The merger of SRK Canada and Labrecque Technologies Inc (LTI) is set to broaden the scopes of the two companies’ service offerings within the mining and minerals industries.
The two have worked together on many underground mining projects in North America, the UK, Russia and the Philippines, most recently pairing up for simulation work on North American Palladium’s Lac Des Iles mine in Ontario, Canada.
LTI specialises in conducting dynamic process simulations to help mining companies predict future performance, optimise productivity and avoid costly mistakes. It has a decade of experience in applying mechanical and industrial engineering methods to mining.
“The modelling work takes a systems approach, with models accounting for interactions and interferences between all of the ore flow systems and mining equipment,” the two companies said.
Most projects involve studying ore and waste handling, lateral development rates, block cave development, construction, production, crusher and skipping capacity, truck ramp haulage and traffic analysis, and bin and storage facility optimisation.
SRK Consulting, meanwhile, offers services from exploration to mine closure, including feasibility studies, due diligence reviews, and production optimisation.
“Combining our shared passion and expertise in providing mining solutions enables SRK and LTI to offer mine design and operational improvements that validate and optimise production through dynamic mine process simulation,” SRK Sudbury Practice Leader Gary Poxleitner said. “This increases mine operators’ and owners’ confidence in the mine plans we develop with them to refine and improve their economic valuations.”
Poxleitner added that integrating LTI’s simulation expertise into its global mining services will further the company’s ability to identify and mitigate risks for SRK’s clients’ projects, optimise operations to improve efficiency and, ultimately, reduce costs.
LTI President Pierre Labrecque said: “The demand for simulation through computer modelling continues to grow rapidly and, now that LTI will be operating as a business unit of SRK Consulting, we will be able to provide greater value to our clients by further collaborating with SRK specialists around the world.”
Since LTI’s 2008 founding by Labrecque, it has grown to serve mining clients ranging from juniors to large multinational companies. LTI’s projects have involved operations from small cut and fill mines to large block caves with capacities ranging from 1,000 to 160,000 t/d.