowing companies to sketch out theoretical scenarios if, for example, a critical production machine goes down.

“This digital twin keeps running and automatically updates, allowing the operation to see what effect this outage has on the mine schedule,” Wilkinson said.

All this information comes with a digital record to allow for not only regulatory reporting, but also ongoing learnings and knowledge transfer.

“At any point, shift managers can go back into the data log and carry out a post-shift review of what happened in that particular moment,” Wilkinson said. “This is priceless for new employees as they can follow the same path that resolved a similar situation last time.”

There are also integrations with the ProdMate system – think fleet management, personnel proximity, air quality station systems, etc – some more advanced applications already benefit from.

Wilkinson sees further functionality being added to ProdMate in the future, too.

“We’re no longer in the big data realm; data paralysis is a real thing and the biggest cause of falling ROI on software systems,” Wilkinson said. “We’re now all about information transfer and utilisation; making sure only valuable data gets to decision makers or analysis systems.

“I think we’re just scratching the surface with this as an industry and ProdMate will continue to evolve to integrate with new solutions that provide valuable information, not simply data.”

BME enhances blasting control and monitoring with next-generation Xplolog release

Automation, Explosives and blasting, IoT, Mining safety, Mining services, Mining software, , , , , , , , , , ,

Mining solutions specialist BME has released a new version of its Xplolog system for capturing and analysing data on blast holes and decks.

BME – part of Omnia’s mining segment – developed Xplolog as a powerful tool for mines to monitor their block progress in real time, providing the necessary data to track trends and continuously improve the quality of blasts, it says.

The focus in developing this next-generation Xplolog has been the detailed guidance by users, according to Christiaan Liebenberg, BME Product Manager Software Solutions. This has led to making the system more user friendly, scalable and streamlined with other BME digital solutions – while also benefiting from improved data security, the company says.

“We engaged our Xplolog users in a highly systematic way to inform us at every step of our upgrade process,” Liebenberg said. “After our first structured interviews with users, for instance, we developed mock-ups and wireframes that we could take back to the user group for further testing. This approach was even taken into the design and prototype stages, ensuring that the system was in many ways actually built by the users.”

With the design and application code built from the ground up, and with a new and upgraded database using Google’s Cloud Services, the performance of Xplolog has been enhanced. The capacity of the system can also be rapidly increased, allowing better scalability; customers can have a site set up within a matter of hours, according to BME.

Christiaan Liebenberg – BME Product Manager Software Solutions

“Security has been improved through a more robust login and registration process,” Liebenberg said. “There are different user access levels in the new version, giving customers more control over who can access information related to their role in the organisation.

“Users will appreciate how everything is centralised in this version of Xplolog, and how we have improved the workflow for third party blast design uploads in the system.”

The look and feel of Xplolog has been revised in line with the progressive standardising of design across BME’s Blast Alliance digital solutions. This makes users feel familiar with the BME offering, through increased brand identification and continuity of the customer experience with Blast Alliance, Liebenberg said.

“Another important aspect of our upgrade is that users can easily customise their dashboards, creating a personalised view of block information important to the user,” he said.

Customised reports can be created and saved, allowing users to return to that recurring daily, weekly or monthly report each week or month as required. A summary view of block data is visible to track progress at a quick glance for the user.

“We have also given users the ability to better visually track block progress, with the creative use of colours and iconography,” Liebenberg said.

The process of inputting data has been optimised by rationalising the number of steps or actions wherever possible. Importantly, Liebenberg pointed out that Xplolog’s integration with BME’s mobile manufacturing units (MMUs) has taken account of different regional preferences and conditions around the globe.

“The system also provides mines with a digital audit trail, so that they can track operator performance during the drilling and charging phases, as well as provide hole loading information per truck,” he said.

Xplolog is integrated with other BME offerings like its blast planning software Blastmap, and to third-party blast software.

Integrated with BME’s MMUs, Xplolog, BME says, allows the MMU operator to charge and top-up holes accurately from the source application, which will have the latest blast design updates loaded. The actual charged and top-up values from the MMU’s digital panel will automatically be sent back to Xplolog, which will make the data available on the cloud platform for review and analysis.

“Our new version of Xplolog continues to raise the bar in leveraging digital technology,” Liebenberg said. “Our software engineering team continues to add new features and implement continuous improvements as we receive feedback from users of the system in the field – to help mines operate more efficiently, cost-effectively and safely.”

These updates are released to all existing customers of Xplolog every quarter at no additional cost, according to BME.

RPMGlobal launches ‘next generation’ mine scheduling solution

Automation, Mining services, Mining software, , , , , , ,

RPMGlobal has leveraged its XPAC mine scheduling engine to develop what it says is a next generation mine scheduling solution in the form of RPM MinePlanner.

RPM MinePlanner is built on the foundation of XPAC, the world’s most utilised mine scheduling engine, RPM claims. This scheduling engine has been continually refined for over 40 years and is used globally across virtually every commodity and mining method. MinePlanner combines all of those mining methods and commodity types into one single enterprise package, it explains.

MinePlanner includes a complete core redesign of the scheduling engine that underpins the product. The release introduces Smart Scheduling, a heuristic-based scheduling engine that combines automated, manual and hybrid approaches and tools. Smart Scheduling provides a streamlined user experience and adds flexibility by, RPM says, eliminating restrictions on the scheduling methodology being used at any point of the schedule.

David Batkin, RPMGlobal’s Executive General Manager of Product Strategy, said the design team was tasked with simplifying the product without compromising sophistication and capabilities.

“RPM MinePlanner takes the complicated mine planning process and simplifies it so engineers can focus on generating value,” he said. “The team has provided more sophistication within the product while making it easier to use.”

Unlike many other scheduling tools, MinePlanner has advanced heuristics fully integrated into the product, RPM says. It can be used for any commodity and is 100% script free. This sophisticated package includes reserving, dump and destination scheduling, equipment modelling, haulage modelling, product optimisation and reporting all rolled into one integrated mine scheduling solution. The smarts of MinePlanner really come to the fore when the scheduling engine is run as all components are considered in parallel rather than in series, the company says.

Reporting also gets a major upgrade with the introduction of live reporting always in sync with the scheduling engine.

According to Batkin, reporting is its most valuable when you are in the middle of making scheduling decisions, so having live reporting ensures the right information is available as and when needed. Being able to see the results of each scheduling change without the need to re-run the schedule provides significant advantages and time savings.

The inclusion of “Breakpoint Scheduling”, which RPM says it pioneered in 2021, has been strengthened significantly with the addition of live reporting. Users now get immediate feedback on current scheduling results every time a breakpoint is reached.

Another new feature of MinePlanner is “Schedule Locking”. Schedule locking allows the user to lock portions of the schedule they are finished with, avoiding the need to reschedule when refining future periods, the company explains. Schedule locking significantly reduces the time needed to complete a schedule by eliminating unnecessary reprocessing of scheduling periods that have already been successfully scheduled.

Batkin concluded: “During our 40 years as the market leader in mine scheduling we have seen copycats come and go, however this evolution of the product will be extremely difficult to replicate given both the architecture and functionality advances.”