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ABB E_MJ Smart Sensor Ad_Smarter and Safer_0119.indd 1 9/6/19 12:38 PM OCTOBER 2019 • VOL 220 • NUMBER 10

FEATURES Making Scandinavian Mining Sustainable Nordic miners are making signiﬁcant investments to secure the future of their operations, and many of these come in the form of new technologies and mining techniques...... 24 The Perfect Partners for Sustainable Mining Scandinavian OEMs are developing new technologies and equipment to enable more sustainable mining operations. E&MJ looks at some key developments from the past 12 months...... 30 A Stitch in Time Experts say simplifying mine plans and making adjustments early can pay off down the road...... 40 Specialized Wear Materials Keep Equipment Running In addition to improvements to existing materials, suppliers are developing harder, more pliable solutions...... 44 Interoperability: Essential for Building the Mine of the Future Data standardization and system collaboration are necessary to achieve maximum visibility and control of mining operations...... 46 Lessons Learned From 10 Years of Fatigue Monitoring Removing the mask from fatigue leads to a cultural shift in openness...... 52 This month, E&MJ reviews advancements in mining and minerals processing throughout Scandinavia. LEADING DEVELOPMENTS On the cover, a haul truck uses a trolley assist system Newmont Goldcorp, Dignitaries Inaugurate Borden Mine...... 4 at Boliden’s Aitik mine. (Photo: Mats Hillblom) Lynas Studying Potential Locations for Rare Earths Processing Plant...... 4 Victoria Pours First Gold at Eagle Mine...... 5 Rio Tinto Offers Green Aluminum From Canada...... 5 Pinos Altos Mine Moves to Fully Underground Operation...... 6 Eldorado Receives Installation Permits From Greece...... 6 DEPARTMENTS Calendar...... 22 AROUND THE WORLD Classified Advertisements...... 70 U.S. & Canada: Northern Star Will Expand Pogo Plant...... 8 Equipment Gallery...... 66 Latin America: Talks Surrounding Peñasquito Break Down, From the Editor...... 2 Operations Are Suspended...... 14 Markets...... 72 Operating Strategies...... 56 Australia/Oceania: TMA Eyeing Major Vanadium Project...... 15 People...... 12 Africa: Orion, Byrnecut to Collaborate on Prieska...... 16 Processing Solutions...... 64 Asia: Okumura Extends the Life of the Ube Isa Quarry...... 17 Suppliers Report...... 58 Exploration Roundup: Fission Adding High-grade U at Patterson Lake South...... 18 This Month in Coal...... 20

Improving Cycle Times....40 Wear Materials....44 Iot-Data Management....46

www.e-mj.com OCTOBER 2019 • E&MJ 1 FROM THE EDITOR

Political Shake-ups Continue in Peru www.e-mj.com Mining Media International, Inc. As this edition was going to press, the Peruvian gov- 11655 Central Parkway, Suite 306; Jacksonville, Florida 32224 USA ernment was in turmoil. Peruvian President Martín Phone: +1.904.721.2925 / Fax: +1.904.721.2930 Vizcarra moved to dissolve the Peruvian Congress. Things didn’t, however, work out as expected. The op- Editorial position-controlled Congress voted to suspend Vizcarra Publisher & Editor-In-Chief—Steve Fiscor, [email protected] and swore in Vice President Mercedes Aráoz as presi- Associate Editor—Jennifer Jensen, [email protected] Jesse Morton, [email protected] Steve Fiscor dent. She subsequently resigned her position(s) as pres- Technical Writer— Contributing Editor—Russ Carter, [email protected] Publisher & Editor-in-Chief ident and vice president. The dissolved Congress said it European Editor—Carly Leonida, [email protected] will hold legislative sessions while the country waits for Latin American Editor—Oscar Martinez, [email protected] a constitutional tribunal to rule on whether the move was legal. South African Editor—Gavin du Venage, [email protected] Peru’s relatively young democracy has certainly seen its share of scandalous Graphic Designer—Tad Seabrook, [email protected] behavior. Readers might recall that Vizcarra became head of state when Presi- dent Pedro Pablo Kuczynski (PPK) resigned in March 2018. Vizcarra was PPK’s Sales Victor Matteucci, vice president and running mate. Peru’s last four presidents had become en- Midwest/Eastern U.S. & Canada, Sales— [email protected] tangled in the Lava Jato corruption scandal (Portuguese: Operation Car Wash), Western U.S., Canada & Australia, Sales—Frank Strazzulla, which involved Petrobras and the Brazilian construction company Odebrecht. [email protected] The ongoing investigation has implicated top politicians in Brazil as well as 11 Scandinavia, UK & European Sales—Colm Barry, [email protected] other countries, mostly in Latin America. Germany, Austria & Switzerland Sales—Gerd Strasmann, In Peru, the elected government can dissolve Congress after two no confi- [email protected] dence votes. One no confidence vote took place under PPK in 2017. Unhappy Japan Sales—Masao Ishiguro, [email protected] with how Congress was naming judges for the Constitutional Court, Vizcarra Production Manager—Dan Fitts, [email protected] called for a second vote. Congress attempted to oust him, calling his moves an Marketing Manager—Misty Valverde, [email protected] attempted coup. Now, it appears that the military is siding with Vizcarra. For many years now, Peru has benefited from open markets, private property ownership and foreign investment, and much of that foreign investment is di- rected toward mining project development. Political uncertainty has a negative impact on any country’s economic status. Despite the recent political fallout, foreign direct investment advanced with several significant copper mining projects in Peru, including an expansion at Freeport-McMoRan’s Cerro Verde mine, an expansion at Southern Copper’s Engineering & Mining Journal, Volume 220, Issue 10, (ISSN 0095-8948) is Toquepala mine, the commissioning of MMG’s Las Bambas mine, an expansion published monthly by Mining Media International, Inc., 11655 Central Parkway, Suite 306, Jacksonville, FL 32224 (mining-media.com). Periodicals Postage at Chinalco’s Toromocho mine, and the decision by Anglo American to build the paid at Jacksonville, FL, and additional mailing offices. Canada Post Publi- Quellaveco operation. cations Mail Agreement No. 41450540. Canada return address: PO Box 2600, Mississauga ON L4T 0A8, Email: [email protected]. Current and According to Peru’s Ministry of Energy and Mines, total mining-related in- back issues and additional resources, including subscription request forms and vestment amounted to $4.95 billion in 2018, an increase of more than 25% an editorial calendar, are available at www.e-mj.com. over the $3.93 billion invested in 2017. Before the most recent political shake- SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Free and controlled circulation to qualified subscrib- up in Peru, many thought that figure could approach $6 billion in 2019. ers. Visit www.e-mj.com to subscribe. Non-qualified persons may subscribe The current situation in Peru does not look great. When populist politicians at the following rates: USA & Canada, 1 year, $90. Outside the USA & Can- ada, 1 year, $150. For subscriber services or to order single copies, contact consolidate power with the help of the military, it usually doesn’t bode well. E&MJ, c/o Stamats Data Management, 615 Fifth Street SE, Cedar Rapids IA Venezuela and Cuba are prime examples of what could go wrong long term. Like- 52401, 1-800-553-8878 ext. 5028 or email [email protected]. wise, a legislature that does not follow the rule of law only weakens a democracy. ARCHIVES AND MICROFORM: This magazine is available for research and Let’s hope these Peruvian politicians can find some common ground. retrieval of selected archived articles from leading electronic databases and online search services, including Factiva, LexisNexis, and Proquest. For microform availability, contact ProQuest at 800-521-0600 or +1.734.761.4700, or search the Serials in Microform listings at www.proquest.com.

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NEWS-LEADING DEVELOPMENTS Newmont Goldcorp, Dignitaries Inaugurate Borden Mine

The Canadian and Ontario governments each granted CAD$5 million toward electrification of the mine. Lynas Studying Potential Locations for Rare Earths Processing Plant Lynas Corp. has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the city of Kalgoorlie-Boulder, Western Austra- lia, for the review and due diligence of potential sites for its new rare earths cracking and leaching plant. The MoU provides a framework for support from the city in key areas relevant to ensuring the new plant is successful, including land availability, water, gas, electricity, access roads, other infrastructure and workforce management. Lynas produces rare earths concentrates at its Mount Weld mine and flotation concentrator 30 kilometers (km) south of Laverton, Western Aus- tralia. The plant is designed to process 240,000 metric tons per year (mt/y) of A miner maneuvers a boom into position on a battery-powered rig at the Borden mine. (Photo: NewmontGoldcorp) ore and produce up to 66,000 mt/y of concentrate containing 26,500 mt/y of Newmont Goldcorp and dignitaries from Ore from Borden is processed at the rare earths oxides. The concentrator was across Ontario inaugurated the Borden existing mill at the company’s Porcupine commissioned in May 2011 and has Gold Project, which is being hailed as operation in Timmins, 180 kilometers been exporting concentrate to Lynas’ “mine of the future.” The Borden mine, (km) to the east. Borden is fully permitted processing operations in Malaysia since located near Chapleau, Ontario, fea- for operation, and partnership agreements late 2012. tures state-of-the-art health and safety have been signed with local First Nations. Following preliminary site assess- controls, digital mining technologies At 1,000 km2, Borden’s land package rep- ment studies, Lynas has shortlisted Kal- and processes, and low-carbon energy resents additional exploration upside as goorlie and the Mount Weld mine site vehicles — all anchored in a mutually the Borden deposit remains open at depth. as the preferred locations for the new beneficial partnership with local com- Participating in Borden’s inauguration cracking and leaching plant. A final munities, according to the company. were The Hon. Greg Rickford, Ontario decision is yet to be made between the Borden is expected to achieve commer- minister of energy, mines, northern de- two locations, and Lynas is continuing to cial production in the fourth quarter. velopment and indigenous affairs; Gilles conduct due diligence at both locations. “Borden opens a new gold mining Bisson, member of provincial parliament As part of the MoU, the city of Kal- district in Ontario and profitably extends for Timmins; Chief Keeter Corston, Chap- goorlie-Boulder has offered to actively operations at the Porcupine complex leau Cree First Nation; Chief Anita Ste- assist Lynas in attracting a residential near Timmins,” said Tom Palmer, New- phens, Chapleau Ojibwe First Nation; workforce for the plant’s operation. In mont Goldcorp president. “In addition, Chief Cheryl St. Denis, Brunswick House addition, the city has offered to provide Borden’s electric underground fleet will First Nation; Chief Pat Tangie, Michipico- assistance to Lynas for the initial staff- eliminate diesel particulate matter from ten First Nation; Michael Levesque, may- ing of the plant. the underground environment and low- or of Chapleau; George Pirie, mayor of Lynas CEO and Managing Direc- er greenhouse gas emissions. This will Timmins; Todd White, Newmont Goldcorp tor Amanda Lacaze said, “We are very help reduce energy costs, protect em- regional senior vice president for North pleased to announce this MoU with the ployee health and minimize impacts to America; and Marc Lauzier, general man- city of Kalgoorlie-Boulder. Kalgoorlie the environment.” ager, Porcupine and Borden Mines. has a rich mining history and continues

4 E&MJ • OCTOBER 2019 www.e-mj.com NEWS-LEADING DEVELOPMENTS to work with industry to develop the re- Rio Tinto Offers Green Aluminum From Canada gion and its communities. Lynas already Rio Tinto said it is now offering inde- Aluminum vice president sales and employs graduates from the Western pendently certified, responsibly pro- marketing and ASI Board member. “It Australia School of Mines, which is lo- duced aluminum from all of its Cana- increases the availability of ASI certi- cated in Kalgoorlie, and we look forward dian operations, with the extension of fied aluminum in a range of markets, to continuing this partnership. the Aluminum Stewardship Initiative’s giving customers the ability to offer “Access to infrastructure and a (ASI) Chain of Custody certification to end consumers products made with skilled workforce makes it an attractive include the BC Works smelter and Ke- aluminum that meets the highest sus- investment destination, and with this mano Power Operations in Kitimat, Brit- tainability standards.” MoU we can further assess the suitabil- ish Columbia. Rio Tinto has led the establishment ity of potential sites in Kalgoorlie for our The company said certification re- of responsible production certification cracking and leaching plant.” inforces its commitment to responsi- for the aluminum industry as a founding Lynas Corp. is the world’s second- ble mining and metals production by member of the ASI, working alongside largest producer of rare earth materials. providing independent verification that customers and a broad range of stake- The company operates one of the world’s material can be traced through a “chain holders. In 2018, Rio Tinto was the first highest-grade rare earth mines at Mt of custody” spanning Rio Tinto’s Gove company to receive the ASI’s first Per- Weld and a sustainable chemical pro- bauxite mine in Australia to its alumi- formance Standard certification — the cessing operation in Gebeng, Malaysia. na refinery, aluminum smelters and highest internationally recognized stan- casthouses in Quebec and British Co- dard for robust environmental, social Victoria Pours First Gold lumbia, Canada. and governance practices — and Chain at Eagle Mine ASI certification means customers of Custody certification, covering five Victoria Gold has poured the first gold at can be assured the aluminum pur- aluminum smelters, the Vaudreuil re- its new Eagle gold mine in central Yu- chased through Rio Tinto’s Canadian finery, casting centres, port and railway kon, Canada, approximately 85 kilome- operations has been produced to the facilities in Quebec, Canada. The BC ters (km) from the town of Mayo. The in- highest environmental, social and gov- Works smelter and Kemano Power Oper- augural bar weighed in at 1,001 ounces ernance standards. ations received certification against the (oz) of gold. At full production, the mine “This certification continues Rio Tin- Performance Standard in January and will produce approximately 200,000 oz to’s leadership on responsible produc- have now been included in the Chain of per year (oz/y) of gold over a 10-year to tion,” said Tolga Egrilmezer, Rio Tinto Custody certification. 11-year mine life and will be the largest gold mine in Yukon history. The Eagle mine is situated on Victo- ria Gold’s Dublin Gulch property, which covers an area of about 555 km2. The mine will produce doré from a conventional open-pit operation with a three- stage crushing plant, in-valley heap leach, and a carbon-in-leach adsorp- tion-desorption gold recovery plant. The site has year-round road access and a 250-person, all-season camp. Commer- cial grid power is available approximately 45 km by road from the site, and an airstrip suitable for commercial planes is located 80 km to the south. A focus on Yukon hiring has achieved 54% of the 251 operational employees hired to date being Yukoners, including several citizens from the Nacho Nyak Dun First Nation. The Eagle and Olive deposits host proven and probable reserves estimated at 2.7 million oz of gold in 123 million mt at a grade of 0.67 grams/mt gold. As of December 2018, measured and indicated resources inclusive of reserves were estimated at 208 million mt aver- aging 0.66 g/mt, containing 4.4 million Pallets of independently certified, responsibly produced aluminum ingots will soon be shipped from Rio Tinto’s BC oz of gold. A further 20 million mt aver- Works smelter. (Photo: Rio Tinto)

www.e-mj.com OCTOBER 2019 • E&MJ 5 NEWS-LEADING DEVELOPMENTS aging 0.64 g/mt, containing 0.4 million level of complexity and safety measures, ouries project and an installation permit oz of gold, were classified as inferred. which would have to be put in place. The for its Olympias mine from the Greek study outlined a work plan that required Ministry of Energy and Environment. Pinos Altos Mine Moves to extensive coordination between the open- For Skouries, the permits allow for Fully Underground Operation pit and underground operating teams, the the installation of mechanical and elec- Agnico Eagle’s Pinos Altos mine in technical services team, and the equip- trical equipment at the flotation plant to northern Mexico reached a milestone ment and service providers to Pinos Altos. be completed as well as the installation when it transitioned from a combination “I want to thank everyone at Pinos of additional surface facilities. Receipt surface and underground extraction to Altos for helping us solve this complex of these permits will enable the compa- a fully underground mining operation. mining challenge while keeping our peo- ny to apply for the flotation plant build- The decision came after geological and ple safe and meeting our production tar- ing permit, which will be submitted this economic studies revealed it would be a gets,” General Manager Marco Antonio month. Eldorado said it intends to car- safer, more efficient and profitable way Perea Gallegos said. “We have already ry out construction activities that were to mine the remaining orebody. produced 36,000 ounces of gold and suspended in 2017, including building “Extracting this valuable ore without by year-end, we expect to safely extract the mill enclosure once permitted, to compromising employee safety was our close to 100% of the minerals from the protect the plant assets. top priority,” said Marc Legault, senior Santo Niño crown pillar.” The Olympias permit allows for in- vice president, operations, for USA and He added that the Pinos Altos team stallation of an upgraded electrical sub- Latin America. “Given the strengthening plans to take a similar approach to re- station and construction of support fa- market demand and gold price, we were covering the crown pillar reserves at its cilities, which will be considered as part determined to optimize this asset and Oberon de Weber open-pit and under- of Eldorado’s annual planning process. move it totally underground.” ground facilities. Eldorado is working with the Greek A comprehensive technical feasibility government to achieve the necessary study was conducted, the first of its kind in Eldorado Receives Installation conditions required to restart full con- Mexico and one that eventually gained in- Permits From Greece struction at the Skouries Project. These ternational recognition from the American Eldorado Gold Corp. received electrome- include a stable regulatory framework Rock Mechanics Association due to the chanical installation permits for its Sk- and assurances that provide appropriate foreign direct investor protection and dispute resolution as well as regulatory approval for subsequent permits and technical studies. “We are very pleased with the receipt of these long-awaited permits, which enable us to protect our existing investment,” said George Burns, president and CEO of Eldorado Gold. “We are greatly encouraged with the engagement we’ve had to date with the Greek state and look forward to working constructively with the relevant ministries.” The ministry and the company are collaborating on a mutually acceptable path forward to build safe, modern, world-class operations in Greece, including approval to implement dry stack tailings at Skouries. This best-available technology would reduce the project’s environmental footprint by approximately 40% and decrease the site’s water consumption. Skouries is a high-grade gold-copper porphyry project that is partially constructed and currently in care and maintenance. Skouries is expected to operate for approximately 23 years based on current reserves, initially as an open-pit and underground mine, followed by un- Eldorado hopes to resume construction activities at the Skouries plant (above), which was suspended in 2017. derground mining only.

6 E&MJ • OCTOBER 2019 www.e-mj.com Innovative wear solutions that deliver extra productivity and fast return on investment

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FLSmidth.io/PulpMax-imm REGIONAL NEWS - U.S. & CANADA Northern Star Will Expand Pogo Plant

Northern Star Resources will invest $30 focused approximately 1 km west of the largest-known lithium deposit in the United million in an expansion of the process- Central Veins discovery area adjacent to States and is 100% owned by Lithium Ne- ing plant at its Pogo gold mine in Alas- the existing Pogo production areas. vada Corp., a subsidiary of Lithium Amer- ka. Under the expansion plan, the annual “The combination of the exploration icas Corp. NACCO formed the subsidiary, throughput capacity of the Pogo plant will success at Goodpaster and the effective- Sawtooth Mining LLC, for this project. increase from 1 million metric tons (mt) ness of the operational changes made in Sawtooth will design, construct, oper- to 1.3 million mt. Work on the expansion the mine leaves us in no doubt that invest- ate, and maintain the Thacker Pass surface will start this fiscal year and is expected ing in the plant expansion will generate mine, which will supply Lithium Nevada’s to be completed in early 2021. strong returns for our shareholders and lo- lithium-bearing claystone ore require- Northern Star said it expects to invest cal stakeholders at Pogo,” Beament said. ments. Consistent with NACCO’s business $10 million in the expansion project this In conjunction with the Central Veins model, which is focused on long-term fiscal year, with the remaining $20 mil- discovery, permitting has been estab- management-fee contracts, the mining lion invested in FY2021. lished to allow the development of initial agreement provides that Lithium Nevada Northern Star Executive Chairman Bill underground access into the Central Veins will reimburse Sawtooth for its operating Beament said the decision to increase Po- and potentially the Goodpaster area for and mine reclamation costs, and pay Saw- go’s production rate reflected the significant further exploration and predevelopment tooth a management fee per ton of lithium confidence the company has in its asset. activities, according to the company. delivered during the 20-year contract term. “The extensive changes we have imple- “We have owned Pogo for only a year During the development of the proj- mented and our ongoing optimization pro- and our exploration results already pro- ect, Sawtooth will provide Lithium Ne- gram, including the introduction of long- vide strong evidence that it is an emerg- vada $3.5 million in cash to assist in hole stoping and the use of bigger, more ing camp-scale system with huge poten- project development and provide certain efficient mobile mining equipment, have tial to grow the inventory and mine life engineering services related primarily to been highly successful,” Beament said. beyond the current 10-million-ounce en- mine design and permitting. Under the Beament said Northern Star’s confi- dowment,” Beament said. terms of the mining agreement, Lithium dence in the outlook for Pogo was also Nevada will pay Sawtooth a success fee underpinned by the strong exploration re- NACCO Wins Mining Contract upon achievement of certain engineering, sults from the new discovery in the Good- for Thacker Pass Lithium Mine construction and production milestones. paster prospect located 1 kilometer (km) A subsidiary of North American Coal Corp. “We are pleased to partner with Lithi- from the existing mining areas. (NACCO) has entered into a mining agree- um Americas to develop the Thacker Pass The Goodpaster prospect is consid- ment to serve as exclusive contract miner for project, which we view as a key part of ered the continuation of the main Pogo the Thacker Pass lithium project in northern developing a strong lithium battery indus- mineralized trend. The initial drilling is Nevada. Thacker Pass is believed to be the try in the United States,” said J.C. Butler, president and CEO, NACCO. “We are highly confident that we can contribute to success at Thacker Pass. We have built five new surface mines for new customers in the last nine years, each providing an integrated solution to customer operations, and we have a strong track record of part- nering with our customers for long-term success. This new mining agreement is a significant milestone in our strategic goal to grow and diversify by leveraging skills honed in our core mining operations.” After Lithium Nevada secures required permits and financing for the project, Saw- tooth intends to invest up to $50 million on the initial fleet of mining equipment. Lithium Nevada will reimburse Sawtooth’s equipment investment over a seven-year period from the equipment acquisition date. Lithium Nevada estimates it will secure all major permits by the end of 2020, commence plant construction in 2021 and The Goodpaster prospect is considered the continuation of the main Pogo mineralized trend. (Photo: Northern Star) production of lithium products in 2023.

8 E&MJ • OCTOBER 2019 www.e-mj.com REGIONAL NEWS - U.S. & CANADA

Ore Processing Commences Nutrien Temporarily Idles the Chukar-Anulite Fault structure, driving at Premier’s El Niño Mine Potash Production the high-grade mineralization at Gold Quar- Premier Gold Mines Ltd. announced that One of the world’s largest providers of crop ry, projects into the Maggie Creek Property processing of ore has commenced from inputs and services, Nutrien Ltd. said it ex- where it intersects the northwest structural the El Niño Mine at the company’s 40% pects to proactively take up to eight-week corridor creating high-priority drill targets. owned South Arturo Mine. South Arturo is inventory shutdowns at its Allan, Lani- With this acquisition, U.S. Gold Corp. now located in the Carlin Trend, Nevada, and is gan and Vanscoy potash mines in Canada controls two promising exploration projects a joint venture between Premier and Ne- during the fourth quarter of 2019. The on two of the world’s leading gold trends.” vada Gold Mines, a joint venture company production downtime is in response to a Drilling will initially test mineralized gold owned by Barrick Gold Inc. and Newmont- short-term slowdown in global potash mar- horizons that are projected to down dip into Goldcorp with Barrick Gold Inc as operator. kets, the company said. If all three potash district-scale structures. These structures The El Niño mine was developed on facilities were to remain idled for the full 8 are part of a set of structures that focus large time and on budget, with ore now being weeks, potash production could be reduced gold deposits that includes not only the Gold processed ahead of schedule. Gold produc- by approximately 700,000 metric tons Quarry deposit, but also the 41-million-oz tion is expected to ramp up in the second (mt) and potash annual EBITDA could be Betze-Post deposit and the 15-million-oz half of 2019, with a first gold bar pour on reduced by US$100 million-$150 million. Leeville-Carlin deposit within the district. September 26. Premier attributable gold Despite the current short-term market production estimated to meet the high end conditions, the company said it remains Osisko Gold Royalties to of guidance for the year and the company positive on potash demand for 2020, as Acquire Barkerville Gold Mines expects that, owing to the high-grade ore at well as the medium to long-term potash Osisko Gold Royalties Ltd. has entered into El Niño, South Arturo will have a positive fundamentals. a definitive agreement with Barkerville Gold effect on cash flow for the company. “We remain focused on a gradual Mines Ltd., in which Osisko will acquire all “We are excited to once again realize ramp up of production to meet demand of the issued and outstanding common the benefits of South Arturo, increasing and to ensure we operate the safest, most shares of Barkerville that it does not cur- the Company’s production profile with an reliable and efficient Potash business in rently own. Concurrent to the arrangement, anticipated reduction in overall operating the world,” the company said. Osisko also announced the formation of costs,” President and CEO of Premier Ewan Nutrien produces and distributes 27 the North Spirit Discovery Group, the next Downie said. “Premier continues to benefit million mt of potash, nitrogen and phos- step in the evolution of Osisko’s accelera- from the stellar performance of our partner, phate products worldwide. tor business that Osisko pioneered over the Nevada Gold, and its demonstrated ability last five years, with the goal of privatizing to consistently execute on schedule.” US Gold Completes Purchase and surfacing value in resource develop- In the second half of 2019, surface of Orevada Metals ment projects, according to the company. and underground drilling will resume U.S. Gold Corp. has closed on the acqui- Each shareholder of Barkerville will in an effort to continue delineating and sition of Orevada Metals in an all-share receive 0.0357 of a common share of expanding mineralization at El Niño. El transaction. U.S. Gold Corp. issued 2 Osisko for each share of Barkerville held. Niño is a high-grade underground deposit million shares to shareholders of Orevada. The exchange ratio implies consideration situated down plunge of the Phase 2 pit, Orevada also has an option to acquire a of C$0.58 per Barkerville share. The ex- where mining was concluded in 2017. 70% interest in the Maggie Creek Project. change ratio implies a total equity value Pre-stripping of the Phase 1 open-pit The acquisition of Orevada and the op- of approximately C$338 million on a fully project, a second mine being constructed tion to acquire the Maggie Creek Project diluted in the money basis. Upon com- at South Arturo, is ongoing with a target gives U.S. Gold Corp. its second promis- pletion of the transaction, current Osis- of production in the second half of 2020. ing exploration project in Nevada on the ko and Barkerville shareholders will hold Work is also continuing to optimize heap Carlin Trend, according to the company. approximately 91% and 9% of Osisko leach material with a potential future de- The Maggie Creek Project is immediately shares outstanding, respectively. cision to proceed with the development of adjacent to Newmont Mining’s 26-mil- a heap leach facility on the property. lion-ounce (oz) Gold Quarry mine. NWT Holds Ground Breaking The recent discoveries at Carlin for Tlicho All-Season Road (Leeville) and Gold Quarry (Chukar) The government of Canada’s Northwest demonstrate the potential for high-grade Territories (NWT) held a ground-break- deposits at depth — mostly untested at ing ceremony in the community of Wha- Maggie Creek, according to U.S. Gold. ti on August 24 to celebrate the com- “The numerous gold showings at Mag- mencement of construction of the Tlicho gie Creek within classical stratigraphy and All-Season Road. This 97-kilometer (km), structure that hosts the majority of gold two-lane gravel highway will replace the ounces in the Carlin Trend, highlight the existing winter ice road to Whati and pro- significant potential of the property,” Presi- vide a more reliable all-season connection dent and CEO Edward Karr said. “The host to the Territorial highway system as part Premier poured the first gold bar from the El Niño mine rocks and fault structures associated with of the NWT Infrastructure Plan, according on September 26. (Photo: Premier Gold) Gold Quarry extend on to the property while to Fortune Minerals.

www.e-mj.com OCTOBER 2019 • E&MJ 9 REGIONAL NEWS - U.S. & CANADA

Fortune’s NICO Cobalt-Gold-Bismuth- The life-of-mine open-pit strip ratio is Copper Project is located 50 km north of estimated at 1.09:1, waste to ore. Whati and the company plans to construct Preproduction capital expenditures to a spur road to the mine as part of its pro- develop the project are estimated at $161 posed development. The NICO Project is million. Life-of-mine all-in sustaining costs one of the few cobalt development assets of production are estimated at $619/oz of outside of the Democratic Republic of gold net of by-product silver production. Congo. The mineral reserves for the NICO The after-tax payback period is esti- project also contain more than 1 million mated at 2.4 years. ounces of gold. Integra contemplates conducting open- NWT is working in partnership with pit mining at the DeLamar and Florida the Tlicho and federal governments to de- Mountain deposits using an owner-oper- velop the Tlicho Road. The government ated, conventional mine fleet that will in- of Canada is providing up to 25% of the clude production drill rigs, 23-m3 hydraulic $213.8 million construction costs through shovels and 12.8-m3 front-end loaders, and the P3 Canada Fund. The NWT is funding 136-mt haul trucks. Mining will begin at the remaining 75%, using a private-public Florida Mountain with heap leach material partnership (P3) structure with North Star, followed by a mix of heap leach and millable a consortium consisting of Kiewit Canada materials. Beginning in year six, heap leach Development Corp. and the Tlicho Govern- material will transition from the Florida The Pinion and Dark Star deposits can be seen in the ment, together with design-build partners Mountain area to the DeLamar mining area. central part of Gold Standard’s property in Nevada. Peter Kiewit Sons ULC, Hatch Corp., and Florida Mountain oxide and transitional Thurber Engineering Ltd. North Star will mineralization will be crushed to 50 mm, development of surface-mined, heap leach design, finance, construct, operate and conveyor stacked onto a heap leach pad, operations on the Dark Star and Pinion gold maintain the Tlicho Road over a 28-year and leached using a low-concentration deposits on its Railroad-Pinion property 24 period for a total contract value of $411.8 sodium cyanide solution. Pregnant solu- kilometers (km) south of Carlin, Nevada. million. The Tlicho Government has invest- tion will be processed in a Merrill-Crowe The deposits are projected to produce an ed approximately $16 million to purchase a recovery plant, where gold and silver will average of 156,000 ounces per year (oz/y) 20 per cent equity interest in North Star. be precipitated and doré will be produced. of gold over an initial 8-year mine life. Gold The Tlicho Road is expected to offi- DeLamar oxide and transitional min- Standard has given the project the name, cially open to the public in 2022. eralization will be crushed to 13 mm, ag- “South Railroad Project.” glomerated, conveyor stacked onto a heap The project PFS estimates all-in sus- Integra Moving Toward leach pad, and leached using a low-containing costs of production at $657/oz Development at DeLamar centration sodium cyanide solution. Preg- of gold produced. Initial capital expendi- Integra Resources has reported the re- nant solution from the DeLamar heap leach tures are estimated at $194 million. sults of a preliminary economic assess- will be processed in the Merrill-Crowe re- The PFS is based on proven and prob- ment (PEA) of its DeLamar gold-silver covery plant, where gold and silver will be able mineral reserves of 1.248 million oz project in southwest Idaho that supports precipitated and doré will be produced. of gold and 2.7 million oz of silver. Near- project development. Initial mine life is Mill processing will incorporate crush- surface mining of 47.3 million metric tons planned at 10 years, producing total pay- ing/grinding, gravity concentration, flota- (mt) of oxide and transitional ore is planned able production of 1.03 million ounces tion, concentrate fine regrinding, and final at a processing rate of 5.9 million mt/y. (oz) of gold and 16.6 million oz of silver. concentrate agitated cyanide leaching. Ore will be processed either run-of-mine Production would derive from open- Integra President and CEO George Sa- or through a high-pressure grinding roll pit mining of the DeLamar and Florida lamis said, “This PEA is simply a starting crusher; stacked on a heap leach pad; and Mountain deposits, which are located on point for us in terms of further value en- leached using a sodium cyanide solution. adjacent properties within the project. hancement to come in the near-term. A Pregnant solution will be processed through Processing would include both heap large portion of the DeLamar unoxidized a dual-train carbon-in-column plant, with leaching of oxide and transitional miner- resource has been excluded from this gold and silver captured in an ADR (adsorp- alization and milling of unoxidized min- study, and there remain substantial un- tion, desorption, regeneration) plant. eralization from the Florida Mountain de- drilled areas with upside potential for oxide Completion of the South Railroad proj- posit. The heap-leach processing rate is and transitional gold-silver mineralization ect PFS allows Gold Standard to finalize targeted at 27,000 metric tons per day along the margins of the current DeLamar permit applications to the Bureau of Land (mt/d) throughout the 10-year mine life. A and Florida Mountain resources that are Management for an environmental impact 2,000-mt/d mill would come into produc- completely open for resource expansion. statement. The PFS addresses both the tion during the third year of production. project’s environmental impacts and the Production during years two through Gold Standard Studying 2 costs of mitigations. six of operations is forecast at 126,000 Deposits Near Carlin, Nevada Additional geotechnical studies will be oz per year (oz/y) of gold and 1.8 million Gold Standard Ventures has reported re- completed to further define the scope and oz/y of silver. sults from a prefeasibility study (PFS) of cost of major civil works and foundations.

10 E&MJ • OCTOBER 2019 www.e-mj.com Looking for greater capacity, continuous material flow, and reduced downtime at your heap leach mining operation? Our heap leach conveying systems are designed in a custom, comprehensive manner for peak material handling efficiency.

EMJ Stack It - outlined.indd 1 3/28/19 2:22 PM NEWS - PEOPLE IN THE NEWS

Premier Gold Mines Ltd. announced that Peter van Alphen Chalice Gold Mines Ltd. appointed Bruce Kendall as general manager of cor- joined the company as chief operating officer. He brings porate development. He has more than 20 years of technical and executive to Premier more than 20 years of progressive leadership experience with companies such as AngloGold Ashanti, Independence Group, and management of various mining operations. Most re- Jabiru Metals and Blackham Resources. cently, he served as the country manager for Canada for Pan American Silver, vice president of operations at Tahoe U.S. Gold Corp. announced that Douglas Newby has been Resources, and vice president of operations at Lake Shore appointed to the board of directors. Newby has also been Gold Corp. overseeing their Canadian operations. appointed to the Compensation Committee, Nominating Peter van Alphen Committee and Technical Committee and becomes the new Golden Predator Mining Corp. announced Michael “Mike” chair of the U.S. Gold Corp. Audit Committee. Newby has Maslowski will rejoin the company as COO charged with more than 35 years of experience in evaluation, finance and advancing the Brewery Creek mine, effective December corporate management in the global mining industry. 1. Previously, he served as COO of Golden Predator from Douglas Newby Caledonia Mining Corp. announced that Nick Clarke has 2011 to 2014. Since 2017, he has been the technical joined the board of directors as an independent nonex- services superintendent for Teck Washington Inc. at their ecutive director. Clarke, who is chairman of Central Asia Pend Oreille mine. Michael (Mike) Maslowski Metals PLC, is a highly experienced chartered engineer with 45 years in the mining industry. Nyrstar NV announced that CEO Hilmar Rode has by mutual agreement decided to leave the company. Daniel Vanin is the CEO of the operating group Canadian Metals Inc. appointed Louis Dionne as the of companies, which are now 98% owned by the Trafigura Group Pte. Ltd. company’s director of the board. Dionne is a highly re- Nick Clarke garded mining engineer and one of the original members Centerra Gold Inc. announced that Michael S. Parrett of Barrick Gold Corp. Dionne was mine manager at Cam- will succeed Stephen A. Lang as independent chair of the flo Mines in Quebec, which eventually became part of Barrick Gold. Dionne board of directors, effective October 1. Lang, who joined spent more than 20 years in the operations and development of gold prop- Centerra’s Board of Directors in 2008 and held the chair erties, as senior vice president, underground operations, for Barrick. More position since 2012, will remain as a board member and recently, he was part of the Detour Gold team from 2006 to 2014 that help support an orderly transition. Parrett, who has served build the Detour Lake mine. as a director of Centerra since 2014, has more than 35 Michael S. Parrett years of experience in the mining industry, including hav- Macarthur Minerals Ltd. appointed Daniel Lanskey to the board of directors ing served as CEO of Billiton Base Metals, president and as an independent director. He has more than 15 years of experience in senior CFO of Rio Algom Ltd. and CFO, treasurer and controller at Falconbridge Ltd. management in the public markets.

Kirkland Lake Gold Ltd. appointed Elizabeth Lewis-Gray Liberty Star Minerals announced that James A. Briscoe has resigned as di- to the company’s board of directors. Since 1996, Lewis- rector. He will continue to work with other companies in which he retains Gray has been the co-founder, managing director and interests and with Liberty Star as a geological consultant, as such needs arise in the future. chair of Gekko Systems. Lewis-Gray has previously served as a director and chair of Austmine and for eight years Rich Nolan has been selected to succeed Hal Quinn as on the Australian Federal Government’s Innovation Aus- president and CEO of the National Mining Association tralian Board. In 2015, she was asked to establish the (NMA). Nolan has served NMA for more than 10 years Elizabeth Lewis-Gray Industry Growth Centre for METS sector, METS Ignited, as the association’s senior vice president of government where she is currently acting as deputy chair. and political affairs. Quinn will remain with the NMA through the end of the year to support the transition and Integra Resources Corp. appointed former Idaho Gov. C.L. the association’s continued success through this import- “Butch” Otter to the company’s board of directors. He ant leadership change. served as the 32nd governor of Idaho from 2007 to 2019. Rich Nolan He served as lieutenant governor Sabina Shugg has been named the new director of its from 1987 to 2001 and in the United Western Australian School of Mines in Kalgoorlie. A WA States Congress from 2001 to 2007. School of Mines graduate, Goldfields-born Shugg has C.L. “Butch” Otter forged a successful career as a mining executive and Columbus Gold Corp. announced that has served in senior roles at some of Australia’s larg- Russell Ball has resigned as a director to take on the CEO est resource and consulting organizations. She was also role at Calibre Mining Corp. A replacement for Ball will be founder and chair of Women in Mining and Resources WA. Sabina Shugg announced in due-course. Russell Ball Victor Tapia has been appointed vice president of Sand- Copper Lake Resources Ltd. appointed Paul Mcgroary vik Mining and Rock Technology, sales area, United as CFO. Mcgroary, who is also a director, replaces Lisa States. He will start in this role on January 1, 2020, and Korinek who has served as the CFO since August 2016. will be based in Atlanta, Georgia. Tapia will be joining Sandvik after working for Metso, where he served Royal Gold Inc. named William “Bill” a business area president and was Heissenbuttel president and CEO. a member of the Metso Group execu- Previously, he was CFO and vice Victor Tapia tive management team. Paul Mcgroary president of strategy. Heissenbuttel’s appointment will be effective upon the retirement of Tony Sinnika Sjunnesson will take over as Jensen on January 2, 2020, after 16 years of service to project manager for Euro Mine Expo, the company. Sinnika Sjunnesson William (Bill) Heissenbuttel which is organized by Nolia AB. Goldstrike Resources Ltd. announced that Terrence E. King has stepped down Former Golden Predator Director and Yukon Premier Dennis as president, CEO and director following his retirement from the practice of Fentie lost his battle with cancer, passing away on August securities law. Daithi MacGearailt will assume the positions of president, 29, 2019. He served the Yukon for 10 years as premier be- CEO and director of Goldstrike. He has worked as an exploration geologist for fore re-entering the private sector where he was a key mem- more than 14 years in Alaska, Nevada, British Columbia and Yukon. Dennis Fentie ber of the company’s board until his resignation recently.

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08125x11000 Avenger and Avenger Light - E&MJ Ad 2018-04 624254-02.indd 1 3/26/2018 9:44:39 AM REGIONAL NEWS - LATIN AMERICA Talks Surrounding Peñasquito Break Down, Operations Are Suspended

followed by a geophysical study in the air. The goal set for the initial program is to develop objectives for future drilling tests. Positive PEA Supports Serabi’s Coringa Project Serabi Gold has reported the results of a positive preliminary economic assessment (PEA) of its 100% owned Coringa gold project in Pará state, Brazil. The results support development of a high-grade, underground mining operation, producing an average of 38,000 ounces per year (oz/y) The truck dump at Peñasquito sits idle once again as Newmont Goldcorp tries to resolve issues with locals. (Photo: Newmont Goldcorp) of gold over a mine life of about nine years. Mill feed would average 8.34 grams Newmont Goldcorp reported earlier this tion for San Juan de Cedros; and investing per metric ton (g/mt) gold. week that the dialogue initiated by the in additional infrastructure and amenities Life-of-mine all-in sustaining costs, Mexican government to resolve issues for the Cedros community to further support including royalties and refining costs, are with a trucking contractor and the com- long-term economic development. estimated at $852/oz. Initial capital re- munity of San Juan de Cedros, one of In 2018, Peñasquito produced 272,000 quirements to develop the project are es- several near the Peñasquito mine, has ounces of gold, and the mine directly em- timated at $24.7 million. Sustaining cap- been suspended and an illegal, previously ploys more than 6,500 people while sup- ital expenditures of $9.2 million would be lifted blockade has resumed. porting another 20,000 indirect jobs in the funded from project cash-flow. While the blockade persists, Newmont region. Since 2005, Newmont Goldcorp Serabi is assessing available financing Goldcorp said operations will be suspend- has invested approximately $5 billion in options and working to complete the per- ed. The company said it remains willing Peñasquito, including $420 million in the mitting and licensing processes necessary to continue good-faith discussions once Pyrite Leach Plant in 2017-2018. for development of the project. Subject to “the other parties recognize their inter- permitting approvals and project financing, ests are best served by returning to the NGEx Buys Gold Project management expects that mine develop- government-sponsored discussions and in Argentina ment could begin at the end of the second not through illegal and unproductive NGEx Minerals Ltd. has signed an option quarter of 2020, with initial processing to blockades that hurt local communities.” agreement with the province of Catama- begin approximately nine months later. Over the years, the owners of the rca, Argentina, for a 100% stake in the The Coringa mine will be owner-oper- Peñasquito mine have enhanced water Valle Ancho gold project. The Canadian ated. The selective open stoping that is availability to neighboring communities company said it will be a valuable addi- planned for the mine has been success- through a number of projects including tion to its portfolio. fully employed at the company’s Palito op- water treatment plants, new wells, pipe- The Valle Ancho gold project is located eration in Brazil, where the relevant skills lines and water trucks, along with 90 oth- along the Ancho Lineament Valley. Locat- and track record in narrow vein mining are er infrastructure and community developed on the Argentine side of the Maricunga well established. ment projects, according to the company. Gold Belt of Chile, the Ancho Valley is a The process flow-sheet comprises During the negotiations initiated by the large package of land held by Catamarca crushing, milling, and gravity concentra- government, Newmont Goldcorp said it of- that covers 100,000 ha (1,000 km2) of tion circuits and a carbon-in-leach (CIL) fered a number of additional enhancements, little explored and highly prospective land. plant. Feed passes through the gravity including identifying new opportunities for The Canadian-based mining company circuit, where a portion of gold is concen- local suppliers to contract with the mine, has the option of acquiring a 100% stake trated, leached, and recovered by electro- which would include capacity building to in the project by spending $8.2 million winning. Gold not recovered by gravity is help them qualify to meet the company’s over a period of more than two years. processed through the CIL plant. standards; reviewing existing contracts with The corporation plans an initial site work The Coringa project PFS economic anal- local suppliers to ensure there is a balance program that includes collection of historical ysis assumes delivery of doré bars to a refin- with all of the neighboring communities; data, analysis of satellite images to identify ery in Brazil for onward sale to gold traders. building and operating permanent infrastruc- areas of hydrothermal alteration, field exam- A full mining camp has already been ture to replace current water supplementa- ination and mapping of existing prospects, constructed at Coringa.

14 E&MJ • OCTOBER 2019 www.e-mj.com REGIONAL NEWS - AUSTRALIA/OCEANIA TMA Eyeing Major Vanadium Project

• Projected 13-year mine life; and • Estimated initial capital requirements of $826 million. The mine plan calls for processing of 221 million mt over the 13-year operating life of the project. Total recovered gold is estimated at 5.3 million oz. Commercial production is anticipated to begin after two years of construction and six months of commissioning and ramp-up. The project is designed to be a conventional owner-operated, open-pit min- Vanadium oxide samples are collected from the Gabanintha project in Western Australia. (Photo: TMA) ing operation, utilizing large-scale mining equipment in a drill-blast-load-haul op- Technology Metals Australia (TMA) has The most advanced of these discus- eration. Ore is planned to be processed reported results from a definitive feasibil- sions has delivered a memorandum of in a comminution circuit consisting of ity study (DFS) of its Gabanintha vanadi- understanding (MoU) with CNMC Ningxia a gyratory crusher, two cone crushers, um project 40 kilometers (km) southeast Orient Group, a subsidiary of China Non- two high-pressure grinding roll crushers, of Meekatharra in the Mid West region ferrous Metal Mining. The MoU establish- primary grinding by two ball mills, and of Western Australia. The study con- es a framework for a binding V2O5 offtake secondary grinding by 10 FLSmidth VXP firms the project as a long-life, low-cost, agreement, with agreed key terms includ- mills. Gold would be recovered in a con- high-value, relatively low risk, and tech- ing an initial minimum annual quantity ventional carbon-in-pulp recovery circuit. nically strong development opportunity of 2,000 mt/y of V2O5 over a minimum Vista President and CEO Frederick H. with a proposed average production rate three-year term and an option for an addi- Earnest said, “We believe the PFS has of 12,800 metric tons per year (mt/y) of tional three years. substantially de-risked Mt Todd. The met- high-purity V2O5 over an operating life of allurgical programs and process area de- more than 16 years. Updated PFS Improves sign changes completed by Vista over the Preproduction capital costs for the Outlook for Mt Todd Project past months have confirmed our belief process plant are estimated at US$318 Vista Gold has reported positive results that Mt Todd can achieve excellent antic- million, with a 3.2-year payback. Prepro- from an updated preliminary feasibility ipated gold recoveries within an attractive duction mining capital is estimated at study (PFS) of its Mt Todd gold project in operating cost profile. A$16 million, predominantly consisting Northern Territory, Australia. The updated “Vista’s management believes the of mining contractor mobilization and es- PFS is based on the results of metallurgi- PFS reflects significant value creation tablishment costs. cal optimization test work, a redesign of through Vista’s optimization and develop- The DFS calls for development of the fine grinding circuit, construction and ment work. We believe project econom- an open-pit mining operation, followed ramp-up schedule changes, and a com- ics are strong at assumed long-term gold by crushing, milling, magnetic separa- prehensive review of all aspects of the prices and quite compelling at today’s tion, and salt roasting/water leaching to project, including an independent bench- market conditions. produce high-purity (+99%) V2O5 pro- marking study of key PFS parameters. “However, we do not believe Vista duct for use in the steel, specialty alloy, Highlights of the PFS for a 50,000- should develop Mt Todd on its own. The chemical, and battery industries. Project metric-ton-per-day (mt/d) project include: PFS gives us a solid basis for conversa- metrics compare favorably to global vana- • Unchanged proven and probable min- tions with prospective development part- dium producers, with lowest-quartile life- eral reserves estimated at 5.85 million ners who we believe will recognize the of-mine cash costs of US$4.04/lb of V2O5. ounces (oz) of gold in 221 million mt at value of Mt Todd and provide appropriate TMA does not currently have the fi- 0.82 grams/mt at a cut-off grade of reward for Vista shareholders. nancial capacity to internally fund 100% 0.40 g/mt; “To preserve the value of Mt Todd, we of the development of Gabanintha. The • Improved estimated annual production of are prepared to hold the project until a company has engaged financial advisers 413,400 oz/y over the life of the pro- time when the value of the project appro- to assist in the evaluation of various fi- ject, including estimated average annual priately rewards shareholders.” nancing strategies and engage with pro- production of 495,100 oz/y during the The Mt Todd PFS was authored by spective strategic investors, financiers, first five years of commercial operations; Tetra Tech, with contributions from Mine and offtake partners. • Life-of-mine projected average all-in Development Associates, Resource Devel- Discussions have been held with vana- sustaining costs of $746/oz, including opment Inc., Proteus EPCM Engineers (a dium end-users across a range of industry $688/oz during the first five years of Tetra Tech company), JDS Energy & Min- sectors. commercial operations; ing, and Power Engineers Inc.

www.e-mj.com OCTOBER 2019 • E&MJ 15 REGIONAL NEWS - AFRICA Orion, Byrnecut to Collaborate on Prieska

worldwide; about 6.7 grams per metric ton (g/mt), compared with a global average of 5.5 g/mt. To extract lithium, the feedstock mineral goes through a multistep process. Crushed into a pulp, and put through a floatation process, it is a tricky process to get right. This is one of the reasons China has domi- nated lithium-based production up to now. “This isn’t so much a mining operation, as a chemical production process,” said McTaggart. Australian miners found this to their cost when initial lithium extraction led to quality problems with the final product, which was then sold to Chinese battery makers. The result, according to McTaggart, was poor quality batteries and a huge of loss of business for some Australian mines. “Quality is critical,” he said. “If the Engineers inspect the shaft bottom at the Preiska mine, which last operated during the 1990s. (Photo: Orion Minerals) feedstock is out of spec, the batteries will be out of sync with what the manu- Orion Minerals has signed an agreement spodumene, a pyroxene mineral consisting facturers want.” with Byrnecut Offshore Pty Ltd. that of lithium aluminum inosilicate. This is pro- Although it’s early days, eventually envisions an alliance for underground cessed into lithium, which can then be used Zimbabwe could go into full beneficiation, mine development and production at the in a wide variety of modern technologies. manufacturing batteries within the country. Prieska copper-zinc project in South Af- Zimbabwe already ranks as the fifth larg- Already Zimbabwe is mass importing ener- rica’s Northern Cape province. Ultimate- est producer of lithium concentrate, albeit gy storage and alternative generation such ly operations at Prieska would involve from a single mine. Bikita Minerals, in the as solar panels. The country now has less mining and processing of 2.4 million south of the country, has been in production than six hours of electricity a day, and by metric tons per year (mt/y) of ore for 10 for more than 50 years, producing lithium the end of August, the state-owned power years, to sell approximately 21,000 mt/y feedstock, mostly for the ceramics industry. utility Zesa Holdings (Zesa) was reported- of copper and 70,000 mt/y of zinc as Now, with worldwide demand for lithi- ly on the brink of collapse. Zimbabwe re- differentiated concentrates. um at an all-time high, others are looking quires 1,800 megawatts per day, most of Orion was granted mining rights for to get in. One such project is Zimbabwe which comes from coal and the Kariba Hy- Prieska recently and this agreement paves Lithium, which will soon begin process- droelectric Power Plant on the Zambezi riv- the way for Byrnecut to bring the benefit ing the tailings dump of an abandoned tin er. Low water levels over the past few years of its experience to the project, which is mine. The Kamativi Tailings project lies have curtailed Kariba’s output to about intended as a global-best practice mech- near the Zambian border, and has at least 20% of its normal electricity production. anized mining operation. Key terms of 1.5 million tons of spodumene waiting to The Hwange thermal coal power sta- the agreement specify that Byrnecut will be extracted, said John McTaggart, Ka- tion, the country’s largest, is more than commit to promoting local employment mativi Tailings Co. managing director. 50 years old and prone to frequent break- and skills transfer in support of transfor- “During the years Kamativi operated downs. Even diesel and gasoline for gen- mation of the industry and to collaborate as a tin mine, spodumene wasn’t consid- erators is hard to come by. A critical short- with local black economic empowerment ered valuable,” McTaggart said. “It was age of foreign currency means fuel can (BEE) enterprises. tossed out with the waste material.” only be imported in limited quantities. As The recovered minerals from the tail- a result, any non-traditional power source Zimbabwe Holds Potential ings dump will help drive the project to is being coopted. One example is that of Lithium Deposits its end point, greenfield mining. “Our vi- Econet, Zimbabwe’s main mobile services By Gavin du Venage, South African Editor sion is to develop the mine into a hard provider, which will deploy around 550 Zimbabwe could become a major world rock producer,” McTaggart said. Tesla Powerwalls at a cost of US$6,500 supplier of lithium concentrate. The south- Zimbabwe’s grade of spodumene is ern African country has a large resource of particularly good compared to its peers (Continued on p. 22)

16 E&MJ • OCTOBER 2019 www.e-mj.com REGIONAL NEWS - ASIA Okumura Extends the Life of the Ube Isa Quarry

Limestone has been mined from the Ube Isa quarry in Yamaguchi, Japan, since 1948. What makes this mine special, however, is that it is located in the immediate vicinity of a residential area — the nearest home is only 150 meters away. Ube Industries, the owner of the quarry, recently hired Okumura Engi- neering Corp. to mine the limestone in a way that that would have the least impact on its neighbors. To achieve this, Okumura made the decision to use Wirt- gen surface miners. “The densely populated area around the quarry is a challenge, because environmental effects such as vibration and noise for local residents limit the size of the work zone,” said Tomoyuki Shodai, general manager of the mining depart- ment for Ube Industries. Due to the close proximity of the local residents, it has been impossible for the company to expand the open-cast mine Using the remote control, the operator can easily operate the Wirtgen 2500 Vario Surface Miner from outside the any further in the past. Conventional machine, making the mining process much safer with steep highwalls. blasting was simply not an option. As a result, the company was faced with the side of the Maruyama region. That would pertise across business units to support as prospect of never being able to fully ex- have been impossible with convention- PMC overseeing our client’s Chinese En- ploit the open-cast deposit, which would al blasting methods,” Shodai said. By gineering, Procurement and Construction mean a total loss of several million tons of now, the quarry’s outer boundary wall (EPC) contractor to ensure that the client limestone for Ube Industries. have been gradually extended by 10 m realizes the quality, safety and value they The Wirtgen surface miners, however, in the direction of the residential area. are seeking,” said Jim Spenceley, senior could be used to extract minerals with- While this seems like a small amount, vice president, mining, Black & Veatch. out the use of explosives. By cutting the this could increase the quarry’s potential As the consortium leader, Black & ground to mine the materials, they simpli- many times over. Veatch will perform design review, equip- fy the complex extraction and preparation ment inspections, and provide power and process. Mining, crushing and depositing Borneo Alumina Appoints coal gasification subject-matter exper- the material in windrows is all carried out B&V to Lead Alumina tise. Consortium partners Progesys will in a single operation. Refinery Project be managing the alumina refinery process In addition, the surface miners are PT Borneo Alumina Indonesia has appoint- design scope, while Jaya CM will be sup- perfect for mining raw materials under ed a Black & Veatch-led Project Manage- porting the project with site construction difficult geological conditions and in tight ment Consortium (PMC) to develop a new engineers and inspectors. spaces, as is the case with the Ube Isa alumina processing facility. The West Ka- Progesys is a minerals industry engi- quarry. Ube had previously hired Okumu- limantan facility will feature a 1-million- neering company based in Canada. Jaya ra Engineering to mine the outer walls of metric-ton-per-year (mt/y), smelter-grade CM is an Indonesian construction man- the quarry in 2012. alumina refinery, a 2 x 40,000 Normal agement company. The surface miners allow Okumura cubic meter per hour (Nm3/hr) coal gas- As the project consultant, the consor- to create extremely stable and steep ification plant and a 3- x 25-megawatt tium is responsible for evaluating EPC highwalls with narrow benches, thus (MW) coal-fired power plant. bids and reviewing design engineering. safely expanding the mining area. As “Developing the downstream mineral The consortium will monitor major equip- a result, the open-cast deposit can be processing industry will expand the Indo- ment supply and conduct factory accep- fully exploited. “Using Wirtgen surface nesian economy and create jobs. Black & tance tests. It will also oversee site con- miners allowed us to mine the southern Veatch is ready to leverage our global ex- struction and commissioning.

www.e-mj.com OCTOBER 2019 • E&MJ 17 REGIONAL NEWS - EXPLORATION ROUNDUP Fission Adding High-grade U at Patterson Lake South

Fission Uranium has announced assay re- blages and hydrothermal graphite. The Drilling by Yamana Gold in the Canaviei- sults from three dual-purpose holes drilled graphitic sequences are associated with ras and Morro do Vento areas of its Jaco- during its winter 2019 program at Patter- a basement electromagnetic conductor. bina mine complex in Bahia state, north- son Lake South (PLS) in the Athabasca Ba- (www.fissionuranium.com) east Brazil, has yielded excellent new sin region of northern Saskatchewan. The intercepts, and these areas are expected holes were drilled outside of the established Exploration Briefs to continue to add resources at higher high-grade domain of the Triple R deposit, Endeavour Mining has increased indi- than life-of-mine grades. with the goal of confirming areas of future cated resources at its Fetekro greenfield For the past two years, Yamana’s ex- growth and obtaining further geotechnical exploration property in north-central Côte ploration at Jacobina has focused on data for mine planning. All three holes re- d’Ivoire by 141% to 1.2 million ounces defining the location and plunge of high- turned substantial high-grade intervals. (oz), boosting its confidence that it will er-grade shoots in the mine to support a Of particular note, one hole intersected achieve its goal of discovering a stand- grade-based increase in production. At 41 meters (m) of total composite uranium alone project. Endeavour began explo- year-end 2018, Yamana announced a mineralization, including an interval of 5 m ration at Fetekro in March 2017. The 3% increase in grade over 2017 mineral grading 22.88% U3O8 within 38 m grading majority of drilling to-date has focused reserves, and its midyear 2019 mineral

3.52% U3O8. Of additional note, two of the on the Lafigué target, where a maiden re- reserve and mineral resource update pro- holes intersected strong gold mineraliza- source was published in October 2018, vided a further 2.6% increase in overall tion associated with the uranium miner- based on 32,000 meters (m) drilled. mineral reserve grade. alized intervals, including a peak of 23.6 Since then, approximately 35,000 The higher-grade sectors of the mine grams/metric ton gold over 0.5 m. m have been drilled to infill and extend continue to add significant mineral re- “As we continue to advance the Triple the deposit, which led to the 700,000- sources at the new life-of-mine grades or R, first with an underground-only prefea- oz increase in indicated resources while higher. The Canavieiras and Morro do Ven- sibility study and then a feasibility study, increasing the average grade by 13% to to sectors have the highest-grade mineral it is also important to outline areas of re- 2.54 grams/metric tons gold. reserves, and these sectors continue to source growth that could positively affect The Fetekro deposit extends over an grow, with numerous high-grade intervals economics, including extended mine life,” area 2.2 km long by 0.6 kilometers (km) adjacent to existing mine infrastructure. Fission President, COO and Chief Geol- wide and remains open at depth and to (www.yamana.com) ogist Ross McElroy said. “These winter the southeast and south. It is amenable assays confirm the potential to grow the to open-pit mining. Preliminary metal- B2Gold has reported positive drill results R780E largest mineralized zone of the Tri- lurgical tests indicate high gold recovery from the Mamba zone of its Anaconda-ar- ple R deposit and highlight the most sig- rates of above 95%, with a significant ea property 20 km from its Fekola mine nificant way we can build extra pounds.” portion recoverable by gravity. in southwest Mali, as well as positive infill The uranium mineralization of the Tri- At least 30,000 m of additional drill- drill results at the mine and positive step- ple R deposit occurs within the Patterson ing is scheduled to begin during the out results north of the mine. Lake Conductive Corridor and has been fourth quarter of 2019, with an updated Mamba drilling has extended the traced by core drilling over about 3.18 resource slated to be published in the shallow, high-grade saprolite zone by ap- km of east-west strike in five separate second quarter of 2020. A 20,000-m proximately 600 m to more than 1 km mineralized zones. Through successful drilling program over nearby Fetekro tar- of strike length and has discovered a exploration programs completed to date, gets is planned to begin in early 2020. wide, good-grade sulphide zone directly Triple R has evolved into a large, near-sur- Endeavour President and CEO Sébas- beneath the saprolite zone. The sulphide face, basement-hosted, structurally con- tien de Montessus said, “We are excited zone is open down plunge to the south, trolled, high-grade deposit. at the value we have created through ex- indicating the potential for Fekola-type Mineralization along the Patterson ploration, as we have effectively deployed gold deposits. Lake Corridor trend remains prospective circa $10 million to generate a resource Based on these positive drill results, along strike both to the east and west. in excess of 1 million oz of gold at an B2Gold has increased its 2019 explo- Basement rocks within the mineralized attractive grade of more than 2.5 g/mt. ration budget in Mali by $3 million to trend are identified primarily as mafic Fetekro’s resource scale has reached an $20.5 million. An additional 30,000 m volcanic rocks, with varying degrees of important milestone as it is now similar of drilling is planned for completion by alteration. Mineralization is located both in size and grade to that of our Agbaou year end, and the company expects to within and associated with mafic volcanic mine in Côte d’Ivoire when it started pro- continue with an aggressive exploration intrusives, with varying degrees of silici- duction in 2014.” program in 2020. fication, metasomatic mineral assem- (www.endeavourmining.com) (www.b2gold.com)

18 E&MJ • OCTOBER 2019 www.e-mj.com

NEWS - THIS MONTH IN COAL Thiess Wins $1.3B Curragh Extension

Thiess has been awarded a six-year stock. According to the mine plans, from American Resources A$1.3 billion contract extension by Coro- August this year, it is envisaged that Min- Purchases Cambrian Assets nado Global Resources Inc to provide ergy will be mining 110,000 tons of raw American Resources Corp. has been named mining services at the Curragh mine in coal per month. The same quantities will the primary bidder for certain assets offered Queensland, Australia. Under the exten- be put through the washing plant and this for sale through the bankruptcy proceedings sion, Thiess will continue to provide over- should result in saleable coal of between of Cambrian Holding Co. Inc. Under the pro- burden removal and haulage, mining and 70,000 tons to 80,000 tons, increasing posal, American Resources would acquire run of mine rehandling services, equip- to 100,000 tons per month next year. all assets and operations of Perry County ment maintenance and pit dewatering. Minergy was hoping to achieve a steady Coal LLC, an subsidiary of Cambrian Coal Located in the metallurgical coal-rich state of operations will during September. LLC, located near Hazard, Kentucky. Bowen Basin, Thiess has a long record of Demand for the product is high as a re- The Perry County Coal complex consists service at the Curragh mine, having oper- sult of the short supply of coal specifically of three active mines (two underground ated at the project since 2004. into South Africa, where annual coal pro- mines and one surface mine) with access to “Thiess has a consistent record of duction has dropped by 20 million tons more 110 million tons of coal reserves con- exceeding our client’s expectations at from historical volumes. In addition, it is sisting primarily of high-quality, soft coking the mine, through a focus on operational believed that Eskom will suffer a short- and PCI coals, which serves the steelmak- excellence and innovation, and an unre- fall in coal supply of 470 million tons by ing and industrial stoker markets. Histori- lenting commitment to safety culture and 2030. Large players in the sector, Anglo cally, it has produced about 1 million tons outcomes at Curragh,” CIMIC Group CEO American and South32, are respectively per year (t/y) of coal. The assets include the Michael Wright said. “This contract ex- withdrawing from the coal sector and dis- Davidson Branch preparation plant, with a tension reflects Thiess’ ongoing ability of posing of their coal assets, meaning the raw feed capacity of 1,300 t/h, more than creating lasting value for its clients.” supply will tighten even more. Minergy 300,000 tons of on-site coal storage, and In addition to this contract, Thiess will is currently exploring various options for batch weight rail loadout with access to the continue delivery of its existing scope of offtake, ranging from longer-term agree- CSX Railroad. works, including the operation and main- ments for the finer duff product to spot American Resources said it contin- tenance of the client-owned 1,400-met- deals for the bigger fractions. ues to execute on its growth initiatives ric-ton (mt) electric rope shovel and by efficiently leveraging its infrastructure ultra-class trucking fleet. CIMIC Group Byerwen Coal Hosts and large number of core mining permits companies Sedgman and UGL provide Opening Ceremony throughout the Central Appalachian Basin, various operations and maintenance con- The Byerwen coal mine in Queensland, in addition to identifying strategic supple- tracts at the Curragh Mine. Australia, owned by QCoal Pty. Ltd. (85%) mental acquisitions. “The potential ad- and JFE Steel (15%) held an opening cer- dition of Perry County Coal fits extremely Minergy Moves Forward emony, attended by government represen- well within our current platform both geo- With Masama Project tatives and customers, to mark the com- graphically and strategically,” said Mark Botswana-based Minergy Ltd., which owns mencement of hard coking coal shipments. Jensen, chairman and CEO, American the 390-million-metric-ton (mt) Masama The Byerwen mine is a new open-cut Resources. “We’re confident that our effi- Coal Project in the Mmambula Coalfield, mine located in the Bowen Basin in north- cient, low-cost operating structure will set provided an update on the status of the east Queensland. With abundant reserves these assets up for long-term success.” project, reporting that is has moved more and favorable conditions for large-scale Pursuant to the terms of the proposed than 2.2 million m3 of overburden as it open-cut mining, Byerwen is expected to transaction, American Resources would works to bring the mine into full produc- produce 3 million mt/y and eventually ex- acquire the specific assets free and clear tion. “We have come such a long way and pand production to 10 million mt/y. The coal of all liens, claims, interests and encum- are pleased with developments at the mine will be exported through Abbot Point, locat- brances, and would assume no liabilities site,” said Morné du Plessis, Minergy CEO. ed approximately 190 km from the mine. other than all reclamation obligations. “We are extremely excited about the future of the project, our ability to supply coal into the region, the highly experienced team responsible for executing the plan, as well as our capacity to contribute towards a viable coal sector in Botswana.” Minergy has extracted roughly 39,000 mt of coal. In excess of 340,000 mt are exposed in the pit, which only needs to be blasted and put through the plant. This equates to roughly three months of feed- A hydraulic excavator loads overburden into haul trucks at the Byerwen coal mine in Queensland.

20 E&MJ • OCTOBER 2019 www.e-mj.com

NEWS - CONTINUED

(News-Africa - from p. 16) plant is located adjacent to the Nogbele traction, elution, electrowinning and gold deposit, which contains approximately smelting to produce doré on site. each, to keep its towers functioning. 50% of total mineral reserves. The oth- Throughput is designed to range be- Econet will use solar panels during the er three deposits (Fourkoura, Stinger and tween 2.2 million mt/y and 2.5 million mt/y, day, with batteries taking over at night. Samavogo) are located within 25 kilome- depending on the blend of soft and hard ore. “Econet is all across Africa, and they’re ters (km) of the plant. The average predicted plant gold recovery is spending a huge amount on diesel,” Wahgnion development is based on 92%, with soft (oxide) material recoveries McTaggart said. “They need to cut their proven and probable mineral reserves of from some zones reaching as high as 95%. fuel bill down while maintaining services. 1.61 million ounces (oz) of gold in 31.07 Teranga COO Paul Chawrun said, “With Most people use their phones for internet, million metric tons (mt) grading 1.61 safety front and center, the commissioning banking and other services. If Econet is grams/mt. Production during the first phase at Wahgnion was completed without down, the entire economy goes offline.” five years of operation, 2020 to 2024, is a single lost-time injury, encompassing He added that Zimbabwe’s new mines planned to average 132,000 oz per year more than 5.3 million hours worked. This minister, Winston Chitando, is a “breath (oz/y) from an average mill head grade of accomplishment reflects the hard work of fresh air” to the industry. Plans by the 1.83 g/mt. Average all-in sustaining costs and dedication of all of our employees and administration of the late Robert Mugabe are estimated at $761/oz. contractors, and is aligned with our com- to force miners to hand controlling equity Mine life is currently planned at 13 mitment to responsible mining.” to locals, have now been scrapped. “I’ve years. Commencing in 2020-2021, Teranga known Winston for 30 years and he knows An updated technical report dated plans to embark on a multiyear explora- what needs to be done to revitalize Zim- July 31 estimated that the capital costs tion and drilling program that will focus babwe’s mining industry,” he added. to construct Wahgnion would come in at on highly prospective exploration targets $239.8 million, including process plant, within trucking distance of the plant to Teranga Starts Wahgnion Gold infrastructure, an owner-operated mining further optimize the mine plan and extend Operations in Burkina Faso fleet, owner’s cost, contingency, taxes Wahgnion mine life. The current reserve Teranga Gold has commissioned its new and duties. This cost excluded the $16 estimate and mine plan include only the Wahgnion gold operations in southwest million used for pre-construction spent in four initial deposits on the mine license. Burkina Faso and will ramp up to design 2017 and early 2018. Teranga is a Canadian company head- capacity during the fourth quarter. The Wahgnion plant design is based on a quartered in Toronto. Wahgnion is its second mine plan focuses on open-pit mining conventional carbon-in-leach flowsheet gold mine in west Africa. Its Sabodala mine of four initial deposits within the mine consisting of primary crushing; semiau- in Senegal poured its first gold in 2009 lease: the Nogbele, Fourkoura, Stinger togenous grinding and ball milling, with a and is forecast to produce in the range of and Samavogo deposits. The processing pebble crusher; carbon-in-leach gold ex- 215,000 oz to 230,000 oz in 2019.

NEWS - CALENDAR OF EVENTS

OCTOBER 22-25, 2019: Convencion Internacional de Mineria, Mundo MARCH 1-3, 2020: The Prospectors & Developers Association of Can- Imperial Acapulco, Mexico. Contact: Web: www.expomineria.mx. ada’s annual meeting, Toronto Convention Center, Toronto, Canada. Contact: Web: www.pdac.ca. OCTOBER 30-NOVEMBER 2, 2019: China Coal & Mining Expo, New China International Exhibition Center, Beijing, China. Contact: Web: APRIL 20-24, 2020: Expomin, Santiago, Chile. Contact: Web: www.chinaminingcoal.com. www.expomin.cl.

NOVEMBER 6-9, 2019: International Mining Exhibition (IME) 2019, EcoPark, APRIL 21-23, 2020: MiningWorld Russia, Moscow, Russia. Contact: Kolkata, India. Contact: Web: www.international-miningexhibition.com. Web: www.www.miningworld-events.com.

NOVEMBER 19-20, 2019: Smart Mining Conference, Tivoli Conference MAY 3-6, 2020: Canadian Institute of Mining (CIM), Vancouver, Canada. Center, Aachen, Germany. Contact: Web: www.smartmining.info. Contact: Web: https://convention.cim.org/2020. JUNE 1-5, 2020: Elko Mining, Elko, Nevada, USA. Contact: Web: DECEMBER 2-6, 2019: The 2019 American Exploration & Mining www.elkocva.com. Association annual meeting, Nugget Casino Resort, Sparks, Nevada, USA. Contact: Web: www.miningamerica.org. JUNE 2-5, 2020: UGOL & Russia, Novkutznesk, Russia. Contact: Web: www.ugol-rossii.com. JANUARY 26-29, 2020: International Society of Explosives Engineers, Denver, Colorado. Contact: Web: www.isee.org. JUNE 9-11, 2020: Euro Mine Expo, Skellefteå, Sweden. Contact: Web: www.euromineexpo.com. FEBRUARY 3-6, 2020: Mining Indaba, Cape Town, South Africa. Contact: Web: https://miningindaba.com. SEPTEMBER 7-11, 2020: Electra Mining, Johannesburg, South Africa. Contact: Web: www.electramining.co.za. FEBRUARY 23-26, 2020: The annual Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration (SME) conference and exhibition, Phoenix, Arizona. Con- SEPTEMBER 28-30, 2020: MINExpo INTERNATIONAL, Las Vegas, Nevada. tact: Web: www.smenet.org. Contact: Web: www.minexpo.com.

22 E&MJ • OCTOBER 2019 www.e-mj.com MINING DRIVING TODAY ~ SHAPING THE FUTURE

AMERICAN EXPLORATION & MINING ASSOCIATION'S

2019 ANNUAL MEETING, EXPOSITION, SHORT COURSES & FIELD TRIP

DECEMBER 1 - 6, 2019 NUGGET CASINO RESORT SPARKS, NEVADA

REGISTER TODAY ~ miningamerica.org NORDIC MINING 2019 Making Scandinavian Mining Sustainable Nordic miners are making significant investments to secure the future of their operations, and many of these come in the form of new technologies and mining techniques By Carly Leonida, European Editor

Auroras on the Vajunen reservoir at Boliden’s Kevitsa mine in Finland. (Photo: Boliden)

Mining companies in Scandinavia had a mixed start to 2019. Q2, the global spot price reached its highest level for five years, For some, soaring commodity process (iron ore and gold) and hitting US$118/metric ton (mt) before dropping down in Au- increased demand saw their profits rocket, while for others (base gust, although it has now recovered somewhat. metals), times have been a little tougher. A few miners are even “In many ways, the market is extreme at the moment. World looking to new markets including battery metals to help bolster market prices and exchange rates are beyond our control, how- their businesses. ever, and our work therefore focuses on safeguarding our com- Market instability, along with declining ore grades and the petitiveness so that we are prepared for any turnaround in the fact that some key operations are fast approaching the end of business cycle when it comes. This means cost control, produc- their economic life mean that attentions have turned firmly to tion stability, increased volumes and investments to develop the sustainability over the past five years. next generation of LKAB,” said President and CEO Jan Moström, In order to extend their operational lives and be truly “sustain- in the company’s interim report. able,” mines must not only be economically feasible over a long As a result of high demand and lower market capacity, LK- period, but also safe for workers and environmentally responsible. AB’s sales for the first half of 2019 increased by 34% year-on- To enable this, there has been a major drive toward the de- year, while operating profit was boosted by a staggering 166% velopment and implementation of new technologies. Without to MSEK 6,629 ($671 million). these, it would be very difficult to mine deposits at the extreme Production during the second quarter amounted to 6.2 mil- depths that will be required in the future. lion mt and deliveries to 6.7 million mt. However, a number of Nordic mines have always been early adopters of new tech- disruptions at both of the company’s flagship mines, Kiruna and nologies like automation and electrification. This is partly due Malmberget, affected production. to their relatively low (on a global scale) production volumes “Maximizing volumes in the current production system is es- and ore grades, and also because of their remoteness. Many sential for future growth investments, which is why production operations find it hard to attract and retain skilled engineers. stability continues to be a key focus for LKAB,” the company said. By offering their operations up as testbeds, mining companies Key to this stability is the future of Kiruna. It was announced can ensure that they are among the first to benefit from new on June 17 that the municipality of Kiruna had decided to give concepts, and also gain valuable experience that can be applied LKAB the necessary planning consent to continue mining at at their other operations. Kiruna’s main level. Indeed, one very positive characteristic of the Scandinavian Today, mining impacts around a third of the city’s urban center, mining industry is the willingness of both mining companies and including Bolagsområdet, the railway area and parts of the Öster- suppliers to work together to better their sector’s outlook. There malm and Norrmalm districts, which are affected by subsidence. are other markets that would do well to take a leaf from the Nor- “We know that at least 3,000 dwellings are affected, 6,000 dic’s book, because companies there are not just talking, they residents must move, and 450,000 square meters of residential are racing ahead and delivering tangible results when it comes and commercial space must be replaced. Those who are affect- to sustainability. ed will be compensated in accordance with set time plans,” said Stefan Hämäläinen, LKAB’s manager for urban transformation, LKAB Secures Kiruna’s Future in a company press release. Swedish iron-ore giant, LKAB, had a solid start to 2019, mainly With the planning consent granted, work to convert parts of thanks to record iron-ore prices and a strong US dollar. During the city center into industrial land can now continue. By 2035,

24 E&MJ • OCTOBER 2019 www.e-mj.com NORDIC MINING 2019 the present-day city center will have been decommissioned and “We are still at an early stage in the development of driver- a new one developed 3 kilometers (km) east. less, electric and connected vehicles,” Niklas Wahlberg, vice The current main levels at Kiruna and Malmberget will pro- president, societal challenges and solutions at the Volvo Group, vide ore up to 2035 and 2030, respectively. LKAB’s Leveäniemi said. “Although we have come a long way, there remains a lot open-cut mine will also be operational until 2030, and the com- of technological development. Just to give an example, we must pany must soon make a decision on whether to go deeper at learn how Epiroc’s machines and ours can communicate with these mines in order to sustain production and, if so, how it will each other when testing autonomous loading.” achieve this. Another important consideration is how data should be communicated so that the right information reaches the right re- SUM Provides Answers cipients at the right time. For a safe and accessible working To help address these questions, the company has joined forc- environment, vehicles must also be interoperable i.e., able to es with Swedish suppliers ABB, Epiroc, Combitech and Volvo exchange information and act upon it in real time. This requires Group to create a consortium called SUM or Sustainable Under- precise positioning of machines and people. ground Mining. ABB works primarily with two areas in SUM. The first is elec- Together, the companies have set up a real-world test facility trification, building energy-efficient systems that enable electric as well as a virtual test mine to probe the effectiveness of an au- underground vehicles. This includes developing new technology tonomous production system, which is carbon dioxide-free and from network to vehicles provided by Epiroc and Volvo, and also maintains the highest level of safety when people and autono- battery solutions and flexible electrical infrastructure. The second mous machines work side by side. The virtual test mine makes concerns the delivery of automation platforms, and Combitech’s it possible to simulate data flows and scenarios that cannot be role will also be in the fields of automation and digitization. tested in Konsuln, a remote part of the Kiruna mine that has LKAB plans for live testing to begin in mid-2020 and the been designated as the SUM test zone. results, which will be ready by 2023, will be used to make a SUM has four interconnected subprojects focused on: mine decision on how the company’s mines will look after 2030. layout and technology; autonomous, intelligent CO2 free machines; management systems and integration; and people. Rare Earths From Tailings The DP1 subproject, deals with mine layout and technolo- Pilot facilities are also being built for ReeMAP, a project which gy. In order to mine at depths greater than 2,000 m, the team aims to utilize residual products from iron-ore mining to extract has been trialing a new mining method with increased sublevel rare earth elements (REEs) and phosphorous. heights and, what it terms a “fork layout.” This layout makes it Historically, LKAB has sent apatite, a phosphate byproduct possible to locate the mine infrastructure further away from the from its iron-ore operations, to tailings ponds along with waste working face, making it less susceptible to rock stress. It also materials as it was too difficult and expensive to recover. Howev- increases the total number of vehicles transporting ore from a er, EasyMining, a subsidiary of environmental services company production area to help boost production capacity. Ragn-Sells, has developed a method for upgrading apatite con- “We know that rock stresses increase with depth. In order to centrate to a finished product called mono ammonium phosphate be able to continue working safely, we need to move our infra- (MAP), which now makes the recovery economically feasible. structure further from the mining area, which increases develop- In addition, LKAB’s mine waste also contains REEs. Heavy and ment costs. If we increase the sublevel height from the current light rare earth metals and phosphorus are all on the European Union’s 29 m to 50 m, then we will reduce the number of meters we (EU) Critical Raw Materials list. This details materials that are of develop and reduce costs,” said Carlos Quinteiro, mining engi- major importance for the EU economy, industry, technology neering specialist at LKAB and project manager of DP1, in a and environment going forward. The majority of rare earth metals recent LKAB interview. — around 95% — are produced in China, and the EU is currently Development is now complete on the 436 m level at Kon- dependent on imports to meet the needs of its fast-growing man- suln, and work is ongoing at the next 486 m level. LKAB said a further level at 536 m should be ready by the end of 2020 and parts of the new levels will be designed with the fork layout. Testing has also begun on a new type of rig for drilling opening holes, Epiroc’s Easer, and when LKAB Wassara has completed development of its coil-tube technique (a water-powered precision drilling technology for long and curved boreholes), this will also be tested and evaluated at the mine. Adding Electric Vehicles SUM’s DP2 project is paving the way for autonomous electric vehicles. The goal is to test both manual and self-steering electric loaders, drill rigs and forklifts, and study how they interact with each other, as well as with people and other vehicles operating in the mine. Volvo Group is developing the driverless, battery-electric trucks Boliden recently concludes a two-year electrification pilot project at Aitik. (Photo: Mats that will eventually be used to transport the ore out of the mine. Hillblom)

www.e-mj.com OCTOBER 2019 • E&MJ 25 NORDIC MINING 2019 Alimak - 86x254mm_Alimak_Hek_86x254mm.qxd 2019-05-20 10:28 Sida 1

Boliden Area’s Kristineberg underground mine was the first in the world to get 5G connectivity. (Photo: Boliden)

ufacturing sector. Creating a supply of REEs closer to home would be a major boon for Scandinavian manufacturers and miners alike. “For LKAB, this is an industry in which we are not yet active, but it has the potential to be an additional niche,” Lars Vik- ström, technical and business development manager at LKAB’s Special Products Division, said in a press release. “It is too early to say where this will lead and we are in an early stage of development, but we really believe it is viable.” Following laboratory trials, a mobile pilot facility will be built to determine if the technology can be taken to industrial scale. This will be run at both Malmberget and Kiruna to assess differences in materials and to verify whether or not the technology works properly. The pre-study will conclude this year and, by 2020, it is hoped that the technology can be taken to full scale. Boliden Expands Kevitsa, Aitik Boliden is also looking to technology as a key enabler of future operations. The company reported a decrease in operating profit in its Q2 results due to lower production of metal in concentrate Elevators and lower ore grades. “Higher milled tonnage could not compen- sate for lower grades in Kevitsa and Aitik,” the company stated – for improved operational efficiency in its press release. To help boost its metals output, Boliden recently began work The Alimak elevator is the perfect solution for both to expand Garpenberg’s production to 3 million mt per year underground and surface mining applications, such (mt/y), and a program has been carried out at Kylylahti to evalu- as pelletising plants, smelters, concentrators, and other ore processing plants. Alimak elevators have ate extending the operation through increased nickel and cobalt been delivered to a variety of mine applications production (battery metals). around the world since 1957. No environment is too The miner is also increasing production significantly at two of hostile for the latest Alimak elevator range. its largest operations, Kevitsa and Aitik. Aitik’s expansion from • Built to perform in the world’s harshest environments 39 million mt/y to 45 million mt/y is expected to be completed • Improved operational efficiency, superior HSE performance in 2020, and the new KID2 crusher came online in late 2018. and reduced maintenance costs Kevitsa will also start its ramp up from 7.5 million mt/y to • Unparalleled track record in reliability, safety & durability 9.5 million mt/y (milled volume) in mid-2020. The concentrator Contact us at [email protected] for further is gaining a new autogenous mill, supplied by FLSmidth, to- information. gether with associated equipment and a new mill house, as the current one is limiting production. As part of these projects, Boliden booked a SEK 900 million ($91 million) order with Komatsu in October 2018 for 17 new 830E-5 haul trucks for Kevitsa and nine 930E-5 units for Aitik. These are all electric-ready, and Boliden said the investment will www.alimak.com support “expanding operations, insourcing of transports and a partial replacement of the existing truck fleet.”

26 E&MJ • OCTOBER 2019 www.e-mj.com NORDIC MINING 2019

“This is an important step in the development of our open-pit mines while improving our environmental performance from an already strong position,” President and CEO of Boliden Mikael Staffas said in the press release accompanying the announcement. “Not least because we now create opportunities for increased electrification and related productivity development.” Boliden has been a forerunner for the implementation of a trolley assist system for mine trucks in Arctic conditions. The company recently concluded a two-year electrification pilot project at Aitik with the help of the Swedish Energy Agency. This included the development of an electrified transport ramp with overhead contact wires and four modified mine trucks with pantographs. Boliden expects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions on the routes where the technology is implemented by up to 80% and said the technology will help to cut its fossil fuel usage significantly. The potential also exists to increase productivity through Volvo tests a driverless truck at Kristineberg in 2016. (Photo: Boliden) higher transport speeds. is positive to contribute to increased production of fossil-free Reducing Fossil Fuel Usage energy in the vicinity of our facilities, particularly as the electri- In a further bid to reduce its fossil fuel dependency, Boliden an- fication rate in our own operations increases.” nounced in May it had signed a long-term electricity agreement Boliden also signed a four-year deal with European energy com- with a wind power developer. This entails an annual electricity pany Vattenfall to develop batteries, solar panels, electric transport supply of 240 GWh to Boliden’s Swedish operations and 175 and recycling techniques for new-generation car batteries. GWh to its Finnish operations. Production will take place in wind In the press release, Vattenfall President and CEO Magnus farms close to the Boliden Area mine and smelting operations Hall said: “It’s great that Vattenfall and Boliden can work to- in Kokkola. gether on this. It will require technological change and invest- “The agreement means that we get an increased long-term ments in new solutions, but the opportunities are there for both perspective in our energy supply,” Staffas said. “In parallel, it companies. Industrial partnerships like this are crucial if we are

www.e-mj.com OCTOBER 2019 • E&MJ 27 NORDIC MINING 2019

Agnico Eagle’s Kittila mine provides a testbed for SIMS’ WP6 project, which is developing battery-electric underground mining equipment. (Photo: Agnico Eagle) to make progress on the electrification of industry and enable the load on the grid, by storing and providing backup power and fossil-free living within one generation.” satisfying peaks in demand. Boliden’s main sources of emissions include diesel vehicles, process heat and the use of coke as a reducing agent. The com- SIMS Boosts Production pany said that, as a technology-independent partner, Vattenfall Like LKAB, Boliden is also working on the automation and dig- can evaluate and enable the introduction of fossil-free technolo- italization of its mines. To enable this, it has joined a European gies such as electricity and charging infrastructure for transport cross-functional program called Sustainable Intelligent Mining Sys- and mining. tems (SIMS) along with 11 other companies and research groups. Boliden is already involved with metal recycling, including Boliden’s mines provide a live test environment for the WP3, the recycling of car batteries. As a first step in the partnership, WP4 and WP5 work packages, which address communication modern energy solutions will be implemented at the Bergsöe and positioning, integrated process control and automation and lead smelter in Landskrona, which is one of Europe’s largest robotics, respectively. Each project has its own objectives but recyclers of lead batteries from cars. Solar panels, which will are all closely interconnected. produce locally generated renewable electricity to power the According to Boliden, a SIMS team consisting of ABB, Epi- plant, will also be installed, and batteries will be used to reduce roc, Combitech and Volvo Group is currently working to stream-

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28 E&MJ • OCTOBER 2019 www.e-mj.com NORDIC MINING 2019 line the mining process so that production can continue round- “We work actively with robotization to improve productivity the-clock, all year round. and safety in the mine, which requires future-proof communica- Peter Burman, who is in charge of Boliden’s mine automation tion solutions,” Burman said. “5G is an important component program, said there are currently peaks and troughs in mine enabling advanced automation and by that, a safer and more production during shift changes, lunches and breaks. sustainable mine. “With better production control, productivity could increase by 10%-20%,” he said in a Boliden news story. “If we use au- Agnico Expands Kittila tonomous machinery that operates even when nobody is present, Agnico Eagle is another SIMS partner. Its Kittila mine in northern that number increases to 40%-80%.” Finland is Europe’s largest primary gold producer, and acts as the In 2012, Boliden Area became the first underground mine in test bed for the SIMS WP6 work package, which is focused on the world to employ a combination of wireless networks, IP telepho- developing and implementing battery-electric mining equipment. ny and positioning. The network has 100% coverage over a total Separate to SIMS, Agnico is working on a €160 million distance of 35 km, and today it is used for all communication. ($175 million) project to add an underground shaft at Kittila In the next phase, Boliden installed wireless networks in its (the mine is otherwise accessed via a ramp) and increase mill Kankberg and Garpenberg mines. The latter is currently Swe- throughput by 25% to 2 million mt/y by 2021. den’s most modern mine. The expansion will increase the efficiency of the mine and Wireless networks allow the use of positioning systems. maintain or decrease current operating costs while providing This helps to reduce mine power draw through the use of access to the deeper mining horizons. In addition, the shaft systems such as ventilation on demand, and Boliden said it is expected to provide access to the mineral resources located can also reduce vehicle emissions, as operators can plan their below 1,150 m where recent exploration programs have shown runs better. promising results. Additionally, the SIMS team has been working with Telia to In its 2019 Q2 results, Agnico said the mill expansion is bring 5G technology into Kankberg. advancing as planned, and tie-in work was completed during a With 5G, mine sites can have tailored, private evolved packet scheduled mill shutdown in the second quarter. The shaft project core (EPC) deployments. This approach offers better traffic con- is ongoing with all segments of the raise boring completed in Q2 trol than previous communication systems, higher bit rates and and slashing of the first section of the raise boring was completed lower latency all of which support automation and functional in July. Raise boring of the ore silos is scheduled to complete later safety applications, and their time-critical communication. this year and construction of the head frame is imminent.

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www.e-mj.com OCTOBER 2019 • E&MJ 29 NORDIC TECHNOLOGY 2019 The Perfect Partners for Sustainable Mining Scandinavian OEMs are developing new technologies and equipment to enable more sustainable mining operations. E&MJ looks at some key developments from the past 12 months. By Carly Leonida, European Editor

said. “We are there with our customers; from finding the most suitable solutions for their operations, to how they can utilize our equipment to maximize their productivity, and in turn, grow their business. Helping customers to achieve their business goals means we become more than just an OEM, but a true partner.” With these things in mind, let’s look at some key developments and trends that have emerged over the past 12 months. Epiroc Looks to Electrification One of the biggest trends, not just in Normet’s Charmec MC 605 VE SD battery-electric explosives charging unit in action underground. Scandinavia but across the entire mining industry has been the electrification of It’s not just Nordic mining companies strong in Scandinavia, making it possi- mine fleets, and specifically, the growing who are going above and beyond to en- ble for manufacturing companies to build interest in battery-powered equipment. sure sustainability. Scandinavian equip- their expertise and operations with profes- In November 2018, following 60,000 ment producers are helping clients to sional teams,” added Juha Yli-Petäys, vice hours of testing, Epiroc announced the achieve their goals through the products president for the Nordics, Metso. launch of its second-generation of bat- and services they provide and, at the Today, Scandinavia is viewed as one tery-powered underground loaders, trucks same time, are demonstrating their own of the most important mining technology and drill rigs at its Power Change Days unwavering commitment to sustainable hubs in the world with several hundred event in Örebro, Sweden. business practices. exporters providing solutions to enable Epiroc’s first-generation battery-driven “Reliability, efficiency and perfor- productive and sustainable mines. To machines, which were launched in 2016, mance are important features for cap- lend perspective on market share, the have proven popular with multiple miners ital-intense projects,” Stephan Kirsch, Swedish government initiative, Mining including Nexa Resources, which is using president of mining equipment at Metso, for Generations, estimates that Swedish the ST7 battery-powered Scooptram at told E&MJ. “Scandinavian OEMs meet engineering companies account for 60% its Atacocha operation in Peru, and also these criteria through long-standing in- of all underground equipment used in the with Swedish state-owned mining com- dustry experience, sustainable commit- mining industry. And that is just one prod- pany, LKAB, which plans to use Epiroc’s ment, expertise and innovations.” uct area; nearly all of the top-tier mineral zero-emission vehicles as it expands its Kirsch is right. It is the enduring processing companies are headquartered mining operation in northern Sweden. nature of Scandinavian countries’ ex- in Scandinavia as well. Epiroc’s battery technology is widely port-based, open economies and the very Henrik Kass, sales manager for lu- acknowledged to be some of the best with bedrock — the Fennoscandian Shield bricants at Fluid-Bag, explained: “What long charge times and high-power density. — on which they stand that have helped defines Scandinavian suppliers is their fo- The company joined forces with Northvolt to shape the exceptional product quality cus on environmental responsibility, high and ABB to develop its second-generation that miners across the globe have come to quality of products and an innovative ap- technology platform and meet the high expect from Nordic producers. proach to finding new solutions.” safety, performance and reliability required. “Robustness, performance and reliabil- Mai Auapinyakul Business Development The new equipment on show includ- ity have always been key attributes of the Manager at Scania Mining agreed that col- ed battery electric 14 and 18-metric-ton equipment developed and used in Scandi- laboration with customers is an important (mt) loaders, a new 42-mt truck and Epi- navia, partly because of the harsh winter differentiator for Scandinavian firms. roc’s midsized drilling family including season and operating conditions. Also, “We don’t just produce the equipment face drilling, production drilling and rock engineering education has always been and hand them over to the customer,” she reinforcement rigs.

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“It has been very well received among customers and this continues to be a key priority for us,” Anne-Sofie Anders- son, Epiroc’s global communications and branding manager, told E&MJ. “The first rigs are now being tested in Finland, at a customer site [Agnico Eagle’s Kittila], and also as part of the SIMS program.” Epiroc’s Jan Gustafsson is project leader for the Sustainable Intelligent Mining Systems (SIMS) WP6 working project (see E&MJ’s market report on p. 29 for more information). This aims to develop a diesel-free loader, mine truck and drill rig and demonstrate them in a mining environment. “The biggest hurdle within our WP [working project] so far has been the An ALLU Transformer M Series processing iron ore. challenging time schedule. New battery technology and the electrical driveline implementing battery machines instead of combines digitalization and automation [are being] developed within a short pe- diesel machines? The aim within the proj- to boost mine performance. riod of time in cooperation with new key ect is to clarify all these issues and con- “6th Sense is a formula we have de- suppliers,” Gustafsson said in an online vince customers that this is the future.” veloped for getting the right solutions in interview for SIMS. place and achieving operational excellence “When the project is finalized, we New Digital Developments in mining and infrastructure operations,” will have proven the battery-powered ma- Electrification and digitalization nearly said Helena Hedblom, senior executive chines to be equal in productivity as their always go hand-in-hand, and Epiroc is vice president of mining and infrastructure. existing diesel counterpart.” also working with communications com- “The name 6th Sense implies that the solu- “Of course, when implementing a new pany Ericsson to help bring 5G into min- tion brings something extra and that is just technology there are always a lot of ques- ing operations. what it does, providing a significant advan- tions and concerns from customers and end 5G is the next step in the Long-Term tage such as track and respond to real-time users. How safe is a battery machine and Evolution (LTE) standard. It was first es- working conditions and equipment needs.” will it perform? What’s the business case for tablished in 2016 and is now starting to Together with Newmont Goldcorp, be rolled out commercially. It offers im- Epiroc has also put the world’s first fully proved connectivity, higher capacity and autonomous SmartROC D65 surface drill lower latency, which will deliver massive rig into production at the Hollinger mine device access, allowing mines to run their in Timmins, Canada. The operator can be autonomous systems more effectively. positioned remotely and perform other “Cellular technology and the intro- tasks while the drill rig completes a full duction of 5G is critical to realize the full drill pattern autonomously. value of digitalization and automatization Epiroc is also keeping a close eye on for smart industries,” said Åsa Tamsons, the sustainability of its own business. Ericsson senior vice president and head The company announced in August of technologies and new businesses, in that it would expand the production capac- a press release announcing the collabo- ity of its Surface and Exploration Drilling ration. “This will open up new business division at its facility in Örebro, including models and ecosystems across the min- constructing a major new building hosting ing industry. By combining our expertise assembly lines and offices. Construction in connectivity and Epiroc’s technology in has already begun and the facilities will be mining equipment, we will be able to en- inaugurated starting in 2021. sure stable and secure mining operations, “Sustainability is a key priority for us,” leading to increased utilization, improved Ola Kinnader, media relations manager at productivity and reduced costs.” Epiroc, told E&MJ. “It involves a lot of The technology, which is for both un- things, for example: conducting business derground and open-pit mines, has al- ethically (zero tolerance for corruption); ready been tested at Epiroc’s facility in reducing injuries as much as possible in Kvarntorp, Sweden. our own production sites; using energy Other significant digital product and water responsibly; promoting gender An Alimak elevator installed at Boliden’s Aitik mine launches from Epiroc this year include diversity; and helping people around the in Sweden. 6th Sense. This is a new approach that world get access to clean water and sani-

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hicles are also better for the environment and health as there are no emissions.” The company believes that in order to become more sustainable, mine operators should focus on the full lifecycle and total cost of each product and process, while using resources sensibly. “This is something that Normet can help with as well, and the way that we are performing process audits for customers is a great way to discover just how lean and safe their site processes are,” said Hämäläinen. “For example, we do customers’ sprayed concrete process audits and operator trainings. Well-organized spraying with skilled operators optimizes the usage of chemicals, decreases spillage and minimizes the rebound of concrete.” Concrete spraying with Normet’s SmartSpray system. In its own production facilities, Normet strives to use long-lasting materi- tation through our employee-led Water for Normet has also added 3D laser als, and recycles waste materials and oils All organization. scanning technology to Smart Drive. The wherever possible. Special care is also “We have targets and KPIs on various SmartScan system incorporates sensor taken in the usage and treatment of oils issues, such as CO2 emissions from trans- technology to deliver an even applica- and chemicals to prevent them from en- port and water consumption, which we tion of shotcrete. It works alongside an tering the environment. follow up on continuously.” automation system called SmartSpray In December 2018, Normet and Hin- that minimizes the chance of operator dustan Zinc signed a four-year Cost Per Normet Makes Shotcreting error and increases spraying productivity. Hour (CPH) service contract covering all Smarter SmartSpray is available in the three ver- Normet equipment in Hindustan’s mines Shotcrete specialist Normet has also sions: Lite, Pro and ProPlus depending in Rajasthan, India. Operational and ser- gone down the battery-electric and digiti- upon operator skill and experience. vice improvements are part of the con- zation routes. “Sustainability is of course important tract, including Normet’s SmartCare ser- The company launched its SmartDrive for us, especially when environmental vice management system, which enables fully electric battery-operated machine at and safety regulations in mining are be- efficient service management. bauma 2019. SmartDrive uses industri- coming tighter,” Kari Hämäläinen, senior Normet built a new service center in al-grade lithium-ion battery technology vice president, Global Equipment Busi- Jaipur to provide local service support with fast-charging capability, and electric ness Line, told E&MJ. “Normet has many and is developing new services and train- motors specifically designed for harsh en- solutions to help customers improve the ing programs for staff. vironments. The onboard charging system sustainability of their site. For example, requires 2.5 hours to charge the batteries with battery-electric vehicles, less energy Sandvik Seeks Out from 0-80% power, or the machine can is needed for driving and less energy is New Technologies be charged during operation from any un- needed for ventilation and cooling in un- Sandvik has also been working hard on both derground AC-socket. derground operations. Battery-electric ve- fleet electrification and digital solutions.

Alimak Supplies Record Breaking Elevator Alimak entered the mining equipment market in 1957 with the “The focus runs through the whole organization — from in- debut of its Raise Climber. The company sold this part of the dividual countries up to the Board of Directors and covers all business to Arkbro Industries in June 2008 but continues to products and solutions sold under Alimak Group’s brands,” provide elevators to mines across the globe. he said. Fredrik Betts, Executive Vice President and Global Head of The group is a signatory to the UN Global Compact, an ini- General Industry and Oil & Gas at Alimak, told E&MJ that a tiative aiming to make human rights, fair labour standards, en- Fresnillo mine in Mexico recently chose an Alimak rack & pinion vironmental responsibility and anti-corruption core parts of the elevator to reduce transportation time for personnel down to the participating companies’ operations. underground working areas. Betts said Alimak’s biggest impact on the environment “With 700 meters lifting height, this will be a world record comes from production and transportation at its 12 production for a permanent rack and pinion elevator,” said Betts. and assembly facilities across the world, but the group is active- He added that sustainable business and safety is high on the ly working to reduce its environmental footprint. agenda for Alimak Group.

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ALLU Adds IoT Tech to Transformer Range ALLU’s M-series and G-series Transformer ranges provide multi- The latest addition to the TS range of blades enables three faceted tools for mining and process industry applications. These different fragment sizes to be produced by one unit. hydraulic attachments can be used in production, particularly in “With this new feature, from one ALLU Transformer screen- selective digging to screen out waste and aid preconcentration, and er crusher it is possible to produce three different end-product also to solve chute blockages and material flow problems. fragment sizes,” Lipsanen told E&MJ. “This means that one Product manager, Jaakko Lipsanen, said ALLU has seen Transformer can take care of the work of three different screen- constant demand from “specialty mining applications” over the ers just by modifying the blade assembly. past 12 months. “We also added IoT technology to our Transformer products “The demand is really not dependent on market conditions that works through the ALLU App mobile application. The app — those who have a unique problem will search for the solu- provides an intelligent digital solution for customers and oper- tion,” he said. “The outlook is stable and growing.” ators to obtain accurate and timely information regarding safe Like many of its Scandinavian stable mates, sustainability is operations at jobsites, thereby maximizing the use of the ALLU one of ALLU’s core values. The company is ISO 14001 certified equipment.” and that guides its own production processes to ensure they are ALLU App provides information about the working hours and environmentally friendly. the right angle of inclination with ALLU Transformer. In order “We execute just-in-time manufacturing ideology, which means to maintain maximum productivity on the site and to minimize that our manufacturing process is as efficient as possible, delivery equipment downtime, the app provides information about the chain optimized and supplier chain as close as possible in order to ideal maintenance frequency and the changing of wear parts, minimize the footprint of delivery chain,” Lipsanen told E&MJ. based on the working hours. At bauma 2019, ALLU announced a number of new features Lipsanen said this will help the customer to ensure the best for its Transformer products, which enable more versatile use. possible lifetime for their tools.

In January, the company announced it Newtrax supplies wireless connectivity solution,” Patrick Murphy, president of would acquire Artisan Vehicle Systems, a systems to monitor and provide insight on Sandvik Rock Drills and Technologies Di- leading manufacturer of battery-powered underground operations. The company is vision, commented on the deal. underground mining equipment based in well respected in the data science field Other notable technology develop- California. Artisan’s core technology in- and, in the press release accompanying ments include the Leopard DI650i down- cludes battery packs, electric motors, pow- the announcement, Sandvik said that its the-hole (DTH) drill rig that will be intro- er electronics, software and control sys- digital tools for analyzing and optimizing duced to the Nordic mining market this tems, all of which compliment Sandvik’s mining production and processes, cou- fall. The DI650i is Sandvik’s latest surface range of underground equipment well. pled with Newtrax’s leading technology in DTH drill rig and has scalable automation Sandvik will also gain access to Arti- wireless IoT connectivity would create “a features. It is designed for high-capacity san’s innovative battery swapping tech- powerful, streamlined digital solution to production drilling in surface mines, as nologies, including PitStop, which was improve safety and efficiency in under- well as large-scale quarries. first introduced on Artisan’s A10 loader. ground mining operations.” This gives machine operators the ability “By combining our current offering, Sustainability Accolades to automatically drop off and pick up a OptiMine, with the Newtrax offering we Ulf Johansson Territory Manager for Swe- fresh battery in just a couple of minutes. can help customers achieve a more effi- den and Denmark at Sandvik Mining and Prior to the acquisition Sandvik pro- cient use of their resources. The system Rock Technology spoke to E&MJ about duced both battery-powered drill rigs and is agnostic to network or brand of equip- work the company is doing to improve its loaders for the underground market but ment, facilitating a flexible customer own sustainability as well. not trucks, so the acquisition will help to complete its portfolio. “I am pleased to see the strategic acquisition of Artisan so soon after the opening of Sandvik’s state-of-the-art Bat- Epiroc’s battery-electric ST14 ScoopTram loader. tery Electrification Innovation and De- velopment Center in Turku, Finland, in 2018. It is in line with our ambition to be leading in the market for Battery Electric Vehicle solutions”, said Mats Eriksson, president load and haul division, Sandvik Mining and Rock Technology. The Artisan acquisition closed in Feb- ruary and was hotly followed by the announcement that Sandvik would also buy Canadian digital specialist Newtrax.

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New Drills From Doofor Doofor produces its rock drills in Finland. 10-kW size class for drilling holes up to 51 mm in diameter. Managing director, Kalle Kuusento, said the company strives Two rotation motors along with a sturdy gear give a smooth to minimize wastage at its production facilities and offices and re- and silent rotation function and the trapezoid piston offers cycles as much material as possible. Doofor switched to geother- good penetration rate. The rock drill has also a good weight-pow- mal heating for its production facilities as in 2018 and limits the er ratio. use of energy generated through fossil fuels wherever possible. Doofor also introduced the DF800L hydraulic rock drill at “Metals are often a very good material when building sustain- bauma in April. The 25-kW unit can drill holes up to 127 mm ably as they are almost always fully recyclable,” he added. “Doo- in diameter using T45, T51 and GT60 tools. Hydraulic cush- for is constantly working on improving its rock drills’ efficiency ioning and an extractor are included as standard. Patented coefficient, thus leading to lower energy consumption.” percussion channeling minimizes the number of service parts The company is currently launching a new drill model — required and makes the DF800L one of the best in its class in the Doofor DF530L. This is a double-motor rock drill in the terms of the power to weight ratio.

“Sustainability within our operations four key areas by 2030: circularity, cli- incentive programs, and Sandvik said it covers a wide range of functions such mate change, safety and fair play. will initiate a sustainability idea program as environment, health, safety, HR/peo- In a press release accompanying the and use effective governance to keep fo- ple, compliance and community involve- announcement, the company said it un- cus across all of its business areas. ment,” he said. “Each of these functions derstood the need for the world to shift “We need the dedication and commit- has specialists within Sandvik who pro- to new business models in line with the ment from all our employees if we are to vide guidance and advice to our manage- United Nation’s Sustainable Development achieve these goals. Sandvik will be inno- ment and employees to assist them to im- Goals and the Paris climate agreement. vating for a sustainable future that we can plement activities to meet our sustainable “We see sustainability as an opportu- all be proud of and that will present new business objectives and targets. nity for new innovations and new ways of opportunities for us and our customers. I “Once a target is set, Sandvik drives working that will drive efficiency and pro- feel assured we will achieve this togeth- the accountability for doing what is need- ductivity, open new markets, support our er,” said Ulrika Wedberg, head of sustain- ed to achieve them through regular moni- customers and help us sustain long-term ability at Sandvik. toring and reporting.” growth,” said Björn Rosengren, president Earlier this year, the company quali- As part of this, Sandvik recently and CEO of Sandvik. fied for inclusion in the 2019 edition of launched a new sustainability initiative, The new goals will be integrated into the SAM Sustainability Yearbook. This setting goals that it wants to achieve in performance management systems and showcases the sustainability performance of the world’s largest companies in each industry as determined by their score in RobecoSAM’s annual Corporate Sustain- ability Assessment. To be listed, companies must fall within the top 15% of their industry and must achieve a score within the 30% of their industry’s top performing company. Sandvik is also a member of the Dow Jones Sustainability Index, which includes the top 10% most sustainable companies in each respective industry. This year, Sandvik received a percentile ranking of 92, which means it performs better than 92% of the assessed companies in the mining industry. Metso’s M&A Focus Many of Metso’s most notable developments in 2018-2019 have also come in the form of mergers and acquisitions. In July, Metso announced that, subject to approvals, it will merge with fellow Finn- ish mineral processing firm Outotec. “We are excited about the opportunities that this transaction will create,” Doofor’s new DF530L rockdrill at work in Australia. CEO, Pekka Vauramo, said. “The Metso

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Outotec combination will enable us to drive sustainable growth together with our complementary offering of high-quality technology, in equipment and services, and leverage our extensive global pres- ence, strong services network and large installed base.” Metso also closed the acquisition of Chilean mining services business, High- Service, in May; a move that will help with the upcoming supply of crushing and material handling equipment for the first stage of Codelco’s El Teniente expansion project. Codelco is a long-time Met- A conceptual drawing of Metso’s new Tailings so customer, and the delivery will include Management Solution. primary gyratory crushing equipment with apron feeders and conveyer belts as well “It means that we do things efficient- Metso has introduced various new prod- as related services. Most of the equip- ly and responsibly in terms of the envi- ucts this year, but two of the most notable ment deliveries are scheduled for 2021, ronment, people and the economy,” she in the context of sustainability are the Met- while services will be carried out between said. “These three dimensions are critical so Truck Body (MTB) and the VPX filter. The 2022 and 2023. throughout our value chain, from procure- latter fits within Metso’s newly formed Tail- Metso also announced the acquisition ment to end product. We believe that one ings Management Solutions. of Canadian crushing specialist, McClos- of the best ways to promote sustainable The MTB debuted at bauma in April. key, in June. development is to innovate new and bet- This is a customizable rubber lining for haul Vauramo explained: “The McCloskey ter technologies and to change current truck bodies in the 100-plus-ton class. The acquisition, which we expect to close in the ways of operating. rubber absorbs the energy from material fourth quarter, will expand our offering of “For our customers, this means that impacts, preventing it from reaching the mobile crushing and screening equipment our products and services need to help frame giving up to six times more wear life and enable us to better meet the demands them operate more safely, productively and compared to bodies fitted with a steel liner, of a diverse customer base in the aggre- profitably while reducing resource intensi- half the noise and 97% less vibration. gates industry. Both acquisitions are logi- ty. Therefore, our R&D projects have sus- Finnish miner, Terrafame, has been cal steps in our profitable growth strategy.” tainability targets that are related to envi- running the MTB at its Sotkamo opera- ronmental efficiency, including energy and tion since December 2018, and Metso Sustainability in R&D water savings, waste, material efficiency, has also supplied two MTBs to Boliden’s

Kaisa Jungman, director of sustainable reduction of CO2 emissions and safety. Aitik mine in Gällivare, Sweden. business development at Metso, spoke to “Of the new R&D projects started in “Sotkamo was among the first mines E&MJ about what sustainability means to 2018, 86% had set environmental efficien- in the world to test the MTB,” Juha Yli- the company. cy and/or product safety innovation targets.” Petäys, vice president for Nordics at

Fluid-Bag Redesigns Lubricant Handling Finnish fluid handling company, Fluid Bag, toldE&MJ that it on efficiency can reduce transportation needs, fuel consump- has seen a big increase in sales to the mining segment, and tion and produce less waste.” also to lubricants suppliers over the past year. Fluid-Bag is ISO 14001 certified and, since 2000, it has “The reason is probably that we are getting more known been working on various improvements based on its own envi- among mining companies and lubricant suppliers thanks to ronmental plan. word of mouth,” said sales manager, Henrik Kass. Kass explained: “One of the main points is reducing the Fluid-Bag’s containers contribute to a more efficient use amount of material in our products. During 2008-18, we have of lubricants in a mine by reducing the amount of grease res- managed to reduce the amount of plastic by 19%. All plastic idue. Since Fluid-Bags are flexible, it is possible to squeeze waste is sorted and sent for recycling. out nearly the entire contents. They also help to reduce “We also focus on reducing our energy consumption. In mines, environmental impact through transport and logistics the last year we have, for example, reduced our heating costs — the FLEXI one-way container eliminates the unnecessary by 52%. To ensure that environmental aspects are considered return transportation of empty containers altogether, and the throughout the supply chain we also require our suppliers and MULTI multi-trip option can be packed down to save space freight forwarders to have their own environmental programs.” in return freights. The Tau Xtractor is the latest addition to Fluid-Bag’s port- “Sustainability has always been a central point in our folio of discharge equipment for its containers. The device business activities,” Kass said. “Fluid-Bag’s products are an grips the inner container of the Fluid-Bag, twists it and forces example of how innovation, a new way of thinking and focus out all the grease, leaving less than 1% residue in the bag.

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tailings management: it helps in recycling significantly more water to the concentrator, while enabling mines to reduce their freshwater footprint when compared to traditional tailings impoundments,” said Niclas Hällevall, VP of beneficiation solutions, mining equipment business area. “Furthermore, the risk of tailings dam failure could be completely avoided by dewatering and dry stacking the tailings. Con- trary to conventional belief, dry tailings are also much more CAPEX and OPEX efficient compared to wet or thickened tailings.” Reprocessing tailings gives mines the chance to generate an additional stream of revenue by recovering water and valuable metals that were, in the past, too difficult to liberate. This could be used to offset the cost of equipment or bolster EcoTails blends ‘fast filtered’ tailings with waste rock in transit and creates a geotechnically stable product called GeoWaste. sales during periods of low metal prices. It also provides the chance to clean Metso, told E&MJ. “The ore they mine is even beyond that if required,” said Lars up storage facilities that could pose a po- abrasive, which means that wear protec- Gustavsson, product manager for filtra- tential risk to communities or the environ- tion is high on the agenda. But in addition tion at Metso. “Membrane pressure and ment going forward; a significant opportu- to simply seeking to reduce truck mainte- air blow is optional when needed. High nity given everything that has gone on in nance, the mine wanted to increase pay- pressure means higher capacity or lower relation to tailings safety so far this year. load and improve driver comfort. moisture content.” “The results have been good. The The ability to alter the VPX’s working FLSmidth Furthers EcoTails body is designed to carry 9 mt more pay- pressure means that a final moisture con- Water management solutions have also load, and thanks to the significant reduc- tent of less than 10% can be achieved been a key focus for FLSmidth. tion in noise levels, the drivers have only if required, allowing 90% of the tailings “It is at the core of the FLSmidth strat- had positive comments.” water to be recovered and recycled. egy and brand to share the responsibility The VPX is just one product that Met- for pushing the transition towards a more A New Approach to Tailings so offers for tailings handling; its portfolio sustainable mining industry together our In June, Metso announced the launch of also includes hydrocyclones, thickeners, customers, suppliers and partners,” Ro- its new VPX filter, designed specifically to filters and pumps, and the company has man van Ommen, director of mining sales handle the high tonnages and fine parti- brought these together this year to form for Europe and North Africa at FLSmidth, cles associated with tailings. an end-to-end service offering called Met- told E&MJ. The VPX has been designed from the so Tailings Management Solutions. “Greater scarcity of resources along ground up to eliminate the need for hy- This provides products and services to with declining ore grades and stricter reg- draulics. Instead, high-pressure closing is help mines dewater and dry stack their ulations lead to more complex and costly achieved with electromechanical screws tailings, and also the possibility to repro- operations. As a result, mining operators for less maintenance and higher safety. cess “legacy tailings” that reside in exist- need to minimize the use of resources Metso has increased the working pres- ing storage facilities. and environmental impact, while opti- sure to 25 bar (compared to the industry “Metso views dry filtered tailings as mising production and maximizing their standard of 10-16 bar). “But we can go the most viable and long-term solution for investment. This calls for new solutions and new ways of working.” Access to and management of water Grindex Repairs and Recycles can often lead to tensions with local com- Grindex recently introduced a repair ser- til the product has reached its full eco- munities and regulators, which can nega- vice for its mining pumps to ensure a low nomic life cycle. tively affect license to operate. total lifecycle cost. Its certified work- “Grindex pumps have a proven reliabili- “Through cooperation with partners in shops take care of used spare parts such ty and dependable performance in extreme the industry, we are making progress and as seals, copper wire, oil and O-rings re- environments leading to a low impact on introducing solutions, like EcoTails, that cycling them wherever possible. the environment and the people in the im- re-use up to 95% of the process water Peter Uvemo, global sales manager at mediate working environment,” he said. and eliminates the need for wet tailings Grindex, said that the company is work- As part of this, the company has a dams, even for large mines,” said van ing towards sustainability throughout the strong regulatory framework, and is ISO Ommen. “These solutions help customers whole value chain, from procurement un- 9001 and 14001 certified. obtain a license to operate, it reduces op-

36 E&MJ • OCTOBER 2019 www.e-mj.com NORDIC TECHNOLOGY 2019 erational costs significantly, it minimises Bosch Rexroth Bags Record Bucketwheel Order the risk of contaminating ground water, In April, Bosch Rexroth announced it had rupp Industrial solutions, who will and it eliminates the dire consequences been selected by thyssenkrupp Industrial design, supply, construct and commis- of tailings dams’ failures.” Solutions Australia to supply the bucket sion the 20,000-mt/h machine. The EcoTails filter technology is a process wheel drive system for the world’s largest drive system will be based on Bosch which blends filtered tailings with waste rail-mounted bucketwheel reclaimer. The Rexroth’s Hägglunds hydraulic direct rock, creating a geotechnically stable bucket wheel reclaimer will be installed at drive technology, which offers high waste product and eliminating the need the new BHP South Flank iron ore mine in power density and a flexible drive lay- to keep conventional slurry tailings con- the Pilbara region of Western Australia. out that the company said is well suited tained in a dam and submerged in water. “Bucketwheel reclaimers are among to bucket wheel reclaimers. The system The resulting environmental benefits in- the most popular applications worldwide will utilize the largest hydraulic motor clude: no tailings dam, lower freshwater for our larger Hägglunds motors and di- ever built, the Hägglunds CBm 8000. use, reduced acid rock drainage, a small- rect drive systems,” said Uno Sundelin, In addition, Bosch Rexroth will super mine footprint, and less overall risk. manager, mining and materials handling, ply Hägglunds drive systems for the slew The EcoTails R&D project is currently Hägglunds Products. function on both the bucketwheel re- in the feasibility testing phase. The next Bosch Rexroth will deliver the buc- claimer and two stacker machines at the step is a demonstration scale project at ketwheel drive system to thyssenk- same mine site. Newmont Goldcorp’s Peñasquito gold mine in Mexico. The company’s most recent crushing ysis solution for processing plants, the “The other major project we have is launch was the Raptor cone crusher range SAGwise process control system for SAG Rapid Oxidative Leach process (ROL),” with advanced control systems. These mills, and SmartCyclone which optimises said van Ommen. “With ore grades falling give the aggregate and construction in- closed-circuit grinding. and increasing levels of impurities in the dustries improved control and data ac- remaining ores, such as arsenic, it can cessibility, while optimising particle size Scania Champions make it more difficult for our customers and shape consistency. Sustainable Transport to obtain environmental permits and im- Raptor crushers are cloud-based. This With its latest mining truck, the XT Heavy prove their environmental performance. allows them to provide operational, per- Tipper, Scania is aiming to change the “We will soon reach the milestone of formance and asset health monitoring ways mines think about haulage. a demonstration-scale ROL plant which metrics, which can be accessed by au- “It’s not just about the truck itself, but makes it possible to develop mineral de- thorised personnel at any time, and from the packages that come with it, whether posits containing arsenic for recovery of anywhere in the world. Additionally, auto- it be workshop, driver services, connect- copper, gold, and silver, while complying mation systems can use this data to opti- ed services, up to setting up a monitoring with stringent environmental regulations. mise crusher performance and feed con- centre,” said Mai Auapinyakul, business Many orebodies cannot currently be pro- trol, even taking corrective action when development manager at Scania Mining. cessed due to the high level of arsenic, force overloads are detected. “We have something called a ‘Site but by using ROL it is possible to do so Other notable new products include Mapping Kit,’ which we use to visualize with a lower environmental impact. It also ECS/UptimeGo, a digital downtime anal- customer’s operations and the transport allows for recovery from waste streams, and piles containing arsenic can be processed on site. This makes it possible to avoid potentially toxic emissions to soils, air and water.” Uptime and Optimization Digitalization is another major focus for FLSmidth. “We see it as a major productivity enhancer for our customers, as well as a way to provide more sustainable and productive solutions to the mining industry,” explained van Ommen. “In short, digitalization together with sustainability are the biggest business opportunities right now in mining. Our goal is to combine the two to discover new solutions that provide our customers with tools to reduce environmental impact, for instance cutting the need for freshwater while strengthening Scania’s XT Heavy Tipper. The company has seen increased interest as mines look to move away from traditional their productivity performance.” haul trucks.

www.e-mj.com OCTOBER 2019 • E&MJ 37 NORDIC TECHNOLOGY 2019 process in order to recommend the right since we believe that increasing knowl- plications by up to 5%. This reduces the products and services, and also help the edge about climate change is crucial to be CO2 output as well as the TCO. customer utilize the fleet after the truck is able to deliver on the Paris agreement.” The range offers power from 105-585 delivered. It’s a simple yet game-chang- The day was held as a forerunner to the kW (143-796 hp) with an engine and ing tool we’ve been using.” United Nations Climate Action Summit exhaust aftertreatment system that work Auapinyakul noted that the company in New York. Operations at Scania’s head seamlessly together. Among other bene- has seen a change in demand from the office, production sites and local Scania fits, this maximizes passive regeneration mining market in recent years in line with units across the globe halted for one hour. during normal operation and removes the sustainability concerns. During this time, employees learnt more need for stand-still regeneration. Uptime “We see that mining companies and about climate change and were able to has also been boosted by improved oil contractors are now exploring our solution put forward their own ideas on how Scania change service intervals, which have been as an alternative to the yellow machines could work more sustainably. doubled from 500 to 1,000 hours. in material transport,” she said. “Our 40 In 2018, the new engines were select- tonne Heavy Tipper is the first of its kind Volvo Penta Drives Down ed to feature on Sandvik’s latest under- to be competitive with RDTs and ADTs, but Emissions ground loaders and trucks. it is much lighter and uses less fuel per Elin Boije af Gennäs, head of the Nordic “We are keen to demonstrate to our ton of material. This means the customer Industrial Segment at Volvo Penta, re- customers that Volvo Penta is continuing can lower the cost, the CO2 emission, and ported that the company has seen strong to lead the way when it comes to engine maintain the productivity level. demand from the mining market recently and power systems innovation, most re- “We see that the future will be small- as OEMs strive to comply with Stage V cently with EU Stage V,” Johan Inden, er. With automation and electrification on emissions requirements. president of Region Europe at Volvo Pen- the rise, now is the time to prepare for the “The demand has been very strong for ta, said at bauma. “We are already seeing disruption, from mine and infrastructure the latest 12 months and is seen to remain evidence that our customers understand planning, connectivity.” on a stable level for 2020,” she said. “We this. Over the last three years, the Volvo Scania has aligned its own sustain- see that there are three areas, all related Penta Industrial segment has increased ability goals with those of the Paris Cli- to sustainability, which are in focus for the its annual sales by an average of 33%.” mate Agreement. The company has com- mining equipment industry in Scandinavia. In addition to off-road, Volvo Penta re- mitted to cutting CO2 emissions from its “It’s the total cost of ownership (TCO) cently launched its first Stage V engine for land transport by 50% by 2025. It will which includes low emission engines for mobile gensets, the D16. This is a compact also cut CO2 emissions in its own oper- a cleaner environment and less need for engine with low maintenance requirements. ations by 50% by 2025, and switch to energy used for mine ventilation, low fuel It delivers around 3% better fuel economy 100% fossil-free electricity by 2020. consumption and to minimize stop time compared to the Stage IIIa model. Scania held a ‘Climate Day’ in Sep- for service. A second area is mine pro- Boije af Gennäs told E&MJ: “We con- tember to conduct further training for its ductivity efficiency, where it becomes im- stantly evaluate our business’ impact employees. portant to optimize the machine range for throughout the entire value chain — from “We have worked purposefully with different mining purpose. A third area is economic, social and environmental sustainability and it has a profound im- new technology and to focus on the solu- points of view. We strive to make engine pact on our products, our production and tions for the future in close cooperation performance and reduced environmental the way we do business,” said President with the component suppliers.” impact go hand-in-hand. This includes and CEO Henrik Henriksson, announcing Volvo Penta’s Stage V engines, which efforts for increasing fuel efficiency and the event in August. “Now we are taking were on show at bauma in April, have enabling use of renewable fuels, as well yet another step, and we choose training shown promising results in field-tests, as offering aftertreatment systems to re- as our course of action for our Climate Day cutting fuel consumption in industrial ap- duce emissions for our products. “We also have development towards electromobility under way to enable zero emission solutions in the future. Other initiatives and commitments include the WWF Climate Savers program with targets to reduce fuel consumption of our engines and the support of the UN’s Clean Seas campaign to reduce our single-use plastic footprint across operating sites, offices, and events.” Volvo Penta is actively working to minimize its energy and resource usage; one

of its production plants has been CO2 neutral for some time, and the company is currently phasing out single-use plas- Volvo Penta’s Stage V engine will feature in Sandvik’s underground trucks and loaders going forward. tics from all its offices and events.

38 E&MJ • OCTOBER 2019 www.e-mj.com

IMPROVING CYCLE TIMES A Stitch in Time Experts say simplifying mine plans and making adjustments early can pay off down the road By Jesse Morton, Technical Writer

former field doesn’t necessarily translate to the same in the latter. Thornton said the trap many such geologists fall into is to develop and rely on short-range models that lend needed confidence, produce quick results, but lead to organizational challenges down the road. “Narrowing down the short-range model means that you now have more confidence in your grades,” Thornton said. “This then leads to chasing grades where they find them and high grading,” she said. “They end up mining themselves into trenches, leaving canyons to deal with later.” Also, during initial mine plan initia- tion, the trend typically is to narrow down the bench width. “Yes, it is more economic, but it affects your production and then later it doesn’t make any sense,” Thorn- ton said. In most mines, Thornton said, the majority of the cycle time is spent on the Hexagon Mining reported its HxGN MineOperate Reverse Assist precision positioning application ensures operators roads, proving their importance. “The position right the first time. (Photo: Hexagon Mining) construction of those has a huge impact If the long-term goal is optimized cycle Which can be challenging for small- on productivity,” she said. time and production, then start at the be- er mines that have to compete with the Often, the initial roads are “sin- ginning, a couple of contract miners told bigger mines for talent. “How do you gle-lane, cut-to-fill ventures made from E&MJ. The most common mistakes made attract the skilled workforce?” Thornton whatever material was at the surface at at the initial implementation of a mine said. “Most of the time, you can’t. That the time,” Thornton said. “They really plan are those of human resource man- means that there is a lot of training re- need to be improved once you start get- agement, modelling, bench widths, haul quired and this is something that is re- ting into some competent waste rock.” road design and management, water man- ally missed in the planning for the ramp Early mine plans may feature narrow agement and equipment maintenance. up.” roads with pullouts. “This works for a Miners who can get ahead of the 8-ball in That can result in a lack of opera- while,” Thornton said. “Once you start these areas won’t necessarily escape cycle tional experience once things get go- adding more and more equipment, there time issues, but they may be able to more ing, which means design and planning comes a point where you need to decide swiftly remedy them when they arise. problems may not be recognized until it whether to go to dual-lane or not.” Early mistakes in human resource is too late. At one mine where JDS was brought management can have serious conse- One way to hedge against this is to in, ore was being hauled by transit truck quences down the road, Tawnya Thorn- simplify the plans, Thornton said. to a crusher at a port facility 100 km ton, engineer in training, JDS Energy & Even if plans are kept simple, to two away. Each truck pulled two trailers, or Mining, said. At the startup, when con- or three phases, the lack of operational cars, and was referred to as a train. “This struction is near completion and mine experience can lead to deviations in favor was the Arctic, so not only were we ex- plan implementation is initiated, “there of short-term results, she said. periencing an average of 60% downtime is no room for people who don’t perform,” For example, at small- or midsized during the winter on our brand-new gear, she said. “Having the right people, with ops, often the exploration geologist we were also only successful in pulling a the right attitude, in the right roles makes switches up and becomes the mine geolo- single trailer for a 12-hour shift,” Thorn- all the difference.” gist once mining begins. Expertise in the ton said. “One round trip was taking over

40 E&MJ • OCTOBER 2019 www.e-mj.com IMPROVING CYCLE TIMES nine hours,” she said. “On top of that, it tenance and operations, especially re- with the system is required from the truck was delivering only half of the tonnage.” garding the expectations on the former operator’s perspective.” The system was a lock, as the mine to deliver hours to the latter. “Preven- The guidance helps the operator to re- had “no money to go into setting up any- tative maintenance is crucial to reliably verse to the load spot on the first attempt, thing new,” she said. delivering those hours to operations and without hanging bucket or guidance from JDS borrowed some handheld GPS having alternative strategies from a main- the shovel. “This helps improve cycle units, tracked the trucks, charted the tenance standpoint when things don’t go times dramatically by minimizing shov- data, and discovered that “anything more according to plan,” Bauer said. “These el hang time and truck re-spotting,” than a 6% grade meant the B-trains came alternate strategies can help reduce those Weisheit said. “Improved truck place- to a halt,” Thornton said. unplanned maintenance events and help ment also helps the shovel operator load From there, six realignment programs us then focus and dive into those planned each truck more evenly, reducing the like- were launched. “After that, we were able events and continuously improving our lihood for road debris or damage to truck to have our first full train make it to and reliability where we measure the mean- components or frames.” from port,” Thornton said. “In addition to time between failures and the meantime The shovel operator sets the controls, this, we implemented better fueling, shift between repairs and then continuously such as the desired load spot, orien- changes, and rates and ended up nearly improve in that area.” tation and the direction of maneuver. tripling that initial productivity.” In the area of continuous improve- “The system also facilitates dual-sided Andrea Bauer, a direct asset manag- ment, the latest releases from the top loading without increasing safety or col- er for KMC Mining, said initial haul road fleet management and digital mine solu- lision risk, which can provide additional and haul route management are both key tions suppliers focus on better synch- cycle-time productivity improvements,” to optimizing cycle time and productivi- ing trucks and shovels, as well as plans Weisheit said. ty. “When we have the ability, we look to and reality. Guided Spotting was announced earli- prepare multiple dump locations,” Bauer er this year and, so far, the reception has said. “This allows us to maximize those Significant Returns been overwhelmingly positive, the compa- cycle times and ensures that we are al- Modular Mining reported its Guided ny reported. “Our partnerships with major ways efficiently loading with our shovels.” Spotting system can reduce total shovel global mining companies has allowed us As important is maximizing shovel cycle time by as much as 35% and can to begin deployments and discussions in productivity, Bauer said. “This can in- contribute as much as eight additional all major mining regions, and we have a clude areas of focus such as active pit loads per hour by reducing both shovel large-scale group of deployments slat- management, reducing hang time on the hangtime and swing time. “In the field, ed for early 2020,” Weisheit said. “The shovel, looking at opportunities to dou- it has yielded a 1% to 2% total haul system’s significant return on investment ble-side loading were safe to do so, and truck cycle time improvement based on is generating strong demand, signaling improving the dig rate of the shovels.” a 25-minute return cycle by minimizing a bright future for the application of Miners often forget the importance of re-spotting,” Braden Weisheit, global high-precision ProVision Guided Spotting planning for water management, Thorn- manager, machine guidance systems, on manned haul trucks.” ton said. Without it, roads wash out, pit Modular Mining, said. “The Guided Spot- Adoption requires what Modular Min- faces become inaccessible, and rapidly ting system has shown an overall poten- ing describes as a robust communications melting permafrost turns a work site into tial productivity gain of 13% by eliminat- network and a willingness to partner with a swamp. ing bucket spotting.” Modular Mining for deployment. The com- The big problem area typically is Guided Spotting is the latest addi- pany sends a team to help evaluate the roads. “Road construction really isn’t tion to Modular Mining’s ProVision line site and then set up, calibrate and con- complete until the ditch is in and it has of machine guidance solutions. The figure the system. Training is offered. been couched of something competent,” ProVision system, which dates back “During this training, the Modular Mining Thornton said. two decades, uses the Global Naviga- team will discuss any necessary changes If the pit is prone to flooding, plan to tion Satellite System (GNSS) to provide to processes, workflows, or routines, and have a standby stockpile that can tempo- centimeter-accurate guidance for equip- will help establish an implementation plan rarily feed the plant, Thornton said. ment operators in real time through- Oftentimes, a new operation doesn’t out a mine, Modular Mining reported. have the historical data to plan mainte- Installed on trucks, the Guided Spotting nance. Initially this means downtime to system “guides truck operators as they wait for parts to arrive or cannibalizing reverse toward a shovel,” Weisheit said. equipment. “Without historical data, the The system features intuitive and equipment selection is based on the in- simple displays and leverages LED light- formation available at the time, and those boards mounted near the side mirrors to best guesses are put to the test, which relay information to the operator. “The usually means there are a lot of quirks to truck operator receives guidance as soon work out as well.” as they’ve crossed into a loading zone, Bauer said key to increasing cycle which is predetermined by the shovel HxGN MineOperate Reverse Assist sends information to the time is transparency between main- operator,” Weisheit said. “No interaction operator over an in-cab screen. (Photo: Hexagon Mining)

www.e-mj.com OCTOBER 2019 • E&MJ 41 IMPROVING CYCLE TIMES

The software, the latest addition to To optimize hauler activity, the module Hexagon’s MineOperate Pro (OP Pro) uses FMS data from sensors on the haul- suite, leverages an onboard computer ers. “The system utilizes several inputs, and a centralized server, Hexagon’s Fleet such as OEM systems, GPS, OEM sensors Management System (FMS), to calculate and optimization logic to accurately cap- the best path and, via an in-cab screen, ture cycle phases without the need for advise the operator on following it. “Re- operator input,” Romero said. verse Assist ensures operators position It continuously matches the current right the first time, without the need for GPS coordinates to a road position. “This shovel-bucket support,” the company re- results in a continuous update of equip- ported. It said the solution all but elimi- ment location and accurate prediction of, nates re-spotting. for example, arrival times,” Romero said. Marcelo Romero, business develop- “Continuous position tracking allows, for ment director, operations, Hexagon Min- example, the immediate detection of and ing, said the solution also helps operators compensation for misroutes.” Maptek CEO Peter Johnson and PETRA CEO Penny Stewart deal with blind spots, poor visibility and OP Pro captures eight truck produc- sign an agreement that would allow the two companies to bad weather. Its main draw, he said, is tion activities: traveling, waiting, spot- collaborate on mine scheduling software and advanced how it can reduce cycle time by cutting ting, loading, hauling, queuing, backing modeling algorithms. (Photo: Maptek) spotting time, nixing re-spotting and en- and tipping. “It can also capture two for those changes,” Weisheit said. “They suring materials are loaded correctly. shovel production activities, loading and deliver a mutually agreed upon value or It assists with proper loading by waiting,” Romero said. “For those activ- specific improvement prior to leaving the automatically providing key data to ities, the Optimizer Module looks to re- site, and stay on site even after demon- both truck and shovel operators. “During duce or minimize potential losses.” strating that value to ensure that the miner the loading activity, the FMS shows Romero said OP Pro Optimizer Module can continue to drive value on their own, payload information shovel bucket by is field proven to help generate up to 7% after the deployment team has left.” shovel bucket,” Romero said. “Addition- more loads, a 6.5% reduction in queue After deployment, customers are ally, shovels and dozers share FMS infor- lengths, and a 5% reduction in bank cu- covered by the Customer Care Program, mation, which allows a dozer to clean the bic meters. Separately, field results prove which offers advice, support, trouble- loading area, expediting safer spotting.” adoption of the FMS alone better aligns shooting and emergency assistance. From there, the FMS aids hauling by planning and ops by more than 5% and Guided Spotting is currently being providing a navigation system “where delivers a 15% reduction in queue lengths. tweaked for use at tip points. Guided the operator can see the best path for Dumping, which is slated for release in the right material, alerting operators and Adding Value the near future, “will provide high-preci- management if they deviate from the In March, Maptek announced it partnered sion guidance to truck operators so they right path,” Romero said. “Haulage ac- with PETRA Data Science to leverage its dump at the correct crusher location,” tivity can be monotonous and sometimes prediction and simulation algorithms. Weisheit said. “Training operators to spot operators get off track and spill ore, re- The former’s mine scheduling software correctly in tight, confined crusher bays sulting in big losses.” system, Evolution, will link to PETRA’s can be challenging. The Guided Dumping At tip points, where haulers often have latest digital twin performance models for system will help to minimize operator er- to wait in line, the FMS provides infor- “dynamic mine scheduling,” the compa- ror and thus improve cycle times through mation about where the truck needs to ny reported. real-time information that intuitively dump. “The information syncs with aux The models should help paint the big alerts the operator if they are in an incor- equipment, which knows when and where picture needed for zeroing in on both rect location.” the truck will arrive,” Romero said. current and potential cycle-time-related Weisheit said both systems further Afterward, the FMS assists opera- issues. To help resolve those issues, the the company mission to provide tech- tors in determining the next destination. models will empower users with “integrat- nological answers to the big produc- “Mines are large areas and route changed planning” capabilities, Peter Johnson, tivity and efficiency challenges faced by es occur during the shift,” Romero said. CEO, Maptek, said. The tools will offer miners today. With Guided Spotting and “The system helps everyone to reach the “business process automation and con- other ProVision solutions, he said, “mines next destination while identifying and tinual improvement for complex mining are more equipped to achieve the step- alerting for possible idling conditions.” environments,” he said. change improvements they seek.” Other OP Pro solutions that can con- For integrated planning purposes, PE- tribute to cycle time improvements in- TRA’s algorithms will tap data sets from Eliminates Re-spotting clude the Optimizer Module, which both operational silos to help production pro- In early June, Hexagon Mining introduced monitors individual hauler activity across cesses be understood and planning tasks HxGN MineOperate Reverse Assist, de- the fleet, picks the next best move for be managed with “a new level of aware- scribed as a high-precision positioning each, and scrutinizes individual truck ness,” Johnson said. “PETRA’s MAXTA application that guides truck operators and shovel production activities times to digital twin value-chain optimization is with the optimum reversing path. reduce inefficiencies. able to identify the necessary levers and

42 E&MJ • OCTOBER 2019 www.e-mj.com IMPROVING CYCLE TIMES impacts within complex operational sys- fuel consumption criteria. “This can result control room and within the mine, with tems to inform miners about optimized in reduced haulage hours, which means the significant advantage of equipment performance parameters and setpoints savings per year plus savings associated task assignments and production perfor- that are integrated back into Maptek with a reduced truck fleet,” Johnson said. mance tracked and measured load by load mine planning systems,” he said. “This Origin optimizes material movement, against plan and schedule,” Johnson said. allows significantly greater understand- haulage, blending and waste dump land- The partnership should take those ca- ing of discrete performance measures, form together, allowing operations to real- pabilities to the next level, Johnson said. such as haul cycle times, on the broader ize additional savings by minimizing rehan- PETRA models will help customers real- achievement of mining objectives.” dling cost and reducing haulage hours at ize greater value from the available mine Leadership at PETRA said Maptek will the waste dumps, the company reported. data and put findings into a context big- provide it with access to upstream geolog- Another tool, Evolution Strategy, ana- ger than simply the orebody model and ical data and, in return, will be able to ex- lyzes capital expenditure decisions, pro- mine plan, he said. tend schedule optimization downstream. viding the best truck type and the best “We need to empower our customers “For the first time, miners will be able to time to purchase during the mine life, to relate the performance and charac- play forward the mine schedule into the Johnson said. “It helps evaluate the pros teristics of processes and equipment far processing plant,” Penny Stewart, CEO, and cons of buying a new unit or over- downstream from geology or planning PETRA, said. hauling the fleet to extend the life of the assumptions and understand the rela- Historically, Evolution has distin- asset for a few more years.” tionships better,” Johnson said. Attaining guished itself for its capacity to produce And for information management, that understanding “can have the effect short-, medium-, long-term and strategic Maptek subsidiary MinLog’s MineSuite of adding millions of dollars in value to a life-of-mine schedules alongside practi- products enable tracking and manage- mining operation.” cal production plans. The capabilities it ment of production activities to close the That understanding should put Maptek has offered provides users with a compet- loop between planning, scheduling and customers further ahead of the game, itive advantage when it comes to planning orebody knowledge, Maptek reported. Johnson said. “Domain experience plays and scheduling, Johnson said. “MineSuite allows planning and schedul- a critical role in positively influencing op- One of its tools, Evolution Origin, opti- ing details from Evolution to be connect- erational improvement through better un- mizes schedules based on cycle time and ed to and acted upon in the production derstanding of the mining value chain.”

The Digital Mine Usable data at your ﬁngertips One Network for Compliance and Operations Voice, Tracking, Sensors, Production Data Wireless Working Areas Real-time Production Process Data Visibility Electronic Data Capture Time Studies, Short Session Intervals, Shift Reports

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www.e-mj.com OCTOBER 2019 • E&MJ 43 WEAR MATERIALS Specialized Wear Materials Keep Equipment Running In addition to improvements to existing materials, suppliers are developing harder, more pliable solutions

Hauling and crushing thousands of tons liner on the inside of a conveyor, a urethane of rock takes a daily toll on mining equip- liner can get five to eight times the life.” ment. The machines must withstand signif- Kryptane is manufactured by Argon- icant abuse in terms of impact and wear to ics, a Michigan-based firm that special- load and crush copper and iron ores. Even izes in high-performance, urethane-based softer rock, such as coal and aggregates elastomers and is one of the largest pro- can degrade haulage systems over time. ducers of wear-resistant and customiz- Depending on which system fails, the ef- able urethane products. fects of wear, which take place over time, Since the urethane has a 60% lower could bring an entire operation to its knees coefficient of friction than rubber, this in seconds until it is repaired or replaced. also means less wear on the liner when Traditional tough materials, such as the load is discharged as well as less car- rubber and steel, only last so long when ryback material remaining in the bed. As can be seen at the base of this crusher, vibration continuously exposed to severe wear, espe- Mine and quarry bulk handling equip- can lead to degradation. cially with coarse ores and bulk materials. ment can experience severe wear in con- Sometimes traditional liners may not suffi- tact with a variety of coarse materials, As such, Kinder Australia’s Pratt looked ciently protect against abrasion. For these particularly at “hot spots” where exces- to a proprietary urethane when a unique situations, there are new weapons avail- sive abrasion occurs. combination of attributes was required for able to fight the war on wear. Soon, more In such cases, the bare structure of mining applications to optimize conveyor sophisticated ones will be introduced. the equipment may not be adequately skirting so it would not prematurely wear wear resistant and even traditional steel or the conveyor belt if rubbed against it. Urethane Withstands rubber protective liners may insufficiently “Argonics was able to formulate a con- Extreme Wear control the abrasion. This can pose a risk veyor skirting material that was not only Urethane manufacturers believe it proof costly spillage through holes and gaps, abrasion resistant, but also soft and slip- vides greater shock and wear resistance along with production downtime for repair pery to minimize any potential conveyor than rubber or steel. It can be manufac- and clean up. belt wear,” Pratt said. “The urethane is very tured into specific shapes and the mate- For such applications, sheets made from customizable. For applications such as coal rial also has the ability to change shape urethane provide far better wear resistance mining, you can also make it resistant to under heavy pressure, then return to its than more traditional options such as rub- fire and temperature as well as anti-static.” original shape once the load is removed. ber or steel (both AR400 and AR450 plate). Urethane’s abrasion resistance is of- This “tougher than steel” liner can be Foundations and Vibration ten used to combat severe wear in min- made even more durable with embedded Wear ing conveyors and the rubber skirtings ceramic tiles. It can also be cut from full Another common cause of wear can be vi- designed to prevent dust and spillage at sheets of various sizes to fit the contour and bration. This can cause eventual fatigue, transfer points. shapes of high contact areas, so it can eas- resulting in cracks and a loss of material. “Rubber is not as abrasion resistant ily be welded or bolted to provide extreme Inherent vibration from the operational as urethane, and fancy steel liners do wear protection wherever it is required. equipment can cause premature failures not provide sufficient resistance either,” Urethane with embedded ceramics in areas such as concrete foundations said Charles Pratt, operations manager at can be optimized to resist not only sliding and their anchoring systems. Generally Kinder Australia, an independent suppli- abrasion, but also impact, or various com- speaking, concrete can be considered too er and manufacturer of conveyor and bulk binations of the two. This approach can brittle and weak to absorb such constant material handling equipment. last up to 10 times longer than steel or impact and vibration transferred from the Pratt turned to Kryptane, which has rubber alone, and up to four times longer equipment. Once the concrete has failed, been used in the toughest mining appli- than urethane alone. anchor bolts in the foundations can loos- cations for more than 25 years. “In testing While urethane liners can be cut to fit en, further aggravating the effects of the for some mining applications, we found and installed on-site, custom liners made vibration on the foundation. the urethane skirtings on the outside of a to fit more complex configurations can in- A copper mine in Marabá, Brazil, found conveyor can last 10-15 times longer than crease reliability, simplify installation and this to be the case with their primary rubber,” Pratt said. “Compared to a steel further reduce production downtime. crusher. The base of the primary crusher

44 E&MJ • OCTOBER 2019 www.e-mj.com WEAR MATERIALS needed to be rebuilt due to it being weak- ened by vibration. The primary crusher weighs 336 metric tons (mt) and is 9.5 m high and 5.6 m wide, contributing further to the amount of stress being put on the foundations. The crusher processes more than 3,000 mt/h of copper ore. Being one of the biggest copper ore crushers in Bra- zil, and with copper being traded at around $6,000/mt, every hour of shutdown can result in a loss of millions of dollars. Continuing under such damaged conditions would have eventually led to serious consequences, including a significant financial loss. A solution was required that could rebuild the foundation and bases of the primary crusher, while being able to withstand high dynamic and impact loads without shattering and breaking. Excel- lent mechanical properties and a fast curing time were also critical in ensuring After repairing the support, the crusher was back on-line in approximately 16 hours and it’s still running today. the primary crusher would return back to service in as little time as possible. The for a slurry mix of Belzona 4111. The ma- matrix material. “We are printing in a slurry solution used was Belzona 4111 (Magma terial was able to level evenly to recreate consisting of diamond powder and polymer Quartz), a high-performance concrete re- a foundation at the base of the primary using a method called stereolithography, pair and rebuild composite. crusher. The implemented solution offered where complex parts are produced, layer Using an impact hammer drill, the first resistance to high vibrations and dynamic by layer, using ultraviolet light,” Mikael two layers of concrete were removed to loads due to its high mechanical strength. Schuisky, head of R&D and operations at reach the steel reinforcement structure. The system adhered to both metal and old Sandvik Additive Manufacturing. Particularly with concrete repairs, surface concrete allowing for a homogeneous load The step after the 3D-printing is, how- preparation is critical in its success. The distribution, without weak spots during the ever, even more demanding. This is where substrate needs to be free from contami- anchoring/grouting procedure and service. Sandvik has developed a tailor-made, pro- nation, free from excess moisture and any The crews began to reassemble the prietary post-processing method making loose material needs to be removed. The machine in as little as 4 to 6 hours after it possible to achieve the exact properties area was therefore cleaned and degreased application and the crusher was restored of the super-hard diamond composite. with solvent and compressed air was used to full service in approximately 16 hours. to remove the entire repair area of loose Graphene Wear Linings debris and dust. A conditioner was then Sandvik Creates First 3D First Graphene Ltd. recently signed an applied to ensure an optimum bond be- Printed Diamond Composite agreement with newGen to supply 3 mt tween the substrate and repair materials. Sandvik Additive Manufacturing has creat- of its PureGRAPH products to make wear The perimeter of the repair area was ed the first ever 3D-printed diamond com- linings used in bucketwheel excavators, initially built up, later acting as a mold posite. This super-hard material can now pipe spools and conveyor applications be 3D printed in highly complex shapes. for the mining business. Blending Pure- By using additive manufacturing and GRAPH graphene in powder form with a tailor-made, proprietary post-process- existing elastomers, according to Frist ing method, Sandvik has managed to Graphene, provides considerable mechan- 3D-print diamond composites, which can ical improvements to the material, includ- be formed into almost any shape. ing enhanced tensile and tear strength, “On seeing its potential, we began to plus far greater abrasion resistance. It wonder what else would be possible from also extends the life of wear liners. 3D-printing complex shapes in a material First Graphene sees the worldwide that is three times stiffer than steel, with mining and quarrying sectors as import- heat conductivity higher than copper, ant areas of future growth. The company the thermal expansion close to Invar — is working with a number of partners to and with a density close to aluminum,” develop new polyurethane elastomers and said Anders Ohlsson, delivery manager at thermoplastic polyurethane derivatives, Sandvik Additive Manufacturing. to retain and improve mechanical proper- Belzona 4111 is poured into a form to create a new base To make it printable and dense, the di- ties while also providing new characteris- for the crusher. amonds had to be cemented in a very hard tics such as fire retardancy.

www.e-mj.com OCTOBER 2019 • E&MJ 45 IOT/DATA MANAGEMENT Interoperability: Essential for Building the Mine of the Future Data standardization and system collaboration are necessary to achieve maximum visibility and control of mining operations By Russell A. Carter, Contributing Editor

Terms of Reference The technical term for data collaboration is interoperability, broadly defined as the ability of systems or software to exchange and make use of information. It’s a concept that’s strongly challenging “digitalization” for top billing on the current list of mining’s high-tech buzzwords, but in reality, the two are tightly linked and essential for progress. Without digitization — changing information from analog to digital format — data exchange would be cum- bersome, and digitalization — the act of changing to a business model based on digital technologies — would be impossible; and without interoperability, mining equipment and software will be locked into the data-silo structures that People are a key factor in the outcome of mine connectivity initiatives. As operations transition from paper-based recordkeeping and reporting to information entry performed on handheld digital devices, data-management progress will have hindered system-efficiency initia- depend heavily on encouragement and support of worker cross-functional collaboration and breakdown of data ‘silos.’ tives for years. (Photo: Agnico Eagle Mines) To get a better idea of how industry suppliers view the scope and underly- Mining, like almost any other specialized In order for the industry to achieve ing reasons for increased human and activity, has its own jargon that allows en- the technological advances necessary machine collaboration, E&MJ turned gineers, geologists, maintenance and op- for future growth, data flow must reach to Modular Mining Systems, an Arizo- erations personnel to communicate quick- an unprecedented degree of reliability. na-based subsidiary of Komatsu that ly and concisely without need for detailed At the most basic level, this means the has developed a range of products that explanations of common concepts. Adit, design and performance of “edge de- include the DISPATCH fleet-manage- winze, hanging wall or grizzly, for exam- vices” used to collect and deliver data ment system, the Autonomous Haul- ple, are peculiar terms that are mostly from mining equipment will gain addi- age truck-control system (jointly with meaningless or confusing to anyone out- tional importance. The protocols suit- Komatsu Ltd. and Komatsu America), side the industry, but are immediately able for handling data, voice and video and other solutions in its Intellimine understood by miners. Mining jargon is in remote, harsh environments will have suite for improving loading and haul- rooted in the history of the industry, some to be increasingly robust, scalable and age productivity and safety. In the terms dating to centuries ago and drawn flexible. And, the dozens of software sidebar article, Simon van Wegen, from various cultures and traditions. products and platforms used to analyze product manager–data solutions at The newest entries in the mining and manage mining and enterprise data Komatsu, offered a detailed explana- lexicon, however, will likely have a fu- must be capable of sharing information tion of how Komatsu and Modular be- turistic tone, pulled from the high-tech with each other. lieve interoperability will drive sustain- domains of networking, artificial intel- In other words, there’s going to have able improvement. ligence and automation. So, it’s some- to be an extraordinary level of teamwork van Wegen told E&MJ that, “From a what ironic that two of the most import- among people, software and machines. customer perspective, it’s very important words pertaining to mining’s future In this article, we’ll look at some of the ant that data isn’t just disappearing off have Old World origins and achieved technological developments that are into a black hole. Data collaboration common usage in the early 19th century: guiding the industry along a collabora- also requires a cultural change, which reliability and collaboration. tive path to the mine of the future. must be embraced by the entire min-

46 E&MJ • OCTOBER 2019 www.e-mj.com IOT/DATA MANAGEMENT ing industry to be truly effective. This, first version of OMF, launched in 2017, not in a format you can access. You may again, requires a careful balance of peo- “…supports basic structures including need to map it to another format before ple, processes and technologies — with points, lines, surfaces, meshes and vol- you can import it and to do that, you a carefully thought-out and very specif- umes. The second version is extending may need to have a bespoke data trans- ic end goal. Ultimately, those looking to that support to block models, com- lation program written. implement data collaboration will get puter-generated representations of ore “Alternatively, you may decide you out what they put in. bodies that contain valuable data about don’t have time or it’s too much trou- “The more you collaborate, the bet- them. Block models are widely used ble and you’ll work with what you have ter you become at collaborating, and and are a central artifact in the min- — less accurate or relevant data that that’s where you really build momen- ing value chain, acting as the bridge doesn’t have to be turned inside out and tum,” van Wegen said. “It creates this between geological interpretation and shaken before it’s able to be used. flywheel effect, where it opens up not mine planning and other processes. It “For professionals working in the re- only collaboration within our own indus- was therefore not surprising that us- sources sector, this scenario is all too try, but others as well.” ers identified block models as a criti- familiar,” Kato explained. “Many min- Industry organizations, vendors and cal pain point in GMG’s August 2018 ing companies operate with a selection mineral producers are seeking align- end-user survey. of best-of-breed solutions that perform ment at various levels to advance the “On its current schedule, OMF 2.0 specialized functions extremely well and concept. Rio Tinto and BHP, for ex- will launch in Q4 2019,” she explained. communicate with other best-of-breed ample, are funding the Global Mining “To date, the project group has done solutions poorly, or not at all.” Guidelines Group (GMG) Interoperabil- significant work on the Python imple- Kato, who is part of the working ity and Functional Safety Acceleration mentation. Once that implementation is group putting Version 2.0 together, said Strategy (IFSAS) initiative, launched complete, it will be translated to C++ the end goal of the effort is to “…to earlier this year. GMG held the inau- to make it accessible to more software see the OMF incorporated in all 30-odd gural roundtable conference for imple- companies. Next steps include devel- mining software packages currently in menting the strategy in August, hosting oping more extensive documentation, use across the industry.” presentations on initiatives from AMI- changing the file format to use a zip- RA, CSIRO, Enterprise Transformation based container and investigating sup- Seeking Standardization Partners, GMG, IIC, ISO, Interop, IRED- porting more parametric types.” According to GMG, four major software ES, METS Ignited and MI4. In a recent blog post, Jayne Kato, companies — Seequent, Dassault Sys- More recently, GMG announced it product manager for Deswick’s .CAD tèmes, Deswik and Micromine — have had formed a liaison agreement with design and solids modeling software, publicly committed to OMF, and sev- the Industrial Internet Consortium touched upon a few of those “pain eral others are also contributing. Aus- (IIC) aimed at furthering development points” mentioned in GMG’s 2018 sur- tralia-based Micromine, for example, of the Industrial IoT (IIoT). Under the vey; e.g., “…that sinking feeling when listed “the ability to easily import and agreement, the IIC and GMG said they you realize the data you need is avail- export Open Mining Format (OMF) files “will work together to align efforts to able in another computer system but from or to other GMPs (General Mining maximize interoperability, portability, security and privacy for the industrial internet.” Joint activities between the IIC and GMG will include: • Identifying and sharing IIoT best practices. • Collaborating on standardization. • Collaborating on interoperability in mining through the two organizations’ respective committees, working groups and task groups. • Collaborating in IIoT adoption by co-creating reference architectures, method- ologies and guidelines. • Participating in a joint workshop to exchange ideas and information. GMG also is in the process of developing Version 2.0 of the Open Min- ing Format (OMF), an open-source file specification for 3D data interoperability. Francine Harris, a GMG staff mem- As devices such as this video server mounted on an Epiroc ST14 ScoopTram proliferate, mine networks will have to become ber, recently noted in an article that the capable of almost infinite capacity to handle the increased data traffic, according to a white paper from Nokia Bell Labs.

www.e-mj.com OCTOBER 2019 • E&MJ 47 IOT/DATA MANAGEMENT

Packages)” as one of the new features Sandvik Mining and Rock Technolo- said Eduardo Lima, product manager for in its 2020 Beta version. gy published its Interoperability Policy integrated mine operations at ABB. “By Also, late last year, the company in April 2018, outlining the principles offering advanced short-term planning said it joined a group of mining soft- by which Sandvik systems can com- and increased automation, ABB Ability ware and machinery providers to offer municate within a digital ecosystem Operations Management System en- technology solutions integrated with including data accessibility, fleet data ables the mine to act as an ore factory.” the International Rock Excavation Data compatibility, data rights and control, “Ore inventory can be tracked and Exchange Standard (IREDES). Micro- and data privacy. Earlier this year, the controlled to allow maximum flow and mine said it was one of nine compa- company said it would promote devel- optimal grade. By integrating operation- nies globally to integrate its products opment of an interoperable platform al technology and information technol- with IREDES, which was developed for its AutoMine control system for ogy, operational awareness is increased to streamline data exchange between underground loaders and trucks at the for all personnel,” he added. “Staff see machinery and office IT systems. The 2019 #DisruptMining conference by the same information at the same time company has integrated its latest fleet introducing the AutoMine Access API and can jointly decide what actions to management and mine control solution, (Application Programming Interface) to take in real time with no need to wait Pitram, and its latest 3D mine design provide standard, predefined interfaces until the end of the shift.” and exploration solution, Micromine, for connecting third-party loaders and Another example comes from Epiroc, with IREDES. trucks for control by the AutoMine sys- which recently rolled out its 6th Sense Micromine Chief Technology Officer tem. solution as a way to optimize processes Ivan Zelina said Micromine accom- ABB’s Operations Management Sys- by connecting machines, systems and plished the IREDES integration to pro- tem (OMS) for mining illustrates the people using automation, information vide customers with more streamlined scope of potential benefits that interop- management and system integration. mine digitalization processes. erable systems can provide. Developed Epiroc said it will provide “a great focus “By utilizing IREDES, we have re- in collaboration with Boliden AB and on system connectivity, using interoper- moved the e-language barriers that of- ArcelorMittal Mining Canada, OMS is an ability to unlock the full potential of au- ten exist between machinery products integrated system designed to connect tomation for production gains at lower and office-based software systems,” and coordinate mine operators, work- operating costs. Zelina said. “IREDES provides a stan- force, equipment and all mining activ- “6th Sense is a formula we have de- dardized information exchange inter- ities in real time, from face preparation veloped for getting the right solutions in face, which allows different machinery to crusher. place and achieving operational excel- databases, simulation tools and other ABB explained that mine planners lence in mining and infrastructure op- enterprise level software to exchange often have to build a short-term plan erations,” said Helena Hedblom, senior data and information. with limited visibility of ongoing activ- executive vice president–mining and in- “This avoids the need to develop ities in the mine. Making decisions to frastructure. “The name 6th Sense im- and install individual and expensive accommodate the ever-changing situa- plies that the solution brings something software workarounds and development tions common in mining operations with extra and that is just what it does, pro- projects and also streamlines and en- less than full knowledge of conditions viding a significant advantage such as hances data sharing and reporting. can lead to errors. This can impact op- track and respond to real-time working “In our Micromine product, for ex- erational efficiency and raise costs. conditions and equipment needs.” ample, a ring design can be easily By integrating short interval con- converted to an IREDES file format trol and closed-loop scheduling into a Mines Need Five 9s so that it can be accessed using other single-digital platform, ABB said OMS In a white paper titled, Mining and Mis- software and systems. The integration improves responsiveness to unplanned sion-critical Wireless Connectivity: Lay- of IREDES into MICROMINE’s soft- events and reduces production vari- ing the Foundation for the Digital Trans- ware solutions reduces the time and ability through all the mine stages. formation of Mining, authors from Nokia cost of interface development during OMS can present “what-if” scenarios Bell Labs pointed out that as mining installation and maintenance of sys- in case of task failure or operational operations evolve to incorporate signifi- tems and products.” change. This helps mine operators and cantly expanded sensor arrays and much IREDES uses the eXtensible Mark- planners make better decisions faster. higher levels of machine autonomy, a up Language (XML), a popular format Equipment availability is also improved mission-critical network that provides used by commercial standard software by moving from a reactive to a predic- at least five 9s (99.999%) availability and database systems. IREDES builds tive maintenance model. Through all will be essential. This network, accord- on this language though XML schemas the stages of the production cycle, the ing to the study, will be called upon to — the building blocks of the XML file production flow from the mine is maxi- provide connectivity for massive num- — which describe hierarchy and data mized, according to the company. bers of fixed and mobile sensors, pre- exchange parameters. The information “Although it may seem simple, coor- cision localization and tracking of hu- is then transferred using XML data sets, dination between the tactical plan and mans and machines, seemingly infinite which can be accessed by users and the operational plan is one of the top capacity for near-real-time backhauling transferred between programs. challenges faced in modern mining,” of data and low-latency remote control

48 E&MJ • OCTOBER 2019 www.e-mj.com IOT/DATA MANAGEMENT

Access the Advantages Offered by Data Collaboration By Simon van Wegen When it comes to exploring the information available from skillsets continues to work in silos and does not collaborate, smart equipment, “all data, all the time” sounds great in the- organizations may experience escalating costs, results far ory. But focusing on a vast array of data makes it hard to deter- less than what they could achieve, and a confused workforce. mine and focus on what matters most, even resulting in tunnel Data collaboration can drive additional value when opera- vision. Through data collaboration, we can introduce new per- tions leverage experience from outside the mining industry, as spectives — even from different industries — that may other- experts from governing bodies, educational bodies, and other wise have been overlooked. Collaborating and sharing data be- industries can provide perspectives and insights a mining or- tween equipment, onboard systems, and the people who use ganization may have previously overlooked. them brings several advantages to both mines and technology partners, including the ability to deliver customized, holistic Process solutions that will drive sustainable improvement. The process requirement can be broken into three tiers: data For the mines, data collaboration facilitates: integration, information and action. • Decision making – utilizing reports, dashboards and other “Data integration” is often confused with “data centraliza- metrics to help facilitate logical, timely decisions; tion,” but really, it’s a matter of democratization — making • System optimization – leveraging technology to monitor as- data easier to access. Revisiting the cake analogy, we liken sets in real time, manage service lifecycles and reduce costs data to the individual ingredients necessary to bake a cake; per ton; and while these ingredients or data streams might be interest- • Continuous improvement – relying on operator feedback and ing on their own, they produce a much more complete result industry benchmarks to optimize system support and enhance when combined together. Through data integration, we can system usage. make data easier to access, thereby allowing teams to more For technology partners, data collaboration drives: successfully translate that data into information. • Mine learnings – essential partnerships empower technology The information tier allows mines to utilize the data col- companies to understand how their systems are being lever- lected by equipment sensors and onboard systems to provide aged as a whole and individually. This understanding also actionable insights via reports, analytics and other metrics. helps align advanced solutions directly to customer goals. This information tier helps to drive action by identifying true • Improved logistics – data collaboration enables supply chain improvement opportunities and uncovering unforeseen or un- optimization and improved inventory management to help expected issues that could result in higher costs, equipment ensure parts are available as needed. downtime and even safety risks. • Product development – as mining conditions become more The action tier drives actionable results through process challenging, visibility into data helps identify areas of future optimization. Data is great, but unless we get it to the neces- need. sary people, at the right time, it’s very difficult to drive action or positive results. Once action is engaged, organizations can Keys to Successful Data Collaboration implement a continuous improvement loop: evaluate the action Three things are required for successful data collaboration: a and resulting effects, then assess the data integration and in- diverse group of people with a variety of skills — even across formation layers again to determine the success of that action. industries — to gain new insights and see things from more than one perspective; a process of delivering and develop- Technology ing new insights; and the technology to transform manual Rather than automatically being drawn to the latest and processes and enable people to take action. These three es- greatest technology, mine sites should first identify the key sential parts require careful balance. However, like baking a problems they need to solve, then select a technology that’s cake, if you have too much of one ingredient, add ingredients fit for that purpose and will solve those problems efficiently in the wrong order, or don’t follow the recipe, things don’t and consistently. Chosen technologies should also fit with the work out how you expect. people and processes in place. Once a technology is logically chosen, it can be leveraged to carefully organize collected People data based on its intended usage — data that is used or need- This is, arguably, the most critical of the three required ar- ed more frequently should be especially easy to access. eas. Encouraging cross-functional collaboration and the Technology also facilitates test environments before deliv- breakdown of silos should be driven by leadership, who must ering products to market. Customer feedback in early stages stand behind the concepts of collaboration and teamwork and can help improve the development and performance of the should be able to communicate a common goal that is well final product. A baker would likely provide cake samples to understood, worthwhile, and that the entire organization can customers and use their feedback to tweak the ingredients or willingly adopt. Leveraging the diverse strengths of people recipes to better satisfy their needs and cravings. A mining and roles throughout the organization and mining industry, organization wanting to get the most value from their technol- encouraging their feedback, and incorporating that feedback ogy should be able to do the same. helps put the right people in the right roles, to better deliver on strengths. Conversely, if a group of people with valuable (Continued on p. 51)

www.e-mj.com OCTOBER 2019 • E&MJ 49 IOT/DATA MANAGEMENT of equipment. The network needs to (LTE-Machine Type Communication) de- Elsewhere, Telstra Mining Services be rapidly reconfigurable to adapt to vice categories. signed a contract with mining compa- changes in mine operations. Self-or- In addition, according to the white ny South32 for installation of a pri- ganizing capabilities will be needed to paper, the recently introduced concept vate LTE network at the Cannington ensure the network adapts to changes in of network slicing is especially import- silver-lead underground mine. It also the terrain caused by blasting while also ant in the context of the mine of the has installed private 4G/LTE networks healing itself from any failures of equip- future. Instead of overlaying disparate at the Roy Hill iron ore mine in Western ment. These are tasks beyond the reach dedicated networks for PTT, enterprise Australia and Newcrest Mining’s Lihir of current networks, but the prospect connectivity and operational technolo- gold mine in Papua New Guinea. The of future 5G implementation at mine gy, slicing allows the networking, stor- 4G installation at Lihir includes func- sites — or perhaps the 4.5G and 4.9G/ age and computational needs for all tionality that allows the vehicle fleet to LTE intermediate stages that will likely these services to be dynamically man- seamlessly switch between LTE and ex- precede full 5G realization — will bring aged with a single network. isting Wi-Fi networks. the potential benefits of this technology The authors concede that the vision According to Jeannette McGill, head into closer focus. of 5G possibilities outlined in the white of Telstra Mining Services, the Can- Nokia said current IT wireless net- paper “may seem somewhat futuristic” nington installation comprises an ini- working technologies, such as Wi-Fi at this point, but note that there already tial 6.5-km-long (4-mile) underground and Wi-Max, aren’t designed for indus- are several access technologies avail- network using a private, virtualized core trial-scale business-critical connectivi- able or being developed in the 4G LTE and LTE radio technologies distributed ty. “Wi-Fi was designed for local area to 5G cellular evolution path, such as over leaky feeder cable using LTE-ca- best-effort networks in the office or PTT, NB-IoT, multi-antenna processing, pable bidirectional amplifiers. McGill home, exchanging emails and browsing carrier aggregation, multi-connectivity explained that Telstra believes this the Web. These technologies have been (allowing integrated operation with Wi- setup to be the most effective solution adapted to industrial applications in the Fi), and unlicensed LTE (MuLTEfire), for underground miners and is capable past with limited success, but they do that can be leveraged in conjunction of adapting to the unique geology and not provide business- or mission-critical with new edge/core cloud and analytics composition of the Cannington mine. It support for most industrial digital trans- capabilities. Connectivity for autono- enables access to the latest advances in formation projects. mous equipment such as haulage trucks 4G LTE and NB-IoT and is also upgrade- “Fortunately, most of us carry much and drills, field force automation, sen- able to 5G in the future. better wireless technology in our pock- sors, digital PPE and connected and au- In late April, Ericsson and Ambra ets today,” the Nokia paper pointed out. tonomous trains is now possible with 4G Solutions announced a global cooper- “Used for a decade in public mobile networks. For mining companies that al- ation agreement with Ambra naming networks worldwide, LTE cellular tech- ready own spectrum licenses or operate Ericsson as a radio partner of choice nology has all the features and charac- in remote areas where interference in to provide 5G-ready network solutions teristics required by the vast majority of unlicensed spectrum is not a significant for underground mines. The compa- mining applications.” problem, private networks based on LTE nies said the 5G-ready Ericsson Radio Until very recently, LTE technology are already being deployed. System portfolio will enable Ambra, a was reserved for mobile operators be- For example, Nokia and Telefónica turn-key engineering services systems cause they had a monopoly on LTE radio Peru recently signed a contract with integrator, to simplify mission-critical spectrum. But governments around the Minera Las Bambas, the world’s ninth private LTE network deployments and world are releasing new spectrum spe- largest copper mine, to enable digita- replace up to 60 Wi-Fi access points cially designated for private networks lization and automation projects at its with a single Ericsson product. and Nokia believes private LTE net- site in Apurimac, Peru. The contract Ericsson and Ambra partnered last works can provide the mining industry will build and deploy a private LTE net- year to deliver what they described as with an attractive long-term solution for work 4,600 m (15,000 ft) above sea the world’s deepest underground LTE high-performance networking. level, then perform an assessment of network, at Agnico Eagle’s LaRonde Nokia maintained that private LTE the mine applications in order to begin mining complex in Abitibi, Quebec, networks, designed with an evolution services migration to the new network. Canada. Located 3.5 km below the sur- path toward 5G, can support all mis- The contract includes planning the face, the private network provides data sion- and business-critical applications site’s capacity and providing technical and voice services across the mine site on a single network. These applications support for the next five years. and enables several IoT use cases to include TETRA and P25 communica- As part of the deal, Nokia will de- improve safety and mining operations. tions with both push-to-talk and push- ploy its LTE Radio Access Network solu- Since then, several applications have to-video applications, high-definition tion, including base stations, technical been deployed using Ericsson solutions video, low-latency edge computing support and training services to enable to deliver automation of ventilation sys- for remote and automated operations, more reliable communications between tems, real-time personnel and vehicle and support for low-power sensor net- machines and people. The long-term tracking and remote controlling of ma- works and telemetry applications us- goal at the site is for evolution to full 5G chinery such as LHDs, haulage trucks, ing NB-IoT (Narrowband IoT) or LTE-M capability, according to the company. drill rigs and other equipment.

50 E&MJ • OCTOBER 2019 www.e-mj.com IOT/DATA MANAGEMENT

(Access the Advantages Offered by Data Collaboration - from p. 49) occurs at the cloud level, which facilitates the storage and analysis of the copious amounts of data being collected, A Unified, Cross-functional Approach the Data Solutions team utilizes cloud computing to holisti- Komatsu has a Data Solutions team in place to help refine cally leverage the big data we’re collecting from equipment its approach to tackling data collaboration. The team mar- and onboard systems to identify bigger-picture improvement ries Komatsu’s OEM (original equipment manufacturer) opportunities. strengths with the OTM (original technology manufacturer) Unifying the data from various onboard systems, equip- strengths delivered by Komatsu’s subsidiary companies Mod- ment units, and computing approaches into one single, nor- ular Mining and MineWare. Working as one customer-facing malized dataset helps improve understanding of both the entity, the company leverages OEM expertise, especially re- equipment and organizational or industry performances, and lated to equipment design and common failure modes, and ultimately can be used to further increase the performance at OEM-agnostic technology solutions from Modular Mining and mine sites. MineWare to develop a better understanding about how to optimize and improve the mining operation. What Does it Really Take? The Data Solutions team leverages both edge and cloud If done effectively, data collaboration can truly revolutionize computing in its digitization approach. Edge computing de- the way mines operate. The first step for effective data col- livers data directly to a mining organization’s front line to laboration requires being open about how data is being used, change the way mining is done. Since edge computing oc- and the value it can unlock. It’s important that mining cus- curs instantly or near-instantly at the equipment level, it also tomers understand what the technology providers are doing helps improve the technology experience for users on the with their data, and it’s important that technology providers front line; edge computing provides operators with insight to be transparent about the data they collect and their intended their performance and treatment of the equipment, while also purpose for it. providing maintenance personnel with the information they Through data collaboration, we can convert data into val- need to perform key tasks. ue, to truly have our cake and eat it, too. Cloud computing enhances the way we look at mining and helps create a sort of exploration environment. Since it Simon van Wegen is product manager–data solutions, Komatsu.

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www.e-mj.com OCTOBER 2019 • E&MJ 51 FATIGUE MONITORING Lessons Learned From 10 Years of Fatigue Monitoring Removing the mask from fatigue leads to a cultural shift in openness

Fatigue technologies tend to come in ingly fit in the toy category. “The term toy taken in response to the information pro- three flavors: roster optimization, screen- category could be considered a demeaning vided, which becomes more and more ing technology and real-time monitoring. term, but these technologies are either so severe. For the technologies on the more Roster optimization technologies identify scientifically flawed that there is no way to alert side, where individuals are showing whether a roster is good or bad and wheth- validate them or they sit at such an early symptoms, but they are not yet asleep, er an individual can participate in overtime stage of development they have seen no actions might include adjusting posture shifts. Some are more advanced with wear- industry uptake,” said Dan Bongers, chief (sitting up straighter), drinking some water able technologies to determine whether a technology officer, SmartCap. or eating some fruit. As the operator pro- person is fit to work. Screening technolo- Each of the established technolo- gresses more toward the right where the gies assess an individual’s fitness for work gies fit well into the fatigue spectrum, technology identifies genuine fatigue risk, at a single point in time. Some are validat- which spans from bouncing-off-the-walls those actions become more significant, ed scientifically while others fit more into highly alert to clinically asleep. What we Bongers explained. “An operator might the toy spectrum. They serve the same have been taught to fear the most is the pull over and take five or the company may purpose nonetheless. The real-time oper- eyes-closed microsleep, which is charac- have put procedures in place to help the ating monitoring space has two categories: terized by eyes unintentionally shutting, operator get through the rest of the shift wearables and driver-facing cameras. chin falling toward the chest and then safely,” Bongers said. “At the extreme, A little more than 10 years ago, there jerking back. “This is the characteristic where an individual may literally be asleep, were 81 fatigue technologies on the mar- symbol of fatigue,” Bongers said. “What the actions will be much more severe.” ket. Four of those had a strong industry is not well-known is that 100% of the Depending on the business, this might be uptake and the rest were very much in the time before a behavioral microsleep, a considered an incident or a near miss. toy category. Today, that figure has been non-behavioral microsleep occurs. This is The four highly adopted technologies reduced to 36 commercial fatigue-moni- when a person is actually asleep with no today fit into four different parts of the toring technologies. The same four tech- visible external symptoms.” fatigue spectrum. Technologies three and nologies represent most of the market Moving across the fatigue spectrum, four are different brands essentially doing share. And, 32 of them still overwhelm- one can see the actions that need to be the same thing. This difference in the ac-

As an operator transitions across the fatigue spectrum, the reactions increase in severity.

52 E&MJ • OCTOBER 2019 www.e-mj.com FATIGUE MONITORING

viewed as undesirable if they speak up and have no chance a full-time employment,” Bongers said. During implementation, operators almost always voice highly inflated or imag- inary concerns. These mask the real concerns, Bongers explained. “When it comes to wearables, they will say they are worried Bluetooth will give them cancer despite the fact that they own a cell phone and a tablet and drive an automobile with Bluetooth.” Rumors spread that a certain number of fatigue alarms will lead to termination. “After speaking with countless execu- Self-management actions improve during the first few months of implementation. tives, we found that couldn’t be farther from the truth,” Bongers said. “These tions that someone can take and the differ- well-suited for a lab rather than a mine. systems were never intended to be used ence in what the technology can do is key. To avoid miners feeling like guinea pigs, as a disciplinary tool.” they should be told, ‘This is a proven A lot of these issues can be solved with What to Expect technology and we are working with it to engagement and the key is to do it before What Bongers has learned over the last see if it fits our business.’” the technology is introduced. Early com- 10 years is that selling and implement- Throughout the assessment process, munication is critical. Privacy should also ing fatigue technology is not as easy as it Bongers emphasized that mine operators be considered before implementation. “If should be. He pointed to five challenges should do their homework. “There is a the controls and the policies as to how the that seem somewhat unique to fatigue wealth of information out there,” Bongers information will be handled are present- technology. said. “Having done this in 31 countries, ed early, a mine can get ahead of a lot of I believe there is always a way to satisfy these adoption concerns,” Bongers said. Challenge No. 1: Fatigue Technology is the validity or rule out a technology based Perceived as New on a desktop study. There is no need to Challenge No. 4: Return on Investment This is unfortunately fueled by the fact place the technology in an operation to Good fatigue-detection technologies are that the validation or the science behind see if it’s the real deal. For that reason, not cheap, but they are not really ex- them in many cases is self-declared, I encourage companies to do pilot tests pensive either. The mining business is meaning the people who are vouching rather than trials.” reluctant to talk about money at the for it either own or are strongly affiliated same time it talks about safety, so it’s with it. Generally, the industry uptake is Challenge No. 3: Operator Acceptance difficult to isolate the impact of a par- low (less than 3% market penetration). The goals for the pilot test should be ticular initiative. Miners could learn from A mine looking to implement these tools communicated clearly. Fatigue technol- over-the-road truckers. In that business, has difficulty identifying a similar site ogies are monitoring an employee’s be- margins are razor thin and they are con- that has validated the technology. They havior. So, there is always a Big Brother stantly justifying investments. Rather than are not new. They just feel new because worry associated with implementation. only looking at the safety benefits, maybe the industry adoption rates are so low. Contractors have a different mindset than miners could also consider gains such as employees, Bongers explained. “They feel the reduced wear and tear on the machin- Challenge No. 2: The Assessment like they have no voice and they will be ery and productivity improvements. A mining operation considering fatigue technologies will want to test them on a small-scale trial or pilot. Those are two completely different terms, Bongers explained. “A trial tests the technology,” Bongers said. “Does it accurately measure fatigue? Does it detect sleep? A pilot test on the other hand assesses whether the technology fits with the business. Will the operators accept it? When it provides information, does it allow managers time to intervene in a manner that suits the company? “It’s very difficult to place sensible acceptance criteria on these small-scale tests,” Bongers said. “For the most part, they are very subjective. Testing is more Toward the end of a shift, the effectiveness of self-management actions declines from 100% to 80.6%.

www.e-mj.com OCTOBER 2019 • E&MJ 53 FATIGUE MONITORING

tection technology should carry the same weight. “Just because its data on a graph in the dispatch area doesn’t mean we have changed the definition of an incident on site,” Bongers said. “If someone were to detect a microsleep with new technology and not react as they would the day before, then we have a relaxation of the definition of the incident.” Similarly, consider an operator that has received an early warning: You’re heading the wrong direction! You’re at risk, but nothing has happened yet. If the mine management treats that different- ly than the operator’s same assessment, problems will likely ensue. “If the reaction Once the stigma of self-reporting is removed, mines will see an increase in fatigue self-reports. moves from take a break and grab a cup of coffee to park the truck and complete Challenge No. 5: Policies & Procedures plementing a system will never automati- a report, there is a dramatic difference in Mine management should take an open cally improve safety performance. If it fits response,” Bongers said. Reaction and approach with the workforce about policy into a comprehensive safety program, it responses should remain consistent from and procedures during implementation. will complement it. before and after implementation. They should explain how the data will be When implementing a technology, collected and used to reinforce policies it’s crucial that its use aligns with the Noticeable Trends and procedures. The mine’s workforce is policies in place, Bongers explained. The results highlight what many already ex- a smart group of people and they already As an example, if prior to the technology pected or knew. Humans are more fatigued suspect it’s being done. arriving, the company considered an unin- during the nighttime hours. Bongers em- Management should never treat tech- tended sleep as a high-risk potential inci- phasized that fatigue alarms can happen at nology as a silver bullet. Buying and im- dent or near miss, then introducing a de- any time. “Another takeaway is that every-

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54 E&MJ • OCTOBER 2019 www.e-mj.com FATIGUE MONITORING one has a unique fatigue profile,” Bongers gage with operators in one-on-one conver- removing the stigma, Bongers explained, a said. “It’s highly repeatable and it’s easy sations to find out what’s happening with cultural shift can be seen in people being to see these individuals. One operator may them and how they can be helped. That more open about the risk it presents. struggle with night shift. Another may be will eliminate the majority of the risk.” bad on day shift because of light sensitivity Among all of the cool benefits that come This article was adapted from a presenta- of which they are unaware.” with the technology, what Bongers sees is a tion Dan Bongers, chief technology officer With early-warning technologies, mea- massive improvement in individuals willing with SmartCap, gave at Haulage & Load- suring the effectiveness of actions that to self-report fatigue. By removing the mask ing 2019, which was held during March people can take in immediate response of fatigue and demystifying what it is and in Tucson, Arizona. identifies positive results. During the first month, they are 88.8% effective in taking self-management actions. After two months, they were 90.8% effective. “Over two months, their effectiveness in responding improved,” Bongers said. “These individuals determine what works best for them to improve alertness, whether it’s eating some fruit or improving posture.” When one looks at the effectiveness of the actions taken, the profile changes depending on how far they are into their shift or journey. Toward the end of the shift, the effectiveness of self-management actions declines “We have also found the queuing causes the response to early warning to decline more quickly and it has an echoing effect,” Bongers said. “If an operator has queued up anytime during the shift for the next two hours, their risk profile is significantly greater.” If an individual progresses beyond the early warning to a fatigue alarm, something beeping or shouting to the point where they have to cancel an alarm, an immediate increase in alertness is seen, Bongers explained. “Once the technology TAILINGS is introduced, over the first three months, The Best Choice for the Toughest Mining Applications. that response becomes more heightened FLOTATION CELLS Since 1953, Red Valve Company has been the world’s leading because people discover what actions THICKENER manufacturer of slurry valves for the mining industry. Built they can take that work better for them.” UNDERFLOW When self-management actions from a to last, Red Valve products are the industry’s first choice for CONCENTRATORS warning alert are combined with the fa- isolation and modulating valves througout a mining operation. tigue alarms and interventions, the mine CENTRIFUGE AND CYCLONE FEED Our global representative network is ready to work with you. will see a significant reduction in fatigue alarms during the first few months and even greater reduction in repeat alarms. As far as individual profiles, when the Series 5200 Series D Slurry Series DX Slurry Series 75 Manual system highlights an individual that is Control Pinch Valve Knife Gate Valve Knife Gate Valve Pinch Valve having difficulty, the company can step in to find a solution to help that operator. “What we always find is that operators aren’t the same,” Bongers said. “The overwhelming majority do not get fatigue alarms and a few represent most of the fatigue alarms. The overall stat is that 4% to 7% of any workforce represent 75% of all risk events. If a mine is discussing www.redvalve.com | 412.279.0044 RoI, this is where it can realize the biggest bang for its buck. Managers can en-

www.e-mj.com OCTOBER 2019 • E&MJ 55 OPERATING STRATEGIES Driving Sustainable Performance, One Load at a Time

It seems mining companies are always measure mining data is key to driving sus- typically see a measurable productivity under pressure to cut costs and raise pro- tainable performance in the future. payback within six months,” he said. ductivity. Not knowing future prices for “Better data management is giving “Beyond this, our customers see sus- their products, they need to extract each mining operations a real competitive tained performance in the long haul as ton at the best possible cost. How can edge,” he said. “Using data smartly can well,” he said. “Our engineers and field mining companies manage real and sus- improve productivity, reduce mining costs, support experts work on the ground to tainable performance improvement over and enhance employee performance and help mining operations sustain and con- time? How would they measure it? well-being. Those companies getting it tinually build on that level of improve- In a June 2018 report, McKinsey sug- right are rapidly seeing the benefits of dig- ment over time.” gested three key focus areas for mining itization. It’s about connecting multiple A comprehensive understanding of businesses at this critical time. The min- systems, processes and people together to mining processes is integral to avoiding ing sector is changing faster than ever, deliver sustainable, step-change improve- the discontinuities that could arise from with technology now a key strategic pri- ment — one load at a time.” disconnected operations. ority and enabler for productivity and sus- MineWare supports more than 230 Digitization can help break down silos tainable growth. systems in more than 130 surface min- and provide greater end-to-end visibility Industry experts have suggested em- ing operations around the world to im- across the supply chain. Jessett said this bedding effective management operating prove their performance and productiv- more holistic approach improves decision systems at mines, which will make perfor- ity. The company’s monitoring systems making, machine reliability as well as mance more transparent and help identify provide mine sites with independent people and process efficiency. areas for improvement. Some have also machine guidance and payload moni- “MineWare’s holistic approach sup- said the mining business should focus on toring information for their large ground ports productivity improvement across innovative approaches to improve produc- engaging machinery in real time. In the entire value chain, integrating op- tivity and take advantage of what digitiza- 2017, MineWare joined the Komatsu erating systems and sharing knowledge tion can offer. group of companies. between departments to break down Mining companies and original equip- the silos. ment manufacturers (OEMs) are shaping Technology Return on “We’re closing the feedback loop on the design of a more interconnected, digital Investment upstream and downstream mining pro- mine by leveraging advances in technolo- Jessett said MineWare’s systems deliver cesses,” he said. “And in doing so, our gy and artificial intelligence (AI). However, a measurable productivity RoI for load- clients are seeing very real benefits of sys- there is still a plethora of data being collecting equipment such as draglines, electric tem integration and and collaboration.” ed on mine sites that remains untapped. shovels and hydraulic excavators. What this means is they are giving MineWare CEO Andrew Jessett be- “The results Argus and Pegasys deliv- mining personnel, from operators to en- lieves the ability to organize, manage and er in the field speak for themselves. We gineers and planners, immediate access

A hydraulic excavator operator monitors the Argus system (left) and selects the data he would like to see (right).

56 E&MJ • OCTOBER 2019 www.e-mj.com OPERATING STRATEGIES to important actionable information in The intuitive display of the Argus system continues to deliver results for the West- real time. Having critical payload and was particularly well received by the team on ern Australian mine site. performance data available drives greater site. In the cab, operators had control over The Argus system is proven to boost operational efficiencies and smarter deci- what data was displayed and how, empow- shovel productivity between 3% to 16% sion making. ering them to use this real-time information while lowering the cost per ton moved. to make the most efficient decisions. “Time after time, our customers have Long-term Technology Following the success of the trial, demonstrated that once the Argus system Partnerships which increased the average payload sig- is adopted, their improvement is consis- Jessett said strong partnerships between nificantly, reduced payload variability and tent and sustainable,” said Jessett. mining equipment and technology ser- ensured no overloads or underloads, the vice providers and mining companies is technology has remained in place and This article was submitted by MineWare. another imperative for sustainable performance improvement. While technology is advancing and MineWare prides itself in being on top of technological changes, Jessett emphasized the importance of bringing customers along on the journey. “A true partnership approach is essential, working closely with everyone on site — from the operators on board, site super- visors, maintenance personnel and mine planners all the way up to the boardroom.” “Our customers want to innovate and future-proof their mining operations. We support them on their digitization journey, with interoperable monitoring technology solutions that can drive sustainable improvements to their operations and bottom line. “From benchmarking operator performance to optimizing payload, it’s about measuring what’s happening on board and in the pit, and applying those insights to deliver continuous improvement — in real time and for long-term improvement.” As an example, MineWare’s Argus Shovel Monitor has now been operating for more than four years at a hardrock mining operation in Western Australia. The Argus trial and change management project delivered against the following three key performance criteria: • To increase the average system payload by 5 metric tons (mt); • To achieve system accuracy within ± 3%; and • To ensure zero increase in the number of overloads (tip-offs). Through effective training, implementation and management, including operator workshops, in-cab coaching and live performance monitoring, the new technology received strong support and acceptance. The team also benefited from MineWare’s 24/7 service and support through its Integrated Support Cen- tre (ISC). Each of the previously mentioned criteria was met or exceeded.

www.e-mj.com OCTOBER 2019 • E&MJ 57 SUPPLIERS REPORT Weir to Deliver Crushing Solutions to Pilbara Mine Mina Justa Selects Scheck Screens The Mina Justa copper mine in Peru contracted Schenck Process to design, manu- facture, supply and commission vibrating screens and feeders. The scope of the contract covers seven banana screens, five di- verging pan feeders and one grizzly feeder and will leverage resources from business units located in Australia, China, South Af- rica and Chile, Schenck Process reported. The screens include a number of mechanical and operational improvements developed on a prototype vibrating screen now undergoing site testing at an iron ore Enduron High-Pressure Grinding Roll-based systems require 40% less energy than conventional mills, Weir Group mine in Western Australia, the company re- reported. (Photo: Weir Group) ported. The five larger screens feature lam- inated side plates to maintain structural The Iron Bridge Project in the Pilbara re- South Flank iron ore mine in the Pilbara integrity and reduce stress concentrations gion of Western Australia contracted Weir region of Western Australia. Komatsu is associated with the projected process ton- Group for crushing and pump equipment, delivering the trucks now through October. nages. Additionally, machined transition including Enduron High-Pressure Grind- Leadership at the company told Aus- flanges are welded in a low stress area to ing Rolls (HPGR) and GEHO pumps. The tralia’s Financial Review it was the first the cross beams to actively reduce fatigue, contract was pegged at $123 million. big fleet sale to BHP in Western Australia. and a unique spring removal system has The Weir equipment is expected to “We are pretty excited about it because been fitted to facilitate and reduce down- reduce energy consumption and wet tail- we feel it shows a fair amount of confi- time during spring change-outs. ings waste by more than 30%. dence in Komatsu,” Komatsu Australia The six feeders have been designed Weir leadership reported the contract CEO Sean Taylor said. to account for site conditions, Schenck was its largest ever individual mining South Flank will supply the BHP’s Process reported. They are equipped with order. “Fortescue challenged us to help Western Australia Iron Ore division with exchangeable liners and an upgraded create one of the most energy and cost-ef- roughly 80 million mt/y, replacing produc- transition hopper to improve operational ficient magnetite ore processing facilities tion from the Yandi mine, which is reach- availability and performance. in the world,” Weir Group CEO Jon Stan- ing the end of its life. ton said. “Our engineers worked relent- Separately, Komatsu announced plans Quartz Miner Gets lessly to design a solution that is truly to build a facility to support the growth TOMRA Sorters innovative, delivering significant energy, of its mining business in western Canada. TOMRA Sorting Solutions reported Turk- water and cost savings.” It reported it will invest $40 million in ish mining company Mikroman installed A joint venture between Fortescue an 85,000-ft2 sales and service facility four of its high-capacity sensor-based Metals Group subsidiary FMG Magnetite located on 15 acres in downtown Spar- Pty Ltd. and Formosa Steel IB Pty Ltd., wood, British Columbia, Canada, where the Iron Bridge Project is expected to the company has been operating for 30 produce 22 million metric tons per year years. The company will work out of its (mt/y) with first ore shipping in mid- existing Sparwood facility while the new 2022, according to FMG. one is built. Weir’s Enduron HPGRs are increasing- The new facility will enable the com- ly replacing conventional mills in commi- pany to better serve local and regional nution circuits, Weir reported. customers, Komatsu leadership said. “This facility will be a great new place of BHP Buys Komatsu work for our employees while enhancing Autonomous Hauler Fleet our capabilities, so we can continue to Komatsu Mining Corp. reported BHP pur- provide our customers unrivaled service chased 41 autonomous-ready Komatsu delivery,” Komatsu Mining Corp. Regional Quartz miner Mikroman installs four TOMRA sorting 930E-5 ultra-class haul trucks for its new Manager Steven Droste said. systems. (Photo: TOMRA)

58 E&MJ • OCTOBER 2019 www.e-mj.com SUPPLIERS REPORT sorting systems. The machines have con- Finning Lands Equipment tributed to product quality and produc- Order for QB2 tion capacity gains, TOMRA reported. Teck Resources awarded a contract to In 2018, the miner installed a TOMRA Finning International to deliver new PRO Secondary LASER sorting machine equipment and product support to the in two of its three plants, in Muğla and Quebrada Blanca Phase 2 (QB2) project Aydin provinces. The third plant, in Usak in northern Chile. Finning will supply an Province, invested in a LASER sorter plus initial fleet of Cat 794AC haul trucks and a COLOR sorter. other large mining machines to the open- In Mikroman’s sorting process, rock pit copper mine. The accompanying prod- is first sorted by size and then sorted for uct support agreement for the initial fleet quality by the machines. Finally, the rock runs for five years. is hand-sorted into product types. Finning will work closely with Cat to The COLOR sorting machine employs Demand for heat treatment technologies could surge provide QB2’s operations with Cat’s Com- in the metals powder space, Tenova leadership says. a high-resolution camera that can identify mand for Hauling system, the 794AC Au- (Photo: Tenova) materials and eliminate rocks with surficial tonomous Haulage Technology kits, and and visible contamination, resulting in bet- ancillary kits to enable autonomous op- nologies for heat treatment processes. The ter recovery rate and higher quality than erations as QB2 ramps up to full copper purchasers, Qizhi GmbH and Shanghai is possible with manual sorting, TOMRA production in 2022. Qizhi Information Technologies Co. Ltd., reported. The LASER sorter leverages mul- specialize in the research, development tiple laser beams to distinguish a desirable MOU for Robotics at manufacturing, and assembling of mechan- rock from its nearly identical neighbor. Northern Russian Op ic systems and precision parts. Leadership First Ore-Mining Co. and automation sup- at Tenova said demand for heat treatment Cat Gensets Power Nevada plier ZYFRA signed a memorandum of technologies will expand rapidly in the met- Gold Mine understanding to cooperate on artificial als powders space. “I am convinced that McEwen Mining’s Gold Bar mine in Neva- intelligence-based solutions at the Pav- Qijing is the right purchaser to boost the da, which recently achieved commercial lovskoe deposit, described as the most development of the HTC companies, that production, is powered by Cat gensets. The northerly mining operation in Russia. will enhance them and develop their full mine uses two Cat G3516 1,450-ekW and Under the MOU, ZYFRA subsidiary potential,” Tenova CEO Andrea Lovato said. one G3512 1,000-ekW natural gas gener- VIST Group’s digital mine solution Intel- ator sets. The setup includes a six-section ligent Mine, and other robotics solutions, Rokla Acquires Hartl 4,160-volt paralleling switchgear lineup will be deployed. The solutions enable the German rotary cutter manufacturer Rokla housed in an outdoor walk-in enclosure, extraction of minerals in inaccessible and GmbH, which operates under the Rock- complete with emergency standby con- remote regions with extreme climatic con- wheel brand, announced its acquisition trols, Cat reported. ditions, ZYFRA reported. of Austrian crusher and screening bucket Leadership at the mine said they First Ore Mining is a subsidiary of specialist Hartl Engineering & Marketing were pleased with the result. “Caterpil- Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corp. GmbH. The deal includes the use of the lar was able to meet our power needs, Hartl brand, inventory and intellectual and they were also able to provide us Tenova Sale of HTC property. The Hartl family’s Modular Solu- the factory EPA certification we need- Group Closes tions Division is not included in the deal. ed, which was equally important to us,” Tenova reported the sale of HTC Group The development will enable Rokla to said Simon Quick, vice president, pro- closed. HTC Group comprised four com- expand its product range, company lead- jects, McEwen Mining Inc. panies and specialized in advanced tech- ership reported. “The market for Hartl’s product offering has developed well in recent years and this acquisition promises to further strengthen Rokla’s position as a leading supplier of excavator attachments,” Robert Piasecki, managing partner, Rokla, said. “Rockwheel and Hartl products are particularly complimentary, making the rationale behind the deal even more compelling for customers.” Hartl Engineering & Marketing GmbH was established in 2011. FLANDERS Taps relayr for IoT Solutions FLANDERS reported it entered a strategic Gold Bar Mine reaches commercial production powered by Cat gensets, such as the above. (Photo: Caterpillar) partnership with relayr to develop and de-

www.e-mj.com OCTOBER 2019 • E&MJ 59 SUPPLIERS REPORT ploy remotely monitored intelligent solutions with guaranteed business outcomes. The partnership will build relayr’s artificial intelligence-based Internet of Things (IoT) technologies into solutions for asset management, FLANDERS reported. Cus- tomers will have access to new digital services capable of reducing unexpected downtime and improving asset performance, FLANDERS reported. The digital services are expected to reduce capital expenditures and ensure maximum production of critical assets, guaranteed by relayr’s parent company, Hartford Steam Boiler/Munich RE. The partnership means FLANDERS will shift to a predictive service model. The step is crucial, according to leadership at the company. “As we move further into the world of Industry 4.0, it is increasingly clear that undertaking a digital transforma- XCMG opens spare parts center in Mongolia, creating a complete sale, support and repair network in the region. tion is a necessary move in order for us to (Photo: XCMG) continue to serve our customers with the world-class electrical expertise FLANDERS said. “Drilling is one of the largest invest- The company reported its exports to is known for,” Shawn Collins, executive ments for any mining and exploration com- Mongolia have risen year over year. “The director, U.S. Regional Service Centers, pany, and advances in digital technology total number of machinery shipped to Mon- FLANDERS, said. “relayr’s expertise and can dramatically increase the value of data golia up to July 2019 has already exceeded thought leadership in IIoT, combined with generated and how quickly insights can be the total of 2018,” the company reported. our application knowledge, will yield solid gained,” Nick Fogerty, general manager, business outcomes for our customers.” mining and minerals, Seequent, said. “MX Flender Joins Wikov Deposit is a game changer, in a matter of on Gear Unit Services Seequent Buys Into Minalytix hours, customers can create the environ- Flender GmbH and Wikov Industry a.s. Geoscience software solutions supplier ment they need to collect and control the announced a partnership to cooperate on Seequent bought into and partnered with drill hole and sample data, and immediate- services for gear units from other manu- Minalytix, a Canadian mining data soft- ly start gaining insights across all projects.” facturers. The partnership wall target pro- ware company. viding customers with a one-stop supplier Seequent will work with Minalytix to XCMG Opens Parts Center for spare parts and services. maximize the value of the MX Deposit in Mongolia The partnership is meant to serve platform for Seequent customers. The XCMG reported it opened its first spare customers who deploy components from cloud-hosted solution simplifies how drill parts center in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, multiple manufacturers on a single appli- hole and sample data is collected, man- capping a project launched in April in cation, Flender reported. It will leverage a aged and shared, and helps manage risk. partnership with local dealer AODE. The service network that spans more than 50 Customers can log and access data from company described the development as repair centers globally. anywhere in the world. the final piece in a regional supply chain Leadership at Flender reported the part- The move shows how Seequent fosters jigsaw puzzle. nership will seek to increase customer plant growth and innovation for the betterment Leadership at XCMG reported the new availability. “Our global setup enables us to of customers, leadership at the company center will further the company mission to serve customers fast, and exactly accord- expand its footprint in both Mongolia and ing to their needs,” Nevzat Özcan, general Middle Asia. “XCMG will invest heavily to manager, Flender Customer Service, said. create a global spare parts network and standard service procedures to win custom- Meglab Taps nanotron ers’ trust,” Wang Min, XCMG CEO, said. for Swarm Bees The center will connect with the Xu- nanotron Technologies GmbH report- zhou Headquarters, Erenhot Distribu- ed Meglab will build the former’s location Center and mining district support tion-awareness technology into the latter’s warehouses to create a sales, support, Imagine platform, a mine management and repair service network that offers system. nanotron’s swarm bee modules en- new equipment, full support and lifetime hance Imagine by enabling users to track MX Deposit simplifies sample data collection while guarantees to major customers in the re- and monitor equipment and workers, nano- managing risk. (Photo: Seequent) gion, the company reported. tron reported. Leadership at Meglab said it

60 E&MJ • OCTOBER 2019 www.e-mj.com

SUPPLIERS REPORT MINING MARKETPLACE selected nanotron due to the small size and lated drill bits and casing advancement Vermeer Rebuilds Resource Center high power of its technologies. “Nanotron’s systems. The line, part of the rock drilling After Tornado solutions have proven to be reliable and ef- tools division, was sold to Mimir Invest Vermeer Corp. announced it broke ground ficient and can smoothly scale to the needs AB, a global investment firm based in for a monument commemorating the of any mining application,” Louis Valade, Stockholm, Sweden. headquarter campus buildings destroyed president, Meglab, said. Separately, Epiroc reported it won a by an EF3 tornado last summer. contract from Codelco for service of mining The work is part of ongoing projects to FREE TOOLS FOR YOUR Epiroc Relocates US equipment used at the Andina mine near build three new facilities, including a new Headquarters Santiago. The full-service contract spans plant and a new research center, at the com- Epiroc reported it relocated its U.S. head- seven years and includes on-site Epiroc pany’s Pella, Iowa, (U.S.)-based headquar- quarters from Commerce City to Broom- service technicians to maintain equipment CAREER SUCCESS. ters, referred to locally as the Vermeer Mile. field in the Denver, Colorado, metropoli- such as the Pit Viper 351 drill rig. Valued The July 19 tornado injured six people Free case studies, white papers, presentations, business forecasts, tan area. The locale is reportedly known at $68 million, it is one of the largest con- and damaged multiple buildings. It was as the Rocky Mountain Silicon Valley. tracts landed by the company’s mining and one of 14 in a line of storms that hit Cen- and more. All designed to help you do business better. Leadership at Epiroc described the rock excavation service division. tral Iowa. move as natural and true to its mission to The company reported it plans to ex- An EF3 tornado can have winds as deliver world-class automation and interop- pand one of its main production facilities high as 266 km/h (165 mph). erability technology solutions. “It is ideal in Örebro, Sweden, by 10,000 m2. Con- Leadership at the company said the for us to join a community that embodies struction begins this year and is expected tornado and the destruction was one of growth and collaboration,” Jon Torpy, pres- to be completed in 2021. the greatest challenges Vermeer has ever ident and general manager, Epiroc USA Epiroc also announced it donated a faced. “I am incredibly proud to say our LLC, said. “The move will only help us be- FlexiROC T20 R drill rig to the mining en- team has turned it into an opportunity,” come a better partner for our customers.” gineering program at Missouri University Jason Andringa, CEO, Vermeer, said. “Not The move will also help the company of Science and Technology. It will be used only are we rebuilding what we had, but recruit top talent, and to provide better at the school’s experimental mine. we’re becoming stronger than ever before.” access to amenities and transportation services for that talent, Epiroc reported. FLSmidth Awards Campus REMA TIP TOP Expands The new headquarters, where 70 em- Design in Australia ployees work, are located at 8001 Arista FLSmidth and a team of judges pro- REMA TIP TOP opened the Brisbane Centre Place. nounced COBE the winner of a contest to of Excellence as its east coast surface pro- Separately, Epiroc reported it donated design a state-of-the-art campus for the tection hub, the company reported. Sepa- a COP 1238K rock drill to the Excavation company in Valby, Copenhagen, Denmark. rately, the company installed a new CEO Engineering and Earth Mechanics Institute Leadership at FLSmidth said COBE’s at the subsidiary REMA TIP TOP Industry (EMI) at the Colorado School of Mines. The design balanced respecting the original Australia, formerly ConvaTech. REMA TIP drill replaces the institute’s decades-old architecture with the company’s need TOP acquired ConvaTech in 2016. testing drill, and enables students to perfor a collaborative working environment. The new CEO said the new center will form full-scale testing with the latest rock “Our new campus will give us an ad- enable the company to provide increased drilling technology, Epiroc reported. vantage when it comes to attracting and local and national service capabilities. In other news, Epiroc reported it com- retaining the global talents of tomorrow, “Our aspiration is the market leadership pleted the divestment of its geotechnical while also reinforcing our bond with Valby in Australia, regarding material process- consumables product line, which consists and Denmark, Lars Vestergaard, chief fi- ing as well as surface protection,” Karsten mainly of down-the-hole hammers and re- nancial officer, FLSmidth, said. Bartnicki, CEO, Industry Australia. Blasting Companies Form JV Blasting companies BME and Consbec formed the joint venture (JV) BME Mining Canada Inc., a manufacturing and service company for the surface and underground mining market. The JV will offer drill and blast services and will leverage Consbec’s footprint in Canada, BME reported. Leadership at BME said the JV will provide customers with leading-edge tools and services for quality blasts while allowing Consbec to penetrate a new market. “Consbec were looking to extend its offering and to expand into underground in Canada so the synergy makes complete The new Epiroc headquarters are sited in a locale referred to as the Rocky Mountain Silicon Valley. (Photo: Epiroc) sense,” Joe Keenan, CEO, BME, said.

62 E&MJ • OCTOBER 2019 www.e-mj.com RESOURCES.MININGMARKETPLACE.COM

2018 Base Resource Center Ad - FP.indd 2 9/27/17 9:43 AM MINING MARKETPLACE Resource Center FREE TOOLS FOR YOUR CAREER SUCCESS. Free case studies, white papers, presentations, business forecasts, and more. All designed to help you do business better.

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2018 Base Resource Center Ad - FP.indd 2 9/27/17 9:43 AM PROCESSING SOLUTIONS Outotec Expands Grinding Portfolio

ized design in which certain parameters are fixed in order to control manufacturing costs and delivery lead times, the line still offers a range of configurable options for the shell, bearings, feed chute, and rock box, as well as drive arrangements. Add- on features such as bearing vibration and mill weight monitoring and automated lubrication system control are also available. MH Series mills are compatible with the optional Outotec mill control system. The body module consists of a shell and cast integrated trunnion heads. The shell can include a transverse split as an option. A 180° split-ring gear with gear guard, an automated gear grease lubrication system, and an erection/maintenance cradle with jacks are included. The MH Series lining system can be ordered with rubber, steel and/or composites for various process conditions. The shells and heads are drilled to accommodate the selected lining. MH Series mills use grease-lubricated spherical roller bearings with a v-ring and A new line of MH series mills from Outotec offers a range of SAG, ball and rod mills in standard sizes. Configurable labyrinth seal to ensure a long lifetime. options include shell, bearings, feed chute and rock box, as well as drive arrangements. The free-end housing is equipped with Outotec has introduced a new MH designed to maximize grinding mill avail- rocker technology to accommodate axial Series grinding mill range, claimed to of- ability and simplify maintenance. movement of the mill. This means few- fer flexible and easily deployable solutions The MH grinding mill series includes a er spare parts to maintain and improved that are cost-effective and easy to operate range of SAG, ball and rod mills in stan- availability of parts, according to Outotec. and maintain. Along with the new mill of- dardized sizes with a capacity of up to The mill’s feed includes the trunnion liner fering, Outotec also introduced a Polymer 3.1-megawatt (MW) installed power. Al- and feed chute with support, as well as a Hydrostatic Shoe Bearing (HSB) system, though MH Series mills feature a standard- feed seal. The standard discharge setup is

MH series mill feed ends (left) include a trunnion liner and feed chute with support, as well as a feed seal. The Polymeric HSB system (right) is designed to significantly improve the reliability and longevity of both radial and axial pads compared to bronze or white metal pad-bearing systems, according to the company.

64 E&MJ • OCTOBER 2019 www.e-mj.com PROCESSING SOLUTIONS a trunnion liner and reversible, disposable steel trommel with discharge housing. The Polymer HSB system is included on all new Outotec grinding mills as standard equipment and is designed to maximize grinding mill availability and simplify maintenance, increasing revenue and reducing maintenance costs, according to Outotec, which said the system significantly improves the reliability and longevity of both radial and axial pads compared to bronze or white metal pad-bearing systems, eliminating failures associated with surface-to-surface contact caused by journal defects, frozen-charge starts or hydraulic system failures. The system’s self-aligning capability ensures that the pads are always precisely aligned with the mill journal, helping to protect the longevity of the mill by distributing stresses more evenly across the support structure Technicians install an upgrade package on a pre-1980s Symons cone crusher at a Chilean copper mine. and mill body. Tuomas Tani, technical product man- had to be carried out at least twice Nelson Mella pointed out. For this partic- ager for Outotec’s grinding business line, every shift. This generated complica- ular Symons 7-ft, modern systems to free said Polymer HSB systems have “clocked tions due to its older configuration, up the crushing chamber were used. In over 7.5 million hours of production with which involved a piston rack and, for terms of securing the chamber, the older zero hours lost due to bearing failure.” each adjustment made, caused a Symons technology was upgraded to HP 30-minute interruption (on average) to and MP technology. Metso Upgrade Boosts the process. This interruption added “By doing this, the advantages in- Crusher Availability 31% at up to two hours of lost time a day (cor- clude increased equipment availability, Codelco Mine responding to 8.3%). lower exposure to risk for the workers, Metso recently posted a customer experi- (Today, according to Metso, after the up- and better product quality control, as the ence article explaining how it went about grades were carried out, they are still ad- setting can be adjusted more accurate- updating a set of Symons crushers — for justed twice per shift, but the daily im- ly as a result of the motorized setting,” the second time — at a major Chilean pact is only 20 minutes a day, i.e., an in- Mella said. In addition, a new Hydraulic mine and in the process, enabled the crease of 7% in the equipment’s usage.) Power Unit with a PLC was installed, en- company to reduce maintenance time • Scheduled maintenance needed every abling Ethernet connectivity for the ex- and associated injury risk to workers 4,500 hours. It was time-consuming isting automation systems belonging to while improving crusher uptime. because older-generation Symons 7-ft the client or through Metso automation Division Andina, Codelco’s mining site units have an outdated spring system systems. This makes it possible to ad- in the mountain range of the Valparaiso that doesn’t allow for quick mainten- just parameters remotely, optimizing the Region, 80 km from Santiago, needed to ance and ready freeing of the crushing equipment’s efficiency. increase the coefficient of performance in chamber. This problem is common to Recent modifications were installed by its tertiary and quaternary crushing plants. all mining plants with older-generation the client over the course of a week under There were two options: purchase new equipment. In Chile, there are more the guidance of Metso professionals. The equipment or update the existing units. than 100 such units operating in differ- results, according to Metso, included: The Symons 7-ft crushers at the site ent mining plants. • A 31% increase in availability, due to belonged to an older generation. They were In response to these design chal- less time needed to adjust the unit’s installed prior to the 1980s. The main fac- lenges, Metso said it fully re-engineered bowl and closed side settings. The tors that affected the coefficient of perfor- and improved the equipment and in- equipment’s setting time was reduced, mance of the ageing machines were: stalled cutting-edge components. “Start- from 30 minutes to 5 minutes. • Stalling from tramp materials caught ing in 2015, a project was carried out • A reduction in maintenance time and, in its crushing chamber leading to the to modernize the … Symons equipment. consequently, a reduced risk of injury. necessity that the units would require Its mechanical components and adjust- This was achieved by replacing the lengthy maintenance attention without ment system were updated, its springs spring system. warning. These issues ultimately led to replaced, and the ring adjustment opera- • Bowl removal time reduced from 3 lower production. tion automated, which led to the upgrade hours to 25 minutes, and the adjust- • The time associated with operational proposal for the current modernization,” ment ring removal time reduced from adjustments to the equipment, which Metso Mining Crusher Screens Manager 10 hours to 3 hours.

www.e-mj.com OCTOBER 2019 • E&MJ 65 EQUIPMENT GALLERY Electrohydraulic Jumbo Offers Higher Penetrating Rate

The RDX5 is available through local Sandvik suppliers. Sandvik also announced iSURE 8.0, underground rock excavation software. iSURE is a purpose-developed excavation process-control tool for providing instrumented face-drilling rigs with the necessary information for optimized drilling and blasting, the company reported. The software provides a set of drill and blast plan templates for editing Sandvik Mining and Rock Technology launched the DT1132i and feedback functions. three-boom, electrohydraulic jumbo for tunneling and cavern ex- It captures percussion cavation. The drill is described as suitable for fast face drilling rate, and tracks drilled or mechanized long-hole drilling and bolting. meters and net penetra- All Sandvik DTi tunneling jumbos have been developed with a tion, which gives need- special modular design that makes them highly flexible and ver- ed feedback and allows satile, the company reported. The computer-controlled DT1132i for critical adjustments, possesses both operator-controlled boom positioning and full- Sandvik reported. These face automatic drilling functions. It uses Sandvik’s RD535 rock capabilities and more can drill and advanced drill string guides. be used to improve the work cycle and blast excavation process. Drill plan visualization and rig navigation come standard. www.rocktechnology.sandvik Other control automation upgrades are available. The DT1132i possesses a powerful transmission system with Excavator Offers More Power a (Stage 5) Cummins B6.7, 168-kilowatt (kW) diesel engine that Komatsu America introduced the PC2000-11 hydraulic excavator. can be operated up to 5,000 meters (m) above sea level without Equipped with a Tier 4 Final engine, the shovel offers faster cycle any modifications, the company reported. Other features include times and improved multifunction performance, Komatsu reported. automated tools that enable up to 40% less exhaust particles, a The PC2000-11 is designed to be paired with 70-ton to 200- 20% higher penetration rate, and 25% more side coverage. ton rigid haulers and is excellent for loading shot rock, company The drill has a 3-m telescopic TB160i boom that uses a fully leadership said. New EPC valves optimize increased equipment proportional boom control for accurate and fast manual boom speed. A stronger boom increases durability and complements handling. It can be upgraded to full automation. productivity enhancements. With heavy lift mode, the unit offers The vibration-dampened cabin is ergonomic and offers excel- 10% more boom-lifting force over predecessor competition. lent all-round visibility, Sandvik reported. Comprehensive diag- The excavator has a simplified power module that provides nostics information is integrated into one display. excellent accessibility and low noise levels, and reduces labor Paired with the high-frequency rock drill RD535, the rig pro- hours, Komatsu reported. vides users with a heavy-duty solution for underground drilling, Sandvik reported. Separately, Sand- vik reported the new RDX5 rock drill will replace the HLX5, reputed to be the world’s most reliable rock drill. The RDX5 is completely inter- changeable with the HLX5. The RDX5 has a significantly increased minimum service interval compared to the HLX5. Designed similarly to the HLX5, the RDX5 has a minimal number of moving parts and pressur- ized seams, the company reported. Several components, to include the flushing hear and the body cylinder, were modified for improved durability. The percussion package and piston design enable improved efficiency.

66 E&MJ • OCTOBER 2019 www.e-mj.com EQUIPMENT GALLERY

KomVision, the company’s machine monitoring system, enhancing process comes standard. The seven-camera system provides a 360° view reliability and re- of the working area on a 10.4-in. screen, the company reported. ducing unexpected www.komatsuamerica.com production losses. The filter press is Jaw Crusher Offers Easier Crushing Internet-of-Things Powerscreen, subsidiary of Terex GB Ltd., launched the Premier- (IoT) capable. trak 330 jaw crusher. The unit provides exceptional levels of The company also launched the decanter centrifuge A10-4 reliability, efficiency and performance, the company reported. for tailings treatment. It provides the highest process efficiency The crusher is fitted with a simple large fixed hopper, man- and state-of-the-art dewatering and reclamation, the company ufactured from an 8-mm wear plate, improving setup time, reported. The centrifuge features the TurboJet weir plate, the reducing pegging and increasing the life of wear parts, Pow- GentleFeeder and a deep pond design. erscreen reported. The hydrostatic drive allows reversibility of www.andritz.com the chamber, so the machine can unblock and run in reverse, allowing easier crushing of certain materials. A low engine speed Curve Adaptors for Screen Decks improves fuel consumption and reduces noise emissions. MAJOR introduced crown The unit features a 1,000-mm by 600-mm jaw chamber and curve adaptors. They offer can produce up to 280 metric tons per hour of crushed material. even greater performance Pulse Intelligence system comes standard and enables remote from the company’s ten- machine health monitoring via PC, tablet or smartphone. sioned Flex Mat High Vibra- www.powerscreen.com tion Wire Screens and other screen media products on- screen decks originally designed for modular panels, the company reported. The adaptors modify a flat vibrating screen deck for use with tensioned screen media. The solution’s high frequency movement makes media an active part of the screening process, improving efficiency compared to static media such as woven cloth or synthetic panels. WEG: Replace With Smaller, Better Motors www.majorflexmat.com Zest WEG Group, subsidiary of WEG, reported it is now easier than ever for a high-voltage motor to be replaced with new units Secondary Conveyor Belt Cleaner that fit the existing Martin Engineering intro- footprint and oper- duced the CleanScrape ational configura- Secondary Cleaner (CS2), tion. Replacement which the company de- motors can be man- scribed as a secondary ufactured smaller conveyor belt cleaner en- than the originals, gineered for challenging the company re- applications where tradi- ported. WEG motors tional designs fail. are typically pur- The CS2 is effective in pose-built, smaller conditions where continu- than predecessor ous production is a high models, and deliver priority or cleaner service the required perfor- is difficult, including corrosive or high temperature environ- mance, WEG report- ments, the company reported. The design incorporates a matrix ed. Zest WEG Group of specially engineered carbide tips and is tensioned lightly to offers on-site anal- prevent damage to the belt or splices. It can be used with any ysis of motor fail- primary cleaner, but was engineered to be paired with the com- ures, to include a root-cause analysis and an energy-consump- pany’s original CleanScrape Primary Cleaner. The combination tion analysis, to help with the decision to overhaul or replace. has been shown to remove as much as 99% of the carryback in www.zestweg.com most belt-cleaning applications, the company reported. CS2 is suitable for conveyor speeds up to 5 meters (m) per Filter Press, Decanter Centrifuge Showcased second (m/s) on belts with vulcanized splices, and up to 3 m/s ANDRITZ showcased its new intelligent filter press, which, the compa- on belts with mechanical splices. It can withstand temperatures ny reported, increases capacity, optimizes process parameters, and up to 260°F. It work with any size belt, the company reported. ensures ideal process conditions for downstream equipment while www.martin-eng.com

www.e-mj.com OCTOBER 2019 • E&MJ 67 EQUIPMENT GALLERY

PDS Meets South African Regs Booyco Electronics reported its proximity detection system (PDS) helps South African miners comply with the Level 9 safety standards. The standards require full intervention from a PDS on trackless mining machines to prevent machine-to-man incidents. Booyco’s PDS uses VLF antennae on a vehicle to create fields within a danger zone around the vehicle. The size of each field can be determined by the customer. An RFID tag installed on the pedestrian’s cap lamp alerts them with a light and an alarm when they enter this zone. The light changes color, from green to orange and then red, the closer the pedestrian is to the vehicle. The vehicle itself also receives a warning from the PDS. When so configured, the vehicle can also be automatically slowed down or stopped. The system can detect as many as seven machines and 20 pedestrians within one field in the underground environment, the company reported. www.booyco-electronics.co.za

Heavy-duty Centrifugal Pump Flowrox launched the heavy-duty CF-S horizontal centrifugal pump, designed for continuous pumping of highly abrasive and dense slurries. The pump is ideal for grinding mill discharge, hydrocyclone feed, minerals processing and tailings, the company reported. The CF-S pump provides ideal duty points with flows from as low as 2.3 m3/hour (h) to more than 4,000 m3/h. A single Flowrox CF-S centrifugal pump can reach heads in excess of 76 m and provides a good balance between efficiency and wear, Flowrox reported. The construction of the Flowrox CF-S pump is based on a split-case and has available a range of liner material options for optimal performance. Flowrox Digital Services are optional and increase the pump’s productivity through optimization and online predictability. The horizontal pump is the first in a range Flowrox is launching. www.flowrox.com Systems Approach to Chute Solution Design Weba Chute Systems reported its solutions prove that correct design of transfer points greatly reduce product degradation. Custom engineered for individual application requirements, the solutions take a systems approach to bulk solids-handling design, the company reported. The solutions use what the company referred to as a super- tube, with a cascade scenario, where 95% of the material runs on

68 E&MJ • OCTOBER 2019 www.e-mj.com EQUIPMENT GALLERY material at the same Wireless Control Solution time in a tumbling SignalFire Wireless Telemetry released the Mini Wireless I/O motion creating a Module, which, the company reported, provides a cost-effec- boundary layer, as op- tive wireless control solution for customers. It integrates an posed to sliding down antenna capable of a 3-mile range, and allows a pair of mod- the chute. The compa- ules to communicate in a point-to-point mode or directly to a ny designs the internal SignalFire Gateway. angle of its transfer The module includes two relays to control actuators, valves chutes to match the and pumps plus two digital inputs for pulse counting or on/ design with the belt off-type sensors, such as pressure switches, valve position sen- speed. This ensures sors, etc. It also includes an analog input to measure the signal product degradation is from a 1- to 5-volt (DC) transmitter. The small DIN rail form significantly reduced or eliminated, the company reported. factor with low power consumption ensures ease of installation www.webachutes.com or retrofit in existing electrical cabinets. www.signal-fire.com Spray-On Vegetative Cover Profile Products in- D-A Lubricant Renames Products troduced ProGanics D-A Lubricant Co. relaunched DUAL. The company its grease product portfolio described the solution to maximize batch potential, as an environmentally eliminate duplicity in the prod- friendly, hydraulically uct line and focus growth in applied product for- key product areas. Some prod- mulated to efficiently uct names were changed. All accelerate develop- part numbers were unchanged. ment of depleted soils www.dalube.com while simultaneously providing effective erosion protection in a single, concentrated application. ProGanics DUAL combines patented Biotic Soil Media to prompt the soil-building nutrient cycle. It has greater water-holding capacity and erosion control strength than any other combination product on the market, the company reported. Loaded at a rate of 75 pounds per 100 gallons of water, it simplifies complex projects by reducing the number of products required. www.profileproducts.com Modular Solar Plants Scatec Solar announced Release, a solar plant leasing service. The service will offer leasing agreements for preassembled bifa- cial solar panel- and battery-based solutions with 1-MW to 20- MW capacity. It is suited for sites in remote locations that rely on diesel-driven power generators. Cambridge Energy partners will deliver the units. The modular system enables scalability, quick installation and redeployment, the company reported. www.scatecsolar.com Affordable Crusher Liner Range Metso announced the O-Series range of OEM crusher liners that offer a balance of performance, affordability and reliability. The series is available for the Met- so Nordberg HP Series, the GP HEAVY DUTY SLURRY PUMPS. Series cone crushers and the C Series jaw crushers. The range is sold through Metso sales offices, schurcoslurry.com and the accredited Metso dis- tributors, in China, Mexico, Cen- Jacksonville, Florida tral America and Asia Pacific. (904)356-6840 www.metso.com

www.e-mj.com OCTOBER 2019 • E&MJ 69 CONSULTANTS & SERVICES HELP WANTED

FREELANCE WRITERS Engineering and Mining Journal is looking for remote freelance writers who can create quality content for the magazine. Knowledge of mining and mineral processing industries is preferred. We are especially interested in writers residing in Indonesia, Australia and China, but are open to writers in other parts of the world as well. You will be contributing news and feature articles to the magazine.

If interested, please send your resume and at least two writing samples to Jennifer Jensen, associate editor, at [email protected].

ENGINEERING AND MINING JOURNAL ®

FOR SALE FOR ADVERTISING, CONTACT YOUR AUSTRAL DUTCH INTERNATIONAL SALES Process Pumps For REPRESENTATIVES: Mineral Preparation KAOLIN Polymer, Flotation, pH Control Midwest/Eastern U.S. & Canada FCA, Belt DeIcers, Latex has for sale or J.V. Victor W. Matteucci FMC Gland Water Pumps ~400 millon bbls oil Tel: +1 440-725-7565 [email protected] Phone: 724-225-1995 overlain by Email: [email protected] ~3 billion tonnes kaolin Western U.S., Canada & Australia In 1 contiguous deposit Frank Strazzulla also brownfield gold target Tel: +1 949-459-1767 [email protected]

Ph. Bert Stahr 0413 855 292 Germany, Austria & Switzerland Consulting services from Email: Gerd D. Strasmann exploration through to [email protected] mine closure Tel: +49 202 28 14 64 83 [email protected]

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70 E&MJ • OCTOBER 2019 www.e-mj.com ADVERTISING INDEX

ABB Motors & Mechanical Inc...... IFC Komatsu Mining Corp...... 3

Alimak Group AB...... 26 MMD GPHC Ltd...... 19

American Exploration & Mining Association (AEMA)...... 23 Mining Media Int’l - Mining Magazines...... 61

Bosch Rexroth AG...... 28 Mining Media Int’l - Social Media...... 57

Caterpillar...... IBC Modular Mining Systems...... 54

Doofor Inc...... 29 Normet...... 27

E&MJ Website...... 39 Red Valve Co Inc...... 55

ERIEZ – Mineral Flotation Group...... 51 Schurco Slurry...... 69

FLSmidth...... 7 SEMCO Publications - Resource Center...... 63

Hilliard Corp...... 21 Superior Industries Inc...... 11

Hitachi Construction Machinery Co Ltd...... BC Varel Mining & Industrial...... 13

Innovative Wireless Technologies (IWT)...... 43 World Mining Equipment (WME)...... 71

www.e-mj.com OCTOBER 2019 • E&MJ 71 MARKETS Copper Prices Slip in H1 2019

The International Copper Study Group H1 2019 Copper Market Statistics (‘000s of metric tons) (ICSG) released preliminary data for June 2016 2017 2018 H1 2018 H1 2019 2019 world copper supply and demand, World Mine Production 20,386 20,097 20,557 10,580 09,919 which indicates that world mine produc- World Mine Capacity 23,481 23,993 24,082 12,324 12,368 tion declined by about 1.4% in H1 2019, Mine Capacity Utilization (%) 86.8 83.8 85.4 81.6 80.2 with concentrate production declining by World Refined Production 23,357 23,548 24,104 11,871 11,740 1% and solvent extraction-electrowinning Refinery Utilization 87.0 86.0 87.0 86.6 83.2 (SX-EW) by 3.5%. World Refined Usage 23,512 23,732 24,511 12,047 11,960 Reduced output in two major coun- World Refined Stocks 01,365 00,137 01,227 01,571 01,244 tries, namely Chile and Indonesia, more Stock Change -140 -010 -148 -196 -017 than offset growth in other countries. Pro- Balance -156 -183 -407 -177 -220 duction in Chile, the world’s largest cop- Source: International Copper Study Group per producer, declined by 2.5%, mainly due to lower head grades. Concentrate 1% in H1 2019 with primary production Africa (-9%), the Americas (-10%) and in production in Indonesia declined by 55% (electrolytic and electrowinning) declin- Europe (-1%). as the country’s two major mines transi- ing by 1.5% and secondary production Preliminary data indicated that world tioned to different ore zones leading to (from scrap) increasing by 1%. apparent refined usage declined by about temporarily reduced output levels. The fall in world refined production 1% in H1 2019. During that period, the After aggregated growth of 13% in was mainly due to a 38% decrease in world refined copper balance, based on 2018, production in the Democratic Re- Chilean electrolytic refined output due apparent Chinese usage (excluding unre- public of Congo (DRC) and Zambia re- to temporary smelter shutdowns while ported/bonded stocks), indicated a deficit mained essentially unchanged in the first undergoing upgrades to comply with new of about 220,000 metric tons (mt). The half of 2019 as temporary reduced produc- environmental regulations. Total Chilean world refined copper balance adjusted for tion at some mines offset ramp-up output refined production (including electrowin- changes in Chinese bonded stocks indicat- at other operations. Production in Peru (the ning) declined by 15%. ed a market deficit of around 190,000 mt. world’s second largest copper producer), India’s production, which was nega- As of the end of August, copper stocks Australia, China and Mongolia increased tively impacted by the shutdown of Ve- held at the major metal exchanges (LME, due to improved grades and recovery from danta’s Tuticorin smelter in April 2018, COMEX, SHFE) totaled 519,745 mt, an constrained output in 2018. On a regional declined 33%. Zambian refined output increase of 169,249 mt (+48%) from basis, mine production is estimated to have decreased 28% due to power supply inter- stocks held at the end of December 2018. increased by around 2% in North America ruptions, smelter outages and constrained The 2019 high and low copper prices and 7% in Oceania, but declined by 6% in concentrate imports due to a 5% customs through the end of August were $6,572/ Asia, 1% in Latin America, 3% in Europe duty introduced in January 2019. mt (on March 1) and $5,647/mt (on the and remained essentially flat in Africa. On a regional basis, refined output is August 5), respectively, and the year aver- Preliminary data indicates that world estimated to have increased in Asia (2%) age was $6,076.72/mt (6.8% below the refined production declined by about and in Oceania (15%), but declined in 2018 annual average).

(October 2, 2019)

Precious Metals ($/oz) Base Metals ($/mt) Minor Metals ($/mt) Exchange Rates (U.S.$ Equivalent) Gold $1,498.90 Aluminum $1,697.00 Molybdenum $25,600 Euro (€) 1.096 Silver $17.57 Copper $5,629.00 Cobalt $36,000 U.K. (£) 1.230 Platinum $886.00 Lead $2,077.00 Canada ($) 0.750 Palladium $1,686.00 Nickel $17,670.00 Iron Ore ($/dmt) Australia ($) 0.672 Rhodium $5,250.00 Tin $16,300.00 Fe CFR China $96.69 South Africa (Rand) 0.066 Ruthenium $250.00 Zinc $2,315.00 China (¥) 0.140

Gold and silver prices provided by KITCO Bullion dealers (www.kitco.com). Platinum group metals prices provided by Johnson Matthey (www.platinum.matthey.com). Non-ferrous base and minor metal prices provided by London Metal Exchange (www.lme.co.uk). Iron ore prices provided by Platts Iron Ore Index. Currency exchange rates were provided by www.xe.com.

72 E&MJ • OCTOBER 2019 www.e-mj.com F_CAT_E&MJ_2019_October.pdf 1 9/26/19 11:02 AM

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