Micromine: Linking underground operations with surface dispatch By JOHN RASCHE Mining Quarterly
ELKO — Imagine a technology that would allow dispatchers to communicate with their mining truck operators silently, without radio transmission. Imagine a technology that could alert an entire mine operation of an emergency and then direct the working crews to proper escape routes. Now, imagine no further. Micromine’s Pitram 3/Mobile software offers the progressive technology that enables mining companies to operate more productively, efficiently and seamlessly. Micromine is an international company that offers intuitive mining solutions to more than 12,000 clients in over 90 countries, according to the organization’s website. The company manages 18 offices located in major mineral producing capitals across the globe, and Elko is host to one of them. Josh Carroll and Mike Hiles have been Micromine’s Elko representatives and system specialists for the past four years. Their product, Pitram 3/Mobile, is used by Barrick’s underground mines Rodeo and Meikle as well as Newmont’s underground Leeville and Midas mines. The process of installing the Pitram software and instructing mining crews on how to use it takes approximately two months, but the program’s benefit is worth the wait, Carroll said. Pitram 3/Mobile was designed to address the three challenges all mining managements face: reporting updates, controlling safety, and planning for the future. “Our software grabs different files (from multiple sources) and merges them all together,” Lori Freemire said, marketing executive for Ross Andreson/Mining Quarterly
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Mike Hiles, Pitram System Specialist for Micromine, shows an example of a device for use in the mining industry.
FALL 2012 ELKO DAILY FREE PRESS, Elko, Nevada 31