Abstract
There is an opportunity to redefine the existing systems and tools used by mines with a new technology solution that provides near real time visibility of ore quality and inventory across the mine value chain. The technology will address gaps in the current systems and business processes to recover lost value. The solution will focus on two main opportunity areas:
- Product inventory accounting from open pit and underground mines to the primary crusher feed and associated run-of-mine stockpiles.
- Ore quality tracking.
This will facilitate multi-point reconciliation, minimise quality variability, and enable better on the day decision making to recover lost value by:
- Simplifying information flows and creating a single platform for visualisation and planning that will support continuous improvement.
- Reducing operational risk and missed opportunities due to lack of visibility. i.e. Reduce gaps in planning, scheduling and execution.
- Simplifying complex decision-making processes by maximising data quality and availability (near real-time) using a single platform for operation wide visibility.
- Introducing 3D visualisation, ‘what if?’ analysis and scenario comparison tools for ore quality and inventory tracking.
- Connecting the mine value chain from both open pits, to the primary crusher by tracking individual ore route segments:
- Pit to run-of-mine stockpiles
- Pit to primary crushers
- Run-of-mine stockpiles to primary crushers
Importantly, centralizing all this data will enable mines to consistently make better on the day decisions to manage ore quality and compliance to plan by:
- 3D ore tracking and visibility on run-of-mine stockpiles.
- Increase ore quality data visibility upstream of the primary crushers.
- Deliver inventory traceability and reconciliation back to the grade control and resource models.
- Provide product inventory transparency and sharing of quality data between mine planning and mine operations functions.
Maptek has created such a solution that will substantially improve coordination between business functions by delivering near-live accurate tonnes and quality data across the mine operation needed for decision making that positively addresses business impacts:
- Under forecasting and over delivering on ore quality.
- Value loss by under forecasting final delivered quality.
- Value loss through quality variability impacting mineral recovery.
- Ensuring on-spec ore inventory consistently meets the primary crusher feed plans.
- Costs arising from time delayed decision making on the day of operations, including:
- Reclaim and blend planning across the primary crusher feeds and run-of-mine stockpiles
- Value loss due to off-spec and variable product delivery.
Maptek Resource Tracking (MRT) is potentially scalable to interact with Plant and supply chain data after beneficiation in the near future through some of our current endeavors in the market.