Engineering and Mining Journal - Whether the market is copper, gold, nickel, iron ore, lead/zinc, PGM, diamonds or other commodities, E&MJ takes the lead in projecting trends, following development and reporting on the most efficient operating pr
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AUSTRALIAN TECHNOLOGY Canada. The systems, or modules therein, have been used as a primary data reporting and management tool in the mining of a number of commodities, including coal, copper, diamonds, gold, iron ore, mineral sands, nickel, tantalum, uranium and vanadium. According to the company, the Mine Management Reporting System (MMRS) has at its core a global database model that is not constrained by language, time zones, unit of measure, currency, organi- zational structure or commodity mined. The system has been designed and devel- oped to be implemented in a modular fashion, facilitating a staged deployment strategy that simplifies on-site user train- ing and acceptance. Night mining activities at Gold Fields' Damang gold mine in southwest Ghana. The mine recently implemented MICROMINE's Pitram Optimum mine control and management reporting system. Gold Fields' FMS and projects supervi- sor Barrett Blaauw said Pitram was select- ed "because of its ability to integrate the production planning and optimization process into the real-time environment. The software went 'live' in February 2012. This is the first time Gold Fields has worked with MICROMINE, which provides us with good after-sales services and tech- nical support. "The biggest hurdle for us has been convincing operators in the field to utilize the new software to their advantage. Fortunately, an increasing number of min- ers in Africa are experiencing the benefits that automation solutions such as Pitram provide. "Both our Ghanaian mines have ambi- tious expansion plans that could extend their lives. A strong fleet is essential to our current and future operations. Damang has 22 automated vehicles and using Pitram Optimum, we plan to automate a further 12 vehicles within the next few months." Pitram Optimum is one of four solu- tions that comprise the Pitram product suite, which provides an upgrade path from the entry-level Pitram Report solution, through to the fully automated Pitram Optimum Solution. MICROMINE's South Africa General Manager Marc Ramsey said, "Because Pitram Optimum integrates production planning and optimization, Damang will see a significant improvement in the exe- cution of mine plans and the maximization of asset utilization and efficiency. Damang 112 E&MJ; • SEPTEMBER 2012 management will be able to compare actu- al findings against plans, and have the ability to correct deviations from plans. "Also, through intuitive equipment allo- cation, Damang can optimize production, reduce wait time and execute shift plans according to design or blending require- ments. This will allow business targets to be achieved at the lowest possible cost," Ramsey noted. Mining Information Portal Sees Enhancements Mining Information Systems (MIS) has added new tools to its MISWeb Control Platform that enhance usability and effi- ciency: the OLAP cube viewer (Scout) and a dashboard reporting tool (Focus) that both provide clear, crisp graphics and data visualizations together with strong analytic capabilities. The MISWeb Control Platform is a high- ly scalable, enterprise-wide data and appli- cation end user portal. This portal also pro- vides a data analytics suite of web applica- tions that is claimed to provide sophistica- tion with simplicity in a synergistic Web- based interface for navigating MIS applica- tions or consuming Microsoft Analysis Services OLAP cubes. The MIS team has implemented data management and reporting systems specif- ic to the mining industry at a large number of surface and underground mines around the globe. There are more than 40 installa- tions of the MIS product range in Africa, Australia, North and South America, and MMRS modules correspond to all the functional areas of a mining operation including load and haul, drill and blast, product and stockpile tracking, fuel system management, fixed plant and crushing, geology, grade control and performance to physical or financial plans, forecasts and budgets. The systems contain full featured data analysis Cube creation and built in analysis and dashboarding tools using familiar drag-and-drop technologies. SAFETY AND TRAINING Bis Industries Drivers Roll Safely with Optalert Bis Industries said it has taken a high-tech approach to fatigue management on its Boddington to Bunbury copper concentrate haulage project in Western Australia. Sharing roads with a myriad of local drivers, vacationers, tourists and farmers, this route demanded driver risk mitigation that Bis Industries effected through the use of innovative fatigue monitoring tech- nology, Optalert. As described in a recent issue of E&MJ; (See "Homing In on the Human Factor in Haulage Risk Reduction," p. 84, June 2012), the Optalert system employs a unique set of driving eyewear. The glasses—connected to a small computer processor in the vehi- cle—emit and detect low levels of infrared light to sense movements in the eyes and eyelids. Data regarding these movements are fed into the computer, which calculates a driver's level of drowsiness. Optalert was installed on six prime movers and one light vehicle. Bis Industries Divisional Risk and OHSE man- ager Toro Havini said, "almost 95% of the time our road trains are sharing the road www.e-mj.com