THE LEADER VOLUME 19 • NUMBER 2
Data-driven transformation
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With a Vancouver-based headquarters and operational mines in the Philippines , the US and New Zealand , access to – and sharing of – data for decision making is critical for the optimisation of OceanaGold ’ s various operations and processes . It is also proving equally important for the company ’ s pursuit of recruitment and upskilling .
OceanaGold ’ s vision is to be a company people trust , want to work and partner with , supply and invest in , to create value . This vision comes alongside a plan to grow its gold production from 460,000-480,000 oz , to 580,000-600,000 oz in 2025 , all while lowering its all-in sustaining costs .
Data is playing an increasingly important role in achieving this vision , with the company having invested heavily in digital and networking technology in the last few years .
For example , the company has made investments in industrial Wi-Fi across its operations – at the Golden Point underground mine ( part of the Macraes operaton in New Zealand ), Didipio ( Philippines ) and Haile ( USA ) – to improve access to data and company systems .
Michelle Du Plessis , Chief People & Technology Officer , told IM : “ This investment is improving operational efficiency by reducing the need for people to leave operational areas of the mine to access data and systems . This also enables more of our equipment to be operated more safely and remotely .”
And remote operation of equipment has been growing with the installation of these network backbones , with teleremote underground drilling , loading and hauling in place at Golden Point with Sandvik fleets , plus teleremote loading and hauling – with Sandvik AutoMine ® - equipped LH517is and TH551is – occurring at Haile . There are also plans to switch to teleremote operations from a surface cabin at the Didipio underground mine .
The company is completing the real-time data process loop , with tablet-based mine operation control software – Digital Terrain ’ s Simbio solution – being implemented at all of its underground operations to , Du Plessis says , more accurately and effectively control underground mine planning based on what is happening in the mine at that time .
At the Horseshoe underground mine at Haile , the newest underground mine within the group , the company is also using digital and data platforms for its mine planning and short interval control systems , with the API-enabled integration coming into the Snowflake cloudbased ecosystem . Du Plessis says these platforms are fully integrated with shift plans uploaded onto tablets and updated digitally if plans change through the shift .
On surface at the Macraes open-pit operation in New Zealand , the company is also working on the effective digital transfer of data , having recently migrated away from an older version of the Cat ® MineStar™ Fleet FMS to MineSense for
Miners ’ ( MS4M ) FMS . “ The main benefits were more accurate management of the fleet in terms of efficiency and maintenance planning ,” Du Plessis explained of this change .
Data access and availability is having a positive impact on operational productivity at OceanaGold ’ s operations , as well as enabling the company to confront the skills shortage it and every mining company is facing at the moment .
Du Plessis said : “ At OceanaGold , we are taking a systematic and multi-pronged approach to skills development across the talent lifecycle . This guides the way we prepare our workforce for the future opportunities by building the data and technology capabilities across the company . We also have a distributed operational footprint , which allows us to draw on , and foster , talent in multiple jurisdictions and we can take advantage of workforce mobility between the operations .”
Some of the company ’ s operations are in regions where mining is not the major employer , and there are plenty of people with skills but no mining-specific experience . With OceanaGold prioritising a residential workforce and local employment over fly-in , fly-out options , skills development is crucial for resourcing its operations .
“ To help us develop these skills and provide people an opportunity to build a career and have sustainable employment in mining , we partner with experienced training providers and contract mining companies ,” Du Plessis explained .
For example , in the Philippines , OceanaGold has partnered with Site WorkReady ( Philippines ) Pty Ltd to use the Site Skills Training Center in Clark , Pampanga . This facility allows the company to train new employees to work in an underground mining environment , with a focus on safety . “ We are also looking at the opportunity to extend this partnership to include additional skills , such as automotive and heavy diesel mechanics , to continue to upskill our local workforce ,” Du Plessis said .
In South Carolina , where the company has recently commenced mining from the new Horseshoe underground mine , OceanaGold has engaged Redpath Mining Inc in a similar skills development role .
“ In addition to their mining contract , Redpath provide training and resources to develop the underground mining skills of the local workforce , allowing us to transition to a full owner-operator model over time ,” Du Plessis explained . The company has also invested in an underground training simulator at the operation , offering potential recruits exposure to the underground environment and building the operating skills of new trainees .
Daniel Gleeson Editor daniel @ im-mining . com
FEBRUARY 2024 | International Mining 3