Tag Archives: RPMGlobal

RPMGlobal’s XPAC Solutions 3.0 lays the groundwork for even more enhancements

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

RPMGlobal has released an update to its scheduling tool XPAC Solutions that, it says, fundamentally changes the technology’s underlying architecture and paves the way for deeper collaboration among mine planners.

The release of XPAC Solutions 3.0 completes a multi-year work program that encompasses some major enhancements, providing even more benefits to the parametric scheduling solutions, the company says.

Among the major improvements is the introduction of a ‘Workspaces’ feature, which provides a far easier way for users to manage the different components required for a scheduling cycle, according to RPMGlobal.

“The introduction of this feature simplifies the use of the solutions, with the improvements to the underlying architecture providing a strong foundation for future enhancements,” it said.

The Workspace Explorer makes it easy and convenient for mine planners to navigate through and check the status of every model in the workspace. The new, automated process has been streamlined to make it easier for end users to collaborate while ensuring they are all working on the ‘single source of the truth’, according to the company.

Workspaces has been integrated into RPMGlobal’s model repository meaning the entire workspace can be controlled in the model repository, allowing datasets to be shared by multiple users across the entire enterprise, it said.

“Users can check-out/check-in parts of a model and can see what’s been checked out and by whom in real time,” the company said. “A full history of all changes is also maintained providing auditability across the different components.”

The ability to share scheduling models and all input data across an entire workforce makes it far more convenient to collaborate on projects, while also providing tremendous flexibility when team members are working remotely, according to the company.

RPMGlobal Chief Technology Officer, Paul Beesley, said: “XPAC Solutions 3.0 expands the breadth and depth of the tool’s functionality and provides a level of sophistication that is unmatched on the market today.”

XPAC Solutions, which have more than 40 years of continuous product history behind them, have been specifically built for a range of different commodities and mining methods across the sector to ensure maximum value can be achieved, according to the company.

The new user experience also benefits from, for example, the ability to flag sections of the mine based on location and attributes. This function can be used to control what records are visible in plots and the scope of mining rules like dependencies and constraints, according to the company.

Alongside some significant enhancements to haulage modelling over the last year, RPMGlobal says it has continued to build on the tight integration with its leading discrete event simulation solution, HAULSIM.

RPMGlobal, Envitech to carry out environmental studies at Tietto’s Abujar project

Environmental, Mineral project development, Mining services, Precious metals, Sustainable mining, , , , , , , , ,

Tietto Minerals says it has engaged key environmental specialists, including RPMGlobal, to advance work on baseline environmental, social and governance (ESG) studies on the Abujar‐Gludehi (AG) gold deposit, part of its 2.2 Moz Abujar gold project, in Côte d’Ivoire.

Tietto says it retained RPMGlobal Principal Social Specialist, Luke Stephens – who only recently joined RPMGlobal – to help develop the ESG work program.

In addition to RPMGlobal, Tietto has also engaged Côte d’Ivoire-based Envitech (the team pictured here on site) to conduct the baseline fieldwork necessary for the compilation of the environmental and social impact assessment (ESIA) required to obtain environmental approval. The ESIA will identify the potential social and environmental impacts of developing Abujar and outline any proposed mitigation measures, it said.

Once the ESIA is completed, expected to be later this year, Tietto will submit it to the Ivoirian Environment Minister for review and approval as a necessary step for the issuance of the mining licence.

Tietto Managing Director, Caigen Wang, said: “The appointment of these key ESG consultants is part of our strategy to advance work on project studies necessary for the grant of a mining licence and ultimately the development of a mining operation at Abujar.

“Our ESG program will run in parallel with technical studies while drilling continues on‐site as we target delivery of an updated resource in Q3 (September quarter) 2020. This updated mineral resource, and results from a metallurgical test work program also underway, will underpin a prefeasibility study scheduled for Q1 (March quarter) 2021.”

RPMGlobal helps unlock standardised communication language for METS sector

Automation, Communications in mining, IoT, Mining policy, Mining software, , , , , ,

RPMGlobal has continued to play a role in the development of the International Society of Automation (ISA-95) committee’s latest Information Exchange Profile which, the company says, will pave the way for industry-specific integration scenarios for the mining sector.

The most recent ISA-95 committee meeting culminated in the “Part 8 – Information Exchange Profiles” being officially accepted as part of the global ISA95 standard, according to RPMGlobal.

According to Paul Beesley, RPMGlobal’s Chief Technology Officer and ISA-95 Committee member, this part of the standard will enable joint development of industry-specific integration scenarios. This is “especially useful when building off-the-shelf integration between mining technology vendors,” he explained.

RPMGlobal said the successful achievement follows 18 months of regular committee liaison meetings to finalise the documentation and more than three years of effort to move from the conceptualisation phase to an approved extension to the standard.

The Brisbane, Australia-based company played a prominent role in building this extension to the standard, it said, adding that the changes were accepted in the first round of voting with no negative votes, which is “highly unusual”.

Beesley said the result “cemented the company’s position as a respected contributor and leader in mining enterprise integration”.

He added: “Having the extension to the standard accepted creates significant value to mining companies as it provides a blueprint for mining software vendors to work together to enable information to seamlessly move between systems.

“This extension to the standard solves a common problem across many standards so it’s pleasing to see early interest from other committees in using Part 8 as reference material to develop similar amendments to their own standards.”

ISA-95 Chairman, Chris Monchinski, said: “As a committee we are excited to have industries outside the traditional manufacturing space participate in evolving and improving the ISA-95 standard to make it more accessible. The work done here allows other industries, such as mining, to build on the experience from the manufacturing sector.”

The ISA is a highly respected professional body responsible for developing widely used global standards for the instrumentation and automation of systems across a variety of industries.

After recognising there was a lack of a framework for mining technology providers, the committee turned its attention to the creation of a best-practice model for the sector after it was approached by BHP, RPMGlobal said.

The ISA-95 standard has since been readily adopted by key technology providers, enabling the breakdown of barriers within the mining industry and across the entire value chain, the company added.

“Connecting disparate systems to share data and critical information has never been more important for the mining industry than it is today,” Beesley said.

“The ISA-95 standard has helped unlock a standardised communication language for mining technology providers and RPMGlobal is proud to contribute to the progression of the standard for the benefit of everyone in the industry.”

RPMGlobal provides a remote MinVu

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

RPMGlobal says a new dedicated app is set to transform the way miners collaborate, receive and analyse information.

The launch of the MinVu Shift Manager app comes as the industry continues to adopt mobile technology to increase operational efficiency and collaboration in an “inherently dispersed and complex environment”, RPMGlobal said.

Richard Mathews, RPMGlobal CEO, said making MinVu Shift Manager compatible with mobile would provide real-time data directly in the hands of the decision maker, wherever they are located.

“RPMGlobal has listened closely to our customers and we know that miners are continually looking for ways to leverage digital solutions in order to optimise and streamline the way they work,” he said.

“Shift Manager is an integral component of the digital mine and a connected workforce, so it made sense to make this web-based software available in the form of an app to enable planning and supervision form anywhere.”

MinVu Shift Manager is a short-term planning and execution solution, which RPMGlobal acquired at the end of 2017. The tool is a unique industry-built software solution that enables users to collaborate and communicate through a single, integrated plan to drive more effective on-shift decision support, according to the company.

“The new mobile interface merges MinVu and MinVu Shift Manager into one, easy-to-use platform,” RPMGlobal said. “With the app, different departments and personnel have complete visibility of equipment and equipment status, underpinning the ability to plan intra-shift activities and break through operational silos.”

As remote-enabled solutions, both MinVu and MinVu Shift Manager enable remote teams to collaborate across the value chain, it added.

Users will be able to create any Shift Manager task in the app, such as addressing a possible hazard, checking the progress of diggers and schedule maintenance tasks. Importantly, end users can collaborate and share information from anywhere, whether they are underground on site or in the corporate headquarters, according to RPMGlobal.

RPMGlobal’s mobile applications now extend across its established suite of integrated solutions, which encompass mine scheduling, simulation, finance, maintenance, operations and design.

XECUTE — RPMGlobal’s short-term scheduling solution — only recently underwent an upgrade of its app, according to the company.

Along with user interface and CAD enhancements, the latest XECUTE release comes equipped with enhanced mobile functionality, thereby supporting the real-time data feeds from fleet management systems, the company said.

Mathews explained: “You will be able to see on the mobile device, not just what your plan is, but also how you’re progressing against that plan in real-time.

“With the app, mining personnel will be connected to vital information at all times. For example, a mine planner who is on the bus heading to site can log in to the XECUTE app and catch up with what has happened on site overnight before he even arrives for the shift.”

According to Mathews, enterprise integration is a key enabler for technology, as is the mobile application stack.

“Mobile compatible software is a key component of the digital mine whereby data is connected from central systems to dispersed mining personnel, therefore amplifying the abilities of key decision makers within a business,” Mathews said.

“With RPMGlobal’s enterprise approach, we are helping mine sites increase productivity across the value chain. We are giving them the tools to make better decisions thereby creating an insight-driven mining organisation.”

RPMGlobal opens fleet management options with TALPAC-3D

Equipment maintenance, IoT, Mining services, Mining software, , , , , ,

RPMGlobal has unveiled a new addition to its suite of mining simulation solutions, launching TALPAC-3D to, it says, help miners unlock greater potential value from operations.

After detailed consultation with the global user base of TALPAC, RPMGlobal released TALPAC-3D to offer an enhanced user experience, increased functionality and a “stepping stone towards RPMGlobal’s other simulation products for those looking for more sophisticated simulation demands”, the company said.

TALPAC-3D harnesses the functionality of RPMGlobal’s Truck and Loader Productivity and Cost calculator —TALPAC—with a gaming-inspired 3D user interface (UI). This makes it easier and more efficient to import data, view results and make changes to models, and in doing so, enhances the ability for users to optimise haulage routes and equipment selection, according to RPMGlobal.

“TALPAC has been trusted by the mining industry for more than four decades for its accuracy and equipment manufacturer independence, delivering best practice simulation for miners, original equipment manufacturer (OEMs), contractors and consultants,” the company said. “Originally developed as a tool to support truck and loader haul route calculations, TALPAC is now used all over the globe with thousands of users.”

TALPAC-3D builds on the extensive history and smarts of TALPAC and applies a brand-new graphical UI, according to the company. RPMGlobal’s strategy has been to provide a much richer user experience across all products with a focus on the UI. This has translated into an upgrade for TALPAC-3D, bringing it in line with the RPMGlobal Intelligent Simulation suite including HAULSIM, the Discrete Event Simulation (DES) solution.

HAULSIM was introduced to the market over six years ago and RPMGlobal has invested significant resources into ensuring the UI focuses on ease of use and intuitive controls across the entire simulation suite, the company said.

RPMGlobal Chief Executive Officer, Richard Mathews, said: “The solution is reflective of the company’s commitment to taking on board client feedback and addressing the industry’s evolving needs.

“While TALPAC has been the de-facto standard for the industry’s simulation needs for more than 40 years, we remain dedicated to introducing new solutions tailored to the requirements of the industry.”

He added: “We realised there was a need for an innovative simulation solution providing the reliable engine of TALPAC but encompassing a fresh, modern UI that was scalable.”

TALPAC-3D also offers a “seamless upgrade path” with integration to HAULSIM, according to RPMGlobal. As users become more sophisticated in their simulation requirements and need more functionality through a DES tool, they can easily upgrade to HAULSIM. This isn’t offered by any competitors in the industry, according to RPM Global.

The 3D UI of TALPAC-3D delivers several new features such as a fleet planner and a cycle time analysis tool that work across the network.

Mathews said: “The industry’s adoption of TALPAC had continued to grow and it was used by miners all over the globe to help them calculate the ideal size of their fleet and understand which machines and sizes of equipment are most compatible.

“As a modern software package, TALPAC-3D makes that work easier than ever before, enabling end-users to rapidly achieve the next level of productivity.

“The world’s biggest miners are consistently looking for ways to unlock greater value from operations. Using TALPAC-3D, mining companies are able to investigate multiple fleet options to optimise productivity.”

RPMGlobal adds to ESG capabilities

Environmental, Mining people, Mining services, Mining software, Sustainable mining, Water management, , , , , ,

RPMGlobal says it has bolstered its in-house environmental, social and governance (ESG) capabilities with the appointment of Luke Stephens as Principal Social Specialist for the company’s Consulting & Advisory division.

Stephens, a mining social performance professional with more than 20 years’ of international experience, has a strong track record in social licence, community relations, social performance, multi-stakeholder partnerships, grievance management, government and donor relations, according to RPMGlobal.

Prior to joining RPMGlobal, Stephens was the Principal Closure and Sustainability Specialist for Afrique Gold and worked with Newcrest Mining as Superintendent for Social Performance. He also spent numerous years with aid and humanitarian agency, Concern Worldwide.

Since 1998, he has implemented best-practice community programs in mining and alongside local communities across Africa, Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and Southeast Asia, according to RPMGlobal.

Philippe Baudry, RPMGlobal’s Executive General Manager – Advisory Services, said the appointment reflected the company’s increased investment in ESG capabilities.

“Environmental, social and governance matters are now at the top of the corporate agenda which is being reflected in increased demand for our environmental and social due diligence expertise,” he said.

“We are certainly witnessing more mining companies investing in building sustainable ESG opportunities that create positive outcomes and mitigate project risk with the demand from investors for transparency in these critical areas of project development only increasing.

“This new appointment is a valuable addition to our expanding ESG team and Luke’s combined skillset will prove invaluable to RPMGlobal as we continue to expand our offerings and drive positive impact for global mining communities and their investors.”

RPMGlobal’s ESG division specialises in environmental and social due diligence evaluations and audits of mining projects located throughout the world with projects completed in Australia, the Americas, Africa, Turkey, Russia and the CIS countries.

“RPMGlobal’s growing ESG team has significant experience in advising its clients in how to bring projects up to IFC-PS and Equator Principle 4 requirements, as well as in the laws and regulations applicable in most mining jurisdictions with expertise spanning environmental and social action plans, social licence, community engagement, local consultation, land acquisition, compliance with regional and national regulations, grievance redress and management,” RPMGlobal said.

Denver-based Stephens said: “To join a growing and talented team of professionals at a company which is a leader in the ESG field is a fantastic opportunity and it’s exciting to come on board at such a pivotal time of growth for this division at RPMGlobal.”

Baudry added: “RPMGlobal prides itself in providing high quality ESG services that lead to improved financial, environmental and social outcomes for our mining customers and its pleasing to be expanding the team with highly credentialed appointments alongside our commitment.”

RPMGlobal provides asset management add-on for SAP users

IoT, Mining services, Mining software, , , , , , ,

RPMGlobal has launched a new version of its dedicated asset lifecycle costing software, AMT, designed to complement SAP’s Intelligent Asset Management offering and solve the plant and maintenance needs of miners.

In this release of AMT, AMT4SAP will be equipped with over 20 logical business connectors into SAP to support any organisations’ SAP work management solution, RPMGlobal said.

AMT4SAP is an add-on to a miner’s existing SAP solution (pictured) designed to complement and enhance asset management decision support through advanced modelling, maintenance cost budgeting, lifecycle management, benchmarking, component life optimisation and overall strategy optimisation, according to the company.

RPMGlobal and SAP have had a partnership agreement in place since 2013 and have already successfully deployed AMT with SAP to many global mining organisations, RPMGlobal says. These deployments include integration between the solutions that automate the transfer of data to amplify the decision-making capabilities of these organisations.

RPMGlobal CEO, Richard Mathews, said AMT4SAP provides a “complementary and connected solution” to SAP’s maintenance planning (PM), reliability analysis and optimisation functions.

“Miners have complex plant and maintenance needs that AMT4SAP can solve through the creation of a truly holistic approach to asset management. The outcome is long-term performance and cost benefits that positively impact the bottom line,” he said.

At the core of RPMGlobal’s AMT solution is a Dynamic Life Cycle Costing (DLCC) engine and inbuilt intelligence engine. The DLCC takes inputs in real-time from various asset management processes and systems such as on-board monitoring systems, fleet management systems, the mine plan and SAP itself.

The calculation engine then automatically reforecasts future usage, availability, productivity, further maintenance costs and future resource requirements, according to RPMGlobal. It does this for every piece of equipment, every part and component for the entire life of each asset in real-time.

Harnessing the DLCC engine, AMT4SAP is able to identify asset lifecycle risks and opportunities to control and reduce maintenance spend, arming end-users with the ability to proactively make decisions.

AMT’s ability to define, track and maintain an asset’s lifecycle cost through the DLCC complements SAP’s work management capabilities across work scheduling, strategy definition, resource levelling, downtime capturing and warranty management.

“The differentiating strength of RPMGlobal’s AMT solution is the ability to rapidly generate and analyse multiple maintenance scenarios and strategies to determine the optimal solutions available to a mining operation,” the company said.

Through modelling multiple scenarios for evaluation of new assets (advanced modelling) and alternate maintenance strategies for assets already in operation (strategy optimisation); optimal long-term plans that impact on costs, availability and resources can be better understood and shared with stakeholders well in advance (long-term planning), it added.

A good example of the two systems complementary functions is AMT’s unique MCB (Maintenance Cost Budgeting) module, RPMGlobal said. Integrating AMT’s live lifecycle costing – which includes factoring in unplanned events not covered in SAP – together with SAP’s work order and master data, AMT4SAP is able to generate a full zero-based maintenance budget in “minutes instead of weeks”, it said.

AMT4SAP assists to ensure all data is structured and ready for analytics solutions, such as SAP Analytics Cloud. “This means users spend less time creating a budget and more time using the analytical tools to better understand the maintenance business and deliver real value,” the company said.

AMT, RPMGlobal says, is used by hundreds of mine sites worldwide as well as all major OEMs to manage their assets and contracts.

RPMGlobal goes beyond the pit with XECUTE short-term scheduler

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

RPMGlobal says it has released several upgrades to its advanced mine scheduling software, XECUTE, designed to underpin “increased optimisation across the entire mining value chain”.

XECUTE is RPM’s short-term scheduling solution to enable miners to maximise value by using intelligent integration to connect planning with other departments within a mining operation.

RPM has experienced a significant uptick in the adoption of XECUTE in the past 18 months, with the solution now operational across iron ore, coal, oil sands, manganese, gold and copper mines, it said. One of the major reasons for this adoption is the Product Optimiser functionality, which according to RPM, determines the optimal way to process, blend and stockpile products to maximise value from what is about to be mined.

The latest XECUTE release includes upgraded optimiser functionality providing further enhancements when integrated as part of the short-term schedule, the company said.

RPM’s Chief Technology Officer, Paul Beesley, said XECUTE’s expanding customer base had led to these product changes.

“The increasing sophistication of XECUTE’s functionality means XECUTE is now capable of going beyond simply planning extraction from the pit. It can now provide optimisation across the entire value chain,” he said.

XECUTE, according to RPM, provides planners with a set of tools that allow users to make dynamic adjustments to mining operations and visualise the impact of these adjustments to mine production as well as the entire downstream value chain. This means a planner can make decisions based on the impact of planning decisions on not just production in the next shift but also alignment to longer-term plans on processing, transport, and shipping.

As part of the new additions, RPM’s coal customers will have increased support with the introduction of coal wash plant features. “This functionality allows the planner to schedule the whole way through the plant rather than stopping at the run of mine,” RPM said, adding that this feature is particularly valuable in a multi-product operation and is currently being implemented at one of the “world’s most sophisticated coal blending and processing operations”.

XECUTE’s architecture means real-time data is made available through any connected source, according to RPM.

“By enabling users to have a better understanding of the economic value produced from a commodity, miners are better placed to make decisions about crucial impacts that are generally outside their control,” the company said.

For example, XECUTE facilitates short-term planners visualising changes in the pit through live integration to fleet management systems/high precision GPS and drill systems. Deviations from the plan are, therefore, identified immediately, allowing planners to adjust if required.

On top of the Product Optimiser enhancements, other key areas of focus include XECUTE’s User Interface and CAD functionality.

“Unlike many other linear programming engines, XECUTE has a highly intuitive, user-friendly interface that allows planners to spend more time analysing results, instead of learning how to program the inputs,” the company said.

“There are also significant enhancements to speed and usability within this XECUTE upgrade, including an 80% improvement in geology and reserving processing speed.”

XECUTE mobile improvements enable users to use integrated data feeds from the pit in a mobile application to quickly compare the short-term plan with actual production, according to the company, giving planners and supervisors a plan compliance tool on the move. Information such as drill holes, bucket positions and machine positions are fed straight to the mobile user.

RPMGlobal takes mine optimisation to a new level

IoT, Mining services, Mining software, Mining techniques, , ,

RPMGlobal says it has delivered on its commitment to release an innovative design solution to the market before the end of the year, unveiling its Underground Metals Solution (UGMS) Optimiser edition for mine planning customers.

UGMS Optimiser marks the first edition of the company’s agile design software offering, which is fully integrated with the company’s enterprise solutions.

This agile design application uses parameters and automatic design tools to build an optimal mine design for users, according to the company. “The time saved by using automatic design tools facilitates the ability for many alternative designs to be generated for consideration by a mine design user,” RPM said, adding, the user similarly changes whatever parameters they want and then re-runs their model to generate the optimal mine design based on the new parameters.

RPMGlobal Chief Executive Officer, Richard Mathews, said the launch was in keeping with the company’s mission of delivering “innovative end-to-end enterprise solutions for miners”.

He added: “At RPM, we are looking at design differently. We have leveraged the most advanced technologies including the very latest parametric design capabilities that support rapid scenario generation, long-term planning and optimal mine design for our customers.

“This ensures miners continue to drive efficiency and productivity improvements in a visually orientated environment.”

The company’s design solutions will initially be offered to UGMS customers of RPM’s XPAC Solutions software, according to Mathews, but he said it would look to rollout additional design capabilities that extend across its enterprise architecture in the “near future”.

UGMS Optimiser incorporates discrete optimisation tools used in underground metals mine design all in one solution, RPM says.

“This integration enables users to rapidly understand the impact of changes to key economic drivers such as metallurgical grade, mining costs, revenue, foreign exchange, and the roll-on effects these have on accessing the mineral deposits to be mined.”

The design solution uses RPM’s Development Optimiser, “an industry first combination of Planar Underground Network Optimiser and Decline Optimisation Tool (DOT) solutions”, it says, to determine the most economical network of tunnels to access and extract ore on each level of the mine.

Development Optimiser combines both tools in a parametric manner allowing extensive analysis of the deposit based on realistic constraints. The solution also uses Mine Stope Optimiser (MSO) to produce the stope shapes and stope inventories from a block model that spatially represents the location of the mineralisation.

RPM explained: “Depending on the size and mineral variation in the orebody or orebodies, using a manual process of generating the mining shapes to maximise the recovered resource value can take months.

“MSO has taken this manual process of generating the mining shapes based on the deposit size, shape and maximising recovered resource value, and reduced it down to days.”

Other key features, such as direct integration with the scheduler and enterprise solution, automated development creation and high-level financial analysis of the optimised outcome, are differentiators in the market space, according to the company.

Mathews said: “We are the first company to combine and incorporate the three big underground optimisers (Stope Optimisation, Underground Network Optimiser and Decline Optimisation) into one enterprise enabled design product which is a game-changer for the industry.”

This will give companies the ability to quickly evaluate multiple mine design scenarios to achieve profitable outcomes, while saving time on the process, he added.

“However, it is just the beginning, as we continue expanding our design solutions to complete our end-to-end enterprise offering which spans scheduling, simulation, finance, maintenance, operations and design,” he concluded.

More miners closing the gap between planning and execution, RPMGlobal says

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

RPMGlobal says it is experiencing exponential growth of its advanced mine planning and scheduling software XECUTE® and XPAC® Solutions.

The 2019 financial year has seen a significant increase in the industry’s adoption of XECUTE as more miners begin to reap the benefits of closing the gap between planning and execution, according to RPM.

Over recent months, this has seen the company add several new XECUTE customers in what has been the fastest uptake of a new solution RPM has experienced in many years, it said. This has been across a range of commodities (oil sands, coal, copper, iron ore and gold).

The software is already used extensively around the world across various commodities and mining methods, with the significant growth in sales of these products attributable to both their innovative nature and the fact more organisations are starting to realise the “power connected solutions can deliver to their planning functions”, the company said.

XECUTE is RPM’s short-term scheduling solution to enable miners to maximise planning value by using intelligent integration to connect planning with operations. It uses a highly visual user interface to enhance communication between mining specialists, according to the company.

“XECUTE supports this by providing short-term work assignments to HPGPS and Fleet Management systems. The dynamic integration then allows the solution to bring back the ‘actuals’ (from those systems) to view what work was done and compare it spatially to the shift plan,” the company said.

“XECUTE takes guidance from longer schedules ensuring that operations are always working towards the strategic goal of the longer-term planners. Short-term planners then have a rich visual compliance tool, overlying longer-term guidance, the short-term plan and actual operations all in one 4D environment.”

XPAC, meanwhile, is made up of pre-defined logic, which, when combined with the tacit knowledge of mining engineers, automatically determines what is practically possible to achieve across one or many mining operations, according to the company. This agility gives engineers the ability to respond rapidly to the market and maximise output delivering shareholder value.

The schedules developed in the latest version of XPAC can be passed directly to XECUTE and, likewise, any changes made within XECUTE can be passed back to XPAC to update the short-term schedule, ensuring a seamless scheduling interchange and more importantly, far easier analysis of plan compliance, RPM said.

One of the major differentiators of RPM’s scheduling tools is the Integrated Product Optimiser (PO). Product Optimiser is a mathematical algorithm that determines the optimal allocation of material to destinations through the mining supply chain.

RPM says: “Unlike other scheduling packages, PO is integrated with the schedule to find the optimal way to process, blend and stockpile products to maximise value from what is about to be mined. Mining organisations tend to have very sophisticated supply chain operations which makes it difficult to produce a specific blend at any given point.

“PO optimises the process by determining the single best solution with all of the material available at any given point in time with the goal to maximise the net present value,” the company said. It can therefore have a significant role in reducing stockpile costs by providing the ability to define the requirements of the blend before the port.

XECUTE has, as its foundation, RPM’s Enterprise Planning Framework™, with enterprise data feeds providing planners with the most up-to-date scheduling inputs to be automatically pushed to downstream systems.

RPM CEO, Richard Mathews, said: “The mining industry is focused on plan compliance and driving more predictability into their planning processes. Not only because of the cost savings available to them but because predictable operations are also safer ones.

“To create XECUTE, we listened to the market, worked with key players and delivered a solution that can align horizons, optimise the plan with the supply chain, and connect planning/maintenance and production as well as delivering a visually rich compliance tool.

“As we move increasingly toward autonomy, solutions such as XECUTE are vital. With more automation comes less human intervention, with better data collection and integration comes better execution and with better execution better outcomes are realised.”

He concluded: “The investment we have made into enterprise integration over the last seven years is really paying dividends to both RPM and the industry.”