AUSTRALIAN METS
Australian mining operators are one of the most efficient and resilient commodity producers on earth , with the Australian brand signifying stability , quality and consistency .
Since the 1980s , many industries , including manufacturing , have continued to embrace offshoring and just-in-time inventories to drive down costs and maintain their competitive position in the market . However , this supply methodology is a finely balanced act , as relative stability in trade relations and transport infrastructure may have entrenched overconfidence in procurement , exposing a vulnerability that threatens to hang around for some time .
COVID-19 has fundamentally disrupted the global supply chain , according to Chris Knowles , McLanahan ’ s Director of Sales and Marketing of the APAC region .
“ The opportunity now for Australian mining companies and the supply and service communities that supports them is in collaboration , with the goal of reinstating confidence in the supply chain ,” Knowles said . “ This is not just a matter of auditing and planning , but also a matter of policy .”
As a manufacturer with an Australia base , McLanahan has experienced an increasing focus from larger customers on low-cost procurement from increasingly specialised , centrally managed international supply organisations . Concurrently , the policy of reducing the number of suppliers in their supply chain data base narrows the supply pool for mining companies , with limited visibility towards second- and third-tier suppliers who feed the primary supplier .
“ Due to our connected world , mining and mineral processing operations are now more complex , even more so in their supply chains ,” Knowles said . “ Until recently a dozer , a dump truck or a digger were mechanical machines , often manufactured and assembled in one or two locations . However , in 2021 , this equipment is a complex combination of sensors , electronics , monitors and remote data management components , and each component has its own source of supply and route to market .”
The most important tool in the supply chain is information . Diversification of suppliers to countries that have managed the COVID-19 outbreak well is one obvious way to reduce risk , accompanied by direct communication with that supplier and visibility of the sub-supplier network . The risk matrix is further strengthened by understanding the freight logistics of the supply network .
“ Local manufacturers within Australia provide lower-risk supply options and reduce one layer of transport risk , but they often still require raw materials to be supplied from overseas or interstate sources ,” Knowles explained . “ Regional manufacturing co-operatives or Australian Industry Capability Networks are available for mining procurement teams to use to reduce the administrative burden in setting up and managing regional supply chains .”
During disruptions to supply , many mining companies use another tactic , drawing on local relationships and manual processes to reduce the impact on their business . However , the COVID-19 disruption has proven to be a much more persistent , if not permanent , disruption to supply chains and , therefore , this process needs to be formalised and integrated into the procurement system , according to Knowles .
Part recycling , re-use , refurbishment , and upgrades are already part of the policy for many existing miners , with McLanahan engaging with several companies that have strong policies prioritising the reduction of energy , transport and their dependence on raw materials who select refurbishing and upgrading their parts rather than replacing them with new parts .
“ As an example , local manufacturers like McLanahan will provide fabricated flywheels in place of cast flywheels ,” Knowles said . “ This reduces the amount of energy required during manufacture and for freight and improves the ability to recycle the metal .”
In doing so , the client ’ s procurement team reduces risk , lead time , their carbon footprint , and delivers local support while aligning with the United Nations Sustainability Goal 12 : “ Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns ”.
Other factors also affect supply chain security , with nationalism , trade wars and global politics all continuing to influence the structures .
Knowles concluded : “ Establishing a collaborative approach within our local industry with key performance indicators that include adaptability and resilience will both maintain Australian industry know-how and deliver increasing confidence to Australia ’ s international brand .” our automation capability ,” Sterling explained . “ UFRautonomy is delivering accelerated time to market , decreased risk of failure and decreased overall cost for our customers .”
UFR ’ s most “ advanced ” product to date is called UFRautolog . This sees the company ’ s 2 t robotic platform operating UFRautonomy equipped with special attachments to perform a variety of tasks , Sterling said .
By creating an autonomous and interoperable platform – just like the ones Beer mentioned – UFR has been able to solve industry problems with ease , according to Sterling .
As an example , he references a customer request to provide a solution for clean-up tasks in an underground block cave automation area .
“ We had previously been approached by two large mining companies with similar problems around face sample collection at draw points where there have been serious safety incidents ,” Sterling explained . “ The problem is that sampling at drawpoints could have a significant financial impact on the dilution and grade delivered to the process plant , while at the same time posing a risk to workers .”
UFR has now completed the development of a machine for this application , UFRloader , which should allow tasks to be completed with , first , part automation or tele-remote with operators in the control room before transitioning to fully autonomous operation .
“ It is also integrated in an interoperable way with another equipment provider ’ s system and fully considers all aspects of the safety-related systems ,” Sterling said .
Alongside this , the company is working on two projects related to supporting radio coverage on mine sites , addressing the issues of keeping connected to mobile equipment in ever-changing mining topographies .
“ We are working with partners to deliver a first-of-its-kind automated solution that will demonstrate the solution ,” Sterling said .
The first unit will be based on a tracked vehicle to be controlled from an autonomous drill control room , which will allow it to be relocated as drills
move . “ It will set up a mesh radio network and a high bandwidth backhaul to the mine data network ,” Sterling said .
UFR expects to have the first machine shipped to an overseas location in the next few months . The company will also soon commence the METS Ignited collaborative projects fund project for underground deployment of IMDEX ’ s sensing technology , blasthole cleaning and , later , automated production charge-up .
“ A more ambitious project we are working on is a collaboration with technology companies to provide a persistent , interoperable mine automation and execution system ,” Sterling said .
“ The problem we are looking to solve is to lengthen the time machines can work without needing human intervention . Currently autonomous equipment is limited to operate only for a cycle , or less than one hour . The solution we are developing will combine several new technologies , including our UFRautonomy , to translate from a long-term mine plan and use simulation to direct autonomous machines such
18 International Mining | MAY 2021