EPC & EPCM
This also expands to both the project
execution and productivity aspects.
“We have been investing heavily in
developing innovative, industry-leading
approaches to improve field productivity,”
Wilson said, adding these approaches are being
applied to the Chile and Peru copper markets to
“drive a step change in execution performance
and financial returns to our clients”.
The company has wrapped some numbers
around these goals, with Wilson saying a
realistic target is to reduce capital costs of large
copper concentrate projects by 3-5%,
representing some $50-$150 million in savings.
WSP’s Latin America division agreed with
Bechtel when it came to the expanding use of
automation, digitalisation and management of
big data in the region. It said water and energy
consumption were two key focus areas.
Wood’s Lawson pointed to a recently awarded
PFS contract award with Antofagasta’s Mineral
Centinela SA division as a good example of how
the company was leveraging these
technologies. The project will support the
studies of centralisation of monitoring and
control for its mining operations in Chile
through a “technologically-advanced integrated
operations centre”.
Max Luedtke, Global Head of Product Group Mining, at ABB told IM how
disruptive digital technologies are redefining the decades-long relationship
between metals and mining companies, and EPCM firms.
he industrial internet of things, artificial intelligence-driven analytics and machine learning
provide real-time and predictive data to mining operators, helping them make informed
decisions to reduce ore variability, operating and capital expenditure, improve safety,
automate machinery operation, and facilitate predictive rather than preventative maintenance.
For EPCMs, whose job it is to design, build and develop mines on behalf of owners, that means
eschewing traditional, rigid working practices in favour of a more collaborative, holistic approach,
according to Luedtke.
“EPCM companies can no longer rely on the traditional model where they break down large
projects into smaller packages using cut and paste solutions,” Luedtke said.
“Now, in order to drive digital innovation, technology companies such as ABB have to be involved
as early as the prefeasibility stage, forming a collaborative partnership with the mine operator
through the entire lifetime of the mine.”
In addition to early contract involvement, future-proofed design and build solutions that
incorporate digital applications, electrification and automation are key to reducing costs and
maximising output.
“EPCMs have to look at electrification and automation as one whole package, and think about
how to combine different types of projects and solutions in order to reduce cost of ownership and
build an operational platform that can then be used in the future,” says Luedtke.
T
This includes cloud-based data storage and
information management for the company’s
operations.
More and more, EPC and EPCM providers are
developing their own unique expertise in these
fields to differentiate their offering.
Pöyry’s Director of Mining & Metals
Technology, Janne Tikka said: “The development
in process automation has enabled Pöyry to
design the most energy and cost-efficient plants
throughout the industry sectors. At the same
time, Pöyry has developed its own EPCM
deliveries towards more automated solutions
using modern planning and management tools.”
Its Smart Site™ “toolbox” for industrial plant
digitalisation is one example of this, where all
site processes and operations are designed and
implemented to increase efficiency and support
sustainable solutions through digitalisation and
intelligence of different systems.
In Australia, specific projects have upped the
ante when it comes to the use of digitalisation
and automation, according to WSP (which
incorporates brands such as Parsons
Brinckerhoff and Technip TPS). This has seen
companies look to other industries to bolster
their offering.
“Rio Tinto’s Koodaideri project, currently
underway in Western Australia and labelled as a
mine of the future, has employed an EPCM
provider (WorleyParsons) specifically because of
their familiarity of these skills in the oil and gas
industry,” the company said.
10 International Mining | DECEMBER 2018
ABB’s Ability™ MineOptimize encompasses optimised engineering, electrification and
automation solutions, digital applications and collaborative services to reduce cost, minimise risk
and improve efficiency, and is used by both end operators and EPCMs, according to Luedtke
“Also, there needs to be ongoing dialogue between the EPCM and the operator about how other
industries such as oil and gas are utilising digital solutions and how these could be adapted for the
mining sector.”
ABB’s Ability™ MineOptimize encompasses optimised engineering, electrification and
automation solutions, digital applications and collaborative services to reduce cost, minimise risk
and improve efficiency, and is used by both end operators and EPCMs, according to Luedtke.
“We developed the MineOptimize concept based around early involvement in a project and this
can be broken down into four pillars: optimising the engineering; optimising the way of working on
systems supply; applications; and service,” Luedtke explains.
“ABB Ability MineOptimize speeds up the engineering process by allowing companies to make quicker
changes without compromising on quality, but also, at the same time, looking at the whole project
investment picture. This is achieved by modern digital engineering and project management tools.
WSP has worked with its own digital business
unit, which employs software developers and
systems analysts, to provide miners with
concept studies of internet of things-based
condition monitoring systems for predictive
maintenance, the company added.
DRA Global s Vissen, too has noticed this
evolution: “The digitisation of the engineering
and design landscape opened up a whole new
world of collaborative design and information
sharing.
“Significant advancements in the