Abstract
Material haulage takes up a significant portion of the budget of a mine project in both capital and operating expenses. Balancing profit and a social license to operate which takes into consideration environmental, as well as safety and health, considerations, puts many mining companies in an untenable position. In this presentation, two projects which employed an innovative material haulage system to reduce costs, improve the environmental impact, and increase safety will be reviewed.
Case Study #1: Mine Manager in Quebec needed to find a way to stay in operation. A deeper mineral deposit was found but couldn’t be accessed profitably with standard haulage systems. Research found an innovative haulage system would eliminate the need for trucks which in turn would provide cleaner air quality and safer environment. In addition, the digitally autonomous aspect meant fewer people in dangerous situations. The mine has been able to haul over 5,000,000 tonnes of ore to date.
Case Study #2: Mine Manager in Missouri was looking for an innovative way to move ore using existing above ground railroad track. Research found an innovative haulage system that could possibly access the tracks. Upon further consultation, it was determined that the rail-based system could be used underground in existing drifts and eliminate the need to bring the ore to the surface, truck it over public roads, and take the ore underground again for processing. Each train eliminated ten truckloads per hour. Rough numbers show that haulage costs were reduced by 92% over the previous hauling method.
Biography of the presenter
Lisa Youngblood is the Executive Director of Marketing and Communications for Rail-Veyor Technologies Global Inc. She is responsible to create and direct marketing programs including developing the strategic vision, messages, and objectives of the brand. Ms. Youngblood works with the senior management team to build an internal and external communications experience through events and presentations as well as writing, photography, videography, and social media and press engagement. She officially joined the Rail-Veyor team in March of 2020, but first became familiar with the company as an outside consultant for the two years prior. She has an extensive background in marketing, sales, education, and leadership and a degree in Visual Communications. When not traveling, Lisa works remotely from her 1840s ancestral homestead in northern Illinois not far from the historic Galena lead mines.
James “Jim” Fisk is the Executive Chairman of Rail-Veyor Technologies Global Inc. He also acts as lead innovation engineer developing new and better ways to optimize the Rail-Veyor system to best meet the needs and solve the problems of the customers. Having an extensive executive position background in engineering, manufacturing and entrepreneurial companies, Mr. Fisk has been the Chairman of RVTG since July 2011. Prior to joining the company, Jim served in various capacities in the heavy rail sector as Vice President/Chief Mechanical Office at Kansas City Southern, Vice President Continuous Improvement at Electro-Motive Diesels, Inc., President and Chief Operating Officer at National Railway Equipment Company and Executive Vice President at Wisconsin Central where he had responsibilities in North America, Europe and Australia.
