IM 2018 February 18 | Page 68

MINING SOFTWARE “Strategic mine planners can spend days just trying to get a smoothed schedule – one where the trucking or total material movement (TMM) doesn’t have drastic peaks and valleys in it. This process can be frustrating and take up valuable time: when you fix one glaring dip or peak in the schedule, another one appears somewhere else.” The new smoothing constraints in Minemax Scheduler 6.4.1 “give planners the ability to produce a smooth practical schedule without all those tedious manual iterations. The automated smoothing means more time for running additional scenarios or analysing results, and there’s also the bonus of greater accuracy, and even a better NPV.” Minemax Scheduler’s new smoothing constraints accomplish this by giving engineers more control on the upward and downward differences in material movement from one period to another. “You just need to set this up as difference constraints in your scenario and let the optimisation find the best value schedule.” This new release also solves another problem planners have been struggling with: how to ensure enough waste is mined for infrastructural projects like roads and tailings dams before processing can begin. Minemax Scheduler’s new cumulative constraints make sure the necessary amount of waste has been mined for construction without over-constraining the schedule. Minemax Scheduler 6.4.1 is available for download to all maintained users the next time they launch Minemax Software Manager (MSM). Pitram success in Kazakhstan The President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, recently spoke about the implementation of MICROMINE’s Pitram fleet management and mine control solution at the Maleevsky mine. Nazarbayev was speaking on the recently finalised concept of the Digital Kazakhstan Program which includes a number of innovative projects that aim to further develop the country’s economy. The Maleevsky mine is Kazzinc’s largest underground operation, and was commissioned in June 2000. It has a production of around 2.25 Mt/y. President Nazarbayev introduced the Pitram system and discussed the importance of digital innovations in the mining industry and the wider economy. MICROMINE Regional Manager Central Asia Erick Kanaev commented: “It was a real buzz for the MICROMINE team to hear the President of Kazakhstan introduce the Pitram solution and MICROMINE’s Pitram fleet management and mine control solution has been implemented at the Kazzinc Maleevsky mine discuss the role data and technology will play in the mining industry in the future.” Pitram is a leading fleet management and mine control solution that records data related to equipment, personnel and materials, providing an overall view of the current mine status and therefore enabling improved control over operations. Greater control allows sites to increase production, reduce costs, and improve safety and business intelligence. The Maleevsky implementation took place in 2016 and comprises Pitram Mobile including Shift Planner. Pitram M AY 9 ~ 1 1 h ot e l s an t i ago, c h il e 6 th International Congress on Water Management in Mining 2 nd International Congress on Water in Industrial Processes E A R LY R E G I S T R AT I O N 20 % OFF UNTIL MARCH 9 plenary speakers preliminary program highlights • There are 86 received abstracts by authors from 19 countries about recent innovations in water management for the mining, energy, agroindustry and sanitation sectors. • One day pre-congress workshop: Desalinated Water for Everyone? ricardo ariztia Chair, National Agricultural Association, Chile rodolfo camacho Environment and Permitting Manager, BHP Minerals Americas maryann r amirez Conservation Manager, The Nature Conservancy, Chile r aimund bleischwitz Deputy Director, Chair in Sustainable Global Resources, University College London gecamin.com/watercongress organized by 64 International Mining | FEBRUARY 2018 sponsored by institutional partners