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TRAINING MINING SERVICES VOLUME 111/11 | DECEMBER 2019

TECHNOLOGY

BOWEN BASIN SPOTLIGHT METALLURGICAL COAL OPPORTUNITIES IN QLD

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COMMENT

LOOKING BEYOND THE HEADLINES BEN CREAGH

Ben.Creagh@primecreative.com.au

THE THEMES INSIDE THE MELBOURNE CONVENTION AND EXHIBITION CENTRE TOLD A BETTER STORY OF WHAT’S HAPPENING IN MINING THAN THE PROTESTS OUTSIDE.

M

ost Australians will remember the 2019 International Mining and Resources Conference (IMARC) in Melbourne for the protests that took place at the event each day.

The protesters were determined to make a point and succeeded in hitting the mainstream media headlines, whether it was for positive or negative reasons.

But what the majority of people unfortunately won’t know about the October event are the themes that dominated discussion behind the secure walls of the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. And that’s a shame.

Encouragingly, topics like climate change, community involvement, and diversity and inclusion became repetitive talking points of what the speakers covered.

Mining companies in Australia and internationally are widely aware of the rising opposition to the industry and the demands of it to improve in these areas.

The protesters are fair in their assessment of mining’s past to an extent; the industry has a history of not always being environmentally aware or ethical in its actions.

At the same time, it is only fair that the general public gets an opportunity to recognise the efforts being made to change that image.

Australia’s mining industry, in this instance, is increasingly focussed on how it can share value with its people, partners, the

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER JOHN MURPHY PUBLISHER CHRISTINE CLANCY MANAGING EDITOR BEN CREAGH Tel: (03) 9690 8766 Email: ben.creagh@primecreative.com.au JOURNALISTS VANESSA ZHOU Tel: (03) 9690 8766 Email: vanessa.zhou@primecreative.com.au SALOMAE HASELGROVE Tel: (03) 9690 8766 Email: salomae.haselgrove@primecreative.com.au

environment and local communities.

Investment in clean energy projects at mine sites, the introduction of electric machinery, tighter control on ethically sourced materials, and engagement of Indigenous communities are just a few examples of these initiatives.

As we regularly hear, mining needs to tell these stories better if it is to have any chance of at least balancing the negativity the industry receives.

The protesters conceded to mainstream media by the end of IMARC that they in fact do not want mining to end completely.

Instead, their wish is for a mining industry that is more environmentally conscious and ethical in how it performs business, despite their chants and banners indicating otherwise.

If the talk that took place during the fourday event is any guide, then that is exactly what the industry is trying to achieve.

And while talk will not be enough to turn the opposition, all mining and METS companies can continue to do is transform these aspirations into action.

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DECEMBER 2019

In this edition, we review the International Mining and Resources Conference (IMARC) and the discussion around how companies are developing partnerships in today’s industry.

This issue shines the spotlight on the Bowen Basin by profiling two key metallurgical coal companies in the Queensland region.

In a special feature on the 2019 Australian Mining Prospect Awards, we profile each of this year’s award winners.

This issue also looks at mining equipment trends as we catch up with National Group managing director Mark Ackroyd.

And as usual, we review the latest mining equipment and technology in our regular products section.

Cover image: Anglo American.

Ben Creagh Managing Editor

DESIGN PRODUCTION MANAGER Michelle Weston michelle.weston@primecreative.com.au

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PRIME CREATIVE MEDIA Suite 303, 1-9 Chandos Street Saint Leonards NSW 2065, Australia www.primecreative.com.au © Copyright Prime Creative Media, 2016 All rights reserved. No part of the publication may be reproduced or copied in any form or by any means without the written permission of the ­publisher.

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CONTENTS MEASUREMENT AND MONITORING

IMARC

PARTNERSHIPS IN MINING How miners and METS companies are working together

KEEPING WORKERS SAFE IN CONFINED SPACES How TSI’s dust monitoring instruments protect workers

12-13 REGIONAL SPOTLIGHT

46-47 INDUSTRY COMMENT

THE FUTURE OF THE BOWEN BASIN Two coal miners focus on a future of technology and people in the QLD region

THIRTY YEARS OF AUSTMINE Three decades of growing mining equipment, technology and services companies

14-15 PROSPECT AWARDS

49 AUSTRALIAN MINING’S NIGHT OF NIGHTS The winners from the 16th annual Prospect Awards in Brisbane

TECHNOLOGY

50 BREAKING THE FIRE TRIANGLE How Air Liquide’s FLOXAL onsite nitrogen generators keep mines safer

16-38 TRAINING UPSKILLING MINERS FOR THE FUTURE Liebherr’s new Australian training program that keeps up with evolving equipment

TECHNOLOGY

51 40

MICROMINE 2020 The tech company’s underground mine design software expands

73

TAILINGS MANAGEMENT

41 INMARSAT’S TAILINGS DAM MONITORING SOLUTION A solution that allows workers to monitor tailings storage

ASSET MANAGEMENT

54 MINING EQUIPMENT

DATA-DRIVEN CONDITION MONITORING Inenco explains the importance of using data for monitoring conditions

42-43 PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE EQUIPMENT TRENDS National Group weighs in on how the industry is using equipment

INTERVIEW

55

MINING SERVICES

44-45

WHAT’S IN AN AUDIT? Total Oil’s best practices for lubricant storage and handling audits

LINX CARGO CARE GROUP’S LOGISTICAL SOLUTIONS Sharing 100-plus years of wisdom with the mining industry

REGULARS NEWS 7-10

PRODUCTS 56-57

AUSTRALIANMINING

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EVENTS 58

DECEMBER 2019

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NEWS

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THE CLOUDBREAK OPERATION. IMAGE: FORTESCUE METALS GROUP.

Fortescue Metals Group plans to use solar power for up to 100 per cent of its daytime energy requirements at the Chichester Hub iron ore operations in the Pilbara, Western Australia.

Alinta Energy has signed an agreement with Fortescue for the Chichester Solar Gas Hybrid renewables project, which will supply energy to the Christmas Creek and Cloudbreak mines at the hub.

The project will involve the construction of a 60 megawatt solar photovoltaic generation facility at the Chichester Hub. A 60-kilometre transmission line linking the Christmas Creek and

Cloudbreak sites with Alinta’s Newman gas-fired power station and a 35 megawatt battery facility will also be constructed by mid 2021.

Fortescue expects that up to 100 per cent of daytime stationary energy requirements at the Chichester Hub will be provided by solar generation once the project is completed. The remaining power requirements will be met through the integrated battery storage and gas power station facilities.

Fortescue could displace around 100 million litres of diesel that is annually used at the Christmas Creek and Cloudbreak power

stations through the project.

As a significant consumer of energy, Fortescue chief executive Elizabeth Gaines said the company continued to identify opportunities that had the potential to lower costs and improve its carbon footprint.

“This landmark project is a first on this scale for the Pilbara and will reduce carbon emissions from stationary generation by around 40 per cent at Fortescue’s Christmas Creek and Cloudbreak mining operations, while driving long-term sustainable cost reductions to maintain Fortescue’s global cost leadership position,” Gaines said.

“The agreement with Alinta Energy marks a significant milestone in Fortescue’s strategy and represents a further step in the creation of Fortescue’s Pilbara Energy Connect project.

“In addition, Fortescue will invest an estimated $US250 million ($366 million) in energy transmission infrastructure, which will complete the integration of Fortescue’s iron ore operations in the Pilbara into an efficient energy network.”

Alinta will receive $24.2 million in federal funding from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) and $90 million from the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility.

RIO TINTO AWARDS PINDAN $90M CONSTRUCTION CONTRACT Rio Tinto has contracted integrated property and construction group Pindan to construct an operations village for its Koodaideri iron ore project in the Pilbara.

Koodaideri, which is in Western Australia’s Pilbara region, will be Rio Tinto’s most technologically advanced mine and will have a capacity of 43 million tonnes of iron ore annually.

The contract includes designing and constructing a 470-room accommodation village, a kitchen and 1200-person dining hall area, gymnasium, recreation building with a café and alfresco dining space, eight laundries, an administration office and shop.

Pindan is no stranger to the Pilbara, having constructed 14 accommodations villages in the

AUSTRALIANMINING

region, including Rio Tinto’s 496room Yandi sustaining project at the Yandicoogina mine site.

The company has been completing contract work at Koddaideri since December 2018, when they built the first stage of the Koodaideri village.

Pindan managing director Tony Gerber said the company had a long history of working with Rio Tinto and in the Pilbara.

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“We expect this contract will provide 350 jobs over 12 months, which is great news for the region.”

Once complete, Koodaideri will deliver a new production hub for iron ore, incorporating a processing plant and infrastructure at the site, connecting to the existing network by a 166-kilometre rail line. Production at Koodaderi is expected to start late 2021.

NEWS

LEGO UNVEILS REPLICA LIEBHERR R 9800 EXCAVATOR LEGO has officially launched a replica model of the 800-tonne Liebherr R 9800 excavator, the biggest LEGO Technic set ever.

Liebherr spent months collaborating with LEGO designers to create a replica of the Liebherr model.

The 4108-piece model, available from this month, comes with true-tolife features and functions, with the LEGO Technic Control+ App allowing programming and putting the builder in complete control of the model.

This is the first LEGO Technic construction kit that’s connected to a smart device, reproducing the operations and applications of its original Liebherr counterpart, according to the original equipment manufacturer (OEM).

It delivers a “richer and more immersive” LEGO play and building experience for LEGO Technic fans, regardless of age.

“We wanted to give fans an even more authentic experience when they build for real with LEGO Technic elements,” LEGO Group marketing director Niels Henrik Horsted said.

“This new way of controlling your LEGO Technic set bridges the physical and digital world and gets you even closer to the real-life model replicas that you build.”

The app technology enables “superprecise movement and functionality,” while delivering authentic digital play combinations. The multi-function control screen on the app enables users to drive the excavator in all directions, rotate the superstructure, extend and raise the boom, open and tilt the bucket, and play realistic sound effects.

It also gives real-time feedback, such as boom position, power usage

THE LEGO TECHNIC REPLICA OF THE LIEBHERR R 9800.

and drive distance, authentically mimicking the original.

Liebherr provided comprehensive support to the LEGO project team in respect to the development of the set, and that of the marketing campaign, throughout the course of the partnership.

LEGO’s team gained unrestricted access to the machines, logistical support and contact with the customer to make

the project possible.

“I think that for any brand, being contacted by LEGO Technic for a project like this is a great honour,” Liebherr-Mining Equipment Colmar SAS marketing manager Grégory Schuh said.

“This means that your brand is attractive and conveys values of quality and performance.

We experience the fascination for our huge machines and the

sophisticated technology behind them, for example with visitors at our trade fairs.

“We believe that the LEGO team has done a great job in capturing this fascination and turning it into an impressive model, that can ignite the joy for engineering.”

The real-life Liebherr R 9800 mining excavator weighs 810 tonnes. It is one of the heaviest machines in the Liebherr universe.

NEWCREST APPROVES CADIA STAGE ONE EXPANSION Newcrest Mining is on track to increase the Cadia Valley mine’s processing capacity to 33 million tonnes a year.

The company’s board approved its stage one expansion, which includes starting the next cave development and improving recovery rates.

Its second phase, which is in feasibility study, focusses on increasing the processing capacity further to 35 million tonnes a year.

Works during stage one will include upgrading the materials

handling system, developing the mine and building associated infrastructure. First production at the Cadia expansion is aimed for the 2023 financial year.

“This expansion plan is an improvement on the previous 2018 pre-feasibility study, with an estimated additional 1.8 million ounces of gold production and 67,000 tonnes of copper production and an estimated $800 million increase in projected free cash flow generation by Cadia over its life,” Newcrest managing director and

AUSTRALIANMINING

chief executive officer Sandeep Biswas said.

“The capital investment has an estimated 21.5 per cent rate of return and ensures Cadia remains a Tier 1 asset for many years to come.”

The rate of ore mined from Cadia is expected to vary over time according to draw rates, cave maturity and cave interaction as further caves are developed, with an average rate of 34 million tonnes a year expected from the 2027 financial year onward.

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Newcrest is expecting a life of mine gold recovery rate improvement of around 80 per cent, with copper recovery rates of around 85 per cent after the expansion is complete.

Construction for stage one is expected to begin before the end of the 2019 financial year.

Based on estimates by Newcrest and separate to the capital for the Cadia expansion project, the company expects to replace the Concentrator 1 SAG mill motor in the 2021 financial year.

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NEWS

VICTORIA BRACES FOR ANOTHER GOLD RUSH WITH LAND RELEASE

BENDIGO GREW OFF THE BACK OF THE 1850S GOLD RUSH.

The Victorian Government will favour mining companies that can demonstrate a commitment to engaging with Traditional Owners and boosting local jobs in a release of ground for gold exploration.

State Minister for Resources Jaclyn Symes made the announcement at the International Mining and Resources Conference (IMARC) in Melbourne.

The North Central Victorian Goldfields Ground Release will be open to a competitive international tender, with strong interest expected thanks to the success of Kirkland Lake Gold’s Fosterville mine.

Production has soared at Fosterville in recent years off the back of exploration success – the mine is set to produce four times as much high-grade gold this year as it did in 2016.

For the first time, engagement with Traditional Owners will be part of the Victorian Government’s evaluation process and selection criteria for prospective companies.

Indigenous communities will be given the opportunity to assess each company’s ability to develop relationships with Traditional Owners and work with consideration of cultural heritage.

Symes said gold helped build Victoria’s

wealth and the industry remained integral to creating regional jobs.

“The North Central ground release will be a huge boost for this sector – attracting companies who are determined to work closely with regional communities and the traditional owners of the land they will explore,” Symes said.

The Geological Survey of Victoria estimates that only half the gold that may exist in Victoria has been found over the past 169 years, putting the state in prime position for a second gold rush.

Victoria is Australia’s largest exporter of mining equipment, technology

and services (METS). Victorian METS companies were at IMARC connecting to the global industry, thanks to the Labor Government’s support of the event.

Dja Dja Wurrung Clans Aboriginal Corporation group chief executive Rodney Carter said: “The mining industry and its investors now understand the value of social licence. We support the government’s commitment to deliver industry best practice for the benefit of all Victorians.”

Victoria’s growth in minerals exploration spending over recent years has outpaced other states and increased year on year.

ADANI AWARDS $100M CONTRACT FOR CARMICHAEL TO MARTINUS RAIL Adani has handed out a $100 million rail contract to Martinus Rail, which will deliver the work out of Rockhampton.

This is the latest in the more than $450 million worth of contracts awarded for the Carmichael coal and rail project in Queensland.

Martinus will be based in Rockhampton, where Adani has also opened a business centre.

Martinus Rail managing director Treaven Martinus said the company

was keen to ensure regional communities received benefits.

“We are proud Australian-founded and operated company and we’ve always been highly focused on ensuring the work we deliver is resourced through regional areas that need it most, and are also often highly skilled to deliver it,” Martinus said.

“Adani’s commitments to regional jobs for Queensland is a good fit for our business, and we’re pleased

AUSTRALIANMINING

to partner with a company like Adani … while also uploading the highest standards of project delivery across environmental and safety conditions.”

Adani Mining chief executive Lucas Dow said the company had not wasted a moment since receiving its Carmichael project approvals.

“We now have our mining services contractor and one of our earthworks contractors for the rail project in placed based in

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Rockhampton,” he said.

“Martinus Rail will be our rail laying construction contractor also based in Rockhampton, initial rail camp provision will be based in Collinsville, earthworks and civil works is coming from Townsville, fuel supply is from Townsville, telecommunications is from Mackay, and many other regional businesses across regional Queensland also have a piece of the pie.”

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IMARC

SHARED SOCIAL VALUE SHAPES FUTURE MINING PARTNERSHIPS PARTNERSHIPS IN THE MINING INDUSTRY HAVE EVOLVED. THE 2019 INTERNATIONAL MINING AND RESOURCES CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTED HOW SUPPLY CHAIN RELATIONSHIPS NOW FOCUS ON SHARING SOCIAL VALUE. BEN CREAGH WRITES.

I

ndustry partnerships have traditionally focussed on a mining company and a supplier working together to improve the safety and productivity of operations.

These two goals may remain the basis of any partnership, but times have changed.

Mining companies now expect more from their METS (mining equipment, technology and services) partners as they increasingly look for ways to share value beyond safety and productivity.

Their partnerships now factor in the modern demands to respect the environment, increase diversity and be inclusive, and to be more ethically responsible.

They also take into account the digital transformation of the industry and ways partners can work together

PARTNERSHIPS ARE CRITICAL FOR DRIVING TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE.

to effectively transition to a techadvanced environment.

BHP has been particularly vocal about a change of approach at the company in 2019, on multiple occasions referencing a strategy to not only earn a social licence, but also create social value through its operations.

The company’s ambition to create social (or shared) value relies on engagement with suppliers, taking their relationships further than the old-fashioned transactional arrangements.

Suppliers are now expected to join BHP on a journey to deliver shared value in three key areas in addition to productivity and safety – diversity and inclusion, responsible sourcing and climate change.

BHP group procurement officer Sundeep Singh praises the AUSTRALIANMINING

company’s supply chain for accepting the challenge to provide shared value in these ways.

“They are very willing to do this because naturally they want to help us with safety and productivity, but these issues of inclusion and diversity or climate change are their issues as well,” Singh tells Australian Mining at the International Mining and Resources Conference (IMARC).

“They have the same issues in transportation, they have the same issues in terms of their own production and manufacturing environments. Working and collaborating on this is not deviation for their standard business anyway.”

BHP’s supply chain spans 60 countries and 10,000 partners. It spent $US20 billion ($29 billion) across this network in the 2019

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financial year.

The company sources 215,000 different types of materials and equipment for its Australian operations alone.

Singh concedes that the supplier experience of working with BHP “in some spaces” across its supply chain has been varied in the past.

But he believes BHP’s pivot towards collaboration and partnerships with suppliers has improved the company’s interface with them and changed the way they work together.

“I think we are seeing an absolute desire to come together on partnering and engaging on safety and productivity,” Singh says.

“But it is an ‘and’ conversation that paves the way for the next pivot which is around some of those social values.”

IMARC

IT IS REALLY ABOUT SAYING WE WANT TO BE DIFFERENT AND WE WANT TO CHANGE THE WAY WE WORK WITH YOU, BUT YOU HAVE TO COME AND WORK ON IT WITH US.” Modern partnerships also continue to drive mining’s digital transformation, while creating shared value for local communities in the process.

The collaboration between Resolute Mining and Sandvik at the Syama gold operation in Mali, Africa is a key example of a partnership pushing the boundaries with a technology project.

For Resolute, the Syama project is set to make it the owner of the world’s first purpose-built, fully automated sublevel cave gold mine.

Sandvik, meanwhile, has advanced its automation roadmap for underground mining through the project, opening the door for similar technology collaborations with mining companies in the future.

Once complete, the Syama project will incorporate autonomous drilling, loading and hauling, increasing machine productivity and delivering better safety outcomes, according to Resolute technical services manager Brett Ascott.

“Unlike other deposits around the world where you might see one or two of these technologies in various parts, we decided to build the mine from the start with automation,” Ascott tells Australian Mining at IMARC. Resolute and Sandvik have designed the operation together, collaborating on equipment selection, underground infrastructure design and identifying solutions that provide safety and productivity benefits.

Sandvik business line manager – digitalisation Ville Svensberg says the open relationship between the equipment manufacturer and Resolute has guided the development of the project.

“It has sped up certain development items on our roadmap (for automation); we have now been able to refine the next steps for trucking automation for example,” Svensberg says.

“We talk about this project openly together and what we have achieved.

It is also about change management to put a very complex package of technology like this together.

“Setting up a mine in an automated way needs cooperation and that is something we can always learn a bit quicker to prove

to the rest of the world that it actually works.”

The Syama automation project has delivered more than a technological breakthrough by also sharing value with Malians through opportunities to develop new skills for the site’s workforce.

As an emerging technology in mining, automation requires a different set of technical skills compared with traditional underground operations where equipment is manually controlled.

Ascott says Resolute is targeting employment of 90 per cent Malians at Syama once the mine has reached steady-state operations.

To achieve this, Resolute has engaged with institutions in the Malian capital of Bamako to develop future employees and train them with the skills required for the autonomous operations.

“We have been taking university graduates from Bamako and bringing them into roles in the control centre, some are already operating trucks,” Ascott says.

“We have also partnered with the local TAFE and we are taking people from there through testing for technical trades and other roles.”

As supply chain relationships change, Singh is convinced BHP’s modern approach will lead to more success stories of shared value.

BHP’s move to become a more inclusive and diverse workforce supports the importance of these social values, Singh continues.

Company data shows that more inclusive and diverse teams are better than other teams on safety (up to 67 per cent lower injury rate), better on productivity (up 11 per cent better adherence to schedule), and better on culture (up to 21 per cent more pride in work).

The female representation across BHP’s workforce has risen to 24.5 per cent in 2019, an increase of 7 per cent in the three years since the company announced aspirations for a gender balanced employee base by 2025.

This gender parity target has flowed to the company’s supply chain, with BHP including greater diversity as a condition in its contracts with suppliers.

“Bringing a more inclusive and diverse team to a BHP site is as good for them in terms of their own performance as it is for us in terms of our own culture and environment,” Singh said.

“The response from suppliers has been really positive. We spend a lot of money (with our supply chain) ­– we spend $US20 billion a year as of FY19.

“That’s a lot of scope to positively influence engagement and

BHP GROUP PROCUREMENT OFFICER SUNDEEP SINGH.

behaviours so when we incentivise it in contracts our suppliers have been really working hard to bring that to the table.”

BHP’s conversations with its partners extend to ways they can improve Indigenous engagement together, cut carbon emissions through energy projects, source materials in a more ethical way, and more.

Singh says BHP is on a shared value journey and is calling on the supply chain to join the company because it “can’t do it alone.”

“It is really about saying we want to be different and we want to change the way we work with you, but you have to come and work on it with us,” Singh concludes. AM IMARC 2019 LOOKED AT THE IMPORTANCE OF STRONGER PARTNERSHIPS.

AUSTRALIANMINING

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REGIONAL SPOTLIGHT

BUILDING THE FUTURE OF THE BOWEN BASIN ANGLO AMERICAN AND FITZROY AUSTRALIA RESOURCES ARE DOING MORE THAN JUST MINE COAL IN THE BOWEN BASIN. THEY’RE ALSO INVESTING IN MODERN TECHNOLOGY AND THE CULTURE OF THEIR PEOPLE. VANESSA ZHOU WRITES.

D

eep in the Bowen Basin coal region in Queensland at least two of its mining companies are enhancing their operations with initiatives focussed on technology and people.

Global miner Anglo American, for one, has become a powerhouse of technology, safety and sustainability through its history of developing five metallurgical coal mines in the region.

This vision goes hand in hand with the company’s plans to sustain and grow production.

Anglo American plans to expand the Moranbah-Grosvenor coal handling and preparation plant (CHPP), which processes metallurgical coal from its Moranbah North and Grosvenor mines The expansion would improve capacity by 30 to 40 per cent if it went ahead.

Through Anglo American’s regional presence in the Bowen Basin, the company has become the world’s third largest exporter of metallurgical coal, and Australia’s largest underground coal miner.

Anglo American is also leveraging

FITZROY AUSTRALIA HAS INVITED FAMILY MEMBERS OF EMPLOYEES TO THE CARBOROUGH DOWNS MINE.

its massive scale to make mines safer and more productive in Australia as technology advances and the costs to implement it decrease.

The company’s recently approved Aquila project will be propped up by operation-sustaining technologies that will see it become one of the most technologically-advanced underground mines in the world.

Aquila will feature a longwall shear that is controlled from the surface, the AUSTRALIANMINING

same innovation that Anglo American has already introduced at the Grosvenor mine in 2018. “(The Grosvenor shear is) an Australian-first and a major step forwards full automation and surface operation of longwall mining,” Anglo American’s metallurgical coal business Tyler Mitchelson tells Australian Mining.

“We are now building our internal capabilities to deliver more complex,

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integrated automation solutions, which have the capacity to create safer working conditions for our people and drive the next level of performance at our underground mines.”

Despite the company’s metallurgical coal focus, it is not turning away from other opportunities in the Bowen Basin region.

Mitchelson says Anglo American has been granted permits to explore an area of around 10,800 square kilometres in North West Queensland.

The presence of deposits such as Mount Isa, Ernest Henry and Cannington in northern and western Queensland make it a logical place to explore for various styles of base metal deposits, including copper, according to Mitchelson.

“Exploration activities have commenced in Mount Isa South region, west of Boulia, including geophysical surveys using cutting-edge geoscience technology, and at the end of the year, we will assess the survey results to determine future exploration plans,” he says.

Fitzroy Australia Resources has growth aspirations of its own in the Bowen Basin as the privately-owned

REGIONAL SPOTLIGHT

UNDERGROUND LONGWALL OPERATIONS AT ANGLO AMERICAN’S MORANBAH NORTH MINE.

company mulls over reopening the Broadlea open cut metallurgical coal operation.

Broadlea was mothballed by Vale in 2009 but had a successful campaign under Fitzroy Australia in 2017–2018 after it was acquired.

Fitzroy Australia chief executive Grant Polwarth says the open cut mine represents “an opportunistic campaign” to continue to diversify the company’s product mix and incrementally grow the portfolio.

The company continues to advance a bord and pillar mine assessment at its Broadlea Central underground mine.

Elsewhere, the company has halted construction of its Ironbark No. 1 underground hard coking coal project in light of market and global economic volatility.

The Ironbark No. 1 project, which is fully permitted and shovel ready for construction and execution, was initially scheduled to reach production in first quarter 2020.

“Fitzroy is always prepared to make the difficult decisions and remains dynamic in responding to the macroeconomic environment while pursuing other growth opportunities in the portfolio at this time,” Polwarth says.

“Ironbark No. 1 is one of the lowest capital intensity new metallurgical

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coal projects in Australia and will be constructed, however the current deferment is an opportunity to continue to optimise the project and an example of modifying our strategy to achieve the best outcomes for our people and shareholders.”

Despite Fitzroy being a relatively young company that was formed in 2016, it is bravely leading by example for the rest of the metallurgical coal industry.

From recruitment, training and inductions, to the moment its workers walk through the gate and to the coal face, Polwarth wants people to sense its difference to elsewhere in the industry, and he’s not afraid to show it off.

Fitzroy Australia opened its Carborough Downs underground mine to more than 800 employee-family members for Family Open Days in October, the first time members from outside the sector have been given this access to the site.

“We were blown away by the response from friends and family who had travelled from as far as New Zealand and across Queensland and New South Wales to see where their mums, dads, sons and daughters come to work and how we care for one another,” Polwarth says.

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“It was an incredibly proud moment to acknowledge and thank the unsung heroes of our industry: the wives, husbands, parents, partners and families of the Fitzroy team.”

Fitzroy Australia has also completed a longwall expansion of its own to the northern measures of Carborough Downs. The longwall project has consolidated bord and pillar operations to maximise reserve extraction for the company.

Polwarth believes the company is developing from strength to strength, “with extensive investment in our people, recruitment and assets to underpin an exciting future.”

“We aspire to be the next great Australian mining house and fully appreciate that to achieve this vision, we must be people business that mines metallurgical coal,” Polwarth says.

“We need to continue to challenge industry norms and differentiate ourselves in a very competitive market – there is nothing more important to Fitzroy than our approach to people and culture.”

Just like Anglo American aims to “re-imaging mining to improve people’s lives,” both Bowen Basin miners are delivering on their commitment to the community through cutting-edge technology and real engagement. AM

PROSPECT AWARDS

2019

AUSTRALIAN MINING

MINE OF THE YEAR

PROSPECT AWARDS

MANGOOLA LEAVES MARK ON MINING WITH AWARDS TRIPLE TREAT

GLENCORE HAS CREATED A CULTURE OF EXCELLENCE ACROSS THE SAFETY AND OPERATIONAL PERFORMANCE AT THE MANGOOLA COAL CHPP, THIS YEAR’S NATIONAL GROUP MINE OF THE YEAR. BEN CREAGH WRITES.

CHRIS MARCH (MANGOOLA CHPP), MARK ACKROYD (NATIONAL GROUP MD) AND SCOTT BANNERMAN (MANGOOLA CHPP).

M

angoola CHPP (coal handling and preparation plant) manager Chris March fondly regards the facility at the Glencore thermal coal mine in New South Wales as the second-best plant of its kind in the world.

It is the second in line, he cheekily adds, because the best CHPP hasn’t been built yet.

Mangoola CHPP, which is about 20

kilometres west of Muswellbrook in the Hunter Valley region, didn’t finish second to anyone at the 2019 Australian Mining Prospect Awards.

In fact, the operation won a treble of awards – National Group Mine of the Year, SEW Eurodrive Coal Mine of the Year and the Flexco Excellence in Mine Safety, OH&S award.

While March may have initially been “blown away” with Mangoola’s trifecta, he didn’t seem overly shocked by it either, once he collected his thoughts.

“If I reflect on the success that Mangoola is as a whole, not just as a CHPP, in some way it is not surprising,” March tells Australian Mining.

“It is still an extraordinary effort and we are really humbled by the whole experience – it is incredible.”

It wasn’t the first time Mangoola had won at the Prospect Awards – in 2013 the then-emerging open cut operation also won the Mine of the Year award.

The first victory was around twoand-a-half years after Xstrata (now Glencore) produced first coal at the site in February 2011, when prices for the commodity were strong.

Following that win, however, Mangoola and the rest of the thermal coal industry endured a multi-year lull in prices that reached its lowest point at the start of 2016.

Despite the tough market conditions, Mangoola still managed to produce 9.3 million tonnes of saleable coal in 2015.

March, who has been at Mangoola since November 2010, says during the period of low prices the CHPP and overall site rebuilt its culture and established the foundation of the operation it has become today.

He says the culture at the entire site has been “second to none,” particularly

in terms of its focus on leadership.

“We have spent the last three or four years developing a leaderleader culture right down to the front line because if it is not a bottom-up approach, it fails,” March says.

“We can stand there at the top and shout every day, but you have got to engage everybody in the team.

“As I say, we have adopted that motto, ‘champions do extra,’ which we shamelessly stole off the All Blacks and Brisbane Bronco’s great Brad Thorn. That is proudly displayed at our front gate.”

The CHPP, in basic terms, supports the open cut operation by processing mined coal to remove any unwanted materials. It then sizes the coal prior to transportation to domestic and export markets.

In 2019, the Mangoola CHPP has been forecast to handle 12.7 million tonnes of coal, slightly below the site’s approved capacity.

March says the overall Mangoola operation has operated with a lean workforce of around 380–390 people since a restructure in response to the market downturn.

He believes the site has become the envy of many other coal mines in the Hunter Valley region for how it operates.

THE MANGOOLA COAL HANDLING AND PREPARATION PLANT.

AUSTRALIANMINING

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DECEMBER 2019

PROSPECT AWARDS

2019

AUSTRALIAN MINING

MINE OF THE YEAR

PROSPECT AWARDS

“Our peers in the industry will say that we have such a low strip ratio, so it is easy for you,” March says.

“What they fail to realise is that with a low strip ratio the mining moves like a grass fire – they advance across ground quickly, it is like hand-to-mouth mining. It is not all plain sailing. We’ve had a lean team focussed on metrics and actioning the things that could slow us down every day.”

The CHPP is no different from the mining area in this regard – it operates with a lean workforce that relies on strong collaboration with each part of the site. March says nothing was overlooked in the development of the CHPP almost a decade ago and the current team has kept the plant on top of its capabilities.

Safety has also been a significant part of this culture, as reflected

by Mangoola CHPP winning the Flexco Excellence in Mine Safety, OH&S award for developing an engineered solution for the difficult task of replacing the belly plates on an ABON chain feeder The award-winning solution is just a small part of Mangoola CHPP’s safety performance, however, with the site remaining lost time injury free since operations started in 2011.

Mangoola Coal operations manager Nick Slater, delighted with the operation’s recognition at the Prospect Awards, points out that the site’s impact in the Hunter Valley region

PIT ACTIVITIES AT THE MANGOOLA COAL OPERATION.

goes well beyond these feats.

“Our Mangoola coal operation makes a major contribution to employment, to local businesses and to local government in the Muswellbrook Shire Council and more widely, and these awards are well deserved recognition for all our workforce,” Slater says.

Mangoola’s origins date back to 1999 when previous owners, Powercoal and Centennial Coal,

started initial intensive exploration at the site.

Together, they identified a resource of approximately 180 million tonnes of coal at a relatively shallow depth.

The project, for the construction of an open cut mine and related infrastructure, was later granted approval for development in June 2007.

In 2009, Mangoola was acquired by Xstrata Coal ahead of the beginning

PRODUCTION OF COAL STARTED AT MANGOOLA IN 2011.

AUSTRALIANMINING

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DECEMBER 2019

of mining activities in September 2010 and first coal production in February 2011.

Mangoola is today a 24/7 operation with a 21-year mine life. The mining is undertaken at the site using truck and shovel methods to handle overburden and coal with an approved run-of-mine (ROM) coal extraction rate of 13.5 million tonnes per annum.

Coal from Mangoola is taken to the local power station or Port of Newcastle via the existing Hunter Valley rail network.

Glencore is in the midst of securing approval for the Mangoola expansion project, which has been classified as a ‘state significant development’ in New South Wales.

The project involves the extension of open cut mining at Mangoola to a new mining area immediately north of the existing operation. It would see approximately 52 million tonnes of additional run-of-mine coal extracted from the site.

March says the operation is confident it will receive the extension, giving Mangoola’s workforce the opportunity to continue on its awardwinning ways.

“Mangoola will finish unless we get the continuation so that is really what the future is about for us. It is also about building on our great reputation for safety, reliability, environmental excellence and the work that we do in the community and the benefits we have brought the local government area,” March concludes. AM

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PROSPECT AWARDS

2019

AUSTRALIAN MINING

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT

PROSPECT AWARDS

HEGARTY RECEIVES REWARD FOR A LIFETIME OF ACHIEVEMENT

DESPITE HAVING WON THE LIEBHERR LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD, EMR CAPITAL CHAIRMAN OWEN HEGARTY IS NOT DONE MULTIPLYING THE BENEFITS OF AUSTRALIA’S MINING INDUSTRY. VANESSA ZHOU WRITES.

E

MR Capital chairman Owen Hegarty may have been honoured with the Liebherr Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2019 Australian Mining Prospect Awards, but it is clear he still has a lot left to do in his career.

While Hegarty is “pleased, delighted, happy, humbled, chuffed and honoured” to be recognised with the award, he believes “the usual story with these things is, it’s never over.”

“I love the industry. It is a race without a finish. The best is yet to come,” Hegarty tells Australian Mining.

Hegarty recalls being a fresh university graduate when he started with one of the world’s most prominent metals and mining corporations, Rio Tinto.

He worked with the mining giant for 25 years, reaching a pinnacle with the company when he became managing director of its copper and gold businesses.

“Straight from university, I was able to work in all countries, all commodities, all companies,” Hegarty, looking back on his time at Rio Tinto, tells Australian Mining.

“I had a terrific background there (at Rio Tinto). I was very lucky to join such a progressive company that was growing worldwide, and to deal with wonderful, wonderful people (and) stay up to date with shifts in technology, operating practices and markets. I’m very lucky to have that sort of grounding.”

Beyond Rio Tinto, Hegarty founded copper-gold mining and exploration company, Oxiana, which would later merge with Zinifex to create OZ Minerals in 2008.

Though Hegarty describes the experience as being “plunged from the big end of town to the small end of town,” it was from this humble point that the “the mighty Ox” emerged – from a company worth a few million dollars to one valued at more than a few billion.

Hegarty achieved this notable feat alongside people he worked with at Rio Tinto and other

EMR CAPITAL CHAIRMAN OWEN HEGARTY WITH LIEBHERR AUSTRALIA EXECUTIVE GENERAL MANAGER – MARKETING AND SALES, MINING, TOM JURIC.

groups over many years.

“An overnight success that has taken 15 years or thereabouts,” Hegarty says, laughing.

“We know the region, the rocks and the projects. The really hard part is putting the money together at the junior end of the market.”

Hegarty attributes Oxiana’s great success to the good people, vision and drive of the company, as their “lives depended on it.”

“You’ve put people together to work with you and rely on you. There are investors who put in their money.

They are depending on you. They trust you to perform,” Hegarty says.

“It’s the trust that other people put in you that you’re able to go out there and do those things. That’s what keeps me going – the responsibility to perform. I’ve been lucky enough to have the background and experience to be able to keep doing it.”

Hegarty, who now spends the majority of his time in Hong Kong, is not only motivated by his sense of accountability. His love of the mining industry is also a fire that fuels his 40-year-plus career.

AUSTRALIANMINING

Australia has serious mining and minerals processing competitive advantage – world class operations, technology, people and capability generally, according to Hegarty.

Its natural advantage is not only limited to operating mines – it also extends to minerals processing and global exports, and the building of a “terrific” industry of mining equipment, technology and services (METS) organisations.

“I’ve always been a great supporter and cheerleader of the mining industry. Australian mining is a world leader, and our people, our companies, our expertise and our codes of conduct have proliferated the world,” Hegarty, a former vice chairman of Fortescue Metals Group, says.

“The mining industry has a serious, competitive comparative advantage all over Australia.”

And the Australian mining industry’s story doesn’t end there, Hegarty says. It will also prop up the “super-highway sustainable growth of prosperity” that China, India, Indonesia and the undeveloped world

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DECEMBER 2019

want to jump on to.

The outlook remains strong.

Hegarty adds: “We believe we are in for multiple decades of commodity demand growth as China, India, Indonesia and the rest of the developing world are all looking to join that super-highway of economic growth and sustainable prosperity.”

Today, in his role as executive chairman of EMR Capital, Hegarty selects and invests in mine operations that have a potential for significant improvement.

With $5 billion worth of assets under EMR’s management, Hegarty is well aware of the cyclic nature of the industry.

He puts special care on having the right people, acquiring the right assets, delivering mine improvements and increasing its value for the next owners.

Despite his growing list of accolades, Hegarty is evidently humbled to have won the Liebherr Lifetime Achievement Award.

He believes it is the best recognition he can get – coming from his own industry. AM

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PROSPECT AWARDS

2019

AUSTRALIAN MINING

HARD ROCK MINE OF THE YEAR

CENTURY MINE ENTERS NEXT PHASE OF OPERATIONS

PROSPECT AWARDS

A STRATEGY OF RE-MINING 77 MILLION TONNES OF ZINC TAILINGS DEPOSITED OVER 18 YEARS HAS GUIDED NEW CENTURY RESOURCES TO WINNING A COVETED 2019 AUSTRALIAN MINING PROSPECT AWARD.

N

ew Century Resources head of corporate affairs and social responsibility Shane Goodwin recalls a surprise phone call he received in the weeks leading up to the 2019 Australian Mining Prospect Awards.

Surprising, because the company’s Century zinc operation in Queensland was named as a nominee for the Epiroc Hard Rock Mine of the Year award.

The company had previously nominated the historic site for the Bulk 2020 Community Interaction Award (which they ended up taking home from the awards night).

But the operation was also then viewed as a potential winner of the hard rock prize too.

“It was a bit surprising, actually,” Goodwin tells Australian Mining. “We obviously nominated for the (Bulk 2020) Community Interaction Award.

And then we were contacted a few weeks prior to the event, hearing the judging panel had reviewed our work and nominated us for the Hard Rock Mine award as well. That was a big surprise.”

The New Century mine has broken the norm of traditional hard rock mines by taking out the award. Its operation runs contrary to previous winners as it is based on a model of mine rehabilitation.

New Century possesses 77 million tonnes of zinc tailings that have been

deposited over an 18-year mine life by previous owners.

“Historically, the way that would’ve been handled was for the mine’s owner to be responsible for putting a capping layer on top of that tailings dam, rehabilitating it and leaving it in place,” Goodwin says.

“Instead, our model sees us picking up those tailings over a period of 6.5 years through a process called hydro-mining.”

New Century reprocesses those tailings into zinc concentrates with a quality that has been historically produced out of the Century zinc mine.

The company exports that zinc concentrate via the old method of using a 340 kilometre pipeline and shipping it out of the Port of Karumba.

Any remaining waste product goes back to the open pit where it originally came from. It effectively takes the tailings dam out of the environment, “a great environmental solution” that also eliminates the need to cap the tailings dam.

“You reduce your environmental obligation significantly, just by the process of hydro-mining and producing the product,” Goodwin says.

Indeed, the New Century mine has proven to deliver successful economic rehabilitation through waste value generation.

This answers to the prevailing concern in the mining sector, whereby NEW CENTURY COO BARRY HARRIS DURING HIS ACCEPTANCE SPEECH.

AUSTRALIANMINING

NEW CENTURY HEAD OF CORPORATE AFFAIRS AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY SHANE GOODWIN (L), COO BARRY HARRIS AND HEAD OF STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT MICHAEL PITT.

the rehabilitation of large mine sites has not been done well across the board globally, according to Goodwin.

“Mining companies have been looking for solutions for this,” he says.

Historically, traditional miners have come to the end of a mine life, looked at their assets and regarded them as an economic burden, according to Goodwin.

New Century simply shifts this mindset and proposes a way to turn rehabilitation into a profit-making enterprise that is appealing to undertake, instead of a burden for mining companies.

“The industry and government have looked at our approach of economic rehabilitation as a unique and positive step in solving what has been a problem for the industry generally, which is the fulsome rehabilitation of end of life mine assets,” Goodwin says.

“Queensland is very supportive of this model for economic rehabilitation, and it was one of the key factors in securing our royalty deferral arrangement with the state government (in August this year).”

Economic rehabilitation, which is New Century’s entire model, makes mandatory rehabilitation attractive to businesses.

The 2019 Australian Mining Prospect Awards judging panel has recognised this as the next phase of mining, “and we’re pleased with that

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recognition too,” Goodwin says.

New Century has turned the Century mine around in 18 months, having done all the work upfront, understanding the goal and setting out a plan to achieve that, he adds.

The key success to its Century mine was recruiting people who were similarly minded, with a view to achieving those goals in a timely manner as much as possible, while keeping the costs down.

“We’re successful in recruiting the right people who were also engaged in that process and believed in what we’re doing,” Goodwin says.

“They believe in the economic rehabilitation process. They like the idea of taking what is a mine waste product and deriving value from it for further rehabilitation.

“It’s something that our team, including contractor, is really on board with, and that’s really helped us achieve what we’ve achieved today.”

New Century is, however, looking at mining into hard rock for zinc products through its expansion of the East Fault Block and South Block operations.

This would extend Century’s mine life while providing extra rehabilitation opportunities, according to Goodwin.

New Century expects to release the results of its feasibility study in the first quarter of 2020, which Goodwin says will give an indication for the expansion. AM

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PROSPECT AWARDS

2019

AUSTRALIAN MINING

INNOVATIVE MINING SOLUTION

CROWDSOURCING INNOVATIVE APPROACHES TO EXPLORATION

PROSPECT AWARDS

IN AN ERA WHEN ECONOMIC MINERAL DEPOSITS HAVE BECOME INCREASINGLY DIFFICULT TO FIND, OZ MINERALS AND UNEARTHED HAVE PARTNERED TO PUT THE CHALLENGE TO THE CROWD.

M

aking new mineral discoveries in modern mining requires innovative approaches, something OZ Minerals and Unearthed called upon for the Explorer Challenge – a global, online crowdsourcing competition.

OZ Minerals boldly released over two terabytes of private exploration data and offered up a $1 million prize pool to geologists and data scientists from around the globe, in return for ground-breaking exploration approaches that could identify targets with high prospectivity at the Mount Woods tenement near the Prominent Hill mine in South Australia.

Circulating the data on the Unearthed platform was a move that notably broke with the industry tradition of mining companies opting not to share proprietary information.

The novel approach paid off for OZ Minerals and Unearthed, with the collaboration being recognised at the 2019 Australian Mining Prospect Awards, winning the Austmine Innovative Mining Solution award.

More importantly for OZ Minerals however, the crowdsourcing competition also returned several promising targets at the coppergold tenement that is being drilled this quarter.

OZ Minerals managing director and chief executive Andrew Cole believes the initiative has helped the company gain new insights and find fresh approaches to push the boundaries of its geological understanding of the area.

“The competition represents a fundamental change in approach to problem solving. Data science techniques can be used for exploration and many other challenges faced by the mining industry,” Cole tells Australian Mining.

“Partnering and accessing as many sectors as possible means we see ideas from outside our industry; things we may never have considered when looking with ‘mining lenses’.”

The Explorer Challenge aimed to accelerate the journey to discovery using data-driven insights by accessing thousands of skilled people from

a range of technical disciplines around the world to solve a specific industry challenge.

It called on over one thousand innovators to test the limits of geology and data science by developing ground-breaking approaches to mineral exploration that can unearth new targets.

From cutting-edge machine learning to advanced physical modelling, the 37 submissions represented thousands of hours of work developing and applying robust techniques applicable to the problem of target generation.

The competition awarded first prize to ‘Team Guru’ (Michael Rodda, Jesse Ober and Glen Willis), who accepted $500,000 for their ‘interpretable machine learning models for mineral exploration using geochemistry, geophysics and surface geology’ submission.

Unearthed industry lead – crowdsourcing, Holly Bridgwater, says the winning team embraced a different way of working on the challenge.

“The winning team really took the time to deeply understand the problem and how we currently explore. This enabled them to apply a data driven approach, but one that was really relevant to the problem at hand,” Bridgwater says.

“They focussed on a solution that geologists could use. They applied machine learning and data driven approaches but made sure they were considering the geologists’ workflow.

They clearly articulated the rational behind the decisions they made and how geologists can use the approach.”

OZ Minerals’ drilling program of the top consensus targets from the Explorer Challenge will include an initial six holes for 3000 metres.

The mining company will follow this year’s program with further drilling in the first half of 2020.

“During this program, OZ Minerals will live stream assay data to a select group of data scientists, which will enable predictions of drilling results to be made in near real time and significantly increase the amount of information available to geologists to make faster and more informed decisions,” Cole says.

Beyond the winning ideas, OZ AUSTRALIANMINING

HOLLY BRIDGWATER

Minerals and Unearthed were impressed with the level of ingenuity and diversity displayed across the 37 submissions.

Both Cole and Bridgwater agree that the most surprising aspect of the competition was the wide range of machine learning techniques and workflows, as well as the use of international and national data.

Cole says the participants’ ability to explain how machine learning approaches developed relevant targets, empowering the company’s geologists to believe and engage with the method, impressed him.

“The way that data science and machine learning provide validation and feedback on predictions and models is quite different to the way we traditionally think in geological terms. We know we can learn a lot by applying this thinking to our approach,” Cole explains.

Bridgwater says all top teams across the different categories used a combination of modern machine

ANDREW COLE

learning techniques and more traditional approaches.

She believes mining is now more open-minded about using data through crowdsourcing initiatives following the competition and that there will be similar challenges in the future.

“There is an incentive to tap into this collective intelligence to get quick feedback on the data industry collects and move through the exploration process faster,” Bridgwater says.

“People are building trust and becoming more comfortable about data being used in a different way.”

OZ Minerals even plans to look at ways crowdsourcing can be applied to not only finding exploration targets, but also other business challenges.

“The Explorer Challenge has enabled us to push beyond the boundaries of what is normal in mining, which is how we think more broadly about innovation, and how we can apply different thinking to complex problems,” Cole concludes. AM

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DECEMBER 2019

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PROSPECT AWARDS

2019

AUSTRALIAN MINING

MINERALS PROCESSING OF THE YEAR

PROSPECT AWARDS

THE SPOTLIGHT SHINES ON LANDMARK MMD INVENTION

MMD PUSHES THE ENVELOPE WITH THE FULLY MOBILE SURGE LOADER. MANAGING DIRECTOR LEE HILLYER DISCUSSES THE PRODUCT’S DEVELOPMENT, ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND FUTURE OPPORTUNITIES.

M

ining Machinery Developments (MMD) has developed a mobile feeder solution that transforms traditional truck and shovel operations to deliver productivity and safety benefits.

The project took two years to develop, but this time has paid off for MMD, as the fully mobile surge loader has earned its maker the CDE Global Minerals Processing of the Year Award at the 2019 Australian Mining Prospect Awards.

MMD’s innovative piece of equipment eliminates the need for the intermittent loading typically seen in truck-shovel mining.

The fully mobile surge loader decouples the shovel from the truck without having to wait for trucks to arrive. This turns the time saved into significant productivity improvements for operators.

MMD managing director Lee Hillyer considers the surge loader to be a great achievement considering it is the first unit of its kind.

A rope shovel with the highest capacity (i.e. 12,000 tonnes an hour) can seldomly reach 6000 tonnes an hour, purely because the excavator shovel is waiting on trucks, according to Hillyer.

MMD’s surge loader, however, has

proven to increase shovel utilisation by nearly 95 per cent. It also maximises the truck payload without overfilling or underfilling it.

“A truck is usually either overfilled or underfilled. So, this unit will not only improve the production rates, but also fill a truck accurately every single time,” Hillyer tells Australian Mining.

“If a truck is overloaded then you can have safety incidents – tyre blowouts, greater maintenance issues and risks of material falling over while loading the truck.

“If you underfill a truck or are running trucks that are 80 to 90 per cent full, then you’re incurring higher operating expenditure with more trips and causing damage to the environment.”

Rio Tinto, the first company to show interest in the surge loader, has realised the innovation’s benefits since introducing it at the Kennecott copper mine in the United States.

Stephen McIntosh, group executive, growth and innovation at Rio Tinto, credits the surge loader for improving productivity at the site.

He says spillage from trucks at Kennecott has been reduced as material rests in the centre of the truck bed as a result of better loading.

“The fully mobile surge loader is a proof-of-concept project that would allow diggers and trucks to operate

MMD MANAGING DIRECTOR LEE HILLYER WITH CDE GLOBAL REGIONAL MANAGER – AUSTRALASIA, DANIEL WEBBER.

almost continuously, without needing to wait for each other,” McIntosh, speaking at the Macquarie Australia Conference, says.

“It is designed to act as a temporary store for material from the digger, which is then delivered to haul trucks autonomously.

“The main production benefit is the digger no longer needs to wait for the truck to reverse into position – it can continue digging at the face and MMD’S FULLY MOBILE SURGE LOADER.

AUSTRALIANMINING

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DECEMBER 2019

loading the surge loader.”

Safety has also been a huge focus on the surge loader project, with the proof of concept hitting almost 30,000 hours of running time without a single lost time injury.

According to Hillyer, Rio Tinto communicated its initial interest to use the surge loader at Kennecott in 2017, marking the start of the project.

MMD delivered a few simulations to Rio Tinto that demonstrated the unit’s ability to improve mine productivity, before progressing the product into manufacture and installation.

Hillyer, who’s been working at MMD since his 16th birthday, says the company now looks forward to seeing the loader installed at other mine sites around the world.

In the meantime, Hillyer will personally visit the Kennecott site as the surge loader drives into the pit before the end of the year.

“I’ve been heavily involved in this project since the first phone call – I consider this project to be very close to my heart,” Hillyer says.

“It’s been a real worldwide collaboration and fantastic team effort by all the MMD companies – in the United States, United Kingdom and Australia. This project is a massive opportunity to put MMD on the global map.” AM

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PROSPECT AWARDS

2019

AUSTRALIAN MINING

CONTRACT MINER OF THE YEAR

SAFETY, EXPANSION THE KEY FOR MITCHELL SERVICES

PROSPECT AWARDS

IT IS A GOOD TIME TO BE AT MITCHELL SERVICES – THE COMPANY HAS BEEN NAMED EPIROC CONTRACT MINER OF THE YEAR AT THE 2019 PROSPECT AWARDS IN THE SAME YEAR THE BRAND HAS TURNED 50. SALOMAE HASELGROVE WRITES.

EPIROC’S PETER BARNETT PRESENTS MITCHELL SERVICES CEO ANDREW ELF WITH THE EPIROC CONTRACT MINER OF THE YEAR AWARD.

F

our months after celebrating its 50-year milestone, Mitchell Services took out the Epiroc Contract Miner of the Year honour at the 2019 Australian Mining Prospect Awards.

Mitchell Services is one of the most diverse drilling companies in Australia, operating in both surface and underground minerals, as well as both aspects of the coal industry.

Growing from the Mitchell brand that started 50 years ago, the company has been innovative from the beginning, drilling the first surface-to-inseam intersecting coal seam gas wells in Australia, Botswana and China.

In 1962, Peter Mitchell was working for Sedco Exploration in central Queensland when the company discovered a large quantity of coal.

Mitchell soon moved into working as a driller’s offsider, before he met his wife-to-be Deidre, better known as ‘Dee’, a few years later, and together decided to go out on a limb and start their own drilling company.

They purchased their first drill rig and from there, Mitchell Drilling was born.

After four decades of success, Mitchell Drilling was sold in 2008 and came back to Australia as Mitchell Services in 2013, a publicly-listed company with over 400 employees, 70 rigs and a guiding philosophy to always find a better way to operate.

While the firm has grown from a small family business to a worldrenowned company, the Mitchell values still very much align with its founders qualities, as down-to-earth, hard-working country people driven to achieve success.

Its fleet, headcount of staff and number of operating rigs all grew quickly as the brand re-established itself within Australia, but the only thing that didn’t grow was its frequency of injuries, as the company maintained its key priority of delivering innovative solutions without compromising safety.

The continued improvement of the company’s safety and risk management systems has led to a drop in both the frequency and severity of injuries across Mitchell Services as the business continues to see year-on-year reductions in recordable incidents.

Mitchell Services’ core value is ‘finish every day without harm’, and chief executive officer Andrew Elf believes the company’s focus on safety AUSTRALIANMINING

is certainly part of the reason it was named Contract Miner of the Year.

“I definitely think that our safety performance was taken into account as part of the judges’ assessment process,” Elf says.

“Our safety performance has been very good as a business and in particular, we have managed our critical risks as a business extremely well.

“I always say, it’s non-negotiable to be safe in business, not just in the mining industry, but in any business.”

Mitchell Services’ continued high level of safety performance led to Anglo American and Glencore extending underground coal drilling contracts with the company.

The contractor has, meanwhile, integrated Tom Browne Drilling, Nitro Drilling and most notably, Radco Drilling, between 2013 and 2018.

Last year’s acquisition of underground coal drilling specialists Radco Drilling has allowed Mitchell Services to provide clients with a wider range of modern rigs at the forefront of technology and innovation.

In late 2018, Mitchell Services won the Anglo American safety award for developing and implementing a rig spin cage that significantly reduced

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the risk of operators getting caught in the spinning machinery, which has now been rolled out across all sites.

“Any time you’ve got rods spinning and people are working near them, there’s a risk of getting entangled and there have been fatalities in the industry before relating to rig entanglement,” Elf says.

“Being able to reduce that risk is essential to the safety of our crews and we were proud to be one of the first to implement this sort of engineering on underground coal drilling rigs.

“That sort of control existed in other areas on other types of rigs, so we took that control and adapted it to apply a form of drilling that had never had it before.”

To ensure it is always offering the most diverse service in Australia, Mitchell Services constantly monitors trends and targets opportunities within the drilling industry as they arise, as well as reviewing the latest technology to stay up to date.

The company also endeavours to include its clients in operational strategies when possible, to ensure the best result for all parties within its relationships.

“When you’ve got clients that are open and committed to working collaboratively, they get the best results and see the benefits of putting the time and effort into that particular type of relationship,” Elf says.

“Anglo (American) have always worked with us in a very collaborative manner to get the best outcome.”

Elf credited the company’s employees for always going above and beyond in their work, helping them with their success as a business and as the Contract Miner of the Year.

“Drilling is a people business and a service business, so without your people you really haven’t got a business,” he says.

“Anything we do and achieve is certainly because of the people we’ve got, they work hard, they’re often away from home and we certainly appreciate everything they do.

“The saying here at Mitchell’s is ‘operations is king’ so in everything we do, we try to support the people who work out in the field and make things safer and more efficient for them.” AM

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PROSPECT AWARDS

2019

AUSTRALIAN MINING

MINE MANAGER OF THE YEAR

PAUL CUTHBERT AND BHP LEAD CHARGE TOWARDS DIVERSITY

PROSPECT AWARDS

THE 2019 PROSPECT AWARDS MINE MANAGER OF THE YEAR HAS OVERSEEN A RANGE OF BHP’S PROJECTS IN HIS 13 YEARS WITH THE COMPANY, INCLUDING DEVELOPMENTS AT THE OLYMPIC DAM AND ROXBY DOWNS SITES.

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THE OLYMPIC DAM SITE.

aul Cuthbert has been acknowledged for his many years of contribution to BHP and subsequently, the industry as a whole, as the CRC Industries Mine Manager of the Year at the 2019 Australian Mining Prospect Awards.

Cuthbert is today the general manager mine at Olympic Dam, one of the world’s most significant deposits of copper, gold, silver and uranium, located 560 kilometres north of Adelaide in South Australia.

Olympic Dam is made up of underground and surface operations, including a fully integrated facility for processing from ore to metal.

As modest as he is successful, Cuthbert credits the win to the entire Olympic Dam team rather than himself as an individual.

“Winning the award is very humbling and the backdrop for this award must be attributed to the broader mining team Olympic Dam,” Cuthbert says.

He may attribute his win to the whole team, but he has certainly made a mark on BHP as a company.

Starting with the company in 2006, Cuthbert began his career in the Eastern Goldfields region of Western Australia before moving to Olympic Dam to work as an underground production manager.

After a quick stint at BHP’s Adelaide office, Cuthbert spent sevenand-a-half years as general manager at Ekati diamond mine, 200 kilometres south of the Arctic circle in Canada’s Northwest Territories.

He then returned to Olympic Dam as BHP’s Underground Mining School of Excellence initiative was acknowledging its first stream of graduates.

The Underground Mining School of Excellence creates job opportunities for people without experience in mining through a tailored fiveweek program of theory and practical training.

Students learn the skills and language needed to work in the industry and it includes modules on BHP’s history, company purpose, working culture and mental health.

Cuthbert, pleased with the success of the program, says it has helped people from a wide range of backgrounds gain more confidence in the mining sector.

“I look at the mining school project and think about how they’ve done such a fantastic job of thinking outside of the box and how we can make a difference for people new to the industry and it’s been a great example of what can be done to cultivate the next generation of miners,” Cuthbert says.

“We’ve had just over 100 graduates AUSTRALIANMINING

come through and looking forward there’s about 40 coming out in the next three months.

“In terms of impact, the vast majority of those 140 people have been new to the industry and come from all walks of life, so it has given BHP access to a broader work pool.

“When I talk to the graduates there’s a sense of greater confidence after giving them a couple of months’ worth of training.”

Cuthbert also notes the program’s high retention rate and how much more comfortable graduates seem to be at the end of their training compared with other methods of bringing in new staff.

“We are seeing less turnover than we do in other ways of bringing people into the company, so it’s quite positive,” he says.

“You only have to talk to the team that has been providing the training to realise the difference it makes on the individuals.”

Cuthbert believes the program has been such a success due to BHP’s position as a leading organisation for social value, in particular, ensuring diversity in the workplace.

“One of the ways BHP as a company thinks about social value is how do we get a workplace diversity that represents the communities in which we operate,” Cuthbert explains.

“By being open to diversity, we can

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access a greater number of people from different walks of life that come through to work with us.

“It’s been great coming back to Olympic Dam and seeing the strides we have taken as a company, such as the number of women in our workforce and the mining school is a part of that.”

BHP’s ratio of women in the workplace has increased to more than 24 per cent, around double what it was five years ago, and the company is taking measures to continue to make this number grow.

“BHP has been quite open about seeking gender balance by 2025 and the mining school should continue to make this happen,” Cuthbert says.

He says one of the reasons BHP has been so successful in striving for diversity and fostering successful leaders is how stringent the company is on sticking to its values – sustainability, integrity, respect, performance, simplicity and accountability.

“Our charter values are not just something that just hands on the wall, our leaders use them as guidance not only from a prosperity perspective, but for doing what is right,” he says.

“This is the longest I’ve been with one employer and one of the things that keeps me here is our values and knowing I’m being supported in the decisions I make as a leader.” AM

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PROSPECT AWARDS

2019

AUSTRALIAN MINING

CONTRIBUTION TO MINING

PROSPECT AWARDS

REMEMBERING JOHN EMERSON’S CONTRIBUTION TO MINING JOHN EMERSON, WHO SADLY PASSED AWAY UNEXPECTEDLY IN AUGUST, HAS BEEN RECOGNISED FOR HIS ACHIEVEMENTS IN MINING WITH THE BGC CONTRACTING CONTRIBUTION TO MINING HONOUR. SALOMAE HASELGROVE WRITES.

JOHN EMERSON’S NEPHEW STEVE SKULL (L), BGC CONTRACTING COO ANDREW TAPLIN AND ANOTHER OF EMERSON’S NEPHEWS MICHAEL SKULL.

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ining stalwart John Emerson is already sorely missed in the Australian mining industry.

His passing was notably commemorated at the DRILL2019 event in Darwin, which he had planned to attend, with a moment of silence. At the 2019 Australian Mining Prospect Awards, Emerson received further recognition by winning the BGC Contracting Contribution to Mining award.

Emerson’s nephew Steve Skull accepted the award on his uncle’s behalf by paying tribute to the mining personality as a source of inspiration and a missed family member.

“John’s passing has certainly left a hole in our family and I know from talking to the three or four hundred people that turned up to wish him farewell at his funeral just what a hole it has left in the industry, particularly

the drilling and mineral exploration industry that he was such a big part of for so many years,” Skull says.

Skull also remembered the fun times spent with his uncle when he joined him on a site visit to see a drill rig during his childhood.

“When I was a kid he was kind enough to take me out to a drill rig in the middle of nowhere when I was about 10 years old – I just couldn’t believe the amount of beer in the trailer,” Skull laughed, sharing a personal side to his uncle with the Prospect Awards crowd.

“He was an amazing guy, he’ll be remembered fondly across the industry as an amazing mentor, friend and colleague to many.”

Although he spent more than three decades in the mining industry, Emerson seemed destined for a completely different industry – farming.

Emerson graduated from Muresk Agricultural School in Western Australia and spent his early working AUSTRALIANMINING

days with wheat and sheep farming businesses.

Before long, however, he decided to switch fields and pursue a career in minerals exploration.

Emerson gained a drilling diploma and quickly moved into drilling managerial roles in Western Australia’s gold mining capital, Kalgoorlie-Boulder.

After his time in the Goldfields city, Emerson relocated across the border to South Australia, becoming a pioneer at Western Mining’s Olympic Dam project at Roxby Downs.

His agricultural knowledge still proved valuable, as he interacted with local farmers to gain access to their properties for critical mining associated services, water and equipment hire.

Emerson spent almost 35 years at Western Mining as group manager for logistics and drilling, becoming commonly known as ‘the drilling expert’.

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After 34 years and 10 months at the company, to be exact, Emerson spent two years travelling around Australia and the world as a business development manager for Boart Longyear.

He then settled into a new role, as operations manager for Geology Exploration Drilling (GEX) and surface drilling manager with BHP Billiton Nickel West.

Emerson’s strong leadership skills were instrumental in devising the AMIRA drilling roadmap, which formed part of the government-endorsed deep exploration technology cooperative research centre.

This group and Emerson’s work within it has proven fundamental in promoting the importance of muchneeded life-saving innovations with technology and equipment.

The initiatives helped to reduce drilling costs, increase production, extract more data and of course, eliminate harm to workers and save lives.

Emerson’s passion for upholding safety within the industry and using the best equipment available to get the job done matched his career achievements.

He established Emerson Consultancy in March 2014, where he worked as a consultant until the day of his passing.

In addition to his hard work and extensive knowledge of minerals exploration and drilling, Emerson was known for his contribution to the mining community, particularly through leadership and generosity to share knowledge.

Emerson guided and shaped the careers of many current leaders within the industry, making many friends along the way.

He loved the people in the industry and they loved him, which was reflected at his memorial service on September 11, with hundreds of people attending to pay their respects and say goodbye to a dear friend.

As his friends and colleagues remark, Emerson will be remembered as a “true gentleman, father figure, my mentor.” AM

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PROSPECT AWARDS

2019

AUSTRALIAN MINING

EXCELLENCE IN MINE SAFETY, OH&S AWARD

MANGOOLA CHPP INNOVATION BOOSTS SAFETY RECORD

PROSPECT AWARDS

FOR A SITE THAT HAS NOT SUSTAINED A LOST TIME INJURY IN THE EIGHT YEARS SINCE OPERATIONS STARTED, GLENCORE’S MANGOOLA CHPP IN THE HUNTER VALLEY HAS DEVELOPED ONE SAFETY INNOVATION THAT STANDS OUT ABOVE ALL.

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lencore’s team at the Mangoola CHPP (coal handling preparation plant) in New South Wales has demonstrated how safety improvements can be effectively introduced in response to a tragic incident.

Mangoola CHPP’s asset management team developed a carefully-engineered solution to the difficult task of replacing the belly plates on an ABON chain feeder after a worker at another Glencore site was fatally injured while performing the task in 2016 .

The now-proven safety initiative at the Hunter Valley site was rewarded at the 2019 Australian Mining Prospect Awards with the Flexco Excellence in Mine Safety, OH&S award.

Typically, working space is restricted beneath the chain feeder, and ABON’s standard replacement instructions involve dismantling of the machine from the top down.

The lengthy task requires the removal of the upper floor plates, the chain and flight assembly and then removing the belly plates once each of the former components have been removed.

It also involves multiple crane lifts and the associated interaction of personnel in that environment.

There is also the risk of the belly plates binding within the frame, making it difficult to dislodge them and inviting excessive lifting equipment loads as a result.

During the 2016 incident, the work group was slinging the belly plates from the top side of the machine using manual rigging equipment.

Glencore believes the group was planning the execution of the task as they went to a certain extent and it appears that the injured worker entered the area beneath the load.

With all of the bolts removed and due to the angle of the rigging, it dropped and swung rearward, crushing the worker.

The Glencore CHPP asset management team was faced with the prospect of conducting the same task two years later.

However, the team was instructed

to “devise a method to remove and replace these components with the absolute certainty that no person would be injured,” according to Mangoola CHPP manager Chris March.

Led by Mangoola CHPP maintenance supervisor Scott Bannerman, the team spent nine months devising a method based around a hydraulic trolley mounted lifting table.

The trolley travels on a rail system that allows the plates to be removed and railed out. The new plates are then railed in and lifted squarely into position without any personnel being exposed to suspended loads.

Mangoola CHPP completed the task without injury or incident in October 2018, but continued to add improvements to make the task safer.

With the design assistance of FLSmidth ABON, the Mangoola CHPP team improved the process further by manufacturing the replacement plates at a slightly narrower profile by adding ‘shim packs’ to eliminate the prospect of binding when the next change is required.

This method also enabled work to continue above the top deck as it remained in place as a hard barrier between the workers below. It meant that critical bin liner work could proceed with nil risk or impact to the involved work party.

Mangoola Coal operations manager Nick Slater is delighted that the CHPP asset management team’s work has been acknowledged at the Prospect Awards.

“The health and safety of our workforce is our number one priority and our CHPP team has done an excellent job in designing a rail and hydraulic system for one of the higher risk maintenance tasks at the plant – replacing chain feeder plates,” Slater says.

Furthermore, the hot works that were initially required in preparation for the task are no longer needed for the next changeover.

In total, the job took 36 hours to complete from start to finish.

However, it is expected that this time will be reduced to 24 hours with the elimination of the hot works.

March believes what sets the initiative apart is the diligent

MARK COLBOURN (FLEXCO), CHRIS MARCH (MANGOOLA CHPP), SCOTT BANNERMAN, (MANGOOLA CHPP) AND SHAUN EGAN (DOWNER) CELEBRATE THE WIN.

AUSTRALIANMINING

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application of engineering in the hierarchy of controls to deliver not only a method that eliminates the risk of serious injury, but also adds productivity benefits.

“By using a combination of rail and hydraulics, we’ve been able to take our people away from areas of higher risk, as well as significantly reducing the time needed to replace the plates,” March says.

Glencore has also conducted the task using the Mangoola CHPP methodology at another of its operations in the Hunter Valley with the same results.

The award-winning initiative reinforces why Mangoola CHPP is recognised as an industry-leading operation in terms of safety, productivity and environment excellence.

“We have maintained a strong focus on safety at Mangoola. In fact, our CHPP team has not sustained a single lost time injury since we started operating in 2011,” March says.

“These types of innovations are designed to help us maintain that record.” AM

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PROSPECT AWARDS

2019

AUSTRALIAN MINING

EXCELLENCE IN ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT

RIO TINTO WINS ENVIRONMENTAL AWARD FOR TURTLE MONITORING

PROSPECT AWARDS

RIO TINTO, WHICH SHARES ITS PILBARA PORTS WITH SOME OF AUSTRALIA’S MOST IMPORTANT TURTLE BREEDING GROUNDS, IS MAKING EFFORTS TO ENSURE ITS FLIPPERED FRIENDS HAVE THE BEST CHANCE AT MAKING IT TO ADULTHOOD. SALOMAE HASELGROVE WRITES.

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ape Lambert Port runs adjacent to Bells Beach, which is recognised throughout the Pilbara region as a significant mainland rookery for the threatened flatback turtle.

Since 2002, Rio Tinto has developed and implemented a marine turtle monitoring and management plan (MTMMP) to ensure design, construction and operation of its ports do not disturb the threatened species.

The mining giant has been recognised for its efforts to conserve the turtles, winning the Metso Excellence in Environmental Management award at the 2019 Australian Mining Prospect Awards.

The West Pilbara MTMMP has operated for more than a decade. After the success of the project, Rio Tinto formed a partnership with the Department of Biodiversity Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) in 2014, providing top-up funding to support monitoring of hawksbill turtles on Rosemary Island, offshore Cape Lambert.

In 2016, Rio Tinto again partnered with the DBCA, this time to monitor the turtle population at another nearby atoll, Delambre Island. Two years later, the project identified that Delambre Island is potentially the largest flatback turtle rookery in the world, meaning data obtained from the project is valuable in monitoring the wider flatback turtle population.

Rio Tinto’s Pilbara ports, salt operations and Robe Valley mines environmental superintendent Martin Buck said the company had seen vast improvements in the number of turtles nesting on Bells Beach since the program started.

“It sounds ironic, but Bells Beach is probably fortunate to be located so close to our operations,” Buck says.

“Its proximity has resulted in a much higher level of protection than you see at other nesting beaches within the region, meaning many

of the local stressors evident at those beaches, such as vehicle driving impacts, feral pest activities and artificial light impacts, are not present.

“Between 2010 and 2014 an average of approximately 140 turtles nested per annum. Between 2015 and 2019, that average increased to approximately 228 nests.

“The 2018/2019 summer period was our best yet, with approximately 270 nests being recorded.”

The program is split into three main management focusses; early and proactive risk mitigation during design, targeted management during construction and operational management practices.

To minimise the risk of disruption to the turtles and their environment as early as possible, Rio Tinto starts at the infrastructure design phase by reducing artificial lights on jetties and wharfs as much as possible.

If lighting is absolutely necessary, the company installs low lighting options and also reduces vehicle access to turtle nesting areas.

Construction work is also completed during daylight hours whenever possible to avoid further light disturbance to turtles.

To ensure safety outside of Rio Tinto’s work, it also conducts annual feral animal control programs to prevent animals such as dogs, cats and foxes from feeding on turtle eggs and hatchlings.

In addition to protecting the turtles, Rio Tinto developed the MTMMP for the positive impact on the local community, including involvement with the local Ngarluma traditional owners, who have been trained as guides to take locals and visitors on night tours.

“It’s a special project because not only are the environmental outcomes outstanding, but the way we’ve gone about the work has been closely aligned with our core values; teamwork, integrity, excellence and respect,” Buck says.

“Rather than completing this work in-house, we have proactively

AUSTRALIANMINING

partnered with key operational, community, scientific, traditional owner and regulator stakeholders over the long term.

“These partnerships are the foundation of success for the program and result in multiple benefits, such as proactive management of risks within our operations, sharing and publication of critical monitoring data, employment and capability building within traditional owner groups and increasing community awareness around the environment and associated risks.”

Rio Tinto credited its partners and volunteers for their huge efforts in ensuring the program’s success, including the DBCA, Ngarluma people, Australian Institute of marine science, Charles Darwin University, University of Western Australia and West Pilbara turtle program volunteers.

“Volunteers are the lifeblood of the West Pilbara turtle program and without their involvement, the program wouldn’t exist in its current state,” Buck says.

“The volunteers assess nesting activities and are involved in active protection of local beaches, such as beach clean-up activities.

“This involves significant time contribution in difficult conditions, because nesting activities occur during the extremely hot Pilbara summer.”

The MTMMP has been renewed for a further three years, meaning future generations of the Pilbara turtles that breed in the area will be in safe hands for years to come, much to the happiness of Rio Tinto, its partners and volunteers.

“We intend to maintain and improve our approach wherever possible,” Buck says.

“The renewal of the West Pilbara turtle program for a further three years resulted in additional funding being allocated for engagement with schools, the traditional Ngarluma owners and community volunteers, as well as more investment for active management activities on local beaches.

“We are incredibly proud of the project and its outcomes.” AM

RIO TINTO’S MARINE TURTLE MONITORING AND MANAGEMENT PLAN HAS HELPED TO PROTECT HUNDREDS OF FLATBACK TURTLES IN THE PILBARA REGION.

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PROSPECT AWARDS

2019

AUSTRALIAN MINING

COMMUNITY INTERACTION

COMMUNITY GOALS SHAPED

BY REAL NEEDS

PROSPECT AWARDS

NEW CENTURY RESOURCES HAS TURNED THE CENTURY ZINC OPERATION IN QUEENSLAND INTO AN AWARD-WINNING MINE SINCE ACQUIRING IT IN 2016 WHILE ALSO BENEFITTING LOCAL COMMUNITIES.

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hen it comes to fulfilling social responsibilities, New Century Resources doesn’t set its own agenda at the Century zinc operation in Queensland.

Instead, the company goes out and seeks the real needs and vision of the local communities in which it operates.

New Century’s approach won it the Bulk 2020 Community Interaction award at the 2019 Australian Mining Prospect Awards – the company’s first of two wins on the night.

New Century drives its social strategy through the Waanyi Downer Joint Venture (JV), a partnership formed between the traditional custodians of the land and mining services company Downer Group in late 2015.

Not only has New Century awarded several contracts to and established a profit-sharing agreement with the Waanyi Downer JV, the relationship goes beyond the commercial achievements and makes a real

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difference in the local community.

The Mornington Island State School literacy program has also been delivered by the Waanyi Downer JV, and stands out due to its quick, tangible results.

“We visited Mornington Island (State School in Gununa) and they told us about the issues they were having with younger students who weren’t attending school, and the principal told us the feedback: they had not developed basic literacy skills,” New Century head of corporate affairs and social responsibility Shane Goodwin tells Australian Mining.

“This was keeping them away from school because they felt confronted with the fact that they were not keeping up in classroom, which amplifies the low attendance rates.”

Through New Century’s consultation program, the community was able to identify a solution for the problem, but couldn’t deliver it due to a lack of resources.

The company provided solid evidence that having teachers in place and giving students extra care AUSTRALIANMINING

through one-on-one sessions, on top of their normal daily classroom reading, provided the support the students needed.

New Century listened and facilitated the Teacher’s Aide program, which included 35 students in preparatory school up to second grade, and 20 students in grades three to 10.

Within less than a year, the grade five students improved their literacy by 21 per cent, and the grade three students by 15 per cent.

“We provide the resource, but rather than saying to the community this is what we’re going to do for you, our community initiatives are guided by what the community says to be their development needs,” Goodwin explains.

“With this (program), students are encouraged to hold on to the language of their community, as well as developing their English, which will be a positive asset as they continue to mature.”

New Century also identified its Kapani Warrior program in

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Doomadgee, Queensland in a very similar way.

The Doomadgee community had expressed a wish to have their young people trained and engaged in programs that would grant them workready skills, in a hands-on learning environment where they could thrive.

New Century, in partnership with the Waanyi Downer JV delivers these criteria through the program.

The Kapani Warrior Program was born to allow “at risk” youth to participate in pre-army training run by retired army professionals in regional Aboriginal communities.

“Fourteen of the participants in that initial program went on to join the Army Reserve, and one joining the regular army. These are employment positions that didn’t exist before we engaged in that training initiative,” Goodwin says.

The program’s success has prompted New Century to run the camps in other locations, possibly in Normanton and Mornington Island.

Similarly, New Century is investigating the delivery of a Teacher’s Aide program in Doomadgee, thanks to its success in Mornington Island.

Goodwin says the company will help the mine’s former employees gain formal certifications.

“They were trained in operating heavy equipment, but didn’t receive formal certifications in that training as they were only trained in that particular site,” Goodwin says.

“The community was disappointed that a lot of their people have been engaged in training and work at New Century historically, but didn’t walk away with any formal certifications.

“So, we’re going to reverse that and have training institutions there to formally certify these workers in the work they were doing.”

Goodwin says there is a lot New Century can do and it’s all based on community feedback. This prevents New Century from being “hamstrung by its own design.”

Instead, the company has become the community’s agent in going out and finding ways to fulfill their desires, bringing life-long impact to local communities as it goes. AM

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LIEBHERR TAKES TRAINING FOCUS TO ANOTHER LEVEL THE ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURER HAS LAUNCHED A TRAINING PROGRAM IN AUSTRALIA THAT IS IMPROVING THE EXPERTISE OF ITS TECHNICIANS AND THE EFFICIENCY OF ITS AFTERSALES SERVICE.

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s mining equipment evolves and becomes more advanced, so do the training programs designed to support the maintenance of the machines.

Liebherr-Australia is keeping its aftersales service staff and mining customers on top of the advances in the manufacturer’s machinery through a new training program based in Adelaide.

Launched in April, the program has initially focussed on providing up-todate training for Liebherr-Australia’s service technicians who are based at its regional branches around the country.

The company is on the verge of expanding the program by offering it to the mining companies that own Liebherr equipment, bolstering their aftersales commitment to these Australian clients.

Liebherr-Australia national technical training manager James Ward says the development of the program has been guided by direct feedback on the skills its technicians and customers need for current machines.

“We spoke to our people about what they would like to get out of the training,” Ward tells Australian Mining.

“The big buzz right now is around machine electrics because that’s where the industry is going.

“We have therefore built simulators predominantly around the electrical side of the machines and then developed the training around our equipment.”

The program has also been designed to deliver training to LiebherrAustralia’s service technicians in a more efficient way.

Importantly, it has helped LiebherrAustralia overcome the geographical reach of the company’s service branches and the remoteness of where its equipment operates in Australia.

In the past, the company’s accredited service trainers were required to travel to each branch around the country to personally deliver training to service staff.

The OEM has now been able to unite its service technicians from the Perth (Western Australia), Mt Thorley (New South Wales) and Mackay

NATIONAL TECHNICAL TRAINING MANAGER JAMES WARD LED DEVELOPMENT OF THE R 9150 SIMULATOR.

(Queensland) branches at the Adelaide training base with the new program.

Liebherr-Australia executive general manager customer service, mining, Tony Johnstone says the training facility is recognised as one of three factory-accredited training centres delivering technical expertise to company’s staff and its affiliates in the Oceania region.

“The facility is another layer in our training and support offering in Australia that recognises our commitment to the mining industry,” Johnstone says.

The South Australian facility hosts Liebherr-Australia’s training simulators, including a new system based on the R 9150 excavator that has been developed in house by the company.

With up to four people from each branch at a session, Liebherr-Australia develops the skills of its technicians up to a level four standard through web and simulator-based training.

The training program’s content is based on material created for each machine by Liebherr’s manufacturing facilities in Europe and the United States which is then tailored to the Australian market and conditions.

Ward, who has led development of

AUSTRALIANMINING

the R 9150 simulator, says the training program has given Liebherr-Australia’s staff focussed training on the skills they will require when they return to the field.

“I asked what they wanted to see from the simulator as they are the people that will learn from it – we needed the information from the key audience,” Ward says.

“We then basically developed the complete electrification system from an R 9150 excavator on to a board – that technology is also relevant to the R 9100, R 9200, PR 776 dozer and to a degree the R 9800 excavator.”

Liebherr-Australia has a separate system for the technology used on the company’s remaining excavators, as well as the Litronic version for its haul trucks.

Ward has noticed positive growth from Liebherr-Australia’s service technicians who have taken part in the training since the launch of the program.

He says it has brought them closer together as a team and improved communication between the company’s branches.

“The training is already building stronger camaraderie,” Ward says.

“The team has a better understanding

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of what we are doing across the country and we can really share our skills between branches.

“We have seen this on the diagnostics side too, from what the guys share at the training sessions.

They bring their own unique information and that opens up the dialogue with each other.”

Following the success of the training program internally, Liebherr-Australia plans to deliver the same benefits to its mining clients as they become part of the program.

Ward says inviting the companies Liebherr-Australia works with to Adelaide will not only build their service department’s understanding of the equipment, but will also help limit disruption at their operations for training.

“If a mining company has several R 996B excavators for example, they can bring people from multiple sites around Australia here at the same location, instead of having just one site receive the training,” Ward says.

“The program shows we are serious about providing quality training to customers and reducing their downtime. The key way for us to sell the next machine is by supporting the first one we sold.” AM

TAILINGS MANAGEMENT

INMARSAT LEADS CHANGE IN TAILINGS MANAGEMENT MANAGING TAILINGS STORAGE FROM MINES HAS COME A LONG WAY, ESPECIALLY DURING THE PAST DECADE. INMARSAT’S TAILINGS DAM MONITORING SOLUTION IS AT THE FOREFRONT OF THIS NEW WAY OF MANAGEMENT.

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efore 1900, tailings waste was generally discharged into the nearest surface water course, which opened up huge environmental liabilities, as well as significant costs reversing the damage.

In addition to the costs to companies and the environment, discarding tailings waste into lakes, rivers and oceans contributed to negative public perception of the whole industry, so by the 1930s, this method of tailings disposal ended in the western world.

Fast forward to 2019 and tailings management has changed dramatically, thanks especially to technological advances for monitoring dams with data, something British telecommunications company Inmarsat is developing with its tailings dam monitoring solution.

Inmarsat’s global mining innovation director Joe Carr says this solution can be adapted to customer needs, and as well as this convenience, it also improves safety for the workers monitoring the data.

“Our solution ensures mining companies and other key stakeholders are able to instantly see the status of key metrics such as pond elevation, piezometric pressures, inclinometer readings and weather conditions by displaying them in a cloud-based app,” Carr explains.

“This enables more responsive decision making, which enables companies to operate more efficiently and safely.”

Inmarsat’s solution allows its customers to remotely monitor and manage dam data by gathering information from various instruments via edge connectivity, then relaying that data via its L-band satellite network to a cloud dashboard, where users can view the data.

“The dashboard has powerful functionality for audits and alerts, ensuring transparent, consistent tailings storage facility governance and monitoring practices,” Carr says.

“We then support the solution on an ongoing basis as a managed service, ensuring it is operating

optimally and adapting it as our customers’ needs change.

“Thanks to our global satellite network, our solution can be implemented anywhere there is a mine across the world on both open and closed mine sites.”

This is particularly advantageous for mining companies with operations all over the world, as they only need one connectivity partner, with Inmarsat able to support them wherever they are.

Carr says the reaction to databased tailings management solutions has been positive so far and he believes it is something the industry will continue to embrace due to its versatility to be used on different sites.

“The industry is definitely beginning to get behind the idea that we need a unified approach to tailings monitoring and interest in the technology that underpins it,” he says. “Approaches to monitoring tailings storage facilities vary wildly around the world and even between different mine sites owned by the same company.

“What we are providing is a real-time monitoring solution that provides transparency and supports sensible, consistent international standards around how monitoring and auditing should be carried out.”

Carr says approaches to monitoring tailings storage around the world are quite inconsistent, which is something data-optimised solutions can counter.

“Inspections could happen on a daily basis, or not at all, they could be visual, could involve instruments, could be carried out manually or could be through connected instruments,” Carr explains.

“Audits carried out by third parties such as auditors and government regulators, where more in-depth inspections take place, often happen at set intervals, much less frequently, sometimes months apart.

“In other words, monitoring approaches are inconsistent and in many cases not fit for purpose and as an industry we need to do more.”

Inmarsat has collaborated with Australian Internet of Things (IoT)

AUSTRALIANMINING

INMARSAT’S TAILINGS DAM MONITORING SOLUTION ALLOWS COMPANIES TO MONITOR THEIR TAILINGS SOLUTION REMOTELY.

and geospatial solutions specialist GlassTerra, to combine the two companies’ technological capabilities, notably, the latter’s light detection and ranging (LIDAR) solution.

GlassTerra’s LIDAR sensors allow real-time embankment monitoring, building three-dimensional pictures of the dam, allowing users to detect soil slippage or movement.

“GlassTerra’s LIDAR solution is really interesting, and we will be looking at ways it can work in conjunction with our tailings dam monitoring solution,” Carr says.

“It works through the use of scanning devices, which detect small movements on slopes or embankments, in real-time, which may indicate underlying geotechnical issues that could lead to failure.

“Inmarsat is open to collaboration and the development of functionality that will help miners manage their tailings facilities better.

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“The more insights miners have access to, the better they will be able to manage their tailings facilities.”

As mining works towards zero harm, both to workers and the environment, Carr believes working collaboratively across the mining industry is essential in relation to improving approaches to tailings storage management.

“We want to work with organisations from across the mining industry to understand what they need and develop our proposition instep with their changing priorities,” he says. “We want to work with mining organisations to understand what they need and develop our proposition in-step with their changing priorities.

“Together, we will create a safer, more sustainable and more efficient approach to tailings facility management, furthering the industry’s zero harm goals.” AM

MINING EQUIPMENT

NATIONAL GROUP MARKETING EXECUTIVE LEE EDMONDSON (L), BUSINESS ANALYST JARROD GILMORE, MANAGING DIRECTOR MARK ACKROYD, CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER JULIAN COOK AND FINANCIAL CONTROLLER DUVAN BASSON.

MARK ACKROYD WEIGHS IN ON AN EVER-CHANGING MINING INDUSTRY NATIONAL GROUP’S MANAGING DIRECTOR LOOKS AT MINING INDUSTRY TRENDS – PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE, RENTING VERSUS BUYING MACHINERY AND THE RISE OF AUTOMATION. SALOMAE HASELGROVE WRITES.

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ark Ackroyd has observed significant change in the mining industry and equipment sectors during the past two decades since founding National Plant & Equipment, part of the National Group, in 1997.

Starting with a single bulldozer, Ackroyd has consistently grown his operations, diversifying and building complementary entities and verticals to establish a business empire.

He has become a key industry player, with the National Group, now one of Australia’s most well-known heavy earthmoving equipment businesses, renting equipment to Tier 1 mining companies such as BHP, Rio Tinto, Anglo American and Fortescue Metals Group.

During his career, Ackroyd has experienced record-breaking industry highs and economic downturns, in which only the

adept has survived.

Ackroyd has overcome various challenges and managed to experience organic growth even during downturns. He has become highly regarded for being on the pulse of industry trends and foreseeing emerging market opportunities.

When asked how he has climbed the ladder from a sole operator, to a privately-owned business competing against large industry players, Ackroyd explains his ability to pick market trends, to adapt to industry forces and to never give up regardless of the challenges faced have ensured ongoing success and longevity.

Since the economic downturn of earlier this decade, Ackroyd has seen the market move from original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) producing large volumes of equipment to many OEMs significantly reducing production.

Now the market is experiencing AUSTRALIANMINING

significant growth, largely due to the rise of resource prices, a weaker Australian dollar, with a record low cash rate and an increase in demand from China.

OEMs have responded by ramping up production, but with large heavy earthmoving equipment taking as long as 18 months to produce, Tier 1 miners looking to increase production in line with the rise of resource prices and demand are finding it hard to keep up.

According to the September 2019 Resources and Energy Quarterly report, Australian resource exports appear likely to hold up in 2019– 20, even in the face of volatile commodity markets.

The global economy is forecast to grow by 3.2 per cent in 2019 and by 3.5 per cent in 2020 and 2021, creating various opportunities.

Higher export volumes and a lower than expected Australian dollar are likely to see Australia’s resource and energy export earnings set a new

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record of $282 billion in 2019–20.

The depreciation of the Australian dollar will help counter the impact of escalating US-China trade tensions, with Australia benefitting from an investor flight to safety.

But trade tensions between the US and China represent one of the largest risks to this outlook. To put it into perspective, Australia is the second largest exporter of thermal coal in the world, with 208 million tonnes (worth $26 billion) exported last year.

About 20 per cent went to China, illustrating the importance of the country’s mineral and resource exports.

National Group’s equipment largely services coal and iron ore.

Australia’s iron ore export earnings are expected to reach $81 billion in 2019–20, driven by higher prices.

Australia’s metallurgical coal export volumes are forecast to grow from 183 million tonnes in 2018–19 to 198 million tonnes by 2020–21,

MINING EQUIPMENT

reflecting production growth from restarts and new capacity in the Bowen Basin, a key mining region in which the National Group has a large presence.

Australia’s thermal coal export earnings reached a record $26 billion in 2018–19. Strong growth in export earnings has primarily been driven by high prices in 2018 and a high contract price settled for 2019–20.

Although Australia is largely impacted by Chinese demand, the global political climate could also create opportunities. For instance, possible implications of ‘Brexit’ for Australia’s trade with the United Kingdom and the European Union (EU).

The UK’s decision to leave the EU (known as Brexit) has presented great uncertainty and unique challenges.

However, Australia should be encouraged that the UK has signalled it is willing to enter into new trade partnerships following its departure from the EU, with Australia well positioned to redefine and expand Anglo-Australian trade and investment relationships.

Although the global economy largely impacts the mining industry as a whole, there are factors under our control, such as productivity, that are increasingly important.

Looking ahead, Ackroyd anticipates that companies will make changes to keep up with the ever-evolving industry, from their response to global markets, the equipment and technology they introduce, and how their decisions impact productivity and therefore profitability.

“It’s not only the equipment that is changing, but also the way in which companies are acquiring it,” Ackroyd explains.

More companies are looking towards long-term hire or rent-tobuy options rather than purchasing machines, a trend Ackroyd notes has grown in the past few years.

“The cost of heavy earthmoving equipment is extremely high and therefore requires a significant amount of capital expenditure,” Ackroyd says.

“The volatility of the mining industry and the constant shifting resource prices can pose significant risks for mining companies.

“Therefore, hiring mining equipment can reduce exposure to industry forces and help mitigate these risks for them.”

In addition to cutting costs, renting equipment also gives companies more flexibility to keep up with the industry as it grows and changes.

“Hiring equipment can enable a company to re-allocate available resources and more easily react to market trends as they occur,” Ackroyd says.

“Having more liquidity enables a company to invest in other areas of their business that can realise further opportunities and therefore increase their bottom line.”

Ackroyd has witnessed this firsthand, with National Group’s renting arm, National Plant & Equipment, expanding its fleet to over 300 machines, including excavators, dump trucks, dozers, graders, loaders, compactors, water trucks, service trucks and floats.

MARK ACKROYD HAS OBSERVED SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN THE MINING AND EQUIPMENT SECTORS IN THE PAST TWO DECADES.

Technology and how it will impact the industry and those who work in it, is another major talking point surrounding mining and equipment that Ackroyd monitors.

Despite technology’s ability to create a safer, more efficient and more sustainable mining environment, some workers remain apprehensive about what an automated future will look like.

Innovative practices are helping shape the future of the mining industry and will be a key driver towards a sustainable future.

Automation is gaining ground and will have a large impact on mining companies, their equipment and their employees.

However, Ackroyd believes miners shouldn’t worry about their jobs, but instead be prepared to evolve their skillset along with the industry as it continues to change.

WOLFF MINING HAS BEEN UPSKILLING ITS WORKERS TO KEEP UP WITH THE RAPIDLY CHANGING INDUSTRY.

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Ackroyd has watched this play out at Wolff Mining, a company that became part of the National Group this year.

Wolff continues to transition workers from machine cabins by up-skilling them so they can instead work from a control room.

“As automation increases, this will have an impact on mine site staff,” Ackroyd says. “Wolff for instance, enables one operator to control up to four dozers from a control room.

“However, this does not mean the other three workers are now out of a job; their roles will simply change shape.

“Automation will open up new opportunities for workers to upskill into new areas of the industry, whilst giving them greater safety going forward.”

Semi-autonomous, or driverless dozers are a big win for safety, allowing workers to operate from a safe and remote location.

Wolff’s work in optimising semi-autonomous tractor system technology is a world-first application into a mining production environment. Ackroyd sees the application of this technology becoming more widespread throughout the industry in the future.

With technological change in mining inevitable, Ackroyd tips drones and remote control operations to be the next big innovation to watch.

“In the future, there will be a need for more remote control operators and safety staff to oversee fully automated operations,” Ackroyd says.

“Automated technology will become more standard on new equipment that will further enable mining companies to utilise this technology to increase productivity, efficiency and safety.” AM

MINING SERVICES

LINX CARGO CARE GROUP KEEPS MINING MATERIALS MOVING A LOT CAN BE ACHIEVED BY A COMPANY WITH MORE THAN 100 YEARS’ EXPERIENCE AND OVER 50 STRATEGICALLY-LOCATED SITES ACROSS AUSTRALIA. VANESSA ZHOU SPEAKS WITH LINX CARGO CARE GROUP ABOUT ITS ALL-ENCOMPASSING CAPABILITIES FOR THE MINING INDUSTRY.

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INX Cargo Care Group exists at a time when mining companies are increasingly relying on single pitto-port providers for their logistical needs.

The company acknowledges that their mining clients have extensive distances to travel, need to use multiple modes of transport, and must be mindful of time to increase productivity and manage costs.

LINX Cargo Care Group has gained the ability to overcome challenges unique to the mining sector, with 100 years of ports and logistics experience that precedes the current ownership.

LINX Cargo Care Group executive general manager – customer and business development Carlo Cutinelli says the group creates a no waste mentality when working with the mining industry.

“You’ve still got one person driving the truck, you’ve still got fuel being used, but you can move additional tonnes in that individual unit,” Cutinelli tells Australian Mining.

“We partner with mining companies through their changing needs, making sure they’re getting that last couple of tonnes in a shipment.”

Through LINX Cargo Care Group, mining companies can choose a pit-to-port solution that fulfils their

core requirements, whether through rail, road, storage, bulk shipments or containerised options, through to the point of export.

LINX Cargo Care Group is today made up of five market-leading operations – LINX, Autocare Services, C3, GeelongPort and the recentlyacquired Pederson Group. It was born through one of the largest takeovers in Australian history.

When Australian freight logistics company Asciano was taken over in 2016 and divested into three parts, LINX Cargo Care Group became one of the three companies owned by a group of co-investors led by global alternative asset manager Brookfield.

Together, they are helping drive the Australian economy through ports, rail, road/transport and forestry.

LINX Cargo Care Group has incomparable resources and experience that many can’t compete with. Its comprehensive solutions are reflective of its corporate culture, leveraging these collective strengths to deliver more to mining companies.

“We want to assist them from the back end, giving them what we believe is going to be the best supply chain solution that can get their projects over the line,” Cutinelli says.

LINX Cargo Care Group has a value proposition that it can put forward to customers that are trying to get their feasibility studies up, giving them the ability to compete with the larger players.

Its LINX business, for example, works with miners to find the right direction for their products, whether its rail, stevedoring and port services, or other logistics solutions (road transport,

LINX WORKING WITH MOBILE CONVEYING SERVICES ON INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS FOR BULK MATERIALS LOADING IN KWINANA, WESTERN AUSTRALIA. AUSTRALIANMINING

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MINING SERVICES

CUSTOM FLEET CONVERSION VEHICLES FIT-OUT BY AUTOCARE SERVICES.

warehousing and ancillary services).

Mining companies can take advantage of LINX’s containerised solutions to transport a smaller volume of concentrates, which can flexibly go on the road or rail.

The group’s Autocare Services business is also ready to accommodate the remoteness of mine sites, the size of Australia’s mining states, or the tyranny of distance.

Autocare Services supplies endto-end vehicle fit-out solutions through its direct partnership with mining companies, or less directly though the original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).

“Autocare can provide build options for a full minespec service vehicle, to preparing a straight forward predelivery inspection and everything in between,” Autocare services national manager, fleet conversion, David Allen says.

The Autocare Services business moves more than a million cars a year and has built facilities in Perth, Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne,

WE PARTNER WITH MINING COMPANIES THROUGH THEIR CHANGING NEEDS, MAKING SURE THEY’RE GETTING THAT LAST COUPLE OF TONNES IN A SHIPMENT.”

Adelaide, Darwin and several key regional locations.

Autocare Services also has its own processing facilities and transport arm, where the business manages quality and service from the moment the vehicles lands in Australia, through to hand over with the end user.

“Every vehicle we fit out has had careful consideration and product scrutiny to ensure it meets or exceeds our customers’ requirements,” Allen says.

“For example, the van shelving fit out products we supply are subject to computer simulated crash tests to conform their compliance with current Australian Design Rules and

ensure the maximum safety for the end user, as well as the best outcomes for the life of the vehicle.

“We want to provide solutions for the customers and provide the supply chain from the wharf to the mine – a full service to eliminate transport costs and delay times to get them the best outcome.”

LINX group manager business development – Western Australia and the Northern Territory, Neil David agrees that a company has to be reliable, responsive and flexible – the three elements that the group embodies.

Without these elements, they will be impeded in their ability to operate a mine and attract unnecessary

THE WET

downtime, according to the manager, who has accumulated more than 30 years of industry experience.

“It’s also a career-long plea to the industry to engage with a logistics provider as early as possible,” David says.

David says logistics are an important aspect of a mining operation, but are often a low priority among miners.

In fact, there is significant mine optimisation that might not necessarily be visible at the start, as mining operators are caught up in identifying the cost of their plant and the richness of their ore.

Logistics tasks are often seen as a small cost to miners. But without tackling these tasks early on, miners would design themselves and their mines out of the efficiency that a logistics provider is set to deliver, according to David.

“Logistic tasks truly become a key lifeline in and out of the site once an operation is up and running,” he concludes. AM

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1800 813 677

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DECEMBER 2019

MEASUREMENT & MONITORING

THERE HAS BEEN A GROWING FOCUS ON MONITORING OF WORKERS FOR SILICA DUST.

PERSONAL EXPOSURE MONITORING IN CONFINED SPACES TSI INCORPORATED EXPLAINS HOW ITS PERSONAL DUST MONITORING INSTRUMENTS CAN HELP MINING COMPANIES AND OTHER INDUSTRIES PROTECT WORKERS FROM EXPOSURE TO RESPIRABLE PARTICULATES IN UNDERGROUND MINES AND CONFINED SPACES.

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roadly speaking, a confined space is an area that is large enough for a worker to enter and do work, but is difficult to get in and out of easily and is not designed or intended for regular occupancy.

Examples of potential work spaces that fit that definition include storage tanks, silos, reaction vessels, enclosed drains, manholes, ship holds, sewers, mines, and utility or furnace rooms with facility operating systems.

While all of these examples can be considered a confined space that professionals often work in, not all confined spaces are the same.

Dangers of respirable dust and particulates in confined spaces

Particles 10 microns (PM10) in size and below become airborne easily and can be inhaled into a worker’s respiratory system.

Particles that are four microns (respirable) or smaller (PM4, PM2.5 and PM1) are able to enter the human respiratory tract and penetrate deep into the gas exchange region of the lungs.

These small particles are typically generated from high energy work

like cutting, grinding and sanding of materials or through high temperature process such as welding or in foundries.

Airborne dust and particulates are often made up of hazardous materials such as hexavalent chromium, lead, manganese, iron oxides, nickel, cadmium, silica, diesel particulate matter and other materials.

Many of these materials are known to cause damage to organs in the human body such as the lungs, kidneys, liver, brain, nervous system and eyes. Many materials such as Silica are known to cause cancer.

When generated in confined spaces, these dusts and particulates can build up quickly so it is important to monitor the particle concentration that a worker is being exposed to so that action can be taken to reduce the exposure and maintain worker safety.

The best method for quickly determining exposure levels in realtime is with the use of direct reading instruments.

Real-time instruments can help workers quickly determine if the concentration of respirable particles is increasing in the work area and within the breathing zone of the worker. If so, workers can employ engineering AUSTRALIANMINING

controls to reduce exposure.

Even when engineering controls such as increased ventilation or dust evacuation methods are in place, it is important to monitor worker exposure in real-time to ensure the controls are effective or if further adjustments need to be made.

In recent years there has been a growing focus on personal monitoring of workers for silica dust and ultrafine particles, such as diesel particulate matter (DPM).

In 2016, the US OSHA reduced the personal exposure limit (PEL)

of silica dust exposure levels to 50 µg/m3 averaged over an eighthour period.

This is half of limit of the previous standard revision and OSHA added an action level of 25µg/m3 averaged over an eight-hour period. Many other countries have taken similar measures to minimise silica exposure to workers.

Silica exposure is potentially acute in confined spaces since the potential of limited air movement and minimal ambient air circulation in confined spaces, workers can

UNDERGROUND SITES ARE RISKY ENVIRONMENTS FOR RESPIRABLE PARTICULATES.

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MEASUREMENT & MONITORING

generate significant silica and particulate concentrations which can build quickly.

Now, with the new lower PEL and action levels for respirable silica, defined exposure limits can be reached over a shorter period of time with high respirable particle concentrations in confined spaces.

Underground mining

Perhaps the best recognised confined space is underground mining. With the new silica standards being adapted, underground mining operations have increased concerns over respirable crystalline silica dust being generated by normal mining operations.

Compounding need for respirable dust monitoring is the increase in ‘Black Lung’ disease in coal miners around the world from long-term exposure to respirable coal dust by miners.

Ultrafine particles such as DPM is also a potential compounding factor for particulate monitoring in confined spaces. DPM is classified as a possible carcinogen by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA).

The operation of diesel-powered equipment in underground mines and other confined or enclosed spaces can pose additional need for real-time personal exposure monitoring of particulates in the worker’s breathing zone.

Hazardous atmospheres and intrinsically safe personal aerosol monitors

Confined spaces in the underground mineral/metals mining, coal mining, petrochemical and oil and gas industries have the added complexity of workers performing duties in potentially volatile or explosive environments where gases, fuels or other potentially

TSI HAS DEVELOPED NEW PERSONNEL EXPOSURE MONITORING INSTRUMENTS WITH INTRINSICALLY SAFE DESIGN.

combustible materials are likely to be present.

As a result, many work areas in the mining, oil and gas, petrochemical and other industries require that electronic instruments like personal aerosol monitoring instruments be certified for intrinsically safe design so they will not have the potential to cause the ignition of specific gases or other combustible materials within the work area.

In work areas that are designated as explosive or potentially volatile, only intrinsically safe instruments that have been certified by IECEx / ATEX or CSA are allowed into the work area.

Certifications for real-time personal exposure monitors require specific design requirements with rigorous testing and verification.

Few real-time particle monitoring

AUSTRALIANMINING

instruments, such as the SidePak AM520i Personal Aerosol Monitor from TSI, can meet the ‘EX’ certification standards for applications requiring intrinsically safe instruments such as confined spaces.

Also, beyond the IS certifications above, the confined nature and hazard of underground mines typically require additional certifications. Almost every country requires instruments used in underground mines to be certified as intrinsically safe for mining in that country which requires manufacturers to go through additional reviews, investigations and testing.

Australia, for example, requires an additional IECEx-SIM certification from local authorities for Australian mining.

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Summary

Monitoring workers for exposure to respirable particulates that include dust, metals, crystalline silica, welding fumes, diesel particulate matter and other potentially harmful particles is being driven by tighter regulations affecting almost every industry.

Employers are more attentive than ever regarding the personal exposure of workers and the workers themselves are being educated to the potential dangers and health risks of respirable, fine and ultrafine particles in the workplace and how to avoid exposure.

Instrument companies like TSI are developing new personal exposure monitoring instruments that are certified for intrinsically safe design to help companies obtain the critical personal exposure data needed to help keep workers safe even in confined spaces. AM

THE MINING INDUSTRY HAS MOVED TO A NEW PHASE FOLLOWING THE MINING BOOM, ONE WHERE PRODUCTIVITY, INNOVATION AND SAFETY HAVE EMERGED AS ITS KEY PRIORITIES TRAINING MINING SERVICES VOLUME 111/11 | DECEMBER 2019

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INDUSTRY COMMENT

AUSTMINE’S YEAR IN REVIEW: FOSTERING GLOBAL METS GROWTH THE INDUSTRY BODY LOOKS BACK ON THE YEAR THAT WAS FOR THE MINING EQUIPMENT, TECHNOLOGY AND SERVICES SECTORS.

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ustmine is proud to celebrate our 30th anniversary of championing the Australian mining equipment, technology and services (METS) sector in 2019.

As we share this milestone with our members, Austmine can also reflect on another successful year where the profile of our community has continued to grow, both domestically and abroad.

Austmine’s membership has more than doubled in the past five years, now sitting at over 600 companies around the country.

This network is essential in preparing businesses for the future by communicating the needs of mining customers, driving access to key decision makers and fostering knowledge and information sharing.

Through our interaction with our members, we have seen three key themes emerge that are creating global growth outcomes for Australian METS: supply chain engagement from mining

companies, greater international opportunities and sustainability focussed innovation.

As we move into 2020, Austmine will strengthen our focus on these themes to ensure that Australian METS can capitalise on growth avenues.

1. Supply chain engagement from mining companies

Increasingly, mining companies are recognising the importance of engaging with the METS sector to learn about new technologies, share knowledge around industry challenges and foster collaborative project opportunities.

Across the year we have seen this engagement leading to critical conversations about digital transformation, sustainability and social licence, connectivity and cyber security, diversity and collaboration and partnerships.

This was highlighted at both the Austmine 2019 Conference & Exhibition and IMARC 2019, where global mining leaders came to

THE BORTANA EV IS AN EXAMPLE OF MODERN MINING EQUIPMENT BEING DEVELOPED.

AUSTRALIANMINING

Australia for fantastic showcases of the best in mining innovation.

The most important outcomes from these events was the acknowledgement and proof that transformational technologies such as artificial intelligence, mining vehicle electrification, machine learning and augmented reality are no longer mere concepts for the mining industry; they are being actively implemented into mining operations.

This deeper integration of mining companies with the METS sector has also led to new business models, such as BHP’s multi-year collaboration agreement with Southern Innovation. This has enabled a smart SME company to access funding, skills and networks to develop game-changing, disruptive technologies.

2. Greater international opportunities

Australian METS are leading globally with the best solutions, strategies and technologies for the next generation of mining and beyond.

Australian METS can be found in every corner of the globe, not just selling products and services but investing and employing thousands of people. The sector is one of Australia’s only global benchmark industries where ‘Australian made’ is a hallmark of success.

In 2019, interest from international mining houses in Australian METS has grown and Austmine has continued to develop the global footprint of our members and link them into supply opportunities overseas.

Key highlights on the international front included mining missions to Papua New Guinea, Kazakhstan, Canada, the United States and Mexico, which provided commercial opportunities for our members at renowned operations such as KAZ Minerals’ Aktogay project, Grupo Mexico’s Santa Eulallia mine and Barrick Gold’s Cortez project.

Elsewhere, we have extended our relationship with New Caledonia,

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welcoming Societe Le Nickel to Australia to evaluate METS companies that can assist with their mine and plant 4.0 strategies.

Representatives from mining nations far and wide were also hosted in Australia to see the best solutions on offer, including Russia, Chile, Argentina, Indonesia, Mongolia and Colombia.

3. Sustainability focussed innovation

The biggest threat to mining’s longterm future is maintaining licence to operate. Globally, communities are increasing pressure on operations to reduce environmental footprint, develop sustainable practices and build prosperous local economies.

The Australian METS sector has responded to this need with a range of exciting innovations and smart solutions that promote sustainability across the value chain.

An example of this is Safescape’s Bortana Electric Vehicle, which was launched at the Austmine 2019 Conference & Exhibition.

Traditionally a supplier of underground safety technologies, Safescape has responded to customer needs and major industry trends to diversify into the mobile equipment market and emissions reduction space.

Elsewhere, Voconiq emerged as an independent company following eight years of development within the CSIRO to tackle the challenge of community engagement. Their science-based approach records community views and opinions across the world, providing companies, industry and government with valuable insights to inform business practice.

Austmine has also witnessed the launch of collaborations within the METS sector to transform current practices in areas such as tailings and waste management, diesel emissions and carcinogens, water usage and drill and blast impacts.

It is exciting to see what the Australian METS sector can achieve in 2020. AM

TECHNOLOGY

AIR LIQUIDE CONTINUES TO DELIVER INERTISATION TO UNDERGROUND COAL MINES

AIR LIQUIDE’S FLOXAL ONSITE NITROGEN GENERATORS PROVIDE CONTINUOUS FLOW OF NITROGEN TO KEEP COAL MINES SAFE.

AIR LIQUIDE IS A PIONEER AND INDUSTRY LEADER THANKS TO ITS ONSITE NITROGEN TECHNOLOGY THAT SERVES AUSTRALIA’S LEADING UNDERGROUND COAL MINES. AUSTRALIAN MINING REPORTS.

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eing a combustible material, mining and manipulating coal gives rise to a significant fire hazard.

This is true in particular for underground long-wall mines where mining is performed in confined spaces.

The key mitigation method is to break the “fire triangle” by displacing oxygen and prevent any combustion even in the case of a spark.

This can be done by using nitrogen – an inert gas – injected directly inside the mine.

With coal mining operations often being in remote locations, getting pure nitrogen is not simple. This is where Air Liquide supports the industry to help coal miners stay safe.

Since Air Liquide installed the first onsite nitrogen system at Oakey Creek coal mine back in 2007, it has continued to be the “go to” provider of onsite nitrogen solutions to

the coal mine industry.

These onsite units are based on a proprietary membrane technology, extracting the oxygen from a stream of air to supply nitrogen to the mine with a purity of up to 98 per cent.

Over the past six years, Air Liquide has installed seven new on-site units across Australian coal mines.

This may not sound like many, however, if you compare that to the number of new underground mine operations since the coal price slump between 2012 and 2016, this shows Air Liquide remains the key supplier to major coal mining companies.

Australian Mining asks Air Liquide’s national onsite product manager, Geoff Hyland Wines, what he believes to be the reason why the company has been able to hold its leadership position in this market: “There are three key pillars that have ensured Air Liquide remains at the forefront of supply in this market,” Hyland Wines says.

AUSTRALIANMINING

Local expertise

“Every onsite nitrogen generator is built in our Wacol site in Brisbane by our onsite technical team. This local expertise means that our equipment is designed and built to the highest Australian standards, specific coal mine site standards and climate conditions,” Hyland Wines says.

“This local build provides FAT testing to be completed in Wacol prior to delivery to site and for the mines project team to assess the equipment before it arrives for the mine site introduction.”

Reliability of supply

“Air Liquide understands the importance of continued supply of nitrogen to the mine. This equipment operates in some of the harshest conditions in the world and ongoing servicing of this equipment is a priority,” Hyland Wines says.

“With our service technicians based right on the mine’s doorstep

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in Moranbah, Mackay and Newcastle, we can react quickly to any reliability issues that these conditions can create.”

Total responsibility package

“We have had the same nitrogen supply and service offer in the market for 10-plus years. Air Liquide will provide nitrogen to the mine at the same ‘availability’ level from day one of the equipment being installed until the last day of supply,” Hyland Wines says.

“Via our FLOXAL supply and service offer, we provide the coal mine with a performance guarantee, no hidden costs and peace of mind that the gas management plan in place will not be compromised over time by a shortfall of nitrogen.”

Air Liquide has, indeed, grown into one of the world’s largest industrial gas suppliers since being founded in France more than a century ago. Now, it is leaving its mark in the Australian underground coal industry. AM

TECHNOLOGY

MICROMINE MAKES MINING EASIER THE MINING SOFTWARE COMPANY HAS EXPANDED ITS RENOWNED USER-FRIENDLY SOLUTION TO UNDERGROUND MINE DESIGN AND PLANNING. SAY HELLO TO MICROMINE 2020.

M

ICROMINE has developed a new stope optimisation tool in its latest exploration and mine design software, Micromine 2020, for greater ease in underground design and planning.

The company has ingeniously taken the best of the industry standard for Pit Optimisation and blended it with underground specifics to deliver an intuitive, efficient solution for Stope Optimisation use.

This is the “beauty” of MICROMINE’s latest release.

Micromine 2020 allows everyone who is familiar with conducting open pit design and long-term planning to be comfortable transitioning to the company’s stope optimisation offering.

“Say a mining engineer wants to produce a mine with a stope of a specified minimum size,” MICROMINE technical product manager Gordon Thomas says.

“Micromine 2020 will work out the best place to put that stope within its understanding of what the deposit looks like.

“It uses both design and economic parameters such as costs, dilution and recovery factors, and minimum stope size in each direction, in different areas. So there’s a huge amount of flexibility in how you’d like to configure the stopes within the actual deposit.”

When it comes to userfriendliness, Micromine 2020 has made a search facility within the

app that allows users to type in a query about what they’d like to solve or achieve.

The app will then bring up the right features to use, allowing people to find solutions much more quickly.

Further, MICROMINE is propping up future mining requirements. In response to increasing uptake of automation, the tech company has made significant improvements to Micromine 2020’s scheduling abilities.

Micromine 2020 also supports auxiliary tasks such as drilling, blasting, extraction and backfilling, which go with stoping.

“These are similar tasks you encounter in open cut mining,” Thomas says.

“Whichever you do – open cut or underground mining – the scheduler is going to make a lot of difference and tackle much bigger problems. There isn’t really one part of the mining chain that we don’t add value to.”

Micromine 2020’s reporting tools are very much detailoriented, thanks to a new report generator that allows people to quickly summarise the reports and customise them according to their summary preferences.

This expanded analytical charting framework combines analytical results with pleasing visuals to address several problems in resource estimation.

It also features 3D and interactive viewing, where users can spin and magnify a layout, and look in detail what the software has done.

“We’re trying to expose

MICROMINE 2020 FEATURES ENHANCED DATA VISUALISATION AND ANIMATION.

everything so that people can clearly see what’s going on, report it and make sure they’re happy with the result,” Thomas says.

With all the functionality that Micromine 2020 provides, they’re contained in a single, consistent package, which received glowing feedback from customers that accessed the beta release program.

Once a user is trained in one area of the package, they can very easily take their skills and tools learned and use them in other areas of the package, according to Thomas.

It is also compatible with many geological and mining file formats, including Open Mining Format (OMF).

For companies already familiar with MICROMINE’s exploration tools, they’d be able to migrate to all other parts of the value chain that Micromine 2020 addresses and use the software very well.

However, MICROMINE has

also identified several fundamental improvements it wanted to achieve from the get go, according to Thomas.

The improvements include Micromine 2020’s ability to generate geological models from a very basic understanding of what geology looks like, with minimal information. Moreover the New Grade, Intrusion, Contact and Vein Implicit modelling tools simplify the creation of complex geological models.

“Micromine 2020 adds value right through from exploration to geological modelling, from mine design to scheduling. There’s a massive number of tools in each area that makes people’s lives easier,” Thomas says.

“That is the natural follow-on from our ongoing commitment to our customers and the market to keep improving the product with new tools to make mining easier.” AM

THE SOFTWARE CAN EVALUATE THE VIABILITY OF DIFFERENT DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES AND CONSTRAIN STOPE GENERATION.

THERE ARE COMPREHENSIVE REPORTS AND ATTRIBUTED STOPE SOLIDS TO GAIN INSIGHT INTO OPTIMISATION.

AUSTRALIANMINING

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ASSET MANAGEMENT

USING DATA TO DESIGN ‘FIT FOR PURPOSE’ SOLUTIONS RYAN KENDRIGAN OF CBC DISCUSSES THE VALUE OF DATA AS PART OF THE CONDITION MONITORING PROCESS OF EQUIPMENT AT MINE SITES.

U

nderstanding the condition of a plant and its equipment allows for improved planning analysis, better utilisation of equipment, reduced downtime, reduced maintenance spend and ultimately improves the productivity of an operation.

This is why condition monitoring is important for any mining operation, regardless of the scale and scope.

The question that businesses need to answer is, what will the data be used for? According to Ryan Kendrigan, engineering manager for CBC, there is no unilateral system; it’s about understanding the plant priorities and then meeting operational requirements.

“Data is only as good as what you do with it. As you get more involved with outcomes, you start looking at process improvements and this will translate to greater benefits.

But it could be as simple as saying ‘I am looking for advanced warning of impending issues reduction of any unscheduled stoppage is key at my site’ or it may be ‘I want to maximise efficiency and improve production’,” he says.

“There is no right or wrong answer to that, it’s a question of what resources do you have at your disposal? And, what effectively are the key performance indicators for the maintenance reliability teams at your site?”

CBC offers a complete suite of condition monitoring solutions, such as traditional vibration analysis technology as well as ultrasonics, oil analysis and a raft of predictive solutions. The services that extend from these systems – which can be either portable or online – venture into condition-based assessment and diagnostics.

“Monitoring is one aspect, however, making assessments on that data and then recommendations is what leads to best practice in this space,” Kendrigan explains.

“And it’s definitely scalable. For us, it’s all about assessing the site requirements and providing our customers with a solution that is fit for purpose, whether that be a simple warning system of detection or a fullscale diagnostic system.”

However, Kendrigan maintains that while they are linked together, it is important to distinguish condition monitoring from condition-based AUSTRALIANMINING

assessment. Again, it comes down to what the customer wants to achieve.

“The more data you have, the better your assessments will be.

Although, there is a clear advantage in simply knowing something is about to go wrong and being able to intervene before it turns catastrophic,” he says.

A simplistic system is categorised as a protection or warning system that’s designed to reduce the severity of a failure. Whereas a solution that couples condition monitoring with condition-based assessment crosses over into diagnostics. The latter will provide customers with quantifiable savings in terms of mean time between failures, increased production, improved output and efficiency gains.

“A diagnostics system will lead to process improvement, and it is easy to quantify the cost savings and efficiency gains that this brings,” Kendrigan explains.

“Whereas the simplistic system is more of a cost mitigation strategy. It minimises the effects of failure, or ideally prevents having a failure in the middle of a production process, and allows managers to schedule their shutdowns. While beneficial,

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these sort of gains are often harder to quantify.”

CBC Australia is heavily involved with the major mining companies in Australia, particularly in coal and hard rock mining. In these types of operations, the cost savings from either type of condition monitoring process will be multiplied.

However, Kendrigan reiterates that it’s not just about cost savings, but about delivering a system that is ‘fit for purpose’.

“Gaining an understanding of the customers’ needs is paramount.

We always start with a site visit and then a discussion about what the customer is looking for in a system. There are so many variables in terms of functionality and outputs,” Kendrigan says.

“We need to find out what are the key drivers of the site’s maintenance program. If they’re looking for an early warning protection system, a diagnostic system or process improvement combined with how it all integrates with their existing maintenance practices onsite or rolls into their Microsoft systems. All of that is key in being able to provide the customer with a solution that is fit for purpose.” M

INTERVIEW

WHEN HANDLING BULK, THERE’S NO ROOM FOR DOUBT TOTAL OIL AUSTRALIA EXPLAINS WHY LUBRICATION ASSESSMENT AND SITE AUDITS AREN’T AS STRAIGHTFORWARD AS THEY SEEM, AND OFTEN REQUIRE PROFESSIONAL INSIGHT.

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hen it comes to safety and compliance in the area of lubricant storage and handling, Total Oil Australia is a leading industry expert that goes further than meeting manufacturer requirements – the company exceeds the highest level of industry specifications.

Total is a market-leading lubricant manufacturer, with a strong international presence in more than 130 countries.

Australian Mining speaks with Total Oil Australia’s mining operations and engineering specialist, George Walker, about the best practices companies should adhere to when it comes to lubricant storage and handling.

Why is it important for Total Oil Australia to carry out audits on bulk storage facilities?

Total has several tools to perform lubrication assessments and site audits. Upon winning a contract, Total conducts a baseline audit as part of the client’s transition plan to our lubricant and grease products.

The audit incorporates a step process to review all storage assets, pumps and pipework, ISO4406 filtration, maintenance processes and documentation (schematics).

Through the audit, both positive and negative aspects of the hydrocarbon management (HCM) storage practices are identified.

Safety and compliance to AS19402017 issues are also highlighted, and improvements are proposed along with client contractual mandates. Improving storage and handling helps to reduce health, safety and environment (HSE) costs associated with storage and handling of lubricant products.

The main objective of the assessment is to determine the baseline situation of the HCM storage and handling activities, including safety issues that require immediate rectification. Total is also able to offer the range of value-add opportunities that can be leveraged from Total’s global services for the use of lubricants and greases.

In addition, the issue of

contamination is often overlooked when considering the reason(s) for premature failures or why lubricant life diminishes. Ensuring that cleanliness of the oil is maintained throughout – from storage to usage – must be a key focus of companies.

What are the common issues of non-compliance identified during a site audit?

There are a number of basic issues we commonly identify, including safety signs that are faded and needed replacement; a failure to check and confirm whether high level fill alarms are functioning properly; timeliness of bulk tank inspections; and stored energy, particularly in bulk grease dispensing lines, which is a safety hazard.

The other main cause of noncompliance occurs when the client is unaware of updates to the AS1940-2017 standard and consequently believes they are still compliant.

Are safety compliance issues identified during a site audit?

Safety compliance is Total’s number one priority. The most common factor is on-demand systems within the mining industry, which creates stored energy injury scenarios.

One of Total’s solutions was to create a grease plug and play system to hold two or three grease intermediate bulk vessels. The system provides an option for high or low-pressure grease pumps to be fitted.

For safety compliance reasons, all units are fitted with pressure gauges and vent valves to enable the safe release of any “stored energy” in the grease system, thus eliminating any potential of a grease injection incident occurring.

Raising these issues to clients can be challenging as they may be unaware of the risks involved, and at times may not agree that the risk(s) needs to be addressed. The emphasis is then to align responsibility and incorporate preventive actions between Total and the client to ensure identified risks are appropriately dealt with. Total’s audit report for our clients includes statutory, safety and operational requirements, which exceeds best industry practices.

AUSTRALIANMINING

TOTAL LUBRICANT BULK STORAGES.

How does Total ensure that facilities are up to standard?

While Total does have its own stringent standards, during both site audits in Australia and audit reports to the client, our personnel refers to the Australian Standards 1940-2017 to ascertain compliance according to country legislative requirements.

The AS1940-2017 sets out the requirements and recommendations for the storage and handling of flammable and combustible liquids.

Its objective is to promote safety and prevent damage to the property and environment, where flammable or combustible liquids are handled and stored.

Total has developed what we call the ‘The 50 Point Assessment Tool,’ which comprises specific items relating to safety, general inspections, bulk grease storage, as well as filling and dispensing.

During site audits, Total uses this tool to assess the areas associated with the above categories and will highlight where the site has been non-compliant, according to AS1940-2017, or where safety issues are prevalent. Any safety concern identified during the audit will

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trigger a safety alert bulletin, which prompts a follow up until resolution is reached.

How is Total’s service unique in the industry?

The unique nature of Total’s site audit and inspection services lies in its ‘safety first’ culture, on top of ensuring compliance in bulk storage facilities.

Our inspections cover all requirements within the AS1940-2017.

Total brings expertise from working with global operators with an emphasis on being client focussed. Total further aims to provide additional value-add from its range of product and global service offerings with a large focus on hydrocarbon safety and compliance, education and training.

Moreover, Total’s 12 global Golden Rules on safety are also applied to operational and maintenance aspects.

Total’s site audits are commercial-inconfidence and aims to deliver ‘peaceof-mind’ to its clients.

By using Total’s services, the mining sector can be assured of “additional safeguards”, with Total conducting a gap analysis to ensure that bulk facilities meet or exceed statutory compliance. AM

PRODUCTS

ASTEC’S SCALEBOSS 3D GOES ELECTRIC

NORD’S IE5+ LIFTS PRODUCTIVITY

Astec Breaker Technology’s (BTI’s) ScaleBOSS 3D scaler has gone electric for its newest version, the ScaleBOSS 3DE. Once the machine is in place for scaling, it is plugged into the mine’s electrical supply to operate, saving on the mine’s vent rate.

As well as its new electric motor, the ScaleBOSS 3DE also has the features that made the original so popular in the market; its ergonomic cabin, which allows the operator to work from inside the cabin or remotely; a five-axis boom, for enhanced flexibility and coverage, falling-over protective structures (FOPS) and roll-over protective structures (ROPS) within the cabin and a heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system for high visibility and comfort.

Available from the second quarter of 2020, the NORD IE5+ permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) will be worth the wait.

Setting industry standards in efficiency, power, density and economy, the new motor achieves productivity significantly above its predecessor, class IE5.

The motor achieves this efficiency over a wide torque range, making it suitable for operations in the partial load range and can be combined with NORD gear units and drive electronics as a modular system.

The IE5+ has a speed range of 0 to 2100 revolutions per minute and a power range from 0.25 to 1.1 kilowatts in a single size.

It also offers a high-corrosion resistance, ideal for using in hygienesensitive areas.

• astecaustralia.com.au

• nord.com

X MARKS THE SPOT FOR DYNA GUARDS

NOBLE’S 100 GRADE CHAIN LIFTING SYSTEM

DYNA’s high-density polyethylene (HDPE) conveyor guards are revolutionising conveyor systems.

The new guards are 40 per cent lighter, easier and quicker to move, rust and corrosion free, chemical resistant and don’t require painting, making them a safer and more cost-effective alternative to their conventional steel counterparts.

DYNA has implemented a unique X shaped design, increasing the guard’s strength up to 60 per cent more than standard guards, well above Australia’s minimum standard.

Installing and removing the HDPE guards takes just minutes, reducing the amount of time spent around the conveyor system, which is considered one of the highest risk areas of a mine site.

A Noble and Son’s latest range of chain slings, the Noble10, provides 25 per cent more lifting capacity than a grade 80 chain without compromising on value.

Stronger, faster and smarter than before, the Noble10 range meets Australia’s highest safety and quality standards, including Australian Standards AS3775, AS2321 and AS3776.

Sourced from the highest quality materials, the range of chains, links and hooks are larger sized, to accommodate for bigger crane hooks and eliminate the need for connecting links as the models connect directly to the chain.

The new range includes the grade 100 chain, enlarged master link, enlarged multi-master link, connecting link, clevis sling safety hook, clevis self-locking hook and clevis grab shortening hook for all rigging and lifting needs.

• dynaeng.com.au

• nobles.com.au

AUSTRALIANMINING

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PRODUCTS

CRC EXPANDS ITS ZINC RANGE

EPIROC’S NEW GENERATION OF SMARTROC D65

CRC Industries Australia has significantly expanded its range of highquality zinc aerosol products, with 10 new items available alongside its original range.

The new range includes primers for steel and iron, metals and gold and yellow metals, coating sprays for steel protection, dry coating or general protective coating and a water-resistant binder.

CRC Industries Australia stated that metallic zinc was widely accepted as the best method for preventing damage by the rusting process, which degraded the metal.

The expanded range can be used on structural steel, trailers, roofs, guard rails, welding seams, rivet holes, fencing, storage tank transformers, power generation equipment and it can also be used to touch up galvanised coatings.

Since its launch nine years ago, Epiroc’s SmartROC D65 down the hole surface drill has been a game changer for the mining industry.

Now the company is launching its latest version of the product, with features including the auto feed fold, an interactive touch screen and eight metre pipes, which means less time changing rods and more time drilling.

The latest D65 can also be paired with Epiroc’s BenchREMOTE option, a handy control which allows one person to safely operate three rigs simultaneously from up to 100 metres away.

It also features an updated hydraulic system, which has less but more efficient pumps than previous models, decreasing the hydraulic tank size from 400 to 100 litres, improving both service access and reducing environmental footprint.

• epiroc.com

• crcindustries.com.au

SANDVIK’S DS512I ROCK BOLTER

FENNER DUNLOP’S TRAIN UNLOADER CONVEYORS DELIVERED TO SADA

Sandvik Mining and Rock Technology has launched its DS512i rock bolter, which gives operators up to 35 per cent higher penetration rates.

The bolter is equipped with falling-object protective structures (FOPS) and roll-over protective structures (ROPS) in the cabin, reducing noise, vibration and dust levels and improving visibility by up to 55 per cent.

For a custom experience, the DS512i has two different automation packages: silver and gold.

The silver package features one bolt automation and hole angle measurement with a fully instrumented boom, indicators for hole angles, tilt and rotation, an advanced boom manipulator, automatic cement mixing and basic remote monitoring.

The gold package has full instrumentation and fan bolt locations to show one or more bolt fans to the mine or tunnel’s coordinates. It also features measurement while drilling, total station navigation, remote-control bolting and full remote monitoring.

Fenner Dunlop was contracted by the SADA Group to design a low-cost train unloading conveyor to safely receive and transport bulk materials from directly under a rail car.

Two identical systems operate in parallel to move the product 4.5 metres vertically from the rail car, streamlining the unloading process as SADA provides logistic services to coal and resources operations around Australia.

The train unloader conveyor provides a safe and cost-effective alternative to conventional unloading methods. It’s compact yet robust design suits a range of material types, particle sizes and densities.

Fenner Dunlop’s product now allows SADA to deliver hassle-free and seamless solutions for every project.

• fennerdunlop.com.au

• rocktechnology.sandvik

AUSTRALIANMINING

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EVENTS

CONFERENCES, SEMINARS & WORKSHOPS EVENT SUBMISSIONS CAN BE EMAILED TO EDITOR@AUSTRALIANMINING.COM.AU Mining Engineering Managers Safety Seminar, Sydney, December 3-4 The inaugural Mining Engineering Managers Safety Seminar is an event for mine managers, technical service managers and mining engineers of underground and open cut collieries, open pits, underground metal mines and large quarries.

The event, which is held by the New South Wales Resources Regulator, focusses on the challenges and solutions facing managers in implementing change management and adopting technology.

As adoption and implementation of new mining technology promises to offer increased production and efficiency, it also presents new challenges and unforeseen downstream changes.

Mining engineering managers will bring together case studies on their implementation of new technology and the lessons learned on their journey.

• resourcesregulator.nsw.gov.au AusIMM’s International Women’s Day event series, Australia, March 2-10 AusIMM is thrilled to announce keynote speakers The Hon Julie Bishop and Kirstin Ferguson for its 2020 International Women’s Day (IWD) event series.

The series will be held in six capital cities in March 2020 with former foreign

minister Julie Bishop speaking at the Perth event and ABC deputy chair Kirstin Ferguson speaking in Brisbane.

Their presentations will align with the 2020 IWD theme ‘Each for Equal’ and will empower attendees as the sector collectively strives to achieve gender balance and improve the experience of women in our sector.

Join AusIMM to celebrate the achievements of women in mining at the IWD event, also held in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Hobart.

• iwd.ausimm.com Global Iron Ore and Steel Forecast Conference, Perth, March 18-19 The 23rd annual conference will flesh out the latest global outlook for iron ore and steel demand and supply.

Hear from industry leaders as they discuss their future plans, including the opportunities and challenges.

The theme will be centred on exploring the iron ore boom 2.0, with numerous new mine and expansion projects injecting hundreds of millions of dollars into the Pilbara region.

Key topics for discussion include creating value in a changing market, China’s changing iron ore demands, project updates and expansion plans, innovation and automation, reducing energy costs and managing the iron ore boom 2.0.

• informa.com.au

AUSTRALIANMINING

Underground Operators 2020, Perth, March 25-27 AusIMM will bring together mining engineers, mine operators, technical service managers and consultants to the Underground Operators Conference in 2020.

This conference will set the benchmark for sharing underground operational experiences and industry best practice.

Underground Operators 2020 will answer the pressing issues presented by deposits that are getting deeper or lower in grade, and operators facing increased pressure to find smarter and more cost-effective ways to extract orebodies.

The key discussion topics will focus on digital technologies, automation and artificial intelligence, and how these innovations are providing solutions to challenges found underground.

• undergroundoperators.ausimm.com MEGATRANS, Melbourne, April 1-3 MEGATRANS returns in 2020 as an important industry event, facilitating cross-industry collaboration in a multidimensional and integrated conference and exhibition for the freight and logistics industry.

For the first time, MEGATRANS2020 will take place in conjunction with the specialised bulk handling expo,

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Australian Bulk Handling Expo 2020. The two events will be held side-by-side, with one ticket entry into both exhibitions.

MEGATRANS2020 will showcase the latest in artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, automated racking, telematics and route optimisation, warehouse automation, intelligent fleet systems, blockchain, Internet of Things, big data and advanced analytics.

• megatrans.com.au MINExpo International, Las Vegas, September 28-30 MINExpo International is the world’s largest and most comprehensive global mining event. Held every four years, it brings together worldwide industry leaders who are ready to purchase the latest equipment and services, see innovative new technologies, meet face-to-face with vendors and make valuable new connections.

The expo brings together all of the latest cutting-edge equipment, innovations, services and technologies to take your operations to a new level.

MINExpo attendees have the buying power and influence to purchase the equipment, products and services that are brought to the show. In just three days, attendees can meet thousands of mine operators from all over the world — all in one place.

• minexpo.com

, D E E N U T. O Y E R R E R .

V E N E F O T ON IS A H W D IT RCH A N I E F ES TH

RELY ON AUSTRALIA’S MANUFACTURING, MINING AND INDUSTRIAL HUB 70,000 monthly users can’t be wrong. Find what you’re looking for with over 12,000 business listings and 8,000 specific product listings. Access relevant information and resources, empowering you to make a qualified purchase decision. You can always rely on your industry hub.

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