Tag Archives: New South Wales

WesTrac to deploy Palantir Technologies’ Foundry across Component Rebuild Centres, Inventory Management teams

Equipment maintenance, IoT, Mining equipment, Mining services, , , , , , , , , , , ,

Palantir Technologies and WesTrac, one of the world’s largest Caterpillar dealers and leading provider of heavy mobile equipment and aftermarket services to the Australian mining and construction sectors, have announced a multi-year enterprise expansion of their partnership, which first began in 2021, to deploy Foundry across core operations.

The expanded partnership will initially focus on deploying Foundry across WesTrac’s Component Rebuild Centres and to Inventory Management teams, to drive greater overall efficiency and customer delivery for WesTrac, Palantir says.

Palantir’s Foundry operating system is being used to help increase throughput of WesTrac’s Component Rebuild Centre at its headquarters in Perth, Western Australia, and is being expanded to the Company’s Tomago facility, in New South Wales. Foundry is used daily by workshop planners and supervisors to improve task scheduling decisions, manage upcoming part constraints, and increase labour efficiency through proactive alerting on task performance and schedule adherence. Foundry will also be leveraged by WesTrac’s Inventory Management teams to identify deficits in available inventory that may block workshop progress, enabling the team to make more proactive ordering decisions, Palantir says.

Jarvas Croome, CEO at WesTrac, said: “In the current technology-rich era, WesTrac has a strong focus on incorporating enhanced data-driven decisions across our business as we look to drive our own digital transformation and improve delivery of Cat® products in Australia. Implementing Foundry has delivered a strong initial return on investment, and we anticipate the five-year expansion of our partnership with Palantir will enhance return on investment and enable more data-driven decisions. The Foundry platform has been a leading feature within WesTrac, with rapid uptake, high usability and widespread acceptance by users across the business.

“As we expand the scope of Foundry, including to new applications like artificial intelligence (AI) solutions, we expect uptake of Palantir’s products to increase. WesTrac is committed to providing world-class products and services to our customers by ensuring operations are supported by the latest technology, which is why we are pleased be extending our partnership with Palantir.”

Ashwin Rajan, Head of Commercial for Australia at Palantir, said Foundry is now serving as the digital twin for WesTrac’s core operations, delivering tangible business benefits.

“The suite of software in Foundry help front-line Component Rebuild Centre & Inventory Teams improve overall efficiency and customer delivery,” he said. “For example, in just the last six months, Foundry has identified a significant number of constrained parts blocking work order progress – and suggested remediation strategies to ensure continued operations. WesTrac predicts these outcomes alongside improvements in inventory management will drive overall throughput up by at least 5% over the next five years, with additional benefits expected in other areas such as reduced working capital requirements and improved time to invoice.”

In addition to Foundry, WesTrac plans to explore AI solutions leveraging a suite of software including Palantir’s new Artificial Intelligence Platform (AIP). AIP, Palantir says, can allow WesTrac to better connect sales to operations, by enabling sales functions to ask questions of workshop operations, to inform sales strategy and improve the accuracy of information provided to customers.

Schenck Process Mining closes in on key Sandvik integration milestone

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A little over nine months after being acquired by Sandvik, Schenck Process Mining (SP Mining), the global mineral processing related business of the Schenck Process Group, is close to achieving what it says will be a significant milestone as part of its integration into the Sandvik Rock Processing Solutions Business Area.

Each of Sandvik’s three business areas – Manufacturing and Machining Solutions, Mining and Rock Solutions and Rock Processing Solutions – have several divisions responsible for the R&D, production and sales of their respective products and services.

Since the acquisition of SP Mining, Sandvik has been focused on bringing together its expertise in crushing with the screening, feeding, weighing and loading know-how of SP Mining. According to Sandvik, the union between its Rock Processing Solutions Business Area and SP Mining will allow it to provide even more value to the mining industry.

SP Mining’s President Asia Pacific, Terese Withington, says the scale of Sandvik’s operations and commercial reach will help to accelerate the combined innovation portfolio of Sandvik Rock Processing Solutions and SP Mining. She says that, together, the company aims to deliver even better digitalisation, sustainability and productivity solutions.

“Since we became part of Sandvik’s Rock Processing Solutions Business Area late last year, we have been working through the integration process which will eventually see SP Mining become a seamless part of the Sandvik organisation,” she said. “Our Australian operations are the largest part of SP Mining’s global business, employing around 450 industry professionals. As such, Australia is playing a key role in the overall integration.”

In August, the company will reach a significant integration milestone with around 50 of its Australian employees moving from the combined sales, engineering, services and R&D facility in Beresfield, New South Wales, to the Sandvik Hunter Valley site in Heatherbrae. The Heatherbrae complex houses several Sandvik divisions and, according to Withington, the move provides excellent opportunities for the business.

“The scale of the Heatherbrae complex is impressive. It caters well to the needs of our people as well as to our future growth ambitions,” she said. “This is a very positive move, which will bring our people even closer to our customers in the Hunter region.

“As we move through our integration, we continue to look forward to servicing the needs of our customers and remain fully focused on the delivery of high-quality equipment, consumables, OEM spare parts and services to help them achieve their business objectives.”

Bis to deliver electric fleet of forklifts to BlueScope’s Port Kembla operation

Environmental, Mining equipment, Power supply for mines, Steel and iron ore, , , , , , , ,

Bis has announced plans for the roll out of a new electric fleet of specialised assets at BlueScope’s Port Kembla operation in New South Wales, Australia.

The battery-powered high-capacity forklifts and associated maintenance services were a critical part of a recently secured five-year contract renewal between BlueScope and Bis for the Illawarra-located steelmaking operation; the latest in a 30-year continuous relationship between the two companies, Bis says.

The idea to incorporate electric forklifts into the new contract was inspired by BlueScope’s climate strategy and decarbonisation pathway, which sets out its approach to reducing emissions across its operations.

Bis Chief Executive Officer, Simon Atkinson, said: “Building on our strong existing partnership, we are committed to helping BlueScope achieve its low-carbon goals. The new electric forklifts are practical evidence of this. They will represent up to 63% of the new forklifts that are being rolled out, and our aim is to keep the fleet evolving. Their configurations have been optimised specifically for BlueScope. Options include small footprint, flameproof specifications, custom mast heights, extra wide carriages and thin tynes with chisel tips, dual drive tyres and a variety of specialised attachments.

“Each unit also features a range of new technology capabilities for operators as well as pedestrian safety. We want to drive sustainability improvements as much as we can for our customers, and the shared expertise we have with BlueScope is yet again delivering significant and measurable outcomes for its business.”

A reliability coordinator will provide performance metrics, insight into continuous improvement initiatives for additional sustainable savings and support for site trials and training, Bis said.

David King, Australian Steel Products Contract Manager, said BlueScope deeply values Bis’ proactive and solutions-focused approach as it works hard in targeting a 12% reduction in its greenhouse gas emission intensity for its steelmaking activities by 2030.

“We aim to create carbon efficient and climate-resilient solutions for our customers and to make this a reality we have set a goal of net zero GHG emissions across our operations by 2050,” he said. “This will only come about as a result of working collaboratively with innovative partners and suppliers, like Bis, to challenge the status quo and enable ideas to materialise across all facets of the steelmaking process.”

Mobilisation of the new contract commences in July 2024, Bis says.

MacLean SS5 battery-electric shotcrete sprayer to be tested at AngloGold’s Sunrise Dam

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MacLean is set to showcase its SS5 battery-electric vehicle (BEV) Shotcrete Sprayer at the Underground Operators Conference 2023 (UGOPS), in Brisbane, Australia, next week, but it also has one eye on the unit’s first mine site trial at the AngloGold Ashanti-owned Sunrise Dam operation in Western Australia.

Attendees of UGOPS will get a first-hand look at the EV Series™ product on the company’s booth. This battery-electric shotcrete sprayer has been put through its paces at the Maclean Research & Training Facility in Sudbury, Ontario, and is equipped with the likes of Quickscan thickness imaging and Chemsave accelerant savings technologies.

Alongside celebrating its 50th year of existence as an Ontario-headquartered company, 2023 is a landmark year for MacLean Australia, with multiple MacLean BEVs starting to arrive in-country to be introduced to Australian mining companies and mining contractors. One such contractor is Barminco, which is set to receive the SS5 for testing at Sunrise Dam. Sandvik’s 65-t-payload battery-electric truck, the TH665B, is also set for field testing at the same operation.

MacLean has had a full-service parts and technical support branch in Perth, Western Australia, for over a decade and, in 2021, opened a second service and support branch in Orange, New South Wales, to support a growing fleet of MacLean mining vehicles in underground mining hubs in the eastern region of the country.

Jari Tuorila, MacLean GM for Australasia, said: “We are really looking forward to the UGOPS event and showing – not just telling – the Australian mining industry exactly what the value proposition of MacLean EV Series product line is. When we say, ‘EV-proven, EV-ready’, we mean it. It’s not just a slogan. Over 50 MacLean BEVs have been commissioned around the mining world since the MacLean Fleet Electrification program was launched in 2015, with a quarter million operating hours logged, and we’re only at the starting line for Australia.

“Our message to our industry colleagues is simple – we have a diesel-free production support fleet option for you, right now. We can’t wait to welcome visitors to our booth to see the BEV shotcrete sprayer in person and speak with our team of technical experts, which will include product management and engineering colleagues from Canada.”

Patrick Marshall, MacLean’s Brisbane-based Vice President of Technology, added: “The UGOPS showcase is just the kick-off to a multi-stage introduction of MacLean EV Series technology to Australia across 2023. The minute the show closes on March 29th, the MacLean Australia team will be turning their attention to shipping the BEV SS5 unit to Barminco at Sunrise Dam, where it will be trialled by the contractor throughout the summer. We are committed to seeing this real-world trial succeed and then build on that success to more broadly introduce MacLean fleet electrification to the Australian industry.”

Evolution Mining hits production milestone ahead of schedule at Cowal

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Evolution Mining says it has achieved a major milestone in its planned growth of getting the Cowal gold mine in New South Wales, Australia, to circa-320,000 oz in its 2024 financial year, with underground production commencing ahead of schedule.

The first underground stope has commenced being mined and processed this month, with continued ramp up of the underground expected over the remainder of this financial year (to end-June). This is three months ahead of the previously announced original schedule of the June 2023 quarter.

In 2021, the Evolution board and regulators approved the development of the Cowal Underground Mine, which is set to provide a higher-grade ore source that will be blended with the current open-pit operation and stockpile ore.

Perenti’s Barminco underground mining business has been conducting all underground development and production works for the project as part of a A$520 million, four-year agreement signed last year.

The project remains within the original A$380 million ($254 million) budget, according to Evolution, with the completion of the accommodation village and commissioning of the paste plant remaining on track for the June 2023 quarter.

Evolution’s Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Lawrie Conway, said: “We have achieved a major milestone at Cowal with the early commencement of production from the new underground mine. It is a credit to the project team to be able to commence production ahead of schedule and on budget in the current inflationary market conditions for project development and construction.

“We are now on the pathway to increase Cowal’s production from the current FY23 guidance of ~275,000 oz to FY24 outlook of circa-320,000 low cost ounces.”

Newcrest, Ericsson and Telstra Purple to trial 4G LTE and 5G tech at Cadia

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Newcrest Mining will trial advanced 4G Long-Term Evolution (LTE) and 5G mobile technologies underground at its Cadia mine, in New South Wales, Australia, to assess the potential of cellular delivery of data and video to support a smarter, safer and more sustainable mine, it says.

In partnership with Ericsson and Telstra Purple, Newcrest will deploy a private 4G LTE and 5G trial network in its underground operations at Cadia in the coming months. This announcement follows previous engagements where the trio worked to improve communications coverage, performance and safety with private 4G LTE at its Lihir mine in Papua New Guinea, and more recently for surface operations at the Cadia Valley Operations (CVO).

Speaking at the Sweden-Australia Sustainable Mining Summit in Sydney, Australia, today, CVO General Manager, Aaron Brannigan, said modern mining is a data-driven business, with technology and digitalisation creating new levels of productivity and safety, greater efficiency and reduced environmental impact.

“In the ongoing quest for productivity, efficiency and safety, Newcrest must use every tool at our disposal to boost performance at site while continuing to ensure that everyone at our mines gets home safely at the end of the day,” he said. “With 4G and 5G mobile technologies potentially offering better performance and capabilities than Wi-Fi, this trial will help Newcrest to assess its viability for greater coverage, capacity and functionality to support advanced underground automation, our Connected Worker strategy and future growth at Cadia.

“It’s an exciting time for Newcrest and for Australian mining, and this is a great practical example of how Australia’s biggest industry can leverage Australia’s position as a global 5G leader to further drive digitalisation in the mining sector and help develop a smart, safer and more sustainable mine.”

The trial will use Ericsson’s Private 5G (EP5G) solution for Industry 4.0 enterprises to assess different cellular approaches for coverage and capacity needs and deployment economics. It will include the use of various 4G and 5G radio types, massive- and multi-user MIMO (multiple-input-multiple-output) advanced antenna systems for high density and high capacity connectivity requirements, and Uplink Booster technology derived from custom-made Ericsson Silicon system-on-a-chip 5G processors to increase uplink signal strength and data throughput, Newcrest explained.

Ericsson’s Head of Australia and New Zealand, Emilio Romeo, said: “5G connectivity will be instrumental in enabling advanced teleremote and autonomous technologies, which are integral to industries such as mining. We’re delighted to be working with Newcrest and Telstra Purple to trial Ericsson’s 4G LTE and 5G solutions, and enable Newcrest to develop know-how on how to best deploy them underground.”

Telstra Purple Digital Transformation Executive, Paul Nicholls, said: “We’ve been thrilled to see what our 4G LTE and 5G mobile network technologies have been able to do through this project, from supporting wireless mining applications underground, to boosting safety for the local team. These technologies are absolutely transformative for a broad range of industries, and it’s exciting to be part of industry 4.0 innovation in Australia.”

Aeris, Rokion and LDO collaborate on battery-electric vehicle trial at Tritton

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Rokion and its New South Wales-based distributor LDO Group have continued their battery-electric utility vehicle momentum in Australia, with another unit having gone underground at Aeris Resources’ Tritton operations in the state.

The electric light vehicle, an R100, has successfully completed its first trip underground after above-ground tests in 2022, the mining company said.

Rokion says the R100 series includes a four-passenger crew truck and a two-passenger utility truck, with both models built on the same frame dimensions and available in ramp-ready configurations.

Tritton General Manager, Scott Ramsay, said the copper operation is still in the trial stage of using the electric light vehicle underground but the first signs are positive.

“We are trying different power charge setups to respond to the specific needs for driving underground,” he said in a LinkedIn post. “But, overall, it has made a good impression and it is quite likely we will be seeing more vehicles like this in the future.”

Aeris and its Tritton operation have some recent history with battery-electric vehicles, having previously used the battery-electric retrofit ‘TRITEV’ 20 t underground Integrated Tool-Carrier/Loader. This followed a collaboration between 3ME and Aeris that started all the way back in 2017.

Rokion and LDO, meanwhile, have been working with Agnico Eagle Mines and Newmont on trials of its larger R400 vehicle – a platform able to accommodate three passengers in a utility vehicle setup or up to 12 in a passenger crew variant – at the Fosterville and Tanami mines, respectively.

Evolution Mining taps AGL Energy Ltd for new power supply at Cowal

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Evolution Mining Limited says it has secured a competitive, long-term power supply agreement for its Cowal gold operation, in New South Wales, Australia, under a new eight year partnership with AGL Energy Limited, commencing in January 2023.

Power costs represent approximately 7% of Evolution’s total costs. This agreement provides ongoing long-term security of power supply to Cowal at competitive pricing which is consistent with Evolution’s previously reported financial year 2023 guidance and financial year 2024 outlook, it said.

This long-term agreement also includes a renewable energy component.

Under the terms of the partnership with AGL, a growing portion of the power will be from renewable sources and provides Evolution a clear pathway to meeting its commitment to reduce energy (Scope 1 and Scope 2) emissions by 30% by 2030, the miner said.

Evolution’s Executive Chair, Jake Klein, said: “This is a very important milestone for Evolution. In a very challenging energy market, we have been able to secure both a long-term, competitively priced power contract for Cowal and a growing renewable component that provides us a clear pathway to reducing our energy emissions by 30% by 2030.

“We will continue to look for new ways to further reduce emissions from our fixed plant and mobile equipment to deliver on our net-zero commitment by 2050.”

AGL General Manager, Commercial and Industrial Customers, Ryan Warburton, said: “AGL has been working with Evolution Mining for a tailored solution for their Cowal Gold Mine to help lower their energy costs, provide ongoing long-term security of power supply and assist in reducing their carbon emissions.

“From leading food, agri-business and now to gold mines, AGL is working with our customers to develop bespoke renewable energy solutions to meet their changing needs. This announcement with Evolution Mining is another great example of how AGL is partnering with industry to help them reduce their carbon emissions and lower their energy costs. Through innovative partnerships like this, we are delivering on a low-carbon future with our customers and communities as we transition towards net zero.”

The Cowal mine produced 227,105 oz of gold in Evolution’s 2022 financial year. The company has a plan to expand production to 350,000 oz/y as the mine goes underground.

Barminco extends relationship with Evolution Mining at Cowal gold mine

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Perenti Group’s underground mining business Barminco is to further strengthen its relationship with Evolution Mining, having been awarded a new A$60 million ($42 million) contract to carry out diamond drill work at Cowal Gold Mine operations in New South Wales, Australia.

The four-year contract will see Barminco use state-of-the-art drill rig technology to improve safety, performance and productivity, it says.

It’s the second contract to be secured by Barminco at the Cowal operations in two months, after recently winning a A$520 million underground and development contract.

This latter contract will see Barminco carry out all underground development and production works at the underground mine where it is currently developing an exploration decline.

Last year, the Evolution board and regulators approved the development of the Cowal Underground Mine, which is set to provide a higher-grade ore source that will be blended with the current E42 open pit and stockpile ore. The development is part of the group’s goal of Cowal producing 350,000 oz/y of low-cost gold and extending the operation’s mine life.

RSK Group increases mining sector exposure with Projence acquisition

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RSK Group Limited, a sustainable solutions company, says it has added New South Wales-based integrated project management firm, Projence, to its rapidly growing Australian business.

The third acquisition in the last eight months and fourth overall in Australia, Projence joins three Australian companies – civil engineering company, Western Project Services; environmental and occupational hygiene business, EDP Consultants; and advisory and project delivery services firm, SJA.

Joining the RSK Group, Projence will further grow the group’s project management and commercial services capabilities within the region and expand its global portfolio of environmental, engineering and technical solutions businesses, the company says.

“As we continue to build on the good work RSK has accomplished in the last three decades, strategic acquisitions such as Projence will bring enhanced value to the table for our stakeholders and businesses and further expand our offerings,” Alan Ryder, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of RSK Group, said. “With the comprehensive end-to-end solutions synergised and backed by the expertise of our group of over 150 businesses, I am confident that RSK will continue to secure our position as a global leader in the delivery of sustainable solutions, bringing clients the best value with minimum negative environmental and social impact.”

The acquisition of Projence strengthens the capabilities of the group in the rail and port sectors, enables greater exposure for RSK into the mining sector, and comes shortly after a move by EDP Consultants to expand into the Hunter region of New South Wales. The Hunter region and the wider northern New South Wales area are key parts of the RSK Group’s expansion strategy, it says.

Established in 2011, Projence has provided clients in Australia with practical and results-focused engineering and commercial greenfield and brownfield solutions across a range of industries, including mining, property, rail, power generation and port. It has worked on over 250 projects amounting to over A$1 billion ($709 million) in capital value, including the Coal Export Terminal 3 a

Gavin Heydon, Director of Projence, said: “This acquisition adds value to our business in the region and helps us lay out a clear path to long-term sustainable growth. With RSK’s support and guidance, we look forward to becoming an integral part of a larger global company and laying down a stronger foundation for services that we provide.”

Pictured is Mitchell Purvis (left) and Gavin Heydon (right), Projence Directors