MINING SOFTWARE
RPMGlobal ’ s Adam Price gives a live demonstration of FleetOptimiser at MINExpo 2024 in Las Vegas
releases at the recent MINExpo 2024 in Las Vegas , Nevada .
The first , FleetOptimiser , offers a product designed for customers to calculate and optimise their trucking requirements for a shift , the company says . The solution combines a 3D , visual user interface with RPM ’ s universal fleet
calculation wrapped up in a secure , web accessible , cloud-based solution .
The company explained : “ FleetOptimiser uses the RPM travel time calculation engine , the industry standard , that is embedded across many of their mining software solutions . It calculates productivity for trucks across a haulage network while matching truck productivity to targeted loader productivity .”
Up until now desktop models and spreadsheets have been used to calculate the viability of the mine plan . This creates downstream issues with difficulty maintaining data , accuracy issues and version control , RPM says . Several products have provided trucklimited scheduling over the years , which works well in a long-term horizon , however applying the same techniques to the more detailed short-term space has always fallen short . As a result , engineers have been dreaming about this product for years , according to Michael Baldwin , RPMGlobal ’ s Chief Commercial Officer .
“ There has always been conflict between planners and operations with respect to what an achievable plan actually is ,” he said . “ FleetOptimiser lets the planner optimise realistic targets for the upcoming shifts while operations can use FleetOptimiser to reconfigure fleet throughout the shift as parameters change , all through a web-based 3D intuitive user experience .”
Mine planners who use XECUTE , or other execution scheduling applications , can rapidly react to changes in truck availability by simulating the impact on load productivity , and then incorporate the required changes in their plan .
The solution also provides the user with functionality to update and maintain the current road network if required , while calibrated fleet settings can be controlled through the solution , allowing for standardisation across the entire organisation .
The second RPM release is in the mine scheduling field .
Here RPM has leveraged its XPAC mine scheduling engine to develop what it says is a next generation mine scheduling solution in the form of RPM MinePlanner .
RPM MinePlanner is built on the foundation of XPAC , the world ’ s most used mine scheduling engine , RPM claims .
MinePlanner includes a complete core redesign of the scheduling engine that underpins the product . The release introduces Smart Scheduling , a heuristic-based scheduling engine that combines automated , manual and hybrid approaches and tools . Smart Scheduling provides a streamlined user experience and adds flexibility by , RPM says , eliminating restrictions on the scheduling methodology being used at any point of the schedule .
David Batkin , RPMGlobal ’ s Executive General Manager of Product Strategy , said : “ RPM MinePlanner takes the complicated mine planning process and simplifies it so engineers can focus on generating value . The team has provided more sophistication within the product while making it easier to use .”
Unlike other scheduling tools , MinePlanner has advanced heuristics fully integrated into the product , RPM says . It can be used for any commodity and is 100 % script-free . This package includes reserving , dump and destination scheduling , equipment modelling , haulage modelling , product optimisation and reporting all rolled into one integrated mine scheduling solution . The smarts of MinePlanner really come to the fore when the scheduling engine is run as all components are considered in parallel rather than in series , the company says .
Reporting also gets a major upgrade with the introduction of live reporting always in sync with the scheduling engine . The inclusion of “ Breakpoint Scheduling ”, which RPM says it pioneered in 2021 , has been strengthened with the addition of live reporting . Users now get immediate feedback on current scheduling results every time a breakpoint is reached .
Another new feature of MinePlanner is “ Schedule Locking ”, which allows the user to lock portions of the schedule they are finished with , avoiding the need to reschedule when refining future periods . Schedule locking significantly reduces the time needed to complete a schedule by eliminating unnecessary reprocessing of scheduling periods that have already been successfully scheduled .
IM
FEBRUARY 2025 | International Mining