FLEET MANAGEMENT
Leeville . The implementation of Micromine Pitram at Goldrush , NGM ' s flagship development project , Micromine says is an important next step in enabling the organisation ' s growth ambitions .
Phase 1 of the Micromine Pitram implementation was successfully deployed at the Goldrush operation , consolidating and monitoring production data , including shift and daily production schedules of loaders , trucks , and drill fleets , in addition to improving accuracy on yield forecasting . As the site ' s data backbone , Micromine Pitram also ensures operational teams and regional management have improved insight into shift and production activities to improve productivity and plan accuracy .
Micromine says Pitram is a market-leading FMS and mine control system which has been deployed to more than 60 of the largest mining operations around the world . “ The flexible and easy-to-use platform provides control room operators with a modern suite of tools that includes fleet and mine production monitoring , management of shift planning , materials movement and inventory , and the management of operator qualifications . By harnessing the power of real-time data , Micromine Pitram also provides teams with increased visibility on live production yields , alleviating the need for manual data collection and reporting by staff from multiple sources .”
" We believe in the power of data-driven decision-making , and we look forward to continuing to evolve with the innovative Nevada Gold Mines team to support their growth ambitions ," said Erich Guevara , Head of Business Unit , Micromine Pitram - Americas . “ As a market leader , Micromine Pitram is uniquely positioned to support the rapid decision-making processes critical to large-scale mining operations across the globe . If you don ' t have access to real-time information , you don ' t have the granularity required to make the best decisions possible on key areas , including shift planning , material inventory management and safety . The implementation of Micromine Pitram at Goldrush is a testament to the platform ' s maturity and industry credentials ."
Kennecott selects latest Cat MineStar
The Bingham Canyon copper mine in Utah , USA , selected the Cat ® MineStar™ Fleet management system as part of its plans to optimise open pit operations , with the mine operated by Kennecott , which is owned by Rio Tinto .
Caterpillar Inc and Wheeler Machinery last year completed installation of a Cat MineStar Fleet management system at the mine , which , rather than upgrading the mine ’ s previous fleet management system , chose to deploy MineStar
Fleet . This switch has , Caterpillar says , optimised the mine site ’ s equipment tracking , production recording , material management and truck assignment , and it has further expanded the technology relationship between Caterpillar and Rio Tinto .
Ryan Howell , Mining Technology Commercial Product Manager at Caterpillar , said : “ For 15 years , Rio Tinto has used MineStar Terrain and has expanded its MineStar capabilities in recent years at locations like Gudai Darri and Marandoo , autonomous mine sites in Western Australia . Bingham Canyon Mine is the first MineStar Fleet site in Rio Tinto history , and this extends the company ’ s application of MineStar capabilities . Our team is proud of this MineStar Fleet system installation . We are honoured to be there to support the mine site ’ s fleet management needs .”
Joshua Wood , Principal Advisor , Surface Mining Centre of Excellence at Rio Tinto , added : “ The close collaboration between the Rio Tinto Group team , Caterpillar , dealer and Kennecott ensured a successful deployment at Kennecott and their desire to be the flagship for future MineStar sites .”
Even though it wasn ’ t the easiest route for the mine , the cost-benefit analysis showed significant benefits long term using MineStar Fleet , including seamless integration with MineStar Terrain currently used by the mine , Caterpillar said .
Mike Gray , General Manager for Wheeler Machinery , said : “ A true partnership with the supplier , dealer and customer allows for largescale technology projects like this to be completed successfully with minimal impact to production .”
An incremental approach was devised to minimise the system installation loss-time impact on mining operations for bringing nearly 100 trucks , plus more than 40 supporting dozers , shovels and drills , online with MineStar Fleet . Caterpillar and Wheeler worked together to provide a quick turn-around time with best-inclass implementation , Caterpillar said .
Bryce Olson , Mine Monitoring and Control Superintendent at the Kennecott Bingham Canyon Mine , said : “ We have been impressed with the partnership , and we share the same vision and have the correct team to get us there . We flipped the switch , and we haven ’ t gone backwards . We immediately started using MineStar Fleet ’ s open assignment , load-hauldump and auto fuel advanced features .”
Cat MineStar Fleet automatically records and tracks data up and down a mine ’ s value chain , providing insights that help miners identify what is working and fix what is not to meet production targets , Caterpillar says . Fleet allows miners to view the entire operation at a glance on a computer and gain insights into key cost drivers
– such as fuel , tyres , service parts and idle time – and improve haul fleet production and shovel utilisation .
RPMGlobal ' s MinVu and optimising your FMS
Michael Sydes , Product Manager – MinVu at RPMGlobal told IM that all sites struggle with the same data problems : disparate systems produce data in differing resolutions , formats , and methodologies . “ An inability to easily access to the operation ’ s data and questionable data quality quickly erodes trust in what an operation ’ s systems tell them . MinVu solves this problem by integrating , validating , and augmenting data from dozens of systems using a data collector library that has been refined over the past 25 years . These collectors are being used across the industry within different organisations , sites , operations , and commodities . MinVu covers anything from haulage to drilling , draglines to dozers , and equipment activity to fixed plant .”
MinVu ’ s data collectors validate and repair data as it is pulled into the system , removing the noise and alerting system owners to issues found in the source systems . This not only improves the quality of data in MinVu , but the quality of data in the source systems themselves . Sydes : “ MinVu standardises , cleanses , and compares data across Fleet Management and High Precision GPS Systems allowing for consistent reporting and benchmarking to maximise the value invested in these solutions . MinVu ’ s true strength is the power it puts back in the hands of those who use it , for those who want to use data to manage rather than spend time managing data .”
Once collected , the operation ’ s validated data is run through MinVu ’ s various post-processing techniques . One example of this would be the Truck Cycles engine , which analyses the activity of the truck , excavator , and all surrounding trucks to split each cycle into 38 distinct components . “ Not only does this provide detailed information on elements of the cycle like spotting or queueing , but information on the root cause of each of these elements . Using this information quickly highlights inefficiencies in an operation ’ s or individual ’ s behaviours , allowing for changes to be made within a shift , or long-term historical trends to be analysed to see if the problems are endemic .”
He adds that MinVu provides unmatched access to an operation ’ s data in the form of a Tabular Model , ready for use with any data warehouse or reporting solution such as Microsoft ' s Power BI . Hundreds of calculations are built into the model , enabling easy and intuitive drag-and-drop style reporting for the end user , removing the technical hurdle or steep learning curve found in many other solutions .
IM
MAY 2024 | International Mining 49