MICROMINE mine solutions go live at Dugald River
LEADING provider of innovative mining solutions, MICROMINE has successfully implemented its leading underground fleet management and mine control solution, Pitram, at MMG’s Dugald River mine in north-west QLD.
Dugald River has one of the world’s highest-grade known zinc deposits, and in 2016 announced an optimised mine plan that will support a 1.7 million tonnes per annum operation with annual production of around 170,000 tonnes of zinc in zinc concentrate, plus by-products.
The successful implementation of Pitram enables the control room administrators to capture live data ensuring data accuracy, increasing efficiencies and control over equipment, tasks and personnel.
“Real-time data entry allows the control room to make proactive decisions which ensures the operation can run safely and efficiently to maximise output,” Pitram business development manager Chris Rowohlt said.
The solution utilises voice radio data capture, allowing production data to be entered into Pitram via radio communication.
Included in the deployment is Pitram’s Materials Management module which utilises mine design, survey and production data to provide real-time stockpile balances throughout the mining operation.
“The Pitram Materials Management module adds value to the Dugald River operation by providing an accurate method of tracking the material flow including grades from source to processing,” Mr Rowohlt said.
MMG Dugald River technical services superintendent Rhett de Vries said the implementation of Pitram provided Dugald River with a robust mine control solution that will allow the operation to record, manage and process mine site data in real-time. “Improvements in safety, productivity and reporting efficiency are already being realised, and the business looks forward to leveraging these benefits as the operation ramps up,” Mr de Vries said.
Additional modules implemented will include drill and blast, which provides tools for planning and managing drill and blast operations, additionally, the controlled areas module improves safety by monitoring access to dangerous and hazardous areas.
A single source of the truth, Pitram, allows control room administrators to make decisions in real time based on the data captured to increase productivity and reduce costs.
“We are very excited to have implemented Pitram at Dugald River,” Mr Rowohlt said.
“Pitram will provide MMG with an overall view of the current mine status, therefore enabling more control over the operation.”