Tag Archives: USA

Hitachi Construction Machinery to shorten mining equipment delivery times in western North America with new warehouse

Mining equipment, Mining services, , ,

Hitachi Construction Machinery has begun operation of the Salt Lake City Parts Warehouse, in Utah, USA, to strengthen its supply system for service parts in western North America.

This new 173,000 sq.ft (16,072 sq.m) warehouse will enable the company to supply service parts, which were previously shipped from parts warehouses outside of Atlanta, more rapidly to dealers and customers in western North America.

Service parts for construction and mining machinery must be supplied to customers in a rapid and reliable manner to maintain stable machinery operation, the company states. The Hitachi Construction Machinery Group began operation of the Jackson Parts Warehouse (Jackson, Georgia) and McDonough Parts Warehouse (McDonough, Georgia) outside of Atlanta in 2022 to strengthen its parts supply system in the Americas. Previously, these warehouses supplied parts to regions all over the Americas including Canada, Central and South America.

The operation of the Salt Lake City Parts Warehouse is expected to shorten the delivery lead time by approximately one to three days for service parts shipped to dealers in the US states of Utah and Alaska, the Canadian province of Alberta, and other regions within western North America. The new warehouse is scheduled to store 30,000 different parts upon opening and ship around 500 orders per day.

Jeremy Dieterle, Vice President, Parts Hitachi Construction Machinery Americas, said: “When we were deciding upon the location for this warehouse it was important for us to be close to our customers. While this requires additional investment and complexity for us, our goal is to improve the speed of delivery to our customers, maintain world class fill rates and be a highly reliable partner.”

Hitachi Construction Machinery Americas says it is committed to its customers and dealer network with $140 million in parts inventory spread across its warehouses in the Americas to ensure high parts availability.

Going forward, the company plans to expand warehouse operations through further enhancement of equipment and systems. Furthermore, operation of the warehouse will be entrusted to LOGISTEED America, Inc under a third-party logistics arrangement similar to the parts warehouses outside of Atlanta.

Epiroc reinforces OEM-agnostic autonomous haulage solution vision with new Utah facility

Automation, Explosives and blasting, Mining equipment, Mining services, , , , , ,

Epiroc has opened its new Surface Mining Automation Center in Providence, Utah, USA, dedicated to developing autonomous haulage solutions.

Epiroc celebrated the grand opening of this new facility last week. It is dedicated to the former ASI Mining team, following Epiroc’s acquisition of the remaining stake in the company. The OEM say it represents a significant investment in developing OEM-agnostic autonomous haulage solutions for the mining industry.

The grand opening on September 4 included a ribbon-cutting ceremony, guided tours and demonstrations of advanced automation technologies, showcasing how these innovations will enhance safety, efficiency and sustainability in surface mining operations, Epiroc said.

The centre will serve as a hub for developing, testing and deploying OEM-agnostic autonomous haulage solutions for surface mining, offering a valuable resource for customers seeking to integrate the latest breakthroughs in mining autonomy.

“This facility represents an important milestone in Epiroc’s journey to lead the industry in surface mining automation,” José Sánchez, President Surface division, Epiroc, said. “It also demonstrates our investment and commitment to develop advanced autonomous haulage solutions for the mining industry.”

Diederik Lugtigheid, General Manager Surface Mining Automation – Haulage, said: “The technology developed here will challenge what’s possible in surface mining autonomy, thanks to the skill and expertise of our new team. Their commitment to developing the most effective autonomous solutions for our customers is the key to driving innovation.”

Local authorities, community leaders and general public attended the event, including Mayor of Providence, Kathleen Alder; Cache County Executive, David Zook; and President of the Cache Chamber of Commerce, Jamie Andrus.

BEUMER Group to design and supply overland conveyor for Warrior Met Coal’s Blue Creek mine

Bulk handling, Coal technology, Mining equipment, Mining services, Steel and iron ore, , , , , , , ,

BEUMER Group has been selected by Warrior Met Coal to support the expansion of Blue Creek mine, a new state-of-the-art underground longwall mine producing steelmaking coal.

The extracted coal is to be processed on surface in a coal preparation plant before being moved over 14 km to a train loadout station.

The BEUMER Group recently secured the order from Warrior to design and supply a single-flight curved overland conveyor for this 1,500 short ton per hour transport system.

Daniel Schmillenkamp, CEO of BEUMER Group Canada, said: “In cooperation with Warrior, we addressed the project-specific challenges. The design and implementation are a testament to our commitment to innovation and customer-centric solutions.”

The project presented some challenges due to the difficult and hilly terrain of the proposed transport corridor, BEUMER says. To find the most efficient solution, Warrior explored various transportation methods, including rail, troughed and pipe conveyor systems. Over the past 12 months, BEUMER Group worked closely with Warrior to identify the most economical and technically feasible transport method and optimal route, resulting in a single conventionally troughed conveyor with 18 horizontal curves.

Philip Saunders, Senior VP Engineering at Warrior, said: “BEUMER’s holistic approach and our very close working relationship allowed us to expedite the design and procurement phase to move toward the completion of this time-sensitive project at a pace rarely seen in the coal or mining industries.”

BEUMER is responsible for engineering and procurement of all structural and mechanical components and multiple E-Houses with VFDs, MCCs and PLC control systems. The conveyor system will use nine load-sharing drives to limit the overall belt tension.

BEUMER’s Director of Sales, Peter Sehl, said this project uses innovative and proprietary conveyor engineering and design tools to support the fast construction schedule. “With over 5,000 tons of steel for ground modules and elevated sections, 47% of the conveyor flight will be elevated to avoid natural features and minimise earthworks,” he said.

The overland conveyor is expected to be operational by the end of 2025.

With the addition of Blue Creek, Warrior expects to increase its annual High Vol A production by 4.8 million short tons; enhance its already advantageous position on the global cost curve; drive its cash costs further into the first quartile globally; improve its profitability and cash flow generation; and cement its position as a leading pure play steelmaking coal producer, the coal producer says.

Sandvik seals largest-ever single surface drills order from Country Boy Supply

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

Country Boy Supply, LLC, one of the newest dealers for Sandvik in the USA, has selected Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions to supply 34 surface drill rigs to replace its current contractor fleet in Georgia and Tennessee, the largest-ever single surface drills order for Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions.

Country Boy Supply (CBS) already had a large order focusing on the construction market in Georgia and Tennessee when Two Eight Drilling, its largest customer, approached CBS with a decision to switch to Sandvik equipment.

The record-setting order includes 16 Leopard™ DI650i drills, six Leopard DI550 drills, five Pantera™ DP1600i drills, three Ranger™ DX800 drills, three Ranger DX700 drills and one Pantera DP1500i drill.

“We were impressed with the productivity and uptime of the Sandvik surface equipment and made a strategic choice to flip our entire fleet,” CBS customer Brent Taylor, CEO of Two Eight Drilling, said. “We look forward to gaining all productivity improvements and testing the latest automation technology. CBS and Sandvik support was also un-paralleled.”

Deliveries are scheduled to start in the March quarter of 2024.

Jake Schmidtlein, General Manager of Country Boy Supply, LLC, said: “The key to getting this across the finish line was that both teams at CBS and Sandvik, along with the other members of the supply chain, worked together seamlessly. This is an excellent example of how business-led collaboration across the whole chain can create value for all parties.”

The surface drill rigs will be used for production drilling in various large quarries or open-pit mines, as well as construction work sites. Sandvik intelligent surface drill rigs bring the latest technology to surface mining applications, the OEM says. Designed to work in the toughest operating conditions, these rigs combine power with precision and are designed for efficiency and operator comfort.

“We are delighted to partner with Country Boy Supply and deliver the most productive and powerful surface drill rigs available to upgrade their fleet,” Ville Keinänen, Business Line Manager for Surface Drills, Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions, said. “These new drill rigs will help increase profitability and productivity over their lifecycle. Our partnership will further strengthen Sandvik’s position in the surface drilling solutions market.

“Automation will be a key feature in the fleet upgrade as some of the drills will be equipped with AutoMine® readiness. We look forward to continuing to work hand-in-hand to add value to CBS’ business.”

Rio Tinto completes 5 MW solar power plant build at Kennecott

Base metals, Environmental, Mine operation news, Power supply for mines, Sustainable mining, , , , , , ,

Rio Tinto has completed construction on a new 5 MW solar power plant at its Kennecott copper operation in Utah, USA, with commissioning expected in the coming weeks.

The 12,800 solar panel power plant will enable Kennecott to reduce its operational emissions by 3,000 t/y of carbon dioxide equivalent, Rio Tinto says. It will also serve as a pilot project with the goal of expanding Kennecott’s solar energy supply in the future.

Shifting to sustainable energy solutions is a priority for Kennecott, the company says. The mine closed down its coal-fired power plant in 2019, moving to electricity paired with renewable energy certificates. This resulted in a 65% reduction in its carbon footprint and the elimination of over 1 Mt/y of carbon dioxide output.

Rio Tinto Kennecott Managing Director, Nate Foster, said: “Rio Tinto Kennecott has a key role to play in supporting the energy transition. We supply US companies with the copper and tellurium they need to produce solar panels, wind turbines, and conductors. We also continue to take steps to further decarbonise our business, from our battery-electric vehicle trial to our renewable diesel trial and now to our very own solar plant.”

The location of the 30-acre (12.1-ha) solar array was carefully selected to minimise visual and environmental impacts, Rio Tinto says. It is adjacent to other existing industrial operations, away from residential and commercial zones, with earthen berms from the railway providing a visual barrier to most of the installation.

Last year, Rio Tinto started producing tellurium as a by-product of mining and refining copper at Kennecott, becoming one of only two US producers of this critical mineral. Both copper and tellurium are vital components of photovoltaic solar panels. The tellurium from Kennecott is refined by 5N Plus, a producer of specialty semiconductors and performance materials, before being supplied primarily to First Solar for use in its solar panels.

Rio Tinto aims to reduce its global Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 50% by 2030 and to achieve net zero emissions by 2050.

Bingham Canyon to become first Rio Tinto site equipped with Cat MineStar Fleet

Automation, Base metals, Communications in mining, Mine operation news, Mining equipment, Mining services, Mining software, , , , , , , , , , ,

The Bingham Canyon copper mine in Utah, USA, has selected the Cat® MineStar™ Fleet management system as part of its plans to optimise open pit operations at the mine, owned by Rio Tinto, Caterpillar says.

Caterpillar Inc and Wheeler Machinery recently completed installation of a Cat MineStar Fleet management system at the mine, which, rather than upgrading the mine’s previous fleet management system, chose to deploy MineStar Fleet. This switch has, Caterpillar says, optimised the mine site’s equipment tracking, production recording, material management and truck assignment, and it has further expanded the technology relationship between Caterpillar and Rio Tinto.

Ryan Howell, Mining Technology Commercial Product Manager at Caterpillar, said: “For 15 years, Rio Tinto has used MineStar Terrain and has expanded its MineStar capabilities in recent years at locations like Gudai Darri and Marandoo, autonomous mine sites in Western Australia. Bingham Canyon Mine is the first MineStar Fleet site in Rio Tinto history, and this extends the company’s application of MineStar capabilities. Our team is proud of this MineStar Fleet system installation. We are honoured to be there to support the mine site’s fleet management needs.”

Joshua Wood, Principal Advisor, Surface Mining Centre of Excellence at Rio Tinto, added: “The close collaboration between the Rio Tinto Group team, Caterpillar, dealer and Kennecott ensured a successful deployment at Kennecott and their desire to be the flagship for future MineStar sites.”

Even though it wasn’t the easiest route for the mine, the cost-benefit analysis showed significant benefits long term using MineStar Fleet, including seamless integration with MineStar Terrain currently used by the mine, Caterpillar said.

Mike Gray, General Manager for Wheeler Machinery, said: “A true partnership with the supplier, dealer and customer allows for large-scale technology projects like this to be completed successfully with minimal impact to production.”

An incremental approach was devised to minimise the system installation loss-time impact on mining operations for bringing nearly 100 trucks, plus more than 40 supporting dozers, shovels and drills, online with MineStar Fleet. Caterpillar and Wheeler worked together to provide a quick turn-around time with best-in-class implementation, Caterpillar said.

Bryce Olson, Mine Monitoring and Control Superintendent at the Kennecott Bingham Canyon Mine, said: “We have been impressed with the partnership, and we share the same vision and have the correct team to get us there. We flipped the switch, and we haven’t gone backwards. We immediately started using MineStar Fleet’s open assignment, load-haul-dump and auto fuel advanced features.”

Cat MineStar Fleet automatically records and tracks data up and down a mine’s value chain, providing insights that help miners identify what is working and fix what is not to meet production targets, Caterpillar says. Fleet allows miners to view the entire operation at a glance on a computer and gain insights into key cost drivers – such as fuel, tyres, service parts and idle time – and improve haul fleet production and shovel utilisation.

South32 and Redpath kick off shaft sinking works at Hermosa

Base metals, Energy minerals, Mine shafts and equipment, Mineral project development, Mining services, Precious metals, , , , , , , , , ,

South32 has now broken ground on one of two exploration shafts at the Hermosa project in southern Arizona, USA, in a sign of major progress at the base and battery metal project.

This milestone achievement commemorates the initial surface excavation that will be continued by Redpath USA to a planned depth of 900 m, the contractor stated in a LinkedIn post. Redpath and South32 signed a “limited notice to proceed” for shaft engineering and design at Hermosa last year.

Redpath said in this latest post: “The shafts will enable underground access for continued exploration of a world-class deposit containing the US critical mineral zinc as well as lead and silver – minerals needed for supporting electrification and renewable energy.”

In South32’s March quarter results, the company said it invested $176 million over the last nine months as it continued critical path activity and study work for the Taylor zinc-lead-silver deposit and the Clark battery-grade manganese-zinc-silver deposit. It also directed $12 million to capitalised exploration in the nine months ended March 2023 as it continued exploration programs at Taylor and Clark and the copper-lead-zinc-silver Peake prospect 8.

Just last month, the Hermosa project was confirmed by the United States Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council, an independent federal agency, as the first mining project added to the FAST-41 process, which is focused on supporting informed decision-making while reducing and eliminating unnecessary and costly delays associated with projects.

Vermeer opens 28,986 sq.m Global Parts Distribution Center

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

Vermeer, a manufacturer or surface mining equipment, has announced the opening of a 312,000-sq.ft (28,986 sq.m) Global Parts Distribution Center to, it says, support the important work customers and dealers are performing around the world.

Vermeer team members will package and ship parts worldwide from the facility, located on the grounds of the corporate headquarters in Iowa, USA. The Global Parts Distribution Center builds on a legacy of customer support, located at the end of the old runway where company founder Gary Vermeer once delivered parts to Vermeer customers by plane, the company said.

Tony Briggs, VP of the Vermeer Lifecycle product group, said: “Vermeer is focused on optimising this facility so we can most efficiently deliver the right part at the right time to our customers. This facility allows customer support, engineering, procurement and logistics to be co-located. They work in conjunction with our operational team members to make sure we fulfill customer and dealer expectations daily.”

The location of the Global Parts Distribution Center leverages the manufacturing capabilities of the Vermeer mile, where most Vermeer products are assembled, it says.

Briggs said: “Almost a third of the warehouse is filled with parts made by different manufacturing plants on the Vermeer mile. It is very convenient for us to be located near the manufacturing facilities that supply those parts. Ultimately, we bundle the Vermeer-manufactured parts with other parts and ship the orders around the world to take care of our customers.”

Three times more space than the previous building, the new Global Parts Distribution Center includes 23 dock doors, a warehouse management system and improved warehouse technology. This investment will help drive efficiency by centralising parts storage, Vermeer says.

Jason Andringa, Vermeer President and CEO, said: “With people at the center of everything we do, this new facility helps our team members equip dealers and support customers and that ultimately makes a real impact on their ability to get important work done.”

The Global Parts Distribution Center is the second facility Vermeer has opened in 2023. Earlier this year, the company expanded its parts manufacturing footprint in Des Moines, Iowa. That facility manufactures horizontal directional drill tooling and utility tractor attachments.

ASTERRA’s Earth observation solution pinpoints new lithium exploration targets for ACME Lithium

Energy minerals, Mineral exploration, Mining services, Mining software, , , , , , , ,

ASTERRA has announced that its Earth observation solution was used in collaboration with ACME Lithium Inc to locate 14 new points of interest for lithium in Fish Lake Valley, Nevada, USA.

In past uses of ASTERRA’s solution to locate lithium, it was reported that locating of the mineral was confirmed upon sampling with up to 1,418 parts per million (ppm) lithium values. This was the highest found to date on the property, according to ASTERRA. The data was based on a recent geological field review and sampling program that also confirms historical and new lithium occurrences.

“Exploration for lithium at our Fish Lake Valley project shows great potential, and as a result of the use of ASTERRA’s leading technology solutions, we can confirm that ACME has confirmed drill targets at Fish Lake Valley,” Steve Hanson, President and CEO of ACME, said. “We are moving forward to advance this program this year to discover this critically needed resource in an efficient and cost effective way.”

Elly Perets, CEO of ASTERRA, said: “ASTERRA is pleased with the continued positive results in locating lithium using our technology. This method has the potential to save the industry millions of dollars per year in exploration costs, as well as reducing significantly the footprint of exploration and impact on the environment.”

Since January of 2023, ACME and ASTERRA have collaborated under a teaming agreement to use ASTERRA’s Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) solution to locate minerals beneath the surface of the Earth. By combining data analytics, patented algorithms, and AI, ASTERRA identifies lithium-specific targets without destruction of the environment, it says. The pilot project resulted in ACME’s highest lithium values to date and produced approximately double the likely locations of lithium above 100 ppm over traditional methods of geochemistry exploration, enabling ACME to find targeted locations of lithium while reducing exploration time and costs, it said.

Arizona Sonoran Copper hires Ausenco for Cactus and Parks/Salyer project PFS

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

Arizona Sonoran Copper Company says it has engaged Ausenco as lead engineer to deliver an integrated prefeasibility study (PFS) at the Cactus and Parks/Salyer project, in Arizona, USA, by early 2024.

The project, on private land, is a brownfields site with in-place infrastructure and is accessible via highway.

Additionally, the company is pleased to announce the appointment of Victor Moraila as Chief Engineer, joining as the company transitions into a US-based copper developer.

Ausenco will initially review the Cactus draft PFS and incorporate into the new re-scoped PFS, which includes Parks/Salyer. The study will explore a simple heap leach operation, targeting a potential of 50,000 tons (45,359 t) per annum of LME Grade A Copper Cathode from an on-site solvent extraction/electrowinning (SX/EW) plant.

Mineralised material will be sourced from four deposits initially, including Stockpile, Cactus East, Parks/Salyer and Cactus West.

Pending a successful metallurgical program with Rio Tinto’s Nuton Technologies, and a subsequent commercial agreement, the company and Ausenco will layer in the primary sulphides as a fifth source of mineralised material for the SX-EW plant.

Back in July, Arizona Sonoran announced it had entered into a one-year exclusivity period with Nuton™, a Rio Tinto Venture that, at its core, is a portfolio of proprietary copper leach related technologies and capability. The sulphide potential is not included in the 2021 Cactus preliminary economic assessment, which contemplated a simple heap leach and SX-EW operation over an 18-year mine life, producing an average of 28,000 t/y of LME Grade A copper cathode.

In addition to its own technical staff, Ausenco will lead a technical consultant team comprised of Samuel Engineering, AGP Mining Consultants, Stantec, MineFill Services, Clear Creek Associates and Call & Nicholas Inc.

As part of the PFS work for the project, the company and Ausenco have agreed to complete trade-off and optimisation studies and detailed mine production scenario analysis, in conjunction with AGP Mining, around the following areas:

  • Mineralised material sources from an open-pit expansion (Cactus West), underground development (Cactus East and Parks/Salyer), and the existing stockpile;
  • Ore handling, storage, and agglomeration;
  • Leach pad design and operation;
  • Acid storage, consumption and handling;
  • Solvent extraction and electro-winning;
  • Existing and new infrastructure (as required);
  • Preliminary design of access roads in coordination with mine access roads;
  • Preliminary design and location of mine support facilities; and
  • Mine and geotechnical design.

A PFS detailing the oxide and enriched mineralised material is projected to take approximately 10 months to complete, with results currently expected in the December quarter of 2023. Based on the results of current metallurgical testing with Nuton, layering in the primary sulphide material into the mine plan would extend delivery into early 2024.

George Ogilvie, ASCU President and CEO, said: “As Arizona Sonoran Copper Company emerges as a mid-tier copper developer, we are thrilled to welcome the depth of experiences of both Victor and Ausenco; each rooted in quality and value-driven projects. Looking forward, Arizona Sonoran Copper Company is bolstering the technical services team, necessary team to deliver domestically produced copper into the US copper supply chain, from the third largest independent copper deposit in the US.”