PROCESS CONTROL
Metso expertise, all the way to the individual product managers. Of course we can train customer staff as well, but most likely it will be a combination of the two.”
Matinlauri said he sees this starting to happen within the next five years and it is part of the discussions that Metso is already having- it just has not been realised yet.
What about the fact that no processing plants have 100 % Metso equipment? Customers will not want multiple different processing equipment OEM experts in their ROC locations.“ That is a good point and I think it comes down to the particular scenario and this development is likely to be with certain customers that have gone all in with Metso to a greater extent – that said given our size and scope, we already monitor third party equipment at a number of sites – the baseline being where we have some significant play there as the capital equipment supplier. We aren’ t going to become a purely condition monitoring company. But again it depends – a good example is a large miner that might have three concentrators- two of which are dominated by Metso equipment, but one isn’ t – we might still monitor all three, and this is something we are already doing.
The most fascinating part of the discussion was what the future might bring in terms of insight capabilities and how that will enable planning strategies in the concentrator. Mine sites have been using short interval control for years – where they use data, digital tools like fleet management systems, and focused reviews, over very short time intervals – sometimes every hour- during a shift to identify any production issues, and therefore optimise cycles and equipment deployment. It allows mines to keep to their targets and KPIs.
Even today, concentrators are generally not doing this – it is still a case of‘ we’ ll see in the end what type of recovery we got based on what feed we had.’ Metso is changing this with technologies like Geminex TM and HSC. Geminex is a metallurgical digital twin that combines operational data and expertise, delivering insight-driven performance that gives more efficient management of variability.
HSC was actually one of the first software packages to combine versatile chemical, thermodynamic, and mineralprocessing features. Thermochemical calculations are useful, for example, when developing new chemical processes and improving existing ones. HSC also contains modules for mineral processing and particle calculations, which are integrated with an extensive mineral database. Modules and databases are accessed via a dynamic and fully customisable menu. The latest HSC Chemistry TM software contains 24 calculation modules connected to 12 integrated databases. It allows users to develop new
56 processes and improve existing ones through modelling and simulation.
But the reality is that the market by and large doesn’ t yet understand the potential and power of these digital tools, even though they have been around for a while – and many decades in the case of HSC.“ HSC is the simulation engine at the back of it all. Development started in the 1970s, encompassing hundreds of thousands of lab measurements – but today we have vastly improved the simulations thanks to current computing power and the power of AI plus we can base it on the latest Metso process equipment.”
You can simplify the Geminex portfolio to three main areas, Matinlauri says. First operator training simulators- whenever a customer starts up a new plant, Metso actually has the flowsheet and simulations that it can make available through the operations user interface, the DCS automation system.“ Secondly, with Geminex we can do long term, and mid term simulation- monthly, quarterly, yearly simulations that allow you to adjust your ore body parameters based on the mine plan, sampling data and the block model – so you can input expected grade, hardness, abrasiveness, clay content – a long list of data on what you’ re going to be getting into your concentrator over a period of time and then adjust the operating parameters- how you’ re going to run the plant. In some cases over the long term you might use it to redesign your process, such as adjusting your fine grinding and flotation.”
Third is the already mentioned area of short interval control and this is a big focus for Metso today:“ Taking live data coming into the system, and based on that, creating scenarios for the following 24 hours on how can you adjust the plant operation based on expected feed changes, and based on that, what are the recovery results you’ re going to be getting? Plus what is the overall status of your process at any one time?”
Matinlauri pointed out it’ s not only about the process- you can also simulate against mechanical topics.“ You have five comminution trains of grinding mills. One is going to be down for the next 24 hours due to a problem or scheduled maintenance. What’ s the best way of operating the plant in that condition?”
With Geminex you already have a live process view, so you can see what’ s going on in the process.“ But what we are interested in and where we are taking Geminex is detailed simulations, so you’ re able to define different types of changes in operating mode. They can be univariate, they can be multivariate. It could be 20 different parameter changes. You’ re able to define in our tool which scenarios you want to simulate, and if you want to do it periodically or define it manually.”
Once you’ ve run the simulations, you’ re able to actually see the results. For example, what is your final copper concentrate percent going to be.“ You can compare all the different scenarios and process stages over time and make decisions on what are you wanting to optimise. And therefore, instead of let’ s see what happens, you’ re really able to plan it. Once you’ ve defined the scenarios and decided which way do you want to operate, you’ re able to easily see moving forward how the process is going to change and what the end result is going to be. We store all the data of the run simulations and compare them with actual results. And the validation levels are very high – the simulations are very accurate.”
To what extent is Geminex being used in the market today?“ It is relatively new and in the early stages – slowly but surely we are bringing clarity to customers on its potential. There are a handful of customers who have been using it for several years on a full live shift by shift basis. They are already doing their shift operations planning with Geminex.” Matinlauri said that this has been with small to mid-sized customers, for example in gold mining. Now the next stage is going to be a rollout to the very large throughput customer cases such as copper and iron ore.
Finally, there is also a sustainability aspect with Geminex, as more efficiently handling variable ore types can allows for significant savings in energy, water and chemicals per produced ton of product. It is also modular to allow for phased implementation, and integrates easily with existing infrastructures, cyber security and IT policies.
Weir NEXT Intelligent Solutions
Weir’ s NEXT intelligent solutions consists of three value packages: Insight, Uptime, and Production. Production empowers users in mineral processing to maximise process efficiency with AI-powered process optimisation. Weir’ s NEXT Process Optimisation solution is an advanced decision-support platform that creates a true digital twin of the process. At its core are physics-informed models and dynamic simulations that replicate real plant behaviour with remarkable accuracy. This foundation enables predictive insights and scenario testing, ensuring plant users can anticipate changes and optimise performance before issues arise. Weir says what sets the solution apart is its deep metallurgical expertise embedded into its algorithms. By combining process knowledge with real-time data, the NEXT Intelligent Assistant delivers actionable recommendations for throughput, stability, and energy efficiency, driving smarter, safer, and more sustainable operations. But how are Weir NEXT digital twins
International Mining | JANUARY 2026