Australian Mining December 2021

INDUSTRY OUTLOOK LITHIUM SPOTLIGHT VOLUME 113/11 | DECEMBER 2021

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INDUSTRY OUTLOOK LITHIUM SPOTLIGHT VOLUME 113/11 | DECEMBER 2021

MINING SERVICES

MINING STEPS UP

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WHAT’S NEXT FOR MINING? THE MINING INDUSTRY HAS LIVED UP TO A REPUTATION FOR VOLATILITY OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS. LOOKING AHEAD TO 2022, TWO CONSIDERATIONS STAND OUT IN THIS ENVIRONMENT.

BEN CREAGH

Ben.Creagh@primecreative.com.au

H

istorically, commodity price volatility has been a key risk at the top of mining company executives’ minds.

The wild year experienced by iron ore prices in 2021 is an example of why commodity prices are an ongoing risk and opportunity that companies monitor.

But as we near the end of 2021, two additional risks have emerged above all others in Australia – ESG (environmental, social and governance) and skills shortages.

ESG are certainly the buzz words heading into next year that could make or break the future of mining and METS (mining equipment, technology and services) companies.

Ernst & Young’s Top 10 Business Risks and Opportunities for mining and metals in 2022 report has (1) environment and social; (2) decarbonisation; and (3) social licence to operate as the top three risks for the global mining industry next year.

Fortunately, it looks as though most organisations in mining have developed a plan in these areas.

Despite disruptions, the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated these strategies, particularly in terms of the environment and decarbonisation.

The major miners have led the way, turning their aspirations and talk into action, with proof of the work they have undertaken to improve the environmental footprint of their operations and the supply chain.

Expect the mid-tier and METS sector to follow rapidly in this direction in 2022 and beyond. In fact, there is already growing evidence this is happening.

As discussed last month, MINExpo 2021

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER JOHN MURPHY PUBLISHER CHRISTINE CLANCY MANAGING EDITOR BEN CREAGH Tel: (03) 9690 8766 Email: ben.creagh@primecreative.com.au JOURNALISTS MICHAEL PHILIPPS Email: michael.philipps@primecreative.com.au TOM PARKER Email: tom.parker@primecreative.com.au HENRY BALLARD Email: henry.ballard@primecreative.com.au

in Las Vegas highlighted the developments original equipment manufacturers have in place to support the ESG initiatives of mining companies.

In recent months, a mid-tier developer like Bellevue Gold has outlined an achievable goal to become the ‘greenest’ gold producer in Australia.

New Century Resources has also evolved its focus to become recognised as a company with ESG ambitions at its core.

For the Australian mining industry to execute these plans, it will need the workforce skills to drive the strategies.

Workforce also figured in EY’s top 10 risks, in eighth spot, but you could argue it would be higher on a list solely focussed on the Australian market Several factors have converged to create the current skills shortage, starting with the surge in mining activity across the country in recent years.

Other factors include the competition for skills from industries such as construction, the image of mining and border restrictions enforced due to COVID-19.

Each of these concerns are set to continue into 2022 and will potentially slow the industry’s development.

It sets up an enthralling year ahead of both risk and opportunity for the mining sector, which despite some challenges is an industry that remains the envy of most in Australia.

SALES MANAGER JONATHAN DUCKETT Tel: (02) 9439 7227 Mob: 0498 091 027 Email: jonathan.duckett@primecreative.com.au SALES ADMINISTRATOR EMMA JAMES Tel: (02) 9439 7227 Mob: 0414 217 190 Email: emma.james@primecreative.com.au DESIGN PRODUCTION MANAGER MICHELLE WESTON michelle.weston@primecreative.com.au ART DIRECTOR BLAKE STOREY blake.storey@primecreative.com.au

AUSTRALIANMINING

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DECEMBER 2021

In this edition, we include a special focus on the outlook for the Australian mining industry as we move towards 2022.

As part of this focus, we analyse the key risks and opportunities that are currently facing mining and METS companies from the perspective of KPMG. This issue also shines the spotlight on the lithium industry, highlighting developments in both Western Australia and the Northern Territory.

We also look at another battery metal – vanadium – through interviews with leaders from two aspiring Australian producers of this resource.

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

Cover image: National Group.

Ben Creagh Managing Editor

CLIENT SUCCESS MANAGER JANINE CLEMENTS Tel: (02) 9439 7227 Email: janine.clements@primecreative.com.au

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IN INTHIS THISISSUE ISSUE

22 18 FUTURE OF MINING

A greener trend for mining Mining re-thinks its approach to ESG responsibilities

20 WORKFORCE MANAGEMENT

Creating time and space for workers National Group gears up for recruitment drive

22 COMMODITY SPOTLIGHT

Australia’s lithium ambitions evolve

28 Core Lithium and Pilbara Minerals energise the sector

26 COMMODITY SPOTLIGHT

The next battery metal emerges Promise builds for Australia’s vanadium developments

28 INDUSTRY OUTLOOK

A preview of the year ahead Mining experts discuss what 2022 has to offer

40 REGIONAL SPOTLIGHT

Miners benefit from industrial hub Kwinana delivers for the likes of Greenbushes and BHP Nickel West

42 MAINTENANCE

Geographe innovation puts company on the map Manufacturer turns a major issue into a time-saving tool

44 EFFICIENCY & OPTIMISATION

The fuel efficiency trailblazers Oxytane improves the ESG outcomes for mine operations

46 MINING SERVICES

The latest innovations in mining METS companies highlight their industry offerings

52 DIGITAL MINING

The Power of One software solution Hexagon introduces a life-of-mine smart technology

53 ENVIRONMENT

Powering future mine sites Aggreko discusses the growing issue of energy in mining

55 EVENT SPOTLIGHT

Mining’s upcoming attractions Previews of AusIMM, IMARC and the Prospect Awards events

REGULARS 5 COMMENT 8-16 NEWS 60-61 PRODUCTS

52

62 EVENTS

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NEWS

THE LATEST MINING AND SAFETY NEWS AUSTRALIAN MINING PRESENTS THE LATEST NEWS FROM THE BOARDROOM TO THE MINE AND EVERYWHERE IN BETWEEN. VISIT WWW.AUSTRALIANMINING.COM.AU TO KEEP UP TO DATE WITH WHAT IS HAPPENING. ARGYLE LEGACY LIVES ON WITH RECORD DIAMOND SALES Rio Tinto has captivated diamond collectors, connoisseurs and jewellers from across the world with record-breaking results from its 2021 Argyle Pink Diamonds Tender and Once in a Blue Moon Tender.

The 70 rare pink and red diamonds that comprised Rio Tinto’s Argyle Pink Diamonds Tender delivered alarming price performances across the board, with individual diamonds and larger collections drawing fierce interest in a series of virtual and face-toface viewings.

The 2021 collection, titled The Journey Beyond, is a historical collection showcasing the pinnacle of Argyle’s production, with the diamonds mined in the final year of operations before the East Kimberley mine in Western Australia closed in November 2020.

Hong Kong fancy coloured diamond specialist Kunming Diamonds made a history-making bid to acquire Rio Tinto’s 2021 Once in a Blue Moon Tender collection of Argyle blue and violet diamonds, taking home all 41 lots of the 24.88 carats of final “beyond rare” blue jewels.

The Argyle mine became known for sporadically producing small blue and violet diamonds

that showcased the inimitable beauty of these jewels.

With Argyle’s closure and the rareness of its diamonds, it is unlikely there will ever be another collective offering of iconic gems in this colour spectrum from a single mine.

The 2021 Argyle Pink Diamonds Tender drew 19 successful bidders from nine countries.

Lot number one, the 3.47-carat Argyle Eclipse, a radiant shaped Fancy Intense Pink diamond, was won by famed Australian jeweller and Argyle Pink Diamonds select atelier, Calleija.

Calleija was also the successful bidder for the 1.01-carat radiant shaped Fancy Red diamond Argyle Bohème.

Almost the entire world’s supply of rare pink, red, blue and violet diamonds come from the Argyle diamond mine.

With 37 years of Argyle pink diamond production in global markets, Rio Tinto has made the decision to maintain and manage the Argyle Pink Diamonds brand through secondary market platforms, certification processes and creative collaborations with its trusted partners going forward.

AUSTRALIAN MINING GETS THE LATEST NEWS EVERY DAY, PROVIDING MINING PROFESSIONALS WITH UP-TOTHE-MINUTE INFORMATION ON SAFETY, NEWS AND TECHNOLOGY FOR THE AUSTRALIAN MINING AND RESOURCES INDUSTRY.

RIO TINTO’S ONCE IN A BLUE MOON COLLECTION WAS WON BY KUNMING DIAMONDS.

FOSTERVILLE GOLD PRODUCES 2021 MELBOURNE CUP Gold from Kirkland Lake Gold’s Fosterville mine in Victoria was again used to produce the 2021 Lexus Melbourne Cup. The gold miner and ABC Bullion have partnered with the Victorian Racing Club once more to produce the most highly coveted trophy in Australian horse racing.

The gold in the cup was sourced locally from the site near Bendigo for a second year and was handcrafted by artisans at W.J. Sanders to meet the exact Victoria

Racing Club’s specifications.

Every curve, every angle and every dimension is within one tenth of a millimetre of the original design, which is now valued at more than $275,000.

The Fosterville mine, on the back of the modern gold rush, has played a significant part in recreating excitement for Victorian gold mining, attracting new exploration and investment in central Victoria as its largest gold producer since 2009.

Kirkland Lake vice president of AUSTRALIANMINING

Australian operations Ion Hann said the company was honoured to have Fosterville produce the gold for the 2021 Melbourne Cup. “The Melbourne Cup continues to be a symbol of resilience in the face of significant community disruption, particularly in Victoria this year,” he said.

“It is a testament to the hard work and perseverance of the people in the region.”

The Fosterville gold mine supplied approximately one-and-a-

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half kilograms of 18-carat gold to produce the 2021 Melbourne Cup. Fosterville is making a huge contribution to economies and communities in Victoria. As the largest gold mine in the state, it employs more than 600 local people and supports a range of supply businesses.

The Melbourne Cup was born from the wealth of the Victorian gold rush that brought the world to Australia’s doorstep and transformed the nation.

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WA RESOURCES CONFIDENCE CONTRADICTS SKILLS CONCERNS The Western Australian resources sector is more concerned about skilled labour shortages than any other sector, according to the Chamber of Commerce and Industry WA (CCIWA).

The CCIWA Business Confidence Survey for the September quarter found that nine in 10 resources businesses still identify skills shortages as a barrier to business.

Despite this, the sector remains the most confident of any in Western Australia, with 76 per cent of resources businesses expecting stronger economic conditions to conclude 2021.

reform, as well as more strongly competing against other markets for business investment.

“Recent investment attraction efforts from Queensland and New South Wales show there is fierce competition for business investment.”

Skills shortages are also continuing across the wider Australian resources sector with the number of Australian hydrogeologists halved over the past 10 years, according to Flinders University’s National Centre for Groundwater Research and Training (NCGRT).

Groundwater scientists and

This was down 12 per cent on the June quarter, likely due to falls in iron ore prices.

CCIWA chief economist Aaron Morey said it was up to the state government to facilitate growth across Western Australia’s economy – found to be short 55,000 workers.

“In addition to vindicating the National Cabinet roadmap, the results reinforce the need for the state government to adopt measures to drive economic diversification,” Morey said.

“With a significant budget surplus, the government has cover to fuel growth through tax and regulatory

engineers form pivotal parts of mining operations, with a 2013 Deloitte report attributing $34 billion per year to groundwater resources.

Effective management of groundwater resources impacts a range of people from big business to mining and agriculture communities.

Professor Peter Cook of the NCGRT said groundwater issues were only set to become more fragile.

“Water issues in the Murray Darling Basin are well known, but the demand for groundwater resources is occurring in all states and territories,” Cook said.

MOST WA RESOURCES BUSINESSES EXPECT STRONGER ECONOMIC CONDITIONS.

MINRES, ALBEMARLE TO RESTART WODGINA AS LITHIUM LIFTS The MARBL lithium joint venture plans to restart the Wodgina lithium mine in Western Australia’s Pilbara region, with production to resume in the September quarter of 2022.

MARBL is a 60/40 joint venture between Albemarle Corporation and Mineral Resources, which formed in November 2019 to develop Wodgina and to operate the Kemerton lithium hydroxide conversion assets.

Upon Mineral Resources’ sale of 60 per cent of Wodgina to Albemarle, the mine was placed on care and maintenance as the companies awaited stronger lithium prices to maximise the mine’s value.

Mineral Resources managing director Chris Ellison said he was pleased with how his company had handled Wodgina in partnership with Albemarle.

“It was the correct decision in late 2019 to place Wodgina on care and maintenance though it never dented our confidence in lithium’s long-term positive demand fundamentals,” Ellison said.

“As said at the time and repeated today, in Albemarle we have the best partner to deliver maximum and sustainable value from world-class assets like Wodgina.”

The operation has installed AUSTRALIANMINING

processing capacity of 750,000 tonnes per annum (tpa) of spodumene concentrate, made up of three 250,000tpa processing lines.

These lines will be restarted one by one, in line with increasing market demand for spodumene concentrate.

The initial ramp up to operation will create about 200 full-time jobs across the operation.

Wodgina already has its own 64-megawatt gas-fired power plant, a 700-bed accommodation village, and an airfield which caters up to A320 aircraft.

Ellison said Wodgina was an important cog in Mineral Resources’

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strategy as lithium grows in popularity and necessity.

“Lithium is one of Mineral Resources’ two core commodities, alongside iron ore, and we have worked very hard over the past five years to establish long life operations for both,” he said.

“Wodgina, along with our 50 per cent owned Mt Marion lithium project in WA’s Goldfields and the soon-to-be-completed 40 per cent owned Kemerton hydroxide facility, give Mineral Resources a worldclass portfolio of highest-quality long-life assets in a Tier 1 mining jurisdiction.”

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NEWS

BHP WILL SOURCE RENEWABLE ENERGY TO POWER OLYMPIC DAM.

BHP GOING GREEN AT OLYMPIC DAM BHP is on the decarbonisation hunt at Olympic Dam, announcing it will enter renewable energy supply arrangements with Iberdrola to reduce its emissions at the South Australian mine.

As part of the agreement, Olympic Dam is aiming for a zero-emissions position for 50 per cent of its electricity consumption by 2025, based on current forecast demand.

Iberdrola’s renewable energy supply will come via the Port Augusta Renewable Energy Park in South Australia, set to be Australia’s largest solar-wind hybrid plant once it commences operation in July 2022.

BHP Olympic Dam asset president Jennifer Purdie said the agreement would support an exciting renewable energy project, which would contribute to South Australia’s renewable energy ambitions.

“Olympic Dam’s copper has an important role to play to support global decarbonisation and the energy transition as an essential product in electric vehicles and renewable infrastructure. Reducing emissions from our operations will further enhance our position as a sustainable copper producer,” she said.

Iberdrola Australia chief executive officer and managing director Ross

Rolfe said he was buoyed by the potential of the agreement.

“We are delighted to be partnering with BHP, helping them meet their decarbonisation and sustainability objectives. We worked very closely with BHP to design these bespoke renewable energy supply arrangements,” he said.

“Olympic Dam is to be the primary customer for the Port Augusta Renewable Energy Park, a demonstration of their commitment to local procurement and sustainable economic development.”

It comes after BHP stated it would install two solar farms and a battery

storage system to power the Mt Keith and Leinster mines at its Nickel West operations in Western Australia.

In September 2020, BHP revealed its ambitions to reduce Scope 2 emissions at its Queensland coal mines by 50 per cent in the ensuing five years.

The mining giant signed a renewable power purchasing agreement with Queensland’s state-owned clean energy generator and retailer CleanCo to facilitate the venture.

BHP and Iberdrola aim to commence their renewable energy arrangements for Olympic Dam on July 1 2022.

CATERPILLAR LEVELS UP TECH FOR BIG 2022 Caterpillar has detailed the bundle of technologies showcased at MINExpo for those who couldn’t attend in September, including next-generation cab designs and a wearable work safety product.

The next generation mining truck cab is built bigger to incorporate 30 new features for connectivity and adaptability.

These include a new seat, more legroom, heating, ventilation and air cooling (HVAC) system, and better cab filtration, putting the operator at the heart of the new design.

Dump cycles on mining trucks are reduced by 12 seconds with

AutoHoist, automatically raising the truck body while controlling the engine speed.

Also in the next generation cab, Enhanced Automatic Retarder Control (ARC) sets retarding speed based on grade, payload and brake oil temperature, and has proved up to six per cent higher retarding speeds in testing.

Also at MINExpo, Caterpillar launched the new Connected Worker system to protect workers and enhance communication.

The product forms part of the Cat MineStar Detect portfolio, in the form of a wearable tag to provide location AUSTRALIANMINING

services, SOS protocols, evacuation and social distancing alerts.

Using the product’s interconnectivity, workers can alert colleagues to unsafe conditions in the field, with data captured via video and audio for transmitting via a local server or in the cloud.

Connected Worker will become available in early 2022, around the same time as Caterpillar’s MineStar Guide and Surface Management also comes online.

Guide is the on-board half of the pair, with a new user interface, intuitive training capabilities and increased efficiency for loading

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DECEMBER 2021

and grading.

Using 3D grade control, Guide includes high-precision block and material identification, which is displayed for both on-board and inoffice staff.

Surface Management allows reports to be viewed on office computers or mobile field devices, comparing mine plans to actual live results.

Tracking haul roads, dumps, loading areas and other truck movements, managers can analyse the best and worst of a surface mining operation to find room for improvement.

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KCGM TO DRIVE NORTHERN STAR TO 2MOZ Northern Star Resources has ramped up operations at its KCGM sites, with an increased production rate of 72 million tonnes per annum achieved by the end of the September quarter across key operations.

KCGM is part of Northern Star’s Kalgoorlie production centre, which also includes the Carosue Dam and Kalgoorlie Operations.

The company also increased underground mined tonnes at KCGM by 17 per cent.

Northern Star managing director Stuart Tonkin said the quarter’s results and progress on its production

growth strategy were in line with the company’s expectations.

“This is a solid start to the new financial year and puts us on track to meet our FY22 (financial year 2022) guidance,” Tonkin said.

“At the same time, we made strong progress on our development projects in line with our strategy to be a two million ounce a year producer by FY26.

“With solid production, and costs running slightly above guidance, cash earnings were strong.

“This resulted in cash and bullion of more than $750 million at September 30, after returning $110

million in dividends to shareholders in the quarter.

“With production, costs and earnings planned to improve as FY22 progresses, we are very well positioned to continue to invest capital into those projects which generate the strongest returns.”

Tonkin said Pogo’s performance during the quarter was impacted by the tie-in and commissioning of the processing plant upgrade, which will increase throughput capacity from one million tonnes per annum (Mtpa) to 1.3Mtpa.

“We seized the chance to complete

other major works, including replacing the primary conveyor belt that transports ore from underground to the processing plant,” Tonkin said.

“This resulted in 24 days total downtime, which reduced throughput and gold production, in turn increasing costs per ounce.

“This work is now finished and we expect to see a significant benefit for both production and costs from the December quarter onwards.”

The KCGM expansion feasibility study continued with a market update anticipated in the June quarter of 2022.

THE HISTORIC SUPER PIT GOLD MINE IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

ANGLO AMERICAN ON TRACK FOR GROSVENOR RESTART Anglo American’s preparations towards a restart at the Grosvenor metallurgical coal mine in Queensland are gathering pace, with first development coal washed in September.

The company is undertaking a staged approach at the mine with the aim to recommence longwall operations by the end of 2021, subject to the approval of the Queensland Mines Inspectorate.

It follows on from a methane ignition accident that injured five people in May 2020, suspending operations as a result.

Workers re-entered the mine in April to conduct safety and

compliance inspections, and restore power and gas monitoring to the mine.

In readiness for personnel re-entry, Anglo American completed works to permanently seal the impacted area of the mine with five large concrete seals.

The company also installed additional gas monitoring infrastructure and completed a highly rigorous risk assessment process, drawing on both internal and external experts.

Anglo American’s export metallurgical coal production decreased by 11 per cent to approximately 4.3 million tonnes for AUSTRALIANMINING

the September quarter, as operations at its Moranbah North coal mine in the Queensland were impacted by challenging geological conditions for most of the period.

The performances of Anglo American’s Dawson and Capcoal mines partly offset the reduced levels. The two sites increased production levels after having scaled back production volumes since mid-2020 in response to reduced demand for their particular products.

Anglo American experienced increased production in iron ore, rough diamond, manganese and nickel across its global operations, with chief executive Mark Cutifani

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DECEMBER 2021

pleased with the work of his company across the three-month period.

“Production is up two per cent compared to the third quarter (Q3) of last year, with our operating levels generally maintained at approximately 95 per cent of normal capacity (excluding Grosvenor),” he said.

“The increase in production is led by planned higher rough diamond production at De Beers, increased production from our Minas-Rio iron ore operation in Brazil, reflecting the planned pipeline maintenance in Q3 2020, and improved plant performance at our Kumba iron ore operations in South Africa.”

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NEWS

NT TASKFORCE SET UP TO SECURE MINERAL OPPORTUNITIES The Northern Territory Government has established an industry-led Mineral Development Taskforce which will investigate and identify strategies to activate and secure ongoing private investment in mineral projects.

The taskforce will be established for an initial 12-month period and is aligned with the Territory Economic Reconstruction final report to investigate and identify opportunities, including value add processes like downstream manufacturing.

It will comprise 10 members including Department of Industry, Tourism and Trade chief executive

officer Shaun Drabsch as its chair.

Other members include Minerals Council of Australia chief executive officer Tania Constable, Northern Land Council chief executive officer Joe Martin-Jard and former BHP president Bryan Quinn.

Mining and Industry Minister Nicole Manison said the aim of the taskforce is to make the Territory the best place for exploration and mining investment in Australia, with five significant mining approvals in the past 12 months.

“This taskforce will accelerate mining development in the Territory, delivering a clear message

to investors that the Territory Government is committed to growing our mining and resources sector,” she said.

“We are serious about getting on with the job of growing our economy to $40 billion by 2030, with 20 mining projects currently working towards a final investment decision in the Territory with a combined value of $6.2 billion and potential to create 5700 construction jobs and 3600 ongoing jobs.

“The growth of the Territory’s mining sector shows that we’re dedicated to supporting the future of the resources industry and the jobs

and economic benefits the sector brings.”

Drabsch said the establishment the taskforce provides a clear signal to investors that the Territory Government is serious about unlocking doors and ensuring it remains competitive in its approach to attracting and supporting exploration and mining investment.

“The Territory Government recognises that we need to increase the competitiveness of our mining industry, including through public policy settings and we are focussed on doing this in a responsible manner,” Drabsch said.

THE MCARTHUR RIVER MINE STARTED OPERATING IN 1995.

OZ MINERALS INITIATIVE TURNS WASTE INTO WEALTH OZ Minerals has launched an initiative exploring ways to manage mining waste, with the goal to create increased value and reduce the industry’s overall footprint.

As part of its Think & Act Differently incubator, OZ Minerals has partnered with Amira Global, Unearthed and the International Copper Association Australia to launch the Waste to Value Crowd Challenge.

This challenge will look at processes and practices to minimise the production of waste, while exploring a different line of thinking, unearthing what value may

lie within waste that’s already been produced.

The global mining industry has significant long-term waste and tailings projects already in place across the world.

The Waste to Value Crowd Challenge is complementary to those initiatives, but is also taking a unique approach, looking for ideas that could be unlocked or partially investigated through short experiments.

OZ Minerals internal entrepreneur Burkhard Seifert said it’s important the mining industry started to widen its gaze when it comes AUSTRALIANMINING

to waste management.

“There is an opportunity to look outside our industry and commodities to understand technologies that could support a new way to operate,” he said.

“This is a great opportunity for innovators to test their thinking and get feedback from the industry and other innovators in this space. We are hoping to hear from diverse people with ideas that stretch across the supply chain.”

Companies and individuals from around the world will be invited to propose an approach that reimagines mining and processing

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DECEMBER 2021

to minimise, eliminate and find value in waste.

Those successful will then join the Think & Act Differently incubator and be supported in their next steps to develop a demonstration of their solution.

They will receive funding, mentoring, opportunities for collaboration, capability uplift and exposure to mining operations through the incubator.

Through this challenge, opportunities await for future investments, including other mining companies eager to make their own mark in decarbonisation.

FUTURE OF MINING

A GREENER TREND FOR MINING AN INCREASING LEVEL OF STAKEHOLDER PRESSURE HAS PUSHED THE MINING INDUSTRY TO RE-THINK ITS APPROACHES TO ENVIRONMENTAL, SOCIAL AND GOVERNANCE RESPONSIBILITIES. AUSTRALIAN MINING SPEAKS WITH SOME OF THE COMPANIES AND ORGANISATIONS LEADING THE TRANSFORMATION.

T

he mining industry is a critical component to a decarbonised world.

For it to remain essential, companies must adhere to external pressures to cut emissions and go beyond their responsibilities as corporate citizens.

A larger supply of critical minerals for net zero technologies will be needed for electric vehicles (EV), wind farm and solar power technologies if

countries are to reach their emissions reduction targets.

Commodities including copper, nickel and rare earth elements will be important to this transformation, but growing stakeholder pressure means mining companies are needing to show a stronger commitment towards environmental, social and governance (ESG) requirements to retain offtake partners and supply chain stability.

ESG standards for mining

include energy efficiency, emissions reduction and water efficiency, along with improved worker safety and community relations.

Stronger ESG standards are also making their mark on other major commodities in Australia, including iron ore and gold, two of the key resources exported from Australia.

Ernst & Young’s (EY’s) report, Top 10 Business Risks and Opportunities for mining and metals in 2022, reveals

environmental and social risks will be the most significant factor for the industry to consider over the next year.

The report surveyed 200 global mining executives that gave their insights into the risks and opportunities for the industry in the year ahead.

“Investor and community relations have really changed,” EY global mining and metals leader Paul Mitchell says.

“If you went back in time, community relations were down the flagpole and

THE CENTURY MINE IN QUEENSLAND IS A HISTORIC AUSTRALIAN OPERATION.

AUSTRALIANMINING

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FUTURE OF MINING

now it’s a factor that boards and CEOs ask questions about, and the importance of that role has increased.”

While the risks are present, there is value to be had by mining companies if they appease ESG demands.

Mining companies including BHP, Fortescue Metals Group and Rio Tinto have also partnered with organisations, including the Cooperative Research Centre for Transformations in Mining Economies (CRC TiME), to drive sustainable change in the industry.

CRC TiME has more than 70 industry partners across the mining and METS (mining equipment, technology and service) sectors, regional development organisations, community and first nations groups, state and federal governments and research partners, all looking to address complex challenges across mine closure and rehabilitation, which are essential aspects to ESG. The organisation was founded through the Australian Government’s Cooperative Research Centre program in 2020 to improve trust between mining companies, regulators and communities.

This is being delivered through four research programs that cover regional economic development, risk evaluation and planning, operational solutions and data integration, forecasting and scale.

CRC TiME associate professor Bryan Maybee is part of the risk, evaluation and planning program, bringing experience in minerals and energy economics from Curtin University.

Maybee says there is a strong value incentive for mining companies to get their rehabilitation measures completed correctly.

“Responsible closure is one of the key factors that is used to measure ESG outcomes,” he says. “Instead of looking at a five-year or a 10-year mine life, we actually have to start looking at much longer timeframes, taking into account the life after the mine and think about the future economic use for the land.”

Without a social licence to operate, mining companies may be at risk of being unable to develop new mining operations across global jurisdictions.

If a mining company has an effective mine closure plan, government and community groups are more likely to accept a new development.

The risk, evaluation and planning program will aim to gel operational activity with mine closure planning, which requires changes to decision making in response to uncertainty.

This involves advanced evaluation frameworks for assets, real-time predictive models and planning tools to identify risks.

In June, CRC TiME initiated a study in collaboration with Fortescue, the University of Western Australia and Curtin University, which focusses on increasing plant nutrients in iron ore

waste at Fortescue’s Chichester Hub operation in Western Australia.

The move towards “green” iron ore, which is mined using zero emissions is also a factor that Australia’s largest miners are having to consider.

“People want to know where everything has come from, so it is important to be able to show iron ore is mined in a responsible way,” Maybee says. “Green iron ore for example is becoming an important consideration in retaining customers for your product.

“Being a good corporate citizen being responsible as far as ESG goes, we actually have the opportunity to operate more sustainably.

“An operator that closes their mine responsibly and relinquishes it will build confidence with regulators.”

According to Maybee, stronger environmental outcomes can reduce community unrest related to an operation and therefore boost employee sentiment.

“By operating in an ESG responsible manner and embedding those factors into the way that we operate you actually can reduce risk, which means smoother, more productive and efficient operations,” Maybee says.

Solving the ESG puzzle

There are several innovative ways that mining companies can boost their ESG compliance outside of progressive mine closures.

Advancements in Industry 4.0 technologies have delivered real-time and predictive capabilities across the entire mining operation.

Envirosuite global head, mining and industrial, Matt Scholl says environmental solutions offer more than just compliance for mine sites.

“Any mining company that treats environmental management as a compliance issue only, will be outcompeted by the wave of progressive miners who are already using environmental intelligence to optimise their operations,” Scholl says.

Envirosuite recognises the importance of environmental management to ESG requirements for mine sites and has developed its environmental intelligence platform, which can optimise plans for weather risks and maintain compliance while reaching specific production goals.

Environmental intelligence uses data, artificial intelligence and other digital technologies alongside environmental and sustainability research to prevent any environmental impacts.

For example, the threat of changing weather patterns on an open pit mine could cause an unexpected shutdown.

Envirosuite’s platform allows mine sites to develop an awareness of these risks before they occur.

“ESG performance covers a range of areas, however, a key pillar of ESG AUSTRALIANMINING

EY’S TOP 10 RISKS AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR 2022. SOURCE: ERNST & YOUNG.

INSTEAD OF LOOKING AT A FIVE-YEAR OR A 10-YEAR MINE LIFE, WE ACTUALLY HAVE TO START LOOKING AT MUCH LONGER TIMEFRAMES, TAKING INTO ACCOUNT THE LIFE AFTER THE MINE AND THINK ABOUT THE FUTURE ECONOMIC USE FOR THE LAND.” centres on environmental management,” Scholl says.

“ESG ratings are high-level indicators of whether companies have good measures in place to manage these risks.

“Envirosuite provides real-time and predictive capabilities to help mining companies manage environmental risks while enabling them to optimise production.”

SRK Consulting offers specialised services for the mining industry, including environment, community and mine closure services and water management.

The company was founded in 1974 and has grown to work on more than 20,000 projects worldwide.

SRK also uses data analysis to determine strategies for mining companies to comply with regulations and address environmental and social challenges for a more effective mining operation.

According to SRK principal consultant (geochemistry) Claire Linklater, stakeholder expectations for ESG requirements are growing.

“I think those topics are much higher on the social and political agenda and the regulators are starting to become much more informed in these areas,” Linklater says.

“The people that are financing mining projects pay much more attention to the

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ESG implications of what’s going on.

“Poor ESG management can cause mining companies reputational damage on the global stage and might actually impact finance for another project elsewhere.

“This is especially true of companies operating across multiple jurisdictions and continents.”

SRK can assess environmental risks in the early stages of a mining development to mitigate risks of poor environmental outcomes.

For example, identification of problematic waste rock volumes during exploration opens up the opportunity to either avoid mining those volumes, or develop waste rock dump designs to control the potential for impacts on water quality once a mine site is up and running.

By mitigating environmental risks before they occur, mine sites can save costly retrograde solutions down the line and prevent poor ESG ratings from stakeholder groups.

Stakeholders are painting a clear picture of where mining company ESG requirements need to be to receive support for new developments.

Through collaboration and the adoption of innovative ESG services, the mining industry will be able to move forward to deliver positive outcomes that are well-received by these groups. AM

WORKFORCE MANAGEMENT

NATIONAL GROUP STAFF WITH THREE LIEBHERR 282S AT THE PEAK DOWNS MINE.

NATIONAL GROUP GEARS UP FOR MASSIVE 2022 FAST-GROWING MINING SERVICES COMPANY LAUNCHES RECORD-BREAKING RECRUITMENT CAMPAIGN TO SUPPORT NEW CONTRACTS.

N

ational Group will hire up to 50 new employees in the next few months as part of the largest recruitment campaign in its history, following recent contract wins.

The privately-owned company has been awarded several new contracts in New South Wales and Queensland.

These include a surface mining contract to supply fully maintained equipment to Newcrest Mining’s Cadia gold mine in New South Wales.

Extra diesel fitters, operators, maintenance supervisors, plant clerks and truck drivers are needed and applicants from all corners of Australia are expected to apply.

“Attracting, developing and retaining good people is integral to our company’s next growth phase and long-term vision,” National Group founder and managing director Mark Ackroyd tells Australian Mining.

“We have jobs that suit a range of people with different skills and backgrounds. We are employing more women in maintenance roles and want to hire nationwide.

“Most of all, we want people who want to work hard, learn new skills and be part of a great team.”

These aren’t just ‘Christmas casual’ positions either. The key to overcoming a skills shortage, like what is currently impacting many Australian mining businesses, relies on the retention of skilled employees, according to Ackroyd.

For this reason, National Group presents plenty of opportunity for staff to upskill and develop as workers and people.

“We want to be a workplace that people pride themselves on being part of, where individuals are valued and pathways to promotion are made clear,” Ackroyd says.

“Because National Group offers a full end-to-end service, there are opportunities to move around the company and gain different work experiences and skills.”

This ethos is exemplified through the company’s apprenticeship campaign, which has seen five apprentice diesel fitters join the ranks since 2020. As National Group expands into 2022 and wins further contracts, these numbers are expected to rise.

AUSTRALIANMINING

Although the last vacancy saw hundreds of applicants for just a handful of apprenticeships, Ackroyd encourages each aspiring diesel fitter, heavy haulage driver or machine operator to take a shot at their dream job.

“You just never know until you try, then all of a sudden you’re working on one of Australia’s largest gold mines and playing a part in a booming industry,” Ackroyd says.

Corporate social responsibilty

Working across a range of projects in Queensland and New South Wales, National Group recognises its part in supporting communities.

A diverse sponsorship program allows staff to know their contribution has a positive effect on sports clubs, cultural associations and community events.

The company proudly sponsors a range of events, including the International Legends of League match in Moranbah; the Blackwater Rodeo; the Australian Mining Prospect Awards’ Mine of the Year; and even the Great Cattle-dog Muster in the Upper Hunter Valley.

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National Group marketing executive Kain Ford says these are important events to the company and its people, as many staff call these communities home.

“National Group wants to do its bit to support local mining communities,” Ford says. “We were one of several companies that sponsored the International Legends of League match. It was a terrific event that raised money for a local charity and helped local sporting groups.”

National Group’s current sponsorship target is one event per month, but the company has left room to grow in this regard as its fleet and contract pipeline expand.

Future sponsorships are planned to continue helping those affected by bushfires, drought and mental health issues.

“While we sponsor high-profile events like Supercars, we think it’s just as important to keep helping the local footy club in a mining town, or provide drought support when needed,” Ford says.

“Plenty of other organisations do the same, and it’s important National Group plays its part and gives back.” AM

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COMMODITY SPOTLIGHT

A TEAM OF WORKERS AT THE FINNISS LITHIUM PROJECT.

FORGING A PATH FOR NORTHERN TERRITORY LITHIUM A MID-TIER MINER WITH A KNACK FOR THE NICHE IS MAKING A NAME FOR ITSELF IN THE NORTHERN TERRITORY. ON ITS WAY TO BECOMING THE TERRITORY’S ONLY LITHIUM PRODUCER IN 2022, CORE LITHIUM HAS PAVED THE WAY FOR OTHERS TO FOLLOW. HENRY BALLARD WRITES.

D

espite valuable resources and existing infrastructure to support a significant mining ecosystem, the Northern Territory has remained largely overlooked in the context of the Australian industry – until now.

It’s no Pilbara iron ore sector and doesn’t have history like the Victorian Goldfields, but there is potential.

This is evidenced by mine developer, Core Lithium.

The company began as an explorer more than a decade ago before it recognised the value in battery metals and Northern Territory lithium.

Core Lithium managing director Stephen Biggins says the advent of electric vehicles was the catalyst for the company’s rise to success.

“We started the company with assets in South Australia and the Northern Territory focussed on

copper and uranium,” Biggins tells Australian Mining.

“At the end of 2015, we saw opportunities around the electrification of the world’s vehicle fleet and considered how we could put our competitive advantage of our knowledge of the Northern Territory to work to position ourselves in this sector.”

Core purchased a significant portion of the Bynoe pegmatite field in February 2016, which has been mined sporadically for tin and tantalum for more than 100 years.

The announcement cited similarities between Finniss and the Greenbushes lithium mine in Western Australia, making Core wonder why other companies hadn’t already acquired the project.

Biggins puts the Territory’s small mining footprint down to a simple matter of geography.

“Frankly, I think it’s just distance from corporate offices. Other explorers AUSTRALIANMINING

may have just seen it as another plane trip to get to places like this. The irony lies in the fact that when it comes to both staffing the operation and then when exporting time arrives … we’ve gained the efficiencies being this close to Darwin city and the port,” he says.

“But there’s great opportunity and geology in the Northern Territory, and as we’ve been able to show, we’ve been able to work successfully through the state’s approvals process required for the development of a new mining project.”

Except it hasn’t all been smooth sailing for the company or the wider lithium market, with a three-year price slump leaving many companies in the lurch.

The price of lithium carbonate was around $US20 ($26) per kilogram in mid-2018, before it gradually dipped to $US6 in late 2020. Prices have since bounced back, however, surging to $US25 during the second half of 2021.

The Wodgina lithium mine in

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Western Australia – a joint venture between Albemarle Corporation and Mineral Resources – serves as an example of this revival.

Wodgina was put on care and maintenance in 2018 until prices recovered to enable economically viable operations.

Just as Wodgina heads towards a resumption, Core has timed its run well and plans to mine first ore before the end of 2022. This achievement will follow several years of studies and contract negotiations.

In 2021, Core has added a second mineral lease over the Bynoe field, received the Federal Government’s Major Project Status, signed a five-year deal with Darwin Port, received grants under the Modern Manufacturing Initiative, upgraded its definitive feasibility study, signed multiple construction contracts and ultimately began construction on October 26.

COMMODITY SPOTLIGHT

Biggins’ biggest piece of advice to companies looking to replicate Core’s success is to have belief in their assets and that markets do rebound.

“There have been obstacles which were less in our control involving commodity cycles and equity investment cycles,” he says.

“That’s been challenging because in the mining industry your access to finances and the value of your chosen commodity does move up and down.

“But because of the good bones of the project, even at the bottom of these cycles, we were able to attract financing and bring the project forward to the construction-ready state it’s in now.”

With belief and 500 square kilometres of high-quality pegmatite fields, the next steps were to navigate the approvals process to establish the Finniss lithium mine.

Despite being less experienced in dealing with mine approvals, Biggins says the Northern Territory Government was rather sensible throughout the whole process.

“I think their approach has been quite reasonable. The things that have been asked of us have been appropriate along the way in regards to providing

environmental and economic outcomes for the Territory,” Biggins said.

“Like all government process, there are opportunities for the process to move more quickly than it does. But regarding the scope of the project, it’s been appropriate and in line with anything you’d expect anywhere else in Australia.”

The Northern Territory Government is putting in significant work to improve the process for Core and for future miners looking to enter the Territory’s most valuable sector.

This includes a Minerals Development Taskforce as the government targets an economy worth $40 billion by 2030.

Mining and Industry Minister Nicole Manison says she understands what miners are looking for as they dig into Northern Territory soil.

“Companies are looking for a supportive government environment including certainty in regulation, timely approvals and high-quality data to derisk investment,” Manison says.

“The Taskforce will play a leading role in identifying, assessing and recommending policy, strategy and regulatory options to accelerate significant private investment in mineral projects to facilitate growth of the mining sector.”

Prior to this, Core was included in multiple rounds of government funding under the Resourcing the Territory initiative, which saw 18 projects from 15 companies awarded grants to support brownfield drilling programs.

To achieve its goals of facilitating a strong mining sector and wider economy, the government has worked to reduce the time needed for companies to prepare applications and for the government to assess.

“The Finniss lithium project was fully permitted for mining less than four years after the first exploration hole was drilled, which demonstrates our commitment to timely approvals for new projects,” Manison says.

The biggest issue for the government, however, is competing with major lithium mining regions like those in Western Australia.

To be competitive, Manison says the Territory must harness and present its biggest benefits, like its resources and infrastructure.

“We believe that the Territory has a number of advantages including the location of our known lithium deposits very close to port infrastructure, our proximity to Asian markets and a supportive government environment,” Manison says.

Core has taken all three of these factors in its stride in the pursuit of fully financing the Finniss project.

With faith in its ability to outplay market cycles, the company was able to secure multiple offtake agreements AUSTRALIANMINING

STEPHEN BIGGINS AND NICOLE MANISON ANNOUNCING A FINAL INVESTMENT DECISION FOR FINNISS.

WE BELIEVE THAT THE TERRITORY HAS A NUMBER OF ADVANTAGES INCLUDING THE LOCATION OF OUR KNOWN LITHIUM DEPOSITS VERY CLOSE TO PORT INFRASTRUCTURE, OUR PROXIMITY TO ASIAN MARKETS AND A SUPPORTIVE GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT.” and cement itself in the global lithium supply chain.

An agreement with the world’s largest lithium producer, Gangfeng, was finalised in late October, for the offtake of 75,000 tonnes of lithium oxide spodumene concentrate per year for four years.

This followed another agreement with Yahua – a lithium supplier to Tesla – for another 75,000 tonnes per annum of spodumene concentrate.

These two agreements combine for about 80 per cent of Finniss’ production over the first four years, greatly pleasing Biggins and his team.

“I’m personally very proud of what we’ve been able to achieve as a team and a company,” Biggins says.

“The value we’ve been able to deliver for our shareholders has been great, and the contribution we can now make to the Northern Territory has been great too.”

This contribution includes about 250 full-time jobs from construction to operation, as well as opportunities for the Territory to become entrenched in the supply of metals for clean energy technologies.

Manison acknowledges how important projects like Finniss are to achieving these goals.

“The Territory Government is very committed to supporting the growth of our critical minerals sector, to enable the Territory to become a significant player in supply chains for materials to support

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emerging low-emissions industries such as renewable energy and electric vehicles,” she says.

With this demand for battery metals sky high, Biggins says Core is well positioned to grow and meet its offtake agreements into the foreseeable future.

“We’re feeling great about the future of the business. From what we’re reading, seeing and experiencing in talking with a range of parties from the battery metals supply chain, we can’t see how lithium isn’t going to be in a perpetual deficit of supply for a significant period of time,” he concludes. AM THE FINNISS SITE IS 88KM FROM DARWIN.

COMMODITY SPOTLIGHT

LITHIUM REVIVAL ENERGISES PILBARA MINERALS EMERGING FROM THE LITHIUM CRUNCH OF RECENT YEARS, PILBARA MINERALS HAS THE INFRASTRUCTURE AND AMBITIONS TO BECOME A GLOBAL LEADER IN THE MARKETPLACE. TOM PARKER WRITES.

A

ustralian lithium miner Pilbara Minerals has been one of the success stories of the global mining industry in 2021, with its share price ballooning over the past 12 months.

As the motorised world continues its transition away from fuel and towards electrification, and big electric vehicle (EV) players such as Tesla and Renault keep expanding their capabilities, lithium is increasingly becoming a more sought-after resource.

Pilbara Minerals is represented by its Pilgangoora lithium-tantalum operation, 120 kilometres from Port Hedland in Western Australia.

While the company’s acquisition of the neighbouring Altura Mining in January 2021, which included the addition of the Ngungaju processing plant, created fanfare, it was the work Pilbara Minerals was doing years before that solidified its foundations.

“I’m really proud of what the team has achieved, not necessarily because of the last 12 months, actually the bit that was formative was the two years before that,” Pilbara Minerals chief executive officer Ken Brinsden tells Australian Mining.

“It was a really tough time in the industry and in fact, a couple of our peers went broke – that’s an indication of how difficult the conditions were in spodumene concentrate.”

Altura Mining went into voluntary administration in October 2020, after attempts to refinance more than $250 million of debt failed, while Alita Resources folded in 2019 following

PILBARA MINERALS’ PILGANGOORA LITHIUM-TANTALUM OPERATION IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

troubles at its Bald Hill lithium-tantalum mine in Western Australia.

Pilbara Minerals witnessed the lithium slide firsthand, but the company never lost hope.

“The (Pilbara Minerals) team stuck together, everybody worked really hard to improve our plant performance, to minimise our cash spend, and that hard work has translated now to really good operating performance,” Brinsden says.

“That’s meant that now that market conditions have improved, we’ve been able to ramp up our activity, maintain a low-cost base, but also now of course, start to enjoy healthy margins.”

Since acquiring Altura, Pilbara Minerals has steadily worked towards restarting the Ngungaju plant, which, combined with its existing Pilgan plant, will significantly uplift the company’s production potential.

“We took the risk in a terrible time in

PILBARA MINERALS EXPECTS TO INCREASE PRODUCTION IN 2022.

AUSTRALIANMINING

the market buying the asset (Ngungaju) out of receivership. We’ve been working on the plant, we’ve been bringing it back to a reasonable operating state and we’re now going through the process of ramping up its capacity,” Brinsden says.

“In total, that will take us about nine months, so through to about June next year, and in that period of time, we should have realised an additional 200,000 tonnes of spodumene concentrate capacity from the Ngungaju plant.”

Pilbara Minerals is also working on improvements at Pilgan, which will see the plant go from producing approximately 330,000 dry metric tonnes per annum (dmtpa) to 380,000dmtpa of spodumene concentrate, resulting in a company total of 580,000dmtpa by the middle of 2022.

Other 2021 developments included the launch of Pilbara Minerals’ spot market sales platform, the Battery Material Exchange, while the company also executed a significant partnership with Contract Power to build a sixmegawatt solar farm at Pilgangoora.

In late October, Pilbara Minerals finalised a joint venture agreement with steelmaker POSCO, paving the way for the development of a downstream lithium hydroxide chemical processing facility in South Korea.

Under amended offtake terms, Pilbara Minerals will provide 315,000 tonnes per annum of chemical grade spodumene concentrate when the plant is up and running by the second half of 2023.

With Pilgangoora’s significant potential, Pilbara Minerals is content

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DECEMBER 2021

with maximising its immediate capabilities before it starts contemplating another expansion through mergers and acquisitions (M&As).

“There’s nothing burning a hole in our pocket. We have so much organic growth ahead of us at Pilgangoora – such a massive resource, massive reserve – there’s so much that can be done there,” Brinsden says.

This, however, doesn’t mean Pilbara Minerals isn’t keeping a close eye on global developments.

“So, all we do, is we watch with interest – what’s happening around the world. A couple of key themes are well worth paying attention to,” Brinsden continues.

“One of which is that the localisation of some supply chains is going to become very important, so I can see logic and merit in a North American or even an American supply chain spanning South America as well, supporting the growth of battery-making capacity there.

“Similarly in Europe, albeit Europe’s a little bit more challenged because they don’t have quite as much raw material, but anyway, the idea that the raw material is closer to the battery, I think is an important theme.”

As the appetite for battery metals grows and Pilbara Minerals eyes full operating capacity at Pilgangoora, there’s enough to suggest the company’s stock will continue to increase into 2022 and beyond.

Needless to say, every Pilbara Minerals development will be observed with vested interest in Australia and beyond going forward. AM

TM

SEE HOVERMAP IN ACTION at OZ Minerals’ Carrapateena Mine Monitoring deformation in raises, drives and drawpoints SCAN TO

WATCH VIDEO

W W W . E M E S E N T . C O M

COMMODITY SPOTLIGHT

VANADIUM FUTURE LOOKS BRIGHT FOR AUSTRALIA DESPITE A DIFFERENT APPROACH TO THE EXTRACTION PROCESS, MULTICOM RESOURCES AND AUSTRALIAN VANADIUM ARE BOTH ENERGISED BY THE POTENTIAL OF THE CRITICAL MINERALS SECTOR AS THEY PURSUE A COMMON GOAL – VANADIUM. MICHAEL PHILIPPS WRITES.

G

overnments around Australia, at both a federal and state level, have recognised the importance of the critical minerals sector to the nation.

With the recent industry focus on sustainability and electrification, critical minerals such as vanadium have risen in prominence.

Vanadium is currently used in high-strength, low-alloy steel and is emerging as a critical battery storage commodity for its use in vanadium redox flow batteries, ideally suited to large, grid scale storage solutions.

It is one of the new economy minerals that are used in advanced and renewable energy technologies.

However, one of the issues with companies successfully mining the mineral comes in the expense of the extraction process against its market value.

THE AUSTRALIAN VANADIUM SITE NEAR MEEKATHARRA.

AUSTRALIANMINING

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In opposite corners of Australia, two companies are quietly moving forward with their respective vanadium operations.

In September, Multicom Resources’ $250 million Saint Elmo operation in North West Queensland was given the go-ahead to begin construction next year. It is the first vanadium mine in the state to receive licence approval.

In Western Australia’s Mid West region, Australian Vanadium is progressing smoothly with its operations near the town of Meekatharra.

In July, Australian Vanadium received $3.9 million in federal funding to fast-track manufacturing of largescale vanadium redox flow battery systems that can be used to support residential power grids, or in off-grid settings such as mining, agriculture and remote communities.

Despite both companies sharing the common goal of extracting vanadium,

COMMODITY SPOTLIGHT

each operation is going about it in a different way.

Multicom Resources chief executive officer Shaun McCarthy says vanadium is one of the higher abundance minerals globally within the Earth’s crust.

However, like a lot of these critical minerals, the vanadium concentration within the ground makes it quite difficult to extract economically.

“What Multicom is looking at doing is extracting vanadium from a different orebody and what we have is a sedimentary rock deposit, so the orebody that we are mining is the old seabed from when the North West region of Queensland used to be a couple of hundred metres at the bottom of the ocean,” McCarthy says.

“Over time there has been an increased concentration of vanadium in that geological structure that was the bottom of the seabed, so that means the sedimentary rock that we are looking at extracting the vanadium from is basically at the surface.

“So it is a very low-impact operation in that we don’t have to dig a great big open pit that may go down several hundred metres, we can take it off the surface in a strip mining formation.”

McCarthy says there are several primary producing assets where they mine the magnetite primarily for the vanadium extraction and not so much for the iron ore, which is considered the more traditional route for a pure-plate vanadium project.

“While we do have a lower grade deposit, so the amount of vanadium in concentration in that orebody is lower than you might see in the pure-play magnetite deposits, but because it can be so cheaply mined, and because we can so readily upgrade the vanadium into a concentrate, we can take that from an approximate 0.3 per cent head grade up to maybe 1.5 per cent or greater concentrate grades,” McCarthy says.

MULTICOM RESOURCES’ ST ELMO SITE IS THE FIRST VANADIUM PROJECT IN QUEENSLAND TO RECEIVE LICENCE APPROVAL.

“That alleviates the cost implications for the downstream hydrometallurgical process that then extracts the vanadium and purifies it into a final product.”

Australian Vanadium managing director Vincent Algar says there are currently three primary vanadium companies in the world – one in Brazil and two in South Africa.

“Those three mines have one thing in common, they all have the same deposit type as we do at Australian Vanadium and they all have a grade of around one per cent in the ground, which is the same as what we have,” Algar says.

“Our grade over the period of our mine life is at around 1.1 per cent, so that gives me confidence that the difference between Australian Vanadium and other deposits is the strength of the grade.

“We have a high grade of vanadium in the ore which means we have a high yield of vanadium through to the concentration process.”

Algar says the extraction methods Australian Vanadium is following leads to a higher recovery process of the vanadium.

“Our process is pyrometallurgical, it is primarily a roast, so we put the magnetite into the roaster and when it comes out the magnetite has turned to hematite, and then out the back the vanadium becomes soluble in the presence of sodium carbonate,” Algar says.

“Then we take it out the back, put it in a tank of water and all the vanadium goes into the water, and then we take the remaining iron ore and we sell it.”

Both Australian Vanadium and Multicom have spent years working on feasibility studies and making sure environmental and landowner agreements have been addressed.

McCarthy says mine construction at St Elmo is planned to start in 2022, supporting 250 jobs at peak, with first production forecast for late 2023.

Australian Vanadium has a 25-year mine life, with the aim to produce about five per cent of the world market for vanadium.

Algar says the global vanadium market is about 110,000 tonnes of metal equivalent every year and of that around 60 per cent is produced and consumed in China’s steel industry.

However, both McCarthy and Algar say they are excited at the prospect of the resource being identified as part of the critical minerals sector.

“We got into vanadium before the critical minerals tagline really came to prominence,” McCarthy says.

“We are seeing that critical mineral space heat up both from the demand side, where there is a genuine requirement for more of these products to come to market, but also from a general interest point of view, which includes the Australian Government AUSTRALIANMINING

MINE CONSTRUCTION AT ST ELMO IS PLANNED TO START IN 2022.

AUSTRALIAN VANADIUM IS EXTRACTING THE MINERAL FROM MAGNETITE.

WE DO THINK AUSTRALIA IS GOING TO BE LOOKED AT QUITE FAVOURABLY AS A SUPPLIER OF CHOICE IN THE LONG RUN FOR SOME OF THESE CRITICAL MINERALS SO WE ARE CERTAINLY IN THE PRIME POSITION IN RESPECT TO THAT.” and other regions around the world in trying to secure the supply chain for various end uses.

“We are seeing some of those strategies, which have been in place for a couple of years globally, are starting to hit their straps with pressure coming to companies like Multicom and others in the critical minerals space to move quickly through the necessary processes to bring new projects forward.”

Algar says it is an exciting time for Australian Vanadium, with the company planning to minimise operational costs by overtaking crushing, milling and beneficiation of vanadium bearing magnetite ore at its mine site, before then transporting the resulting concentrate to its processing plant for final refinement.

“If the demand for vanadium continues on in the steel market and then continues to grow heavily in the battery market, then you have more demand than there can be supply,

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which should keep prices at a relatively high level,” Algar says.

“This then means the guys in Queensland can get up, we can get up, and Australia can easily become one of the largest suppliers of vanadium to the world market outside of China.

“A global market of 110,000 tonnes is still very small, but it carries a massive weight in terms of its use and what its impact can be.”

McCarthy believes the growing critical minerals market has the potential to support several prospects around the country.

“It also means we are not competing for a limited market share and we are not necessarily looking to displace existing markets,” McCarthy says.

“We do think Australia is going to be looked at quite favourably as a supplier of choice in the long run for some of these critical minerals so we are certainly in the prime position in respect to that.” AM

INDUSTRY OUTLOOK

CHAMPIONING INNOVATION AND COLLABORATION WITH, AROUND AND BEYOND TYRES THROUGH INDUSTRY-LEADING PRODUCTS AND SOLUTIONS, MICHELIN HAS ACHIEVED FIRST AFTER FIRST IN THE MINING INDUSTRY. NOW, THE COMPANY ARRIVES WITH ITS NEXT FORWARD-THINKING SOLUTION.

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ruck haulage is one of the biggest productivity linchpins of a mine site, and critical materials transportation is continually optimised to ensure operational efficiency.

Tyres are inherently a critical aspect of haulage systems, and Michelin is one of the industry leaders in not just its tyre products but also its end-to-end services and solutions, offering support for miners every step of the way.

Australia is one of the biggest players on the global mining stage and produced nearly 900 million tonnes of iron ore in 2020 – more than double the next highest producer, Brazil.

The outlook for mining is very strong as economies recover from the impact of COVID-19. Growing trends like electrification translate into iron, nickel and copper demand.

According to Michelin’s Australia mining marketing manager Mark O’Riordan, Australia’s mining stature translates to the tyre sector, where manufacturers are tasked with creating bigger and better tyres for increasing payloads.

“Australia is one of the largest mining tyre markets in the world and

MICHELIN DEVELOPED THE FIRST TEMPERATURE AND PRESSURE MONITORING SYSTEM FOR SURFACE MINING EQUIPMENT.

with major miners like BHP, Rio Tinto, Glencore, Fortescue Metals Group and others, Australia makes up a very significant share of the overall mining tyre market worldwide,” he says.

Producing tyres for mining vehicles across all classes, Michelin has proven its leadership in the largest payloads, with its Extra Load products touted as preferred tyres for surface mining operations.

“In terms of technological expertise to design and build tyres for these ultra-class, large haul trucks, there are only a small number of tyre manufacturers that can produce a competitive product – especially in the big 63-inch tyres. Michelin is consistently an innovation leader in this space,” O’Riordan says.

Michelin’s XDR range spans 11 different variations, starting with the XDR E4 radial tyre through to faster, stronger and longer-lasting tyres, including its latest product innovation – the XDR 4 Extra Load, which delivers better load capacity and higher tonne kilometres per hour.

The complexities of mine operations, however, are much greater than simply outfitting the right tyres.

Leading mining companies are now AUSTRALIANMINING

digging into the value of connected mines where they can harvest a wealth of data to fuel better insights, decision making and operational efficiency.

For decades, Michelin has been refining its digital capabilities to provide equally insightful data on tyres and vehicle performance.

Through its Michelin Earthmover Monitoring System (MEMS), Michelin developed the first temperature and pressure monitoring system (TPMS) for surface mining equipment.

Now in its fourth generation, MEMS

is the best-selling and most proven TPMS system and data platform on the market, enabling mining companies to deliver on safety and productivity, while saving costs and increasing truck availability.

MEMS technology can perform remote pressure checks from any computer or connected device and utilise pressure and temperature alerts to prevent incidents and proactively protect site personnel.

By regularly checking tyre conditions, MEMS 4 decreases truck downtime while also assisting to optimise truck cycles, ultimately boosting machine productivity.

The introduction of MEMS in 2006 was just the beginning of Michelin’s quest to better support mining customers through a combination of innovative products, expert product support and proven services and solutions.

The secret to Michelin Mining’s success is that customers remain at the centre of every decision.

In 2017, Michelin created its Consulting & Services division, which facilitates collaboration between Michelin’s on-site tyre experts, industry personnel and the increasing volume of data available, using shared thought leadership to uncover better ways of operating that save time, money and resources.

“Our foundational belief is to put our customer’s success first. So, by using EACH MICHELIN CUSTOMER IS SUPPORTED BY A GROUP OF INDUSTRY SPECIALISTS.

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INDUSTRY OUTLOOK

our unique combination of deep local insights, and broad, global industry expertise, we are continuously looking for ways to help our customers improve their business,” Michelin global marketing manager Casey Morris says.

It was this drive that led Michelin to introduce Michelin Better Mining in 2021, a comprehensive portfolio geared towards helping mining companies be safer, smarter and more sustainable.

“When you look across Michelin’s mining offers, Michelin Better Mining brings them under one umbrella that can be customised for our customers.

It starts with our leading innovative products for surface and underground mining,” Morris says.

“Then, we layer in the unrivalled expertise of our mining support teams. Each customer has an account manager, a customer engineering specialist and a MEMS expert – all of which are backed up by our global network of data scientists and R&D specialists.

“This support team is then complemented by Michelin’s Consulting & Services group. Our custom consultation and services provide technicians, analysts and state-of-the-art measurement tools to uncover insights and unleash hidden performance potential in the mines.

“Finally, we offer one of the industry’s largest portfolios of tyre-

MICHELIN BETTER MINING IS HELPING MINING COMPANIES BE SAFER, SMARTER AND MORE SUSTAINABLE.

related solutions, including our industry-leading TPMS, MEMS 4.”

Customer-focussed and fuelled, Michelin Better Mining puts mining companies in the driver’s seat, tailoring its solutions to meet a mine’s unique needs and conditions.

“Michelin Better Mining is not about us, it’s about the customer – what are their goals and ambitions and how can we help them achieve those objectives,” Morris says.

“By using our entire portfolio to provide the right mix of products,

support, services and solutions, we believe that we can help them increase productivity, reduce cost, improve safety and minimise their environmental footprint – providing every product and solution needed to help them be better.”

O’Riordan says Michelin Better Mining is the culmination of more than a century of experience and expansion.

“When we talk about innovative mining practices and designing new creative tyres and solutions, our passion comes from our company’s history

rooted in innovation,” O’Riordan says.

“We believe better mining is possible, because we have seen Michelin advance mobility since its beginnings in 1889. Michelin Better Mining builds upon that history and is grounded in that heritage.”

Michelin Better Mining is more than just tyres; it’s a cohesive encapsulation of what the company offers to the mining industry – customer-led end-to-end solutions that champion collaboration and shared expertise with, around and beyond tyres. AM

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INDUSTRY OUTLOOK

THE NEW FRONTIER IN MINE MAPPING AND DATA CAPTURE CAPABILITY EMESENT’S HOVERMAP TECHNOLOGY ENABLES MINING COMPANIES TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE CONDITION AND SAFETY OF THEIR ASSETS, CULMINATING IN THE INCREASED PRODUCTIVITY OF A MINING OPERATION.

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stablished in 2017, Emesent has become a forerunner in the digital mining movement through its autonomous data capture

capabilities.

Its flagship technology, Hovermap, is offering mining companies a closer look at their infrastructure and production areas, facilitating more informed decision-making, while maximising safety and optimising mining rates along the way.

A mobile scanning unit that can be mounted onto a backpack, vehicle or drone, Hovermap operates in hazardous and GPS-denied environments using its autonomy, collision avoidance and SLAM capabilities to capture highly detailed and accurate data, which is processed in real time.

“The key challenge we’re solving for underground mining is capturing data in challenging, inaccessible areas,” Emesent chief executive officer Stefan Hrabar says.

“The first problem we addressed was mapping of stopes. Previously they (mining operations) were trying to scan these areas by putting a laser scanner (CMS) on a pole and operating this from a safety bund.

“Surveyors insert a pole into the void to scan it, but it wouldn’t be a complete scan because they are only scanning from one perspective.

“So, there would be a lot of missing data and they could not obtain an accurate picture of what was happening inside those voids. Were

there failures and areas of over-break?”

Hovermap has proven important in all phases of a mine’s life, monitoring development and production voids, and infrastructure, and capturing data for rock mass characterisation and deformation monitoring.

Whether it be scanning development areas of a mine, auditing installed ground support, monitoring the condition of mine ventilation systems and beyond, Hovermap has the capability to solve many headaches.

In fact, Emesent has released a case study outlining the 20-plus ways Hovermap can be used in underground mining.

Four years on from its first trial, there are now Hovermaps in use across Australia, further unlocking mines one scan at a time.

And with the perpetual expectation to increase productivity as competitive standards continue their ascent, mining companies are having to unearth more from their assets than ever before.

Yet, the sustained obligation to ensure safety and prevent injuries is just as imperative – a reality the most cavernous of terrains doesn’t lend itself to.

“There’s a lot of pressure in the mining industry to increase productivity without compromising safety – they’re mining deeper because near surface resources are being depleted,” Hrabar says.

“As you get deeper, the ground is less stable and it’s more challenging to mine. Enabling mining at depth is by better remote monitoring

WHEN ATTACHED TO A DRONE, HOVERMAP IS CAPABLE OF AUTONOMOUS, BEYOND LINE-OF-SIGHT FLIGHT.

of the environment.

“If you can’t measure something, you can’t manage it, so getting data about whatever is happening underground is critical.”

That’s where Emesent’s Hovermap technology comes to the fore – enabling operations to let technology do the important but equally hazardous work for them.

“It’s bit of a catch 22 because mining deeper to get more ore potentially exposes personnel to more hazards.

You want to remove people from hazards, but you also need more monitoring in every facet of the mine,” Hrabar continues.

“So robotics and autonomous systems solve that problem because

HOVERMAP’S FLIGHT CAPABILITIES ENABLE IT TO INSPECT AND CAPTURE ACCURATE DATA OF VOIDS.

AUSTRALIANMINING

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you can undertake rigorous monitoring in shorter time intervals in challenging environments, without putting humans at risk – that’s a key part of the digital transformation and push to increased digitisation of underground assets.”

As Emesent continues to redefine underground mapping, its Hovermap technology is becoming more versatile with more applications.

“From a customer’s perspective, they’re making decisions and for that they need insights,” Hrabar says.

“They need to take measurements or compare the data over time to make decisions, so automating the analysis of the data is where we’re focussing our own development.

“We’re not just capturing the data, but actively deriving insights from the data.”

Emesent’s evolution is about facilitating the transition between the data capture phase and the final decision-making process, where critical but more precise calculations and assessments are made easier.

This leads to faster and more informed decisions, culminating in the increased productivity, profitability and safety of a mining operation.

And with equal capabilities in open cut environments as the underground, Emesent’s Hovermap technology is quickly becoming the industry standard. AM

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INDUSTRY OUTLOOK

EMBRACING AN INDUSTRY OF CHANGE RISING COMPETITION AND STAKEHOLDER EXPECTATIONS ARE CREATING A SEISMIC SHIFT FOR HOW MINING JURISDICTIONS OPERATE, AS COUNTRIES LOOK TO CAPITALISE ON THE WORLD’S CRITICAL MINERALS DEMAND AND ADDRESS GLOBAL CHALLENGES.

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he importance of geopolitics in the mining industry is growing by the day with both mining jurisdictions and companies looking to cut down on emissions and make way for indemand minerals that are part of a clean energy future.

Australia is set to play a key part in this shift, with Western Australia and South Australia both listed in the top 10 most attractive mining jurisdictions, according to Fraser Institute.

The world’s move to cleaner

energy has also resulted in high demand for more environmentally friendly sourcing of metals through emissions reduction technologies, such as battery-powered mining equipment and renewable energy sources.

Gold Fields is a company gearing up for this transition, having installed renewable energy microgrids at the Granny Smith and Agnew gold mines in Western Australia.

For the clean energy shift to be effective, a steady supply of critical minerals from mining operations is also required.

AUSTRALIANMINING

The Australian Government is pushing for new mines to be developed to meet this demand for critical minerals including nickel, cobalt and lithium.

Australia is the world’s top producer of lithium and rutile, and is the second largest producer of zircon and rare earth elements.

According to a KPMG report, Geopolitics and the Australian minerals industry, geopolitical volatility is reshaping critical minerals supply and demand.

The report states that geopolitics can impact supply and demand, which can shift

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“geopolitical power maps”.

The secure supply of critical minerals has evolved into a global issue with an economic force such as China leading production and supply. Nations across the globe rely on each other for a complete supply of critical minerals.

Geopolitical tensions could be detrimental towards which nations can access a steady flow of these commodities.

“The relative scarcity of critical minerals, coupled with the downstream processing required means that in some cases, the influence over the supply chain is

IMAGE: EDL.

INDUSTRY OUTLOOK

access to capital, skilled labour and a strong ESG (environment, social and governance) track record.”

KPMG states critical mineral mining and processing is environmentally and economically complex with most manufacturing and processing plants based in China.

It adds that Australia has a chance to expand its footprint as a global supplier of critical minerals, however, some are not financially viable to dig out due to current commodity prices – but demand is increasing.

BHP’s Olympic Dam site has around 53 million tonnes of rare earth elements, but it is considered uneconomic to extract.

According to KPMG, the geopolitical trends that have emerged in the face of the world’s clean energy transformation also impact the broader Australian resources sector.

These trends include structural shifts to international systems, domestic discontent, the industrial revolution 4.0 and the climate crisis.

A broader picture

WIND POWER HAS BEEN INSTALLED AT THE AGNEW MINE.

controlled by fewer players,” KPMG Australia partner and national head of mining Nick Harridge tells Australian Mining.

“Geopolitical risks are having a real impact on volatile jurisdictions.

Investors need to navigate geopolitical complexity.

“Increased strategic competition, inequality, protectionism, nationalism, cyber disruption – and disruption from climate change – are layering complexity on global trade relations and intensifying jurisdictional risks.

“Australia is well positioned with ready access to critical minerals,

KPMG’s report highlights the rise of China on the global stage as a sign that the international system is moving away from the countries which were part of its formation after World War II. China is the primary shipping destination for Australia’s major commodities, including iron ore, taking around 60 per cent of supply.

More than half of Australia’s total resources were sent to China in 2019-20, delivering $127 billion in revenue for the country.

However, KPMG flags that China is looking to diversify its supply chain after Beijing put a ban on Australian coal in 2020.

For iron ore, Australia’s output currently remains unmatched despite the recent decline in prices.

According to Harridge, the resources sector needs to have a strong understanding and adaption to each change in the wake of these structural shifts.

“The mining sector is typically on the front foot, using the strategic foresight vital to navigating geopolitical risk and making the most of opportunities arising from disruption and broader structural shifts in the international system,” Harridge says.

“Comprehending jurisdictional risks and the volatile geopolitical landscape puts the mining sector in a stronger position to mitigate strategic risks and capture development opportunities.”

AUSTRALIANMINING

This is causing the mining industry to make the most of its geopolitical risks with a strong understanding being crucial for mine developments.

“The desire of these emerging powers for more voice and agency is in some cases posing challenges to the existing norms and structures, and it is not yet clear how the system will be shaped in the future,” the report states.

“How status quo powers respond to this shift also affects what happens next.”

KPMG’s report also lists domestic discontent as a factor that both impacts and benefits specific mining jurisdictions.

The report states the rise of nationalism in countries like Venezuela, whose government nationalised all gold mines in 2011, impacting Australia’s mining industry.

Australia’s mining industry must be vigilant to certain nations moving away from free and open trade.

“Geopolitical risks are having a real impact on volatile jurisdictions. Investors need to

computer-powered that require the critical minerals Australia hosts, including arsenic, gallium, indium and rare earth elements.

They also tie in to the fourth and final geopolitical trend – the climate crisis.

The risk of a changing climate has led to a downward trend of coal consumption as the world moves to renewables.

The move away from coal has also been shown by Australian venture funds, which KPMG reports have moved towards a stronger focus on social licence to operate and sustainability initiatives.

Given the historical importance of coal to the Australian economy, this trend has huge implications for the sector, KPMG adds.

KPMG Australia director and geopolitics lead Merriden Varrall says it is vital to analyse the entire supply chain to determine what part of a mining business is most exposed to geopolitical change.

“Measuring and quantifying geopolitical risk in various jurisdictions can be challenging because there are so many

AUSTRALIA IS WELL POSITIONED WITH READY ACCESS TO CRITICAL MINERALS, ACCESS TO CAPITAL, SKILLED LABOUR AND A STRONG ESG (ENVIRONMENT, SOCIAL AND GOVERNANCE) TRACK RECORD.”

navigate geopolitical complexity,” Harridge says.

“Increased strategic competition, inequality, protectionism, nationalism, cyber disruption – and disruption from climate change – are layering complexity on global trade relations and intensifying jurisdictional risks.”

The use of advanced Industry 4.0 technologies including artificial intelligence, data and automation is part of a larger societal transformation that has trickled down into the mining industry.

KPMG states that technological advancements are driven by the competitive nature of mining nations across the globe.

This has resulted in geopolitics being shaped by new technological developments such as renewable energy and where the supply of commodities to create such technologies comes from.

These technologies are driven by a secure supply of semiconductors which are the basis of anything

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complex variables which can move so quickly,” Varrall says.

“However, geopolitical risk due diligence can be undertaken by using a tool that combines a matrix of quantifiable factors with expert insights and analysis.

“Geopolitical volatility isn’t an aberration; it is here to stay.

Mining companies can be and need to be proactive in understanding their exposure and looking for opportunities to negotiate and mitigate risk.”

Amid a changing landscape the mining industry will need to wade through these growing risks to continue economic success.

Australia is well positioned to capitalise on growing demand for critical minerals – especially in producing semiconductors for computerised technologies.

However, mining companies must evaluate the risk and reward factor that is continuing to pull the strings of how the industry responds to these evolving challenges. AM

INDUSTRY OUTLOOK

THE NEXT STEP IN DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION HARNESSING THE CONCEPT OF HUMAN-CENTERED DESIGN, ASG GROUP IS ON THE GROUND, WORKING WITH ITS CLIENTS ONE-ON-ONE TO BUILD THE BESPOKE SOLUTIONS THAT SUIT THEM. HCD SEES ASG WORKING WITH ITS CLIENTS ONE-ON-ONE TO BUILD BESPOKE SOLUTIONS THAT SUIT THEM.

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hether it is education, banking, policing, health, government or the resources sector, ASG Group has developed IT solutions for a range of industries, assisting companies to take advantage of technology to change the way they work.

ASG has changed the way it engages with the mining industry through human-centered design (HCD), an approach to problem-solving that involves deeply understanding the experience of people on the ground and designing solutions with their input.

Traditionally, digital tools used at work have been technology led, with end users sometimes feeling like an afterthought. In contrast, HCD has proven to be the inclusive consultation component workers have been crying out for.

ASG regional capability manager and design leader Greg Stewart says design thinking and HCD have become a cornerstone of the company’s service delivery.

“It’s a philosophy by which we attack most of our big, transformative projects,” Stewart says.

Stewart says the ability to design new capabilities and find creative solutions to problems rather than simply install technology platforms has increased as the digital age has

smartened, allowing human input to come to the fore.

“One of the biggest sources of pain for people is when the tools they have to do the job become frustrating, or worse useless. If it’s no good, people will find a way to work around it, or they’ll just leave efficiency and opportunity on the table,” Stewart says.

“It often used to be that the systems we use at work wouldn’t be quite right because of a technology limitation.

But as technology has become more sophisticated and more flexible, we can concentrate less on the tech itself, and more on the people using it.

“This is because we can bend the technology to support what the people need to do, and critically, to do it in a way that suits the way they work and their context.”

ASG has harnessed its HCD approach to provide solutions to many major organisations, including Western Australia energy corporation Western Power and several Tier 1 mining companies.

One mining client asked for a revolution to its maintenance administration methods.

Stewart says the major Australian miner wanted to transform the way it managed maintenance, as a lot of the maintenance processes at this company were paper based.

“Instead of assuming we knew the answer, building a tool around that and foisting it on them, we took the time to understand the changes the business AUSTRALIANMINING

needed to see, and what the reality was for the maintainers,” he says.

“We asked them, ‘What information do you need right now, how do you want to see it, and what’s wrong with the way you see it right now?’”

“Being with them while they work and where they work is a great way to unlock less obvious sources of value.

That way, you see the problems that people have gotten so good at working around, they might not recognise it as a problem anymore.

“Also, their context – their working conditions matter too,” Stewart continues. “What you want to give a person holding a screen in the glaring sun, covered in dust, wearing safety glasses, or what a person in a confined space requires, is vastly different to what can be seen on a big screen in a crib room or a nice office.

“So, we had a nice combination of giving them what they wanted in a way they wanted it, and also standardising processes so the business could get all the information they wanted, to make sure the maintenance happened well and captured the kind of data

that will let them get on with the next generation of improvements with AI etc.”

As ASG continues to evolve, the company aims to increase the scale of its HCD offering while also staying on the beat as industry advancements occur.

“Equally if not more fruitful will be working with mining companies as they make wholesale adoptions to ways of working that lend themselves to HCD,” Stewart says.

“A great example of that is adopting agile thinking on an industrial scale.

Mining is more and more about optimising complex interdependent systems. The approach of identifying targeted results and pursuing them with a series of hypotheses and experiments is the way to go. That approach couldn’t lend itself better to support from design thinking.”

Underpinned by a mantra of accessibility and personability, ASG’s HCD approach is the new frontier of intersectoral collaboration, enabling everyone to join in on the digitisation party. AM

THIS IS BECAUSE WE CAN BEND THE TECHNOLOGY TO SUPPORT WHAT THE PEOPLE NEED TO DO, AND CRITICALLY, TO DO IT IN A WAY THAT SUITS THE WAY THEY WORK AND THEIR CONTEXT.” ASG HAS HARNESSED ITS HCD APPROACH TO PROVIDE SOLUTIONS TO SEVERAL TIER 1 MINING COMPANIES.

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INDUSTRY OUTLOOK

ALLIGHTSYKES PUMPS UP ITS PEOPLE TO GENERATE SUCCESS ALLIGHTSYKES HAS TRANSFORMED INTO A WELL-OILED MACHINE BOTH INTERNALLY AND EXTERNALLY IN 2021, A TRANSITION COMPLEMENTED

BY UPGRADES TO ITS RANGE OF LIGHTS, PUMPS AND GENERATORS.

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fter a companywide culture survey towards the end of 2020, AllightSykes has focused on becoming an energising place to work and do business with.

From the survey feedback, a burst of new initiatives were born, allowing the company to outgrow its prepandemic position.

AllightSykes general manager of people, culture and safety Danielle Smith says the company is seeing a change with a renewed focus on its most important element – its people.

“It’s been an evolution. In 2019, we did a similar company evaluation, and the outputs to support the feedback were focussed around the financials,” Smith tells Australian Mining.

“This was a positive step forward, but what we learnt in the 2020 cultural survey feedback is our people’s focus had changed, and we needed to adapt our approach again.

GUS ELLIOT (LEFT) AND MARCUS WEST (RIGHT) WALK THE NEW PRODUCTION LINES.

“It all came back to a real hearts and minds concept of valuing the whole person, instead of just seeing them as a vehicle to make the company successful.

I’m a big believer that the former will lead to the latter.”

From this ethos, ENERGISE was developed as the company’s latest employee value proposition.

The theme asks AllightSykes employees what they can do and what their team can do to deliver their best work every day, and feel satisfied that

MANY ALLIGHTSYKES EMPLOYEES CELEBRATED 10 YEARS OF SERVICE IN 2021.

AUSTRALIANMINING

they had a positive impact. AllightSykes chief executive officer Gus Elliot says he wants every one of his employees to understand their own place in the wider company.

“If I know how I’m contributing then it should give me an improved sense of energy rather than simply coming to work to grind the stone and return home to my family,” Elliot says.

“The feedback we received from the business in our previous cultural surveys indicated there was a desire for more information and regular communications around where we are headed. So, it’s become a vision for the business to allow everyone to understand their contribution.”

The cultural survey in 2020 came at a time when AllightSykes was adrift in the same position as many Australian businesses – forced to let staff go amid COVID-19.

Elliot says the company is now striving to show current and potential employees that the business is well recovered from these difficulties, with the pipeline to prove it.

“We like to reinforce a message of ‘show me, don’t tell me’,” he says.

“For example, we show our customers and our staff that the future is good.

We’re doing this by winning the work that we are, having the inventory and the people, support and training all available to enable our teams to be successful.

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DECEMBER 2021

“This year, compared with the same time last year, we have three times the work in hand, so we’re able to show that the future for all of our people is bright.”

To accommodate a bright future of happy customers and a strong mining industry, AllightSykes has developed new products like its Gen3 light tower.

The Gen3 builds upon the previous generation with a move to a new SmartGen lighting tower control panel.

AllightSykes operations manager for light and power Marcus West explains how this allows for better communications and increased productivity.

“This is about moving from our existing technology to being more in line with what you’re going to see in the future,” West says.

“The addition of ModBus support means you’ve got the opportunity to read and write data to the machine, giving you the ability to leverage information for several functions.”

These functions include position monitoring, condition monitoring and fuel consumption. West highlights the benefit of remote monitoring on a lighting tower.

“Instead of having a service technician performing periodic checkups, customers can be told remotely whether there is a fault or the machine needs refuelling,” he says.

“This is particularly important if they

INDUSTRY OUTLOOK

THREE FG WILSON P550 GENERATORS AT WA KAOLIN’S WICKEPIN PROJECT.

have a lot of these individual assets on site. You can actually use the data to better schedule maintenance activities.”

AllightSykes’ third generation lighting tower allows integration with any number of systems across a mine site.

Additionally, West says a big change in the latest model allows for easier maintenance owing to its improved design.

“Our old controller wasn’t field serviceable – if you had a failure, you removed it, installed a new one and disposed of the old,” he says.

“On this new model, if there is a failure within the controller, you can replace the component instead of replacing the entire unit.”

This extends to the light itself too. The Gen3’s light fittings have serviceable components that can be interchanged if a failure occurs, assuring those long nights on a mine site are constantly well lit.

This is one of many significant changes for AllightSykes’ lighting towers, according to West.

“From a performance point of view, we’ve gone from the standard HyperLume at 300 watts (28,000 lumens) to the 450-watt light fitting for 60,000 lumens per light,” he says.

“We can put up to eight lights on a tower depending on the customer’s request for a total of up to 480,000 lumens, which is best in class.”

To ensure these towers and all other AllightSykes products can be rolled out as fast as possible, the company has optimised its production line.

The reconfiguration allows for better working conditions for those in the factory – thanks to a people-first approach – and faster lead times for AllightSykes customers.

“Instead of a single production line we’ve built two parallel production lines based on the Toyota production

system principles. These are organised in such a way as to make the production process visual for ease of performance monitoring, and assisting in work standardisation to enable in-process quality checks,” West says.

“On top of this, we’re working on some further developments in our production controls by presenting data to the production team on screens for them to optimise their work flow. This has the added benefit of reducing our reliance on paper.

“This leverages our theme of connectivity and communication across the company.”

WA Kaolin can vouch for AllightSykes’ reliable lead times after it received three P550 generators in three months from first enquiry to final tests.

The emerging miner is developing its Wickepin kaolin project 220 kilometres southeast of Perth and these generators helped it progress stage one.

WA Kaolin chief executive officer Andrew Sorensen says the company is putting in a renewable package at the project next year.

“Just what that looks like we’re not sure yet. So we really wanted to get our load established using the generators to understand our needs and right-size the renewable package,” Sorensen says.

“It was far easier for us to install the right amount of those technologies once a load profile is known and understood using the AllightSykes generators.”

The operation will require approximately 700kVA (thousand-voltampere) and the three synchronised generators will comfortably cater to this using a lead-lag setup.

Sorensen says he had heard great things about AllightSykes’ offering from across the Western Australian mining industry.

“They’re a very strong unit with a lot of experience serving other major

AUSTRALIANMINING

SMARTGEN LIGHTING TOWER CONTROLLERS UP THE ANTE ON GEN3 LIGHTING TOWERS.

miners and during our acceptance testing the generators performed very well,” he says “We called these major miners and the overarching response was the reliability of the units. The backup and availability of servicing of parts from AllightSykes was also a key consideration for us.”

On the pumps side of the business, AllightSykes is constantly evolving in conjunction with the mines it serves.

General manager of pumps Glen Priestley says AllightSykes caters to a range of requirements from some of Australia’s leading mining companies.

“AllightSykes is a leader in the design of hydraulic pumps for specific mining applications,” Priestley says.

“Our new models such as the upcoming XH250 are working on pumping higher flow at higher heads to grow with mines as they develop.”

To understand the specific needs of each mining environment, AllightSykes prides itself on being

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one worldwide entity with no barriers between countries.

This allows for faster communication both internally and with customers for optimised service and product development.

“I think the biggest thing that sets us apart is that we are a one-stop shop globally. We don’t have all kinds of businesses for each country, so we can provide for bigger customers consistently across their operations,” Priestley says.

“This affords us and our customers the ability to engage effectively on all levels. Whether it’s engineering, supply chain, executive or sales, we have a capable group of people which work together across the world.”

It would seem every business unit at AllightSykes finds synergies between its own people and with the people it serves.

Whether one is in the market for pumps, lights, generators or a fulfilling place to work, AllightSykes has all bases covered. AM

INDUSTRY OUTLOOK

STAYING ON THE CUTTING EDGE OF CONNECTIVITY THE RESOURCES INDUSTRY CONTINUES TO INVEST IN IT SOLUTIONS TO SUPPORT DIGITISATION. SPECIALIST FIBRE AND NETWORK SOLUTIONS PROVIDER VOCUS HAS THE INFRASTRUCTURE AND SERVICES TO KEEP THESE SOLUTIONS CONNECTED.

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ith rapid advances in technology, the mining sector changes every year.

The need to improve safety and worker wellbeing, enhance productivity, and meet environmental, social, and governance (ESG) demands is helping to drive more connected operations and the adoption of technology.

However, the adoption of technology inherently comes with risk.

Ernst & Young’s (EY) Top 10 Business Risks and Opportunities for mining and metals in 2022, a survey of more than 200 global mining executives, shortlists the most significant risks shaping the industry.

It highlights how various external and societal factors are creating risks and opportunities, driving mining companies to reshape the future of the industry.

New business models were ranked among the top 10 risks in the report, rising from ninth to seventh in the list, with EY pointing to digital integration as an integral opportunity for businesses to innovate and differentiate EY global mining and metals leader Paul Mitchell says the study examines the push to develop and deploy new technology for a broader purpose.

“As stakeholders continue to hold miners accountable for environmental

and social practices, purpose, long-term value and sustainability are no longer add-ons to business as usual – they are themselves business as usual,” Mitchell says.

“In such an uncertain and shifting environment, we are likely to see greater use of data science, scenario planning and data modelling to guide more intelligent decisions and create differentiation.”

Taking advantage of rapidly emerging and evolving technologies can seem like an overwhelming task for the mining sector. However, this shift has created a myriad of opportunities that were previously unimaginable.

Specialist fibre and network solutions provider Vocus is expanding on its current infrastructure, which is creating increased demand for its services.

Among the services offered by Vocus is the capabilities available through its hybrid cloud technology.

Hybrid cloud promises a range of benefits, from improved business resilience and disaster recovery, to increased agility, better surge management, lower costs and more capability to support business applications.

Vocus national lead for resources, mining and utilities Simon Head says implementing cloud technology properly is no easy feat.

“It requires careful planning, ongoing VOCUS’ HYBRID CLOUD PROMISES A RANGE OF BENEFITS.

AUSTRALIANMINING

VOCUS IS ENABLING AUSTRALIANS TO WORK, PLAY, AND CONNECT FURTHER AND FASTER.

consideration and highly sophisticated hybrid cloud architectures,” Head says.

“Organisations who fail to build strategies focussed on business outcomes may find that new technologies cause more problems than they fix.”

Significant advancements in space technology have made low-latency connectivity possible within and between urban, regional and even remote environments.

Head says satellite technology, for example, makes use of a range of orbits for telecommunications, satellite imaging, aviation and navigation purposes.

“These include geostationary orbit (GEO), low earth orbit (LEO), medium earth orbit (MEO), polar orbit, sunsynchronous orbit (SSO), transfer orbit and geostationary transfer orbit (GTO), and Lagrange points (L-points),” Head says. “Of particular interest among these are LEO satellites, which are currently helping to bridge connectivity gaps right across the country, enabling Australians to work, play, and connect further and faster.”

Vocus’ infrastructure has the potential to benefit remote communities around Australia, where many mine sites are in operation.

Head says when a fibre asset is developed, the technology can be used to provide connectivity off that fibre backhaul to regional and remote communities easily and affordably.

“Our infrastructure is also servicing backhaul for the space industry through new ground station technology in the

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exciting LEO satellite arena,” he says.

“We are currently seeing the benefits of satellite connectivity to remote locations where fibre still doesn’t reach.

As the demands for bandwidth continue to increase, satellite technology is evolving to bring higher speeds with a real reduction in latency.”

Rather than relying on fixed cables, LEO technology will provide an internet connection anywhere the sky is visible.

This technology has the capability to be of immense value to mining companies.

Mine sites have commonly been employing edge computing systems to enable more remote operational capabilities.

Edge computing is conducted on site to deliver enough processing power to run remotely across a mining operation.

The need for edge computing has increased throughout the global COVID-19 pandemic with more companies relying on remote access to keep operations functioning.

However, this can lead to increased costs. Vocus’ satellite internet services can allow companies to minimise network build costs, while at the same time maximising efficiencies of cloud and edge technologies.

Vocus continues to connect Australia’s mining industry, most recently with the $500 million Darwin-Jakarta-Singapore cable (DJSC) to enhance the Pilbara mining region.

“This key fibre infrastructure, along with the development of LEO satellites, means Australia’s mining sector will continue to advance as the technology evolves,” Head concludes. AM

The road to decarbonisation in Australian mining How do we get to net zero?

Australian mining companies have shown true leadership in their commitment to achieving net zero emissions by 2050. The road to decarbonisation, however, is going to be challenging.

This free whitepaper acts as an advisory guide to those in the Australian mining and resources sectors, tackling the big questions: • What does the journey to decarbonisation look like?

• What are the potential roadblocks?

• What infrastructure is required to power the future mine?

• And what practical steps can miners take now to prepare?

U p w d db technology g allows w for larger g vehicles to b be economically m run on b batteries, Ralf says other technologies g can b be considered d d such as g green hydrogen-power, d g p w conveyor systems, m hoists w where applicable pp b w which are also an electrified d solution.

www austra anm n ng com au/wh tepaper/the-road-to-decarbon sat on- n-m n ng/

REGIONAL SPOTLIGHT

MAJOR MINERS BENEFIT FROM INDUSTRIAL SUPER HUB HENRY BALLARD HIGHLIGHTS ONE OF THE WORLD’S LARGEST INTEGRATED INDUSTRIAL ESTATES AND HOW IT ALLOWS A MINE LIKE GREENBUSHES AND BHP’S NICKEL WEST OPERATIONS TO SHINE. THE KWINANA SIA CATERS TO A RANGE OF HEAVY INDUSTRIAL BUSINESSES.

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he Kwinana Strategic Industrial Area (SIA), 40 kilometres south of Perth, is one of many to dot the west coast of Australia.

From as far south as Mirambeena, to further north at the Browse LNG precinct, these allotments provide unique purposes for businesses seeking more value from their processing prowess.

In Kwinana’s case, it’s the easy access to one of the state’s most significant port facilities, Fremantle Port, as well as a synergistic community of companies all working to streamline their operations.

These companies include Tianqi Lithium Corporation, Covalent Lithium, Alcoa Energy, and over the road in the Rockingham SIA, BHP Nickel West.

The lead agency for the development of the Kwinana SIA is the Western Australian Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation (JTSI), while the land is effectively managed by DevelopmentWA, the state’s central development agency.

DevelopmentWA chief executive Frank Marra says the Kwinana SIA is one of Western Australia’s most important strategic heavy industrial precincts.

“It forms part of WA’s premier industrial corridor, a 3900-hectare area of land stretching from Henderson to Rockingham,” Marra tells Australian Mining.

“This area has attracted tenants that specialise in chemical and resource-based processing industries, which are able to take advantage of freight access through the Fremantle Inner Harbour and Outer Harbour, and highcapacity road, rail, electricity and gas networks flowing through and around Kwinana.”

Tianqi continues to be heavily involved in this resource-based processing after first ground was broken on its lithium hydroxide plant in October 2016.

In a joint venture (JV) with IGO called Lithium HoldCo, the refinery produced its first lithium hydroxide chemical product in August 2021.

Tianqi chief operating officer Raj Surendran says it is only upward AUSTRALIANMINING

from that milestone for the JV. “The Kwinana plant is the largest lithium hydroxide plant in the world with two production trains,” Surendran says. “Production capacity will reach 48,000 tonnes per annum when both trains are fully operational, thanks to the plant’s high level of automation for 24/7 operation.”

Of course, this feat wouldn’t have been possible without the quality of ore sourced from the world-renowned Greenbushes lithium mine, 200 kilometres south of Kwinana.

Talison Lithium, which owns Greenbushes as a JV between Lithium HoldCo (51 per cent) and Albemarle Corporation (49 per cent), is developing the mine to have a processing capacity of 1.34 million tonnes per annum of lithium concentrate.

Once the lithium-rich ore is processed at Greenbushes, Surendran says the Kwinana plant creates the lithium hydroxide to be shipped off for use in key technologies.

“The company has established an

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integrated supply chain for lithium products by leveraging its interest in Greenbushes to source high-grade spodumene concentrate for further processing,” Surendran says.

“Battery-grade lithium hydroxide will be sold on the global market primarily for the electric vehicle industry.”

Lithium has been produced at Greenbushes since 1983, with a history of mining tin, tantalum and lithium stretching back to 1888, making it the longest continuously operated mining area in Western Australia.

This historic resource combined with Tianqi’s extensive history in lithium processing was always destined to be a recipe for success, according to Surendran.

“Tianqi brings to Kwinana the technology and experience gained from a 25-year history of manufacturing lithium compound, including its status as the first lithium company to make batterygrade products and lithium compounds from Greenbushes spodumene,” he says.

At the Rockingham SIA, BHP Nickel West has made its own legacy within the region as a major processing player.

Rockingham sits on the fringe of this southwestern industrial strip and plays host to BHP, WA Kaolin and FYI Resources, to name a few.

BHP Nickel West’s Kwinana nickel refinery produced first nickel sulphate crystals in October 2021 and is ramping up to 100,000 tonnes of nickel sulphate per year once fully operational.

The company has a history in the region dating back to the 1950s when it owned steelworks, a blast furnace and roller mills.

Since 1971, the Kwinana nickel refinery has been exporting refined nickel to international stainless-steel markets. General manager Brent Jondahl says it has grown to become an important cog in the Nickel West machine.

“The integrated nature of our mine-to-market business adds value throughout our nickel supply chain, with the majority of Nickel West’s

REGIONAL SPOTLIGHT

current production sold as powder and briquettes through the Port of Fremantle,” Jondahl says.

Nickel from BHP’s mines – Mt Keith, Cliffs and Leinster – is processed at the Kalgoorlie nickel smelter, before it’s transported to the Kwinana nickel refinery, with 85 per cent of BHP’s nickel products then sold into the electric vehicle market.

This process is largely benefitted by the refinery’s proximity to likeminded businesses, according to Jondahl.

“The Kwinana nickel refinery is deeply embedded into the Kwinana industrial area,” he says.

“We sell one of our by-products, ammonium sulphate, to a number of third-party operators on the Kwinana strip, and we purchase consumables that are core to the operation of our nickel refinery from third parties, such as nitrogen and ammonia.

“These synergies provide BHP’s nickel business with an internationally competitive edge.”

This edge is enjoyed by all of those involved in the Kwinana/ Rockingham region.

Marra says this is by design, in fact, as DevelopmentWA carefully curates those which become a part of this industrial hot spot.

“Kwinana SIA and the neighbouring Rockingham SIA are part of the world’s largest integrated ecology industrial estate,” Marra says.

“They support growth among industrial businesses by facilitating access to extensive common-use infrastructure, deep pools of skilled labour and proximity to other industrial businesses inputs and outputs that exhibit a high degree of complementarity.”

Surendran agrees that becoming a part of the Kwinana industrial hub has created many efficiencies for Tianqi and its neighbours.

“Operating in the Kwinana SIA has many benefits for Tianqi,

THIS KEY INDUSTRIAL CORRIDOR COVERS A LOT OF GROUND SOUTH OF PERTH.

THIS AREA HAS ATTRACTED TENANTS THAT SPECIALISE IN CHEMICAL AND RESOURCE-BASED PROCESSING INDUSTRIES, WHICH ARE ABLE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF FREIGHT ACCESS THROUGH THE FREMANTLE INNER HARBOUR AND OUTER HARBOUR, AND HIGH-CAPACITY ROAD, RAIL, ELECTRICITY AND GAS NETWORKS FLOWING THROUGH AND AROUND KWINANA.” including proximity to the Talison lithium mine in Greenbushes; proximity to Fremantle Port for export of lithium hydroxide to global customers; readily available supply of power, gas and water; proximity to supply of main reagents, acid and caustic; and access to a trained and experienced workforce available for both construction and operations,” Surendran says.

Not only that, but the Kwinana SIA also ensures that the dozens of businesses are kept as

THERE REMAINS PLENTY OF LAND FOR LEASE AT THE KWINANA SIA.

AUSTRALIANMINING

environmentally friendly as the region can allow, with nearby water treatment measures in place.

Surendran says this is yet another drawcard for the region and one to consider for prospective applications.

“An additional sustainability benefit is the availability of water from the Kwinana water reclamation plant (KWERP),” he says.

“KWERP takes treated effluent from the nearby Woodman Point wastewater treatment plant and uses combined microfiltration and reverse osmosis technology to supply highquality water to local industry.”

The benefits of bringing major industrial players together are also felt by the state economy and the world’s environmental goals.

Marra sees a strong future for the region in developing the key ingredients for the world’s clean technologies.

“The establishment of these projects in the Kwinana SIA and BHP’s Nickel West nickel refinery in the Rockingham SIA are evidence of the SIAs’ flexibility to pivot towards emerging industry needs,” Marra says.

“These projects are playing a vital role in assisting the state and

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the world’s renewable energy and decarbonisation goals.

“The state believes SIAs can become internationally competitive industrial hubs for a range of critical battery metals and renewable hydrogen production projects in the decades to come.”

While the Kwinana and Rockingham areas are the most developed of the state’s SIAs, there is still room to grow with several sites still available to lease.

The Lead Agency Framework, set out by the state government and led by the JTSI, ensures the right kind of applicants are welcomed into the region, Marra explains.

“The framework is designed to ensure proponents can be guided effectively through approvals processes and know what is expected of them to bring complex business operations, new technologies, innovations and progressive operations to life,” Marra says.

“Almost 70 years after heavy industry began operating in Kwinana, the face of one of the world’s largest integrated ecology industrial estates continues to evolve.” AM

MAINTENANCE

BALL STUD REMOVAL TOOL PUTS GEOGRAPHE ON THE MAP AFTER THE GEOGRAPHE TEAM RECEIVED A CALL FROM THE WORKSHOP OF A TIER 1 MINER REGARDING A MAINTENANCE CHALLENGE ON A COMMON HAUL TRUCK, THE WEST AUSTRALIAN MANUFACTURER TURNED A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE INTO A PATENTED, TIME-SAVING TOOL.

I

f you’ve ever maintained a Caterpillar haul truck, you may have come across a particularly stubborn ball stud which forms part of the steering assembly.

By no one’s fault other than a dusty and harsh work environment, these ball studs can become effectively welded in position, requiring some real grunt work to remove them for routine maintenance.

After one particularly difficult stint removing a ball stud, a Tier 1 miner tried calling Geographe’s research, development and innovation manager Sean Martin to leverage his team’s many years of industry experience and knowledge.

“They had a situation where it had taken two shifts (up to 24 hours) to remove one ball stud,” Martin tells Australian Mining.

“You can imagine the downtime of having a truck parked up in a workshop for that amount of time – it must have

THE BSRT WEIGHS UNDER 20 KILOGRAMS AND TRAVELS IN A WHEELED CASE.

been extremely frustrating.”

After almost three decades in the industry, Martin says he’d never heard of the issue, but his team was up for the challenge.

He says the real issue was in the lack of effective tools to remove the stubborn studs, with usual processes requiring more brawn than brain.

“Traditional methods of removing them sometimes just don’t work to the point where they often need to be cut out using lancing type of equipment,” Martin says.

“It starts to get dangerous, very noisy and there’s a lot of potential for damaging the components around the ball stud. Basically, it can be an all-round nightmare for maintenance teams.”

The solution, after several iterations

AUSTRALIANMINING

of research and development, was Geographe’s patented Ball Stud Removal Tool (BSRT).

Using the BSRT, Geographe has received reports from its customers that four ball studs can be removed in just 20 minutes – a mammoth time saving compared with one shift per stud.

The ball studs in question can be found on seven models in Caterpillar’s haul truck range – the 773, 777, 785, 789, 793, 795 and 797. The BSRT is currently applicable to the 785, 789 and 793 trucks, with the remaining models to be added soon.

Martin says the tool has received terrific support in Australia while also being available in Indonesia, South America, the United States, Canada and regions of Africa.

“We started off with the most prevalent machines in Australia before rolling out for the bigger machines,” he says.

“We’re getting a lot of interest from overseas, particularly from the United States on the larger trucks. But there’s not many of those in Australia so we first concentrated on the mid-sized models.”

The BSRT is made from a forged high-tensile alloy, which then receives further heat treating to ensure its reliability in a high-stress environment.

Martin describes the process of developing the BSRT for a very specific application.

“It had to be fairly quiet, there shouldn’t be any impact required, it shouldn’t damage anything else around it and the ball stud should be reusable,” he says.

“The aim was that if a ball stud was removed, crack checked, cleaned, and

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they wanted to put it back in, they could do so. And we nailed this brief.”

The difficulty in developing such a tool – to be used in a tight space under the truck – was in its weight, mobility and its ability to fit between the truck’s steering control arms and the bell crank.

“We had about 17 millimetres for the fingers of our tool to slide into and up to 50 tonnes of applied force was on these fingers. So the material needs to be very resistant to fatigue over extended use,” Martin says.

To ensure the strength of the tool, Geographe implements a Finite Element Analysis (FEA) using a computer program to understand how reliable the product is under stress.

“You essentially punch in information such as the loads, the dimensions of the tool and the materials, so that the program can understand where the load is distributed and where any weak points in the tool might be,” Martin explains.

Martin gives just one word to describe the feeling of having his team members names on a patent.

“Mindblowing,” he concludes.

“I don’t mind admitting it – it’s not something that everyone has.

“Product development manager Nick Pyper and product designer Jamal Barikbin were pivotal in co-designing a tooling solution which has helped our customers succeed in meeting their site targets.

“It’s been very much a group effort, with innovation project manager Ryan Hyder being instrumental in the ongoing development of the tool’s variations.

See www.geographe.com.au/bsrt for more information. AM

A SMALL STEP ON OUR PATH TO CHANGE

FROM 2021, ALL CASTROL PRODUCTS WE SELL IN AUSTRALIA WILL BE

COMMITTED TO CARBON NEUTRALITY IN ACCORDANCE WITH PAS 2060** A SMALL STEP TOWARDS A MORE SUSTAINABLE FUTURE

* **

in accordance with PAS 2060, see www.castrol.com/cneutral for more information.

The C02e emissions are calculated in accordance with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol’s Product Life Cycle Standard and includes life cycle emissions. The demonstration of carbon neutrality will be assured by an Independent Third-Party and certified to BSI’s PAS 2060 carbon neutral specification. See www.castrol.com/cneutral for more information.

EFFICIENCY & OPTIMISATION

OXYTANE: THE FUEL EFFICIENCY TRAILBLAZERS OXYTANE IS A FULLY CERTIFIED FUEL TREATMENT THAT REDUCES CARBON EMISSIONS AND INCREASES FUEL EFFICIENCY, IMPROVING THE ESG OUTCOMES OF ANY MINING OPERATION.

T

he mining industry is underpinned by a pursuit to be better and more innovative, something driven not only by increased competition but also by a widened gaze.

While the world depends greatly on mining from an economic point of view, society at large is becoming increasingly aware of its footprint.

Mining companies have an obligation to be more environmentally conscious, and they are more insistent on proving to investors and the wider landscape that they have a role to play in reducing emissions.

With decades of research and ambition behind it, Oxytane has become an important piece of the decarbonisation puzzle.

A carbon-cutting fuel treatment, Oxytane is not only easing environmental, social and governance (ESG) headaches, but is also reducing fuel consumption and improving engine performance of mine fleets across the world.

The company has built its reputation in Europe and the United States, and now it arrives in Australia at a time when the mining industry is at the net-zero coalface.

Oxytane Australia executive officer Michelle Demos says the product is a cost-effective solution for any environmental quandary.

“One of the things about environmental management is that we know that it comes at a cost and typically has an impact on profitability,” Demos tells Australian Mining.

“One of the benefits of the Oxytane solution is that it provides an environmental benefit by way of emission reduction and actually reducing the cost by way of lower fuel consumption.

“So it does the opposite – instead of costing you money to implement an environmental solution, Oxytane actually saves you the money to do that.”

Oxytane is an antidote to static electricity in fuel – a common efficiency killer that naturally occurs in any charged engine.

Using an anti-cavitation process, Oxytane reduces or eliminates the electrostatic positive voltage of fuel, limiting the surface tension and allowing microscopic bubbles to escape.

The result is a cleaner, more optimised liquid fuel for use in an engine.

There’s evidence to suggest mining equipment that uses Oxytane, whether it be a vehicle or generator, will benefit from efficiency gains of 25 per cent and above.

Mining companies could fork out less for fuel with a product that already inherently reduces the emission of toxic fumes into the environment.

This circular efficiency renders Oxytane a versatile ESG solution for mining companies chasing a smarter, more vigilant operation.

“I think it’s important to note that, whether it’s the mining industry or not, investors are increasingly drawn to companies that actively embrace ESG policies,” Demos says.

OXYTANE IS AN ANTIDOTE TO STATIC ELECTRICITY IN FUEL – A COMMON EFFICIENCY KILLER.

“And they’re fundamental to deal success, shareholder value, product and operations differentiations, and improved access to capital.

“So, with its fuel efficiency proven, I think Oxytane can have a huge benefit around mining operations, as well as the bottom line for mining companies.”

While decarbonisation advances Oxytane’s cause, electrification does the opposite.

Oxytane is realistic about the risks an entirely electrified mining sector could pose to the company, but believes

SO, WITH ITS FUEL EFFICIENCY PROVEN, I THINK OXYTANE CAN HAVE A HUGE BENEFIT AROUND MINING OPERATIONS AS WELL, AS THE BOTTOM LINE FOR MINING COMPANIES.”

EVIDENCE SUGGESTS OXYTANE PROVIDES EFFICIENCY GAINS OF MORE THAN 25 PER CENT.

AUSTRALIANMINING

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the movement is still green. The company’s fuel treatment could also be an important resource adjacent to electrification.

“We have thought about electrification at length and certainly Oxytane wouldn’t be needed in a fully electrified mining world,” Demos says.

“However, we do think there’s a longer-term horizon for the development of electrification technologies that are sufficient to replace all types of combustion engines used in mining.

“I think liquid-fuel-driven engines used in power generation including recharging of electric applications will be with us for a while yet … and we think Oxytane will only complement the electrification technologies that work to reduce emissions of non-electric applications with a zero-capital outlay.”

Through testimonials and testwork, and the sustained hunger for continued research and development, Oxytane provides a trusted solution for mining companies to improve the fuel efficiency of its fleets.

With great challenges ahead for society, it’s critical no mining operation takes sustainability for granted.

“Global challenges that industries seek to solve through innovation have always existed,” Demos says.

“We believe none are more so challenging than the global climate change and emission reduction challenge because we’ve heard from so many experts that the time to act is now.

“We really don’t have the luxury to perfect the ‘how’, and there are so many solutions out there for this. I think if a solution is both economically viable and works, then we have to try and introduce that into the market.” AM

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MINING SERVICES

THE INDUSTRY LEADERS IN AUTOMATED LUBRICATION

JSG HAS BECOME A MASTER IN THE ART OF LUBRICATION SYSTEMS.

AUTOMATED LUBRICATION SYSTEMS KEEP MOBILE AND FIXED ASSETS ON TRACK, PREVENTING DOWNTIME BEFORE IT BECOMES TOO COSTLY. IT’S SOMETHING JSG INDUSTRIAL SYSTEMS IS AN EXPERT IN AND CONTINUES TO REFINE EVERY DAY.

L

ubrication systems have come a long way over time and have proved to be an understated yet essential cog in preventing downtime at mining operations.

Friction is the buzz word in lubrication, and two metals rubbing against each other under a heavy load doesn’t bode well without lubrication to keep things turning.

With more than 50 years’ experience delivering products and solutions to the mining and industrial sectors, JSG Industrial Systems has become a master in the art of lubrication systems, ensuring machinery stays on track.

This has culminated in the development of JSG’s comprehensive offering of automated lubrication systems – industry-leading product that increases productivity and machine reliability, while also improving worker safety.

JSG business development manager Mike Sipman says automating and monitoring lubrication are the next evolution in preventative maintenance, enabling greater predictability and planning on mine sites.

“What happens is, on a lot of automated equipment, in terms of occupational health and safety, there are many areas of a plant that cannot be lubricated while they’re operating,” Sipman tells Australian Mining.

“If you automate that process and calculate how long a machine can operate before a maintenance shut occurs, that has a huge impact on production because it might be that you’re running 12 weeks,

AUTOMATING AND MONITORING LUBRICATION ARE THE NEXT EVOLUTION IN PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE.

maybe 18 weeks, without actually stopping the plant.

“So, if you reduce the number of shutdowns for maintenance, you’re actually increasing production automatically.”

Aligned with global manufacturer SKF, JSG has supplied automated lubrication systems for assets of all kinds and sizes, and the deployment of the technology has become the industry standard.

“For a particular project, all mobile fleets are now installed with automatic lubrication systems – a lot of it from the OEM factory,” Sipman says.

“We’ve installed lubrication systems on screen house shuttles, belt feeders, take-up winches, we’ve done crushers – anything that has rotating equipment and bearings can be automatically lubricated.

“SKF manufactures such a huge range of lubrication products to suit any application. They just have everything – from the single point lubricator to fully integrated lubrication systems lubricating hundreds of lubrication points autonomously.”

Many mining operations prefer their automated lubrication systems to be plant controlled, and JSG’s solutions cater for this with the ability to extend the technology across numerous assets.

One JSG customer has an operator which oversees 16 independent zones from their control system, offering a bird’s eye view across many lubrication points.

With JSG’s automated lubrication systems used comprehensively across the mining industry, the company has AUSTRALIANMINING

established a sound footprint making it a leading supplier in the field.

Much of JSG’s success can be attributed to relationships and collaboration, something which has seen the business become the leading global distributor for SKF lubrication solutions and the preferred choice to work with other METS (mining equipment, technology and services) companies as part of an expansive supply chain.

The company has established a distribution network that allows it to support SKF’s lubrication products throughout Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, Singapore and beyond.

JSG has also built a relationship with Monadelphous – one of Australia’s leading engineering groups in industries such as mining, oil and gas, light industrial, rail and power.

Monadelphous has partnered with JSG at a major iron ore operation

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in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, purchasing its automated lubrication systems as part of a supply and installation contract for the major miner.

“My dealings with JSG – they were upfront, they were approachable,” Monadelphous senior engineer Adam Hosking says.

“They weren’t long lead items (for the iron ore project), so we set milestones of what we wanted first and what we wanted last, and they matched their delivery schedules to suit us and our site installation handover sequences. They worked really well prioritising what was required.”

Monadelphous received strong feedback from the mining company’s commissioning of the automated lubrication systems – a product of its fruitful collaboration with JSG. Forging robust relationships across

MINING SERVICES

the mining and METS sectors has been critical to JSG’s success, and the company sees an ongoing growing demand for their lubrication system solutions.

“Any rotating equipment that’s autonomous needs reliable lubrication,” Sipman says of its automated lubrication systems. “I mean, a lot of these sites where things are remote, you need to be able to rely on a piece of equipment to be lubricated.”

Mining operations have a lot riding on every process at every hour of the day, and one unplanned maintenance operation slip-up can prove especially costly.

“It might be that someone has to drive very long distances or fly to a site to service a piece of equipment – that’s the downfall of automation, you don’t have people at the ready,” Sipman continues.

“So, you need reliable equipment to be able to keep these things running optimally and automated lubrication systems ensure that.”

Sipman believes a big part of the automation movement is a result of mining companies realising the importance of proactivity rather than reactivity, and not resting on your laurels.

“That’s the biggest difference with this level of automation now – you’re optimising everything. Nobody

accepts that, ‘We always replace that bearing at X number of hours because that’s just how it was’, that doesn’t happen anymore,” Sipman says.

“Now we’re monitoring everything and we’re going to get the maximum production out of the cost of that asset. In the past, businesses just used to accept replacing things at certain intervals and they just went along with having to do that.

“What you find now is, and one of the reasons we’ve got this level of automation is, it’s no longer easy to get skilled people with experience to do this type of work.”

As the JSG legacy grows, its automated lubrication systems will remain a critical aspect of mining operations well into the future.

In a world where mining companies have a smaller margin for error than ever before, keeping an operation on track and on time is non-negotiable. AM

YOU NEED RELIABLE EQUIPMENT TO BE ABLE TO KEEP THESE THINGS RUNNING OPTIMALLY AND AUTOMATED LUBRICATION SYSTEMS ENSURE THAT.”

JSG’S DISTRIBUTION NETWORK ALLOWS IT TO SUPPORT SKF’S LUBRICATION PRODUCTS ACROSS THE WORLD.

CUSTOMER CARE PLANS. SUPERIOR SERVICE AND SUPPORT. Do you have a preventative maintenance plan in place?

CCP300821

At Sullair, reliability doesn’t stop with our quality products which are designed and built to last.

Preventative maintenance planning ensures even the highest quality products, designed and purpose built for their application and environment are given the utmost care and attention, throughout their life cycle.

Contact us today to discuss you preventative maintenance planning needs Call 1300 266 773 or visit sullair.com.au

AUSTRALIANMINING

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MINING SERVICES

A FULL-SERVICE SOLUTION PACKAGE FOR QUEENSLAND COPPER MINE CBC MINING MANAGER SAM WILKINSON DISCUSSES HOW THE COMPANY EFFICIENTLY SOLVED AN ISSUE WITH A FLOTATION CELL AT A NORTH QUEENSLAND COPPER SITE.

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xperts in metallurgy will be familiar with what is known as ‘froth flotation’, in which a cylindrical flotation cell will typically hold the materials, while a low-pressure blower will parse the particles into hydrophobic (waterrepellent) and hydrophilic (watersoluble) materials using air bubbles that are carried across the surface and removed.

When CBC regional mining manager Sam Wilkinson received a query from a copper mining customer in North Queensland about a bearing failure analysis on one of their flotation blowers, he moved quickly to draw up a proposal that included an NTN bearings solution.

“Our engineering team headed to the site first to do a load case.

We check the load capacity of the existing bearing, the speed and the overall suitability of the bearings, and determined a better solution,” Wilkinson says.

“The flotation blower fan is absolutely critical to creating the flotation bubbles in a copper concentrator cell.

“The fans move at very high speeds, and in this case the spherical roller bearings the customer was using on the fan were slipping due to poor axial and radial loading, causing bearing failure every eight to 12 months.

“From this, we proposed a new fan barrel assembly to the customer.

We suggested using a pair of NTN Angular Ball Bearings (7226) for the shaft to reduce skid, and a single NTN Deep-Groove Ball Bearing (6226) for a smoother barrel assembly.”

According to Wilkinson, there were a lot of moving parts in the new design, requiring cooperation across the business – with the key components being the custom bearings solutions supplied by NTN. These types of engineering projects must be approved to the Registered Professional Engineer Queensland (RPEQ) standard before going to manufacturing, Wilkinson explains.

CBC FIXED THE COPPER OPERATOR’S CONCERN WITH THE FLOTATION CELL FOLLOWING A COLLABORATIVE PROCESS.

“Once the RPEQ process is approved and the customer accepts the design, we then manufacture at the CBC Design Hub in Sydney.

Experts Josh Price, engineering hub manager, and Marcello Falcao, senior application engineer, were heavily involved in the production process for this project,” Wilkinson says.

Because it was such a change from the original fitted bearing, the customer requested that the team at CBC perform some acceptance testing off site.

“We shipped it from Sydney to Townsville, where we put it on an industrial balancing machine,” Wilkinson explains.

“We monitored the temperature and vibration, and after passing specs, we shipped it out to the customer site.”

The seamless collaboration between the CBC Queensland engineering team, the Sydney manufacturing facility, the inhouse balancing service from a group AUSTRALIANMINING

WE CHECK THE LOAD CAPACITY OF THE EXISTING BEARING, THE SPEED AND THE OVERALL SUITABILITY OF THE BEARINGS, AND DETERMINED A BETTER SOLUTION.” company (Hardy Spicer) and technicians on the ground allowed for a complete solution for the customer. Furthermore, the joint venture between NTN-CBC also allowed for a quick turnaround on supply.

Fabio Rebecchi, national product manager for NTN-CBC, describes why the solution was such a good fit.

“The angular ball and deepgroove bearings solutions are ideal for a fan application rather than spherical rollers bearings.

In flotation fans, spherical roller bearings tend to skid at very high speeds because there isn’t enough load through the bearing,” Rebecchi explains.

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“These bearings are ground to face which allows for universal pairing. In this instance, the team at CBC have used a back-to-back arrangement, which allows an axial load from one direction where the fan would be.

“Then on the other side, there is a deep-groove ball bearing which provides excellent load to medium radial load.”

To summarise, Rebecchi says: “The best things that we do in our business happen because we have the right structure, the right stock, the right support, and the right people facing the customer, and when it happens, it happens seamlessly as an organisation.” AM

MINING SERVICES

A TIME CRITICAL RESPONSE WHEN EVERY SECOND COUNTS WHEN FIRST AID IS REQUIRED ON A MINE SITE IT IS VITAL THAT THE WORKFORCE HAS THE RIGHT TRAINING TO ASSIST IN A QUICK AND TIMELY FASHION. TIME CRITICAL’S FIRST AID TRAINING COURSES ARE DESIGNED TO BE FLEXIBLE AND TARGETED TO MEET THE NEEDS OF THE INDUSTRY.

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ine sites are a hazardous place where, despite occupational health and safety requirements, accidents can happen. When an injury occurs on site it is critical there is somebody available with the required training to assist with first aid until such time that emergency services arrive.

According to the Western Australian Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety, the initial treatment a person receives directly after an injury, accident or when a person becomes ill at work is extremely important in achieving the aims of first aid.

First aid may be administered by the first person ‘on the spot’. It is generally recognised, however, that a first aider is a person who has had some level of formal training.

Time Critical is a registered training organisation (RTO) and a leading provider of first aid and pre-hospital emergency care training to the mining industry.

Co-owned and run by Fleur Smith and Susan Vercoe, the company name and its tagline – Time Critical, when every second counts – addresses the

TIME CRITICAL IS CO-OWNED AND RUN BY FLEUR SMITH AND SUSAN VERCOE.

TIME CRITICAL’S TRAINERS ARE ALL MEDICS, PARAMEDICS OR NURSES.

WE UNDERSTAND THE MINING INDUSTRY, THEIR SYSTEMS AND REQUIREMENTS, AND HAVE A SIMPLIFIED PROCESS IN PLACE TO DELIVER A SEAMLESS SERVICE.” importance of first aid training in the workforce.

“An emergency situation can happen at any time, so it is important that personnel on site have the correct training to deal with that situation,” Smith says.

Time Critical’s trainers are all medics, paramedics or nurses who bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to their highly sought after HLTAID009 Provide cardiopulmonary and HLTAID011 Provide First Aid courses.

“Our trainers have years of experience within the industry that enables them to contextualise the training to reflect the incidents you may come across on a mining site. This provides the participants with relevant scenarios and the knowledge and confidence to act when every second counts,” Vercoe says First aiders may have skills that AUSTRALIANMINING

range from the HLTAID009 Provide cardiopulmonary resuscitation to being able to provide more complex treatment with the HLTAID011 Provide first aid.

Selection and training of first aid personnel is most important. First aiders should be familiar with the specific conditions and hazards at the workplace and the types of injuries likely to require treatment.

The level of training that is needed should be determined according to the hazards identified at the workplace and the assessed risks.

One of Time Critical’s most popular courses in the mining industry is the HLTPAT005 Collect specimens for drugs of abuse testing. It means the company works closely with the mining industry and understands its specific requirements.

“This course is becoming very popular. We have major mining companies send their personnel to us

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for training as we are one of the few providers in Perth that deliver this course at a reasonable price. We are currently delivering this course to bigger groups on various mine sites,” Vercoe says.

Time Critical provides training to major mining companies throughout Western Australia, including those in remote locations.

“We understand the mining industry, their systems and requirements, and have a simplified process in place to deliver a seamless service,” Vercoe says.

To complement its training, Time Critical offers a range of first aid kits, defibrillators and larger medical equipment for sale that can kit out a mine site medic office or site vehicle.

“Time Critical offers a range of nationally accredited courses that are relevant for any operation. We understand that not all businesses are the same and our services may be required outside of normal business hours,” Smith says.

“We specialise in providing training at a time and location that best meet the needs of our clients.”

Vercoe concludes, “Time Critical is here to take care of your training, while you take care of your business.” AM

DIGITAL MINING

THE POWER OF ONE LIFE-OF-MINE TECHNOLOGY PARTNER HEXAGON’S MINING DIVISION HAS INTRODUCED A LIFE-OF-MINE SMART SOLUTION CONNECTING SENSORS AND SOFTWARE, INFIELD APPS AND CLOUDWARE TO EMPOWER DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION.

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hile mining started as a simple means of extracting ore from the ground, advances in technology have led to a myriad of technologies aimed at improving the process.

Where miners once used mainly mechanical means, a raft of systems and solutions now collect and process data.

Vehicles on site often include multiple screens running different software to improve safety, operations, time management and more.

That’s why Hexagon introduced the Power of One, a holistic, life-of-mine smart solution connecting sensors and software, infield apps and cloudware to empower digital transformation.

Hexagon’s mining division chief technology officer Rob Daw says the Power of One’s creation aligns with the company’s journey over the past five years.

“There have been a number of disparate solutions in the mining industry for planning, operations, safety and even more where engineering and geology and surveying are concerned,” Daw says.

“We started to explore how these different areas interact with each other, how information is shared and how we can optimise the process from the pit to the plant.

“So, we started looking at ways that we could make these solutions easier

for our clients to use and maximise the benefits of integrated insights.”

The Power of One connects the mine to the boardroom, simplifying the need for multiple technologies with a single onboard ecosystem comprising a smart computer, antenna and display.

“In the industry today, you have four or five screens in an excavator or a truck for various solutions. The Power of One consolidates all those different solutions into one screen to make the operator’s life easier,” Daw says.

“There are also maintenance benefits.

By having one GPS antenna, one computational box and one screen, the maintenance and overhead requirements are heavily reduced, as well as fewer opportunities for things to break, so you get a lot more durability and it is much easier to maintain.

“The important part is the Power of One is an autonomously connected ecosystem. For us, it isn’t about a truck driving from point A to point B, it is about how we enable our systems for smarter decision making.

“Another important aspect is the Power of One partner, which is really about how we work with our clients from across all of those different value chains to provide solutions for them to meet their needs today. It also shows them strategies and roadmaps so they can get additional value from these solutions by connecting them all.

“The vision is one partner that you can work with from mine planning to operations, from safety to autonomy –

POWER OF ONE MEANS DRILL AND BLAST AND EQUIPMENT HEALTH NO LONGER NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED BY POINT SOLUTIONS.

AUSTRALIANMINING

HEXAGON IS OFFERING A SCALABLE, PLATFORM-AGNOSTIC ANSWER TO DRILL AND BLAST CHALLENGES.

that obviously has a lot of benefits from a client perspective.”

The Power of One offers a scalable, platform-agnostic answer to challenges previously addressed by point solutions and multiple vendors: drill and blast, collision avoidance, operator alertness, fleet management, operator assist, machine control, asset health and more.

For the industry, it points the way to a safer, more productive and sustainable future. For customers, this grows from the benefits of becoming a Power of One partner.

Daw says Hexagon has always prided itself on being original equipment manufacturer (OEM) agnostic, which is backed by a range of skillsets within the business.

“We have people who can come in and install the system, we can have people help to train on the systems, people who can consult on those systems and we will always look at industry best practice,” Daw says.

“We can help people adapt to these new technologies and also help them get

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the most value out of these technologies.

“It is a really diverse capability and that is the idea of the Power of One partner in that we want to work with customers, we want to understand what the challenges are.”

What sets Hexagon apart from its competitors is the fact that it has access to all the sensor and hardware technologies.

This means Hexagon can enable the data capturing process to help customers take advantage of what is available.

Daw says the benefits of these solutions is the data collected by these systems and the way that information can be applied to operations.

“All of these solutions are generating a tonne of data and it has been our job to turn that data into actual insights,” Daw says. “The end goal is to enable our clients to do more analytics, which leads to smarter decision making.

“Everyone is seeing the value of data and I don’t think as an industry we have been able to realise what is possible yet, so there are a lot of opportunities to unlock.” AM

ENVIRONMENT XXX

AGGREKO HELPED GOLD FIELDS REDUCE ITS CARBON FOOTPRINT.

POWERING THE MINES OF THE FUTURE AUSTMINE SPEAKS WITH AGGREKO GLOBAL HEAD OF MINING ROD SAFFY ABOUT THE GROWING ISSUE OF ENERGY IN MINING AND HOW HIS COMPANY IS MOVING TO ADDRESS IT.

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he Australian mining industry is in the midst of a seismic transformation towards renewable powered operations.

Driven by the world’s leading mining companies committing to net zero emissions by 2050, there has been significant investment in electrification of equipment, energy efficient processes, hybrid energy systems and on-site power generation across the sector.

To gain further insights into the future energy landscape of mining, Austmine caught up with industry expert and Aggreko global head of mining Rod Saffy.

According to Saffy, the pressure being placed on the mining industry to adopt greener technologies is now translating from the boardroom to the coal face.

“There is growing interest in energy in mining driven by a marketwide focus on carbon emissions.

Investors and insurers have lifted their expectations on industry through ESG (environmental, social and governance) policies, and mining must now change practices accordingly,” Saffy says.

Looking at the projects Aggreko has undertaken in the mining space, its renewables offerings continue to attract greater interest from operators aiming to reduce energy costs and develop sustainable operations.

“Renewable microgrids have become a reliable and cost-effective solution where life-of-mine contracts are typically longer and have a baseload power requirement. In mining areas too remote for utility power supply or where companies are seeking to take greater control of their power source, microgrids have been utilised to ensure energy reliability and security,” Saffy says.

Aggreko has worked closely with Gold Fields at the Granny Smith mine to successfully transition to a renewable energy system, which at the time included the installation of the biggest off-grid renewable microgrid in the world.

“Aggreko installed a 28-megawatt (MW) gas-fired thermal power station, an 8MW solar farm and 2MW battery energy storage system. This was all engineered, procured and constructed

by Aggreko and is run as independent power to Gold Fields,” Saffy says.

“We are also starting the construction of a second off-grid renewable power station for Gold Fields in Chile at Salare Norte. This will be at 4500 metres above sea level, which presents some additional challenges.”

Looking elsewhere at the energy landscape, Saffy believes the opportunity to transition away from diesel fuels is critical for sustainable operations but requires further technology advancements.

AUSTRALIANMINING

“Fuel source is an important part of the decarbonisation process, with diesel fuel usage still widespread across operations. Electrifying mobile equipment will be significant, but there’s still a considerable journey to go on,” Saffy says.

“Hydrogen will dramatically change the thermal generation landscape, but this is still in the development stage.

“The cost of green hydrogen will need to come down for it to be a viable option for miners. Challenges surrounding compression and liquification, along with storage and transport, remain difficult.

More investment is required in AGGREKO CONTINUES TO ATTRACT INTEREST IN REDUCING ENERGY COSTS.

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innovation to make green hydrogen an operational reality.”

Over the coming years, the pace of the transition towards renewables in mining will rapidly increase, with industry initiatives such as the Electric Mine Consortium, Charge On Innovation Challenge and other networks helping to fast-track technology development.

Aggreko is committed to the energy transition and currently invests $450-$600 million per year to tackle these challenges to meet diesel fuel usage reduction with its customers by 2030 by 50 per cent and net zero emissions by 2050. AM

2021

AUSTRALIAN MINING PROSPECT AWARDS

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S R G T E I E M IN

E N R I K P M S ’ E C A H I I T TRAL FOR T S RY AUS ARDS ERAL DUST N I N W I A D M ING om. au AN CESS a r d s .c w O a R t P spec pr

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EVENT SPOTLIGHT

REBRANDING MINING THROUGH COMMUNICATION TRAINING THE INTERNATIONAL MINING GEOLOGY CONFERENCE 2022 WILL BE HEADLINED BY RENOWNED GEOCOMMUNICATOR AND GEOLOGIST HAYDON MORT. HE SHARES HIS THOUGHTS ON HOW THE GEOLOGICAL COMMUNITY CAN CONFRONT ITS IMAGE PROBLEM WITH BETTER COMMUNICATION AND A REFORMED UNIVERSITY CURRICULUM.

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resented by the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (AusIMM), the conference will occur on March 22-23 next year, both online and in-person at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre.

In front of 450 attendees, Haydon Mort will present a keynote speech about the volatile brand of modern mining and how the industry can lift itself out of a skills shortage.

As chief executive officer and founder of non-profit training organisation for budding geologists Geologize, Mort says the industry must swallow some tough pills over the next few years. “(My speech) will contain some hard truths about why there is such a huge image problem for the mining industry in Australia and around the world,” Mort tells Australian Mining.

“Moving to the present, I will challenge current communication strategies and offer actionable solutions.

I will argue that industry needs to stop complaining about low student intake at universities, and take ownership and action.”

Mort and Geologize are based in the United Kingdom, and after 15 years of research and teaching experience around the world, he is well positioned to offer advice on effective teaching practices for geology students.

Mort observes that more inclusive classes are typical of geoscience departments bucking the global trend of falling enrollments.

“What I can say is that those geology programs doing well in other parts of the world are embracing a more interdisciplinary and holistic approach,” he says.

“There is a much stronger emphasis on AI (artificial intelligence), programming, drones and more recently due to COVID, an effective and powerful blended learning platform which actually enhances the student experience.”

Aside from the content itself, there is a growing importance placed on the nature in which it is taught.

“Those with the most vibrant and resilient departments are ones where good communication skills appear to be equally valued as publication success,” Mort says.

“Students feel inspired, valued and listened to. Word gets out that the faculty are dynamic and inclusive, and this attracts more applications.”

Mort believes it is in the interest of mining companies to invest in the effective communication training of students.

“The new generation of geoscientists will be the most effective ambassadors for those we want to attract from school and college. It makes sense for the mining industry to help them.

“The mining industry can do this by forming alliances with academia that will see funding for training for students, as well as new and existing faculty members,” he says.

In terms of changing the perception of mining so that such students become interested in joining the ranks of a mining company – the likes of which continue to power the nation’s economy – Mort acknowledges the conundrum they face.

“Public outreach and the activity of reframing the mining industry is either felt to be too big an issue to tackle for a smaller company, or it’s seen as too phoney from the larger ones,” he continues.

Mort argues that these campaigns by miners and universities place too much focus on the self-importance of mining and geology, so much so that it becomes cliché at best and arrogant at worst.

“We tell people, ‘if it’s not grown, it’s mined’, ‘do you know how many elements are in your smartphone?’ and ‘have you thought about all the petroleum-based products in your life?’,” he says.

“This narrative may engage a few.

But to the undecided or sceptical arguably the majority - the subtext is clear; ‘you need us. Look at all we’ve done for you. You should be grateful.’

Instead, Mort suggests these entities become helpful to society outside of

THE CONFERENCE WILL WELCOME GEOLOGISTS, CONSULTANTS, METALLURGISTS, ENGINEERS AND STUDENTS.

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HAYDON MORT IS THE FOUNDER OF NON-PROFIT GEOLOGIZE.

their chief domain – digging dirt.

“Instead of spruiking the worth of your business to Australia, talk about something else. If you’re a miner, you don’t need to talk about mining,” he says.

He provides examples of starting educational YouTube channels or outreach programs and giving businesses value outside of commodity markets.

“If you make the connections subtle, emotional and delightful, rather than have it shoved down their throat, people will gravitate to and share your content,” Mort explains.

Once value is presented in such a way, there is a fighting chance of changing the public’s attitude and improving geoscience enrollments again, according to Mort.

“Much lip service is given to the importance of public outreach in geology. For too long public engagement has been seen as a noble but unnecessary pursuit, left to a handful of people. This urgently needs to change,” Mort says.

“To stem the academic and industrial haemorrhaging of talent to other scientific disciplines, we must acknowledge our past and present failures in communication to learn, adapt and grow.”

To find out more on Haydon Mort and his upcoming presentation at AusIMM’s International Mining Geology Conference 2022, visit the website: www.ausimm.com/mining-geology AM

EVENTS

PROSPECT AWARDS FINALISTS EXHIBIT MINING’S BEST FINALISTS FOR THE 2021 AUSTRALIAN MINING PROSPECT AWARDS ARE NOW LOCKED IN WITH THE TOP MINES, AS WELL AS THE BEST AND BRIGHTEST IN SAFETY, MINERALS PROCESSING AND MORE ON SHOW.

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he Prospect Awards is a must-see event that showcases the best innovations and projects developed by mining and METS (mining equipment, technology and services) companies, ensuring outstanding individual and team performances are recognised.

Despite the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 awards show will go ahead, albeit on March 17, 2022, at The Greek Club in Brisbane.

Prospect Awards events manager Lauren Winterbottom thanks each of the talented individuals and organisations that submitted an application.

“Each finalist reflects the innovative prowess of Australia’s mining industry and the potential it exhibits in the face of adversity and global transformation,” Winterbottom says.

and Yancoal’s Yarrabee coal mine, both in Queensland.

Kestrel has been recognised for its hard work and high-performing teams who have made the operation one of Australia’s highest producing underground longwall coal mines.

The mine produced 3.45 million tonnes of coal for the first half of 2021 before it managed to complete a longwall move in less than 23 days from July to August.

Yancoal has been recognised for its new cultural framework, said to have influenced every area of its improved performance in 2021.

During 2020-2021, Yarrabee broke all previous monthly and quarterly records for drilling and explosives loaded.

It also became the first mine in Australia to implement the new Hitachi 800 tonne excavator, the EX8000-7.

Coal Mine of the Year – sponsored by SEW-EURODRIVE

Contract Miner of the Year – sponsored by Epiroc

This award recognises a coal mine that is performing well or has carried out an innovative project or program like last year’s winners, the Moolarben operation in New South Wales.

The finalists are the Kestrel coal mine, owned by Kestrel Coal Resources,

This award recognises excellence in contract mining, engineering, projects and services.

For the second year in a row, Mader Group is a finalist, alongside newcomer MEC Mining.

Mader Group has grown from

a one-man business in 2005 to an ASX-listed firm that had a market capitalisation of $226 million in September 2021.

It provides specialist maintenance support for heavy mobile equipment and fixed infrastructure in mining and civil industries. Its value on the ASX increased by more than 20 per cent in the 2021 financial year.

MEC Mining’s Productive Solutions offer holistic consultation to clients whose challenges have been compounded by the pandemic, and by the volatility of a sector facing increasing scrutiny of environmental and safety practices.

In early 2020, MEC was approached by an ASX-listed mining multi-national publicly committed to achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions associated with its on-site activities.

MEC has continued to aid in the development of these goals, conducting a wide-reaching assessment of operations to develop five rigorous scenarios, from FY21 to FY70.

Hard Rock Mine of the Year – sponsored by Epiroc

This award turns the focus on hard rock mining and the businesses performing THE PROSPECT AWARDS RECOGNISE AUSTRALIA’S TOP MINING AND METS ACHIEVERS.

AUSTRALIANMINING

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well or undertaking innovation projects to better themselves and the industry.

New Century Resources is a finalist for two awards this year, the first of which sees its Century zinc mine up for Hard Rock Mine of the Year.

Century had a transition to an owneroperator model, which saw teams take on initiatives in water saving through hydraulic mining and concentrate loading in the Gulf of Carpentaria.

The Roy Hill iron ore mine has been selected after it delivered a record equivalent annual run rate of 60 million tonnes in the June quarter of 2021.

This was despite a range of restrictions that hampered the wider industry, including inclement weather, COVID-19 restrictions and a skills shortage.

New programs at Roy Hill included a new autonomous haulage system, a new crusher and overland conveyor system, and the continuation of the awardwinning Wet High Intensity Magnetic Separator (WHIMS).

Indigenous Engagement Award

The Indigenous Engagement Award, for which finalists are selected based on significant collaboration with Aboriginal-owned businesses, continues to increase in recognition.

Finalists in 2021 include Atlas Iron, iCutter Industries and Sandvik.

Atlas Iron attracted plenty of attention for its record-breaking contract to Indigenous business EastWest Pilbara (EWP) for load and haul, and drill and blast services for the new Miralga Creek mine in Western Australia.

The Hancock Prospecting subsidiary saw EWP as the best choice for the job as it is directly connected to the Traditional Owners of the land on which Miralga Creek will operate, the Nyamal people. iCutter is an Australian owned and operated Indigenous business in the drill and blast sector, based in Mackay, Queensland.

Through BHP’s Local Buying Program, iCutter has worked with the BHP Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA) and takes discarded drilling tools for refurbishment. If refurbishment is not possible, iCutter sustainably repurposes or recycles the discarded tools.

EVENTS

THE AWARDS NIGHT WILL BE HELD IN BRISBANE FOR THE SECOND TIME.

Sandvik has launched its Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP), which contains almost 100 key actions across pillars of respect, relationships, opportunities and governance in working with Australia’s Indigenous communities.

One action was to investigate opportunities to involve Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders into the Sandvik supply chain and this welcomed partnerships with Yakeen Safety, Geared Up Culcha and Mirri Mirri Productions.

Mine Manager of the Year – sponsored by CRC

This award takes a closer look at the individuals driving the success of Australia’s leading mining operations.

Finalists hail from mining giants Glencore and Yancoal.

Glencore mine services superintendent at the McArthur River coal mine, Carrie Heaven, has risen through the ranks since she entered the industry as a geotechnical engineer in 2011.

Since working at McArthur River, Heaven has vastly improved the operation’s female bathroom facilities, established a mining engineer cadetship program and an Indigenous employment program.

Outside of the mine, Heaven has advocated for women in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) and lectured at the

University of Tasmania where her career began.

Yancoal’s Cris Shadbolt joined the company three years ago as the mining manager and quickly earned his way to becoming the operations manager at Yarrabee coal mine.

Shadbolt has helped to implement a program at the mine called the Yarrabee Way, which looks to improve people, safety and proficiency.

Minerals Processing of the Year

This award recognises a mine, company or project that has developed or carried out an innovative or unique minerals processing program that increased efficiency, productivity or safety.

Lynas Rare Earths has been named a finalist in recognition of its work optimising the milling and flotation circuit at its Mt Weld site in Western Australia.

The project differs from others across the industry due to the flotation of phosphate minerals compared with sulphide minerals in gold and base metals mineral processing plants.

The new processing flowsheet and reagent addition significantly reduced the flotation circuit heating requirements which resulted in a 19 per cent reduction per year in diesel use to heat the boiler.

New Century Resources received its second finalist in minerals processing for the commissioning of its Jameson cell at AUSTRALIANMINING

the Century mine.

The company worked with Mineralis Consultants to effectively implement the Jameson cell circuit upgrade to achieve recovery grades of 50 to 54 per cent.

Metso Outotec is also recognised for its work increasing gold recovery at AngloGold Ashanti’s Sunrise Dam gold mine.

This was achieved using six TC200 TankCell flotation units, one 14-metrehigh rate thickener and one HIGmill the HIG3500/23000.

Safety Advocate of the Year – sponsored by Flexco

As regulations hone in on weaknesses in health and safety, this award looms as an important one to win.

Boom Logistics, Fenner Dunlop, Mitchell Services and Lyons Air Conditioning Services have all been recognised for their contribution to worker health and safety this year.

Boom Logistics is Australia’s largest national crane and lifting company and therefore has a significant responsibility to maintain safety across the business.

Thanks to its Safe Act Observations principle, the company more than doubled its annual safety observations from 2019 to 2021 while reducing its total recordable injury frequency rate (TRIFR) from 8.6 to 5.1.

Fenner Dunlop has implemented a list of safety initiatives in its pursuit of

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total safety for its employees, thanks to general manager of safety, training and technical Vicki Wust.

These included a mechanical advanced course, a collaboration with SafetyCircle, centralised training records and a relaunch of its Trust Yet Verify program.

Lyons has partnered with a US-based company which leads the cabin filtration space and has literally helped to set the standard on cabin filtration.

The ISO23875 cabin filtration standard is being rolled out across Australia, thanks to Lyons’ help, and companies like Rio Tinto, Epiroc and McMahons are looking to keep up to date with it.

Mitchell Services has implemented its frontline-driven fatal risk management initiative. By engaging with on-site operators, Mitchell has improved the operators’ understanding of critical risks on the job with a bottom-up approach to health and safety.

In the 12 months since commencing implementation, there has been more than 1000 inspections incorporating more than 22,000 verifications of individual critical controls. AM Thank you to Prospect Award sponsors National Group, Liebherr, SEWEurodrive, Epiroc, Austmine, Flexco, CRC and Vocus for supporting the program.

Tickets for the evening are now available online at www.prospectawards.com.au

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 INDUSTRY OUTLOOK LITHIUM SPOTLIGHT VOLUME 113/11 | DECEMBER 2021

MINING SERVICES

MINING STEPS UP

PROSPECTS CONTINUE TO RISE

Established in 1908, Australian Mining continues to lead and inform the Australian mining industry of the latest innovations in mining technology and equipment.

Australian Mining’s special features provide organisations with a forum to showcase the role each mining sector plays in helping the industry achieve its modern-day targets.

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SERVING THE MINING INDUSTRY SINCE 1908

TO BOOK IN AUSTRALIAN MINING CONTACT JONATHAN DUCKETT NOW JONATHAN.DUCKETT@PRIMECREATIVE.COM.AU | 0498 091 027

EVENT SPOTLIGHT

IMARC UNITES THE MINING INDUSTRY WHERE GLOBAL MINING LEADERS CONNECT WITH TECHNOLOGY, FINANCE AND THE FUTURE, IMARC IS SHAPING UP AS A MUSTATTEND EVENT FOR THE INDUSTRY IN EARLY 2022.

A

s Australia’s largest and most influential mining event, the International Mining and Resources Conference (IMARC) creates a global conversation, mobilises the industry for collaboration and attracts some of the greatest leaders in the mining, investment and technology industries for three days of learning, deal-making and unparalleled networking.

IMARC will be staged at the Melbourne Showgrounds in Victoria on January 31 to February 2, 2022.

Conference covering the entire mining supply chain Hear from more than 250 mining leaders and resource experts with a conference program that covers all aspects of the mining supply chain.

From exploration to investment, production to optimisation through to new technologies and global opportunities. Alongside discussions on health and safety, renewable energy, critical minerals and sustainability.

Exhibition showcasing cuttingedge innovations IMARC is the only place where you can see cutting-edge equipment,

event will welcome Australian attendees in-person to Melbourne, and international attendees from more than 130 countries via an online platform.

Visit imarcglobal.com to register your free expo or content pass or receive 10 per cent off delegate passes registering with the discount code AUSMINING AM

THE EVENT OFFERS MORE THAN 100 HOURS OF NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES.

technologies, innovations and services for all your mining needs. Find new solutions from ground-breaking companies and the biggest names in the industry, discuss specific challenges with knowledgeable technical experts and get what you need to transform your operations.

Whether it’s for exploration, mine development, sustainability or safety, you’ll find it at IMARC with more than 200 leading companies exhibiting across the 13,000-squaremetre expo floor. Microsoft, Caterpillar, Hexagon Mining, Weir Minerals, Epiroc and IBM are just some of the companies attendees can expect to meet.

Hundreds of networking opportunities

With more than 70 hours of networking, there will be ample opportunity for you to meet more than 8000 decision makers, mining leaders, policy makers, investors, commodity buyers, technical experts, innovators and educators from more than 130 countries.

In-person and online

Due to ongoing travel and gathering restrictions, and the resurgence of COVID-19 around Australia, the 2021 edition will take place from January 31 February 2, 2022. The hybrid

IMARC WILL EXHIBIT THE LATEST TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION. AUSTRALIANMINING

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LISTEN TO INSIGHTS FROM SOME OF THE GREATEST LEADERS IN MINING, INCLUDING: • Johan van Jaarsveld, chief development officer, BHP • Sandeep Biswas, managing director & chief executive officer, Newcrest Mining • Wendy Holdenson, chief operating officer, Mitsui & Co (Australia) • Troy Hey, executive general manager – corporate relations, MMG • Rohitesh Dhawan, chief executive officer, International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) • James Agar, group procurement officer, BHP • Mark Cutifani, chief executive officer, Anglo American • Lisa Ali, chief people & sustainability officer, Newcrest Mining • The Hon. Helen Clark, chair, Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) • Ian Hamm, chair, First Nations Foundation • Tom Palmer, president & chief executive officer, Newmont • Chris Griffith, chief executive officer, Gold Fields • Joanne Woo, global VP, division head of marketing & communications, ABB • Tony Makuch, president & chief executive officer, Kirkland Lake Gold • Michael Nossal, chair, IGO • Robyn Dittrich, VP, procurement – technology, communities & enterprise, BHP.

PRODUCTS

ABB PROTECTS PEOPLE AND PROCESSES WITH NEOGEAR

VOC/VSD OIL INJECTED SCREW COMPRESSORS

ABB has further developed its low-voltage switchgear for enhanced safety, performance and digital connectivity, while reducing its physical size by 25 per cent compared with the market average.

The reduction in size also means a 20 per cent energy savings and 92 per cent fewer bus bar components than traditional switchgear.

The latest NeoGear update includes real-time condition monitoring, predictive maintenance, remote assistance, fault finding and data analytics capabilities.

Safety is also highly considered on the NeoGear equipment. It has an arc ignition protected zone to ensure any routine maintenance workers are kept safe from serious incidents.

Available from 45 to 250 kilowatts, Australia’s trusted Champion Compressors from Sullair are designed to meet demanding Australian conditions and offer significant energy savings and reliability. Variable speed drive and Variable Output Control technology, combine motor speed regulation and effective compression length to adapt to changes in air demand. Compared to constant speed compressors, the Champion VOC/VSD can deliver up to 30 per cent power savings at 50 per cent load – saving thousands of dollars in yearly energy costs. Champion VOC/VSD air compressor machines are rated to operate in extreme dusty and humid 50°C ambient temperatures. The air end fitted to these machines is globally recognised as a first-class component with an extremely long life expectancy when maintenance schedules are followed – all backed up by an option for 10 years extended warranty.

• global.abb

• sullair.com.au

EPIROC BEGINS BATTERY-ELECTRIC FLEET CONVERSION

POSITION PARTNERS COVERS ALL ANGLES WITH BLINDSIGHT

Epiroc is offering customers conversion kits to seamlessly transform loaders from diesel-powered to battery-electric driven.

Evolution Mining has ordered the conversion of two diesel-powered Scooptram ST1030 machines for use at its gold mine in Red Lake, Canada.

Conversion kits for other machines will follow, including for the Scooptram ST14 loader, which is already being tested as a converted version.

Epiroc has expanded its proven battery offering and zero-emission underground fleet with the second generation in loaders, mine trucks and rigs for face drilling, production drilling and rock reinforcement.

A battery-driven electric fleet brings savings on maintenance, ventilation and cooling, as one of the biggest expenditures in many mining operations is the cost of ventilation related to the use of diesel.

With electric machinery, that cost can be cut by at least half.

Position Partners has begun distributing the heavy industry’s latest collision avoidance technology, Blindsight, across Australia and New Zealand for new developer Presien.

With 300 offices in Australia, South East Asia and New Zealand, Position Partners was chosen by Presien to enhance access and implementation of the artificial intelligence (AI) safety system.

Blindsight uses an integrated camera and AI software to learn and understand the surroundings of heavy industry operators – in both fixed and mobile applications – to detect people, vehicles, traffic cones and objects.

To identify the existence of these unique objects, the AI software receives automatic updates for constant improvement.

After several years of trial and development, the system incorporates in-cab visual, auditory and vibration to alert operators of obstructions which are unique to their site.

• epiroc.com

• positionpartners.com.au

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PRODUCTS

FOR EVERY BORE, THINK FLEXIBORE

ORICA OREPRO 3D EXPANDS BLAST TECH SUITE Orica has expanded its portfolio of blast analysis software with OREPro 3D to improve ore recovery, grade and modelling.

As the world’s largest provider of commercial explosives and blasting systems to the mining sector, Orica offers OREPro 3D as a standalone solution to blast optimisation.

OREPro 3D uses readily available mine data as inputs, including blast designs, in-situ block models and post-blast muckpile surveys.

Sophisticated algorithms then replicate movement dynamics throughout the entire blast volume and calculate SmartVectors that accurately transform the in-situ grade control into a swelled post-blast grade control model.

By optimising blast outcomes, ore can be sized for more efficient processing while minimising waste and reducing the number of blasts required.

• orica.com

FLEXIBORE 250 is a high-quality flexible rising main manufactured by Crusader Hose in Australia. It is easy to use and will challenge any rigid pipe when installing your submersible pump. The polyurethane encased woven textile reinforcement of high-tensile polyester gives the hose a high burst pressure for deep well pumping. Super-strong, it can handle the weight of the pump plus water up to 250 metres inside the bore without a safety cable.

FLEXIBORE 250 can swell up to 15 per cent, making it extremely efficient in reducing friction loss and pumping costs. By dilating under pressure, there is also no internal build-up of iron bacteria. Secure couplings are easily attached on site. A strip with intermittent loops every metre runs along the length of the hose. This allows the electrical power cable to be securely attached to the hose and prevents the possible rubbing against the bore casing.

• crusaderhose.com.au

VEGA SENSES THE OCCASION FOR CONDITION MONITORING

A NEW COMPACT AND COST-EFFECTIVE VIBRATION AND TEMPERATURE SENSOR

VEGA’s latest innovation in sensor technology has been improved with more diagnostics and a simple LED status indicator.

The VEGABAR38 is a universal pressure transmitter with ceramic measuring cell for measuring gases, vapours and liquids up to 130°C. It has been used effectively on major iron ore mine sites in the Pilbara region, withstanding harsh, dusty work environments to alert operators of failures on gearboxes and other key infrastructure.

The LED status indicator is a simple and effective way to save operators’ time with dozens of configurable colours for different purposes.

The plug-and-play solution can be easily integrated into existing control systems using IO-Link communication.

Manual data collection can result in premature failure of rotating equipment. Automate your machine monitoring and increase equipment availability and uptime with SKF Enlight Collect IMx-1.

SKF's robust, compact, easy-to-install battery-powered IMx-1 vibration and temperature sensor, mounted to a bearing housing, forms a scalable network to collect a range of health data from rotating assets while connected to SKF rotating equipment centres.

Operators can easily get started with a fee-based contract, and access automated predictive maintenance in their operating budget.

• skf.li/IMx1VibrationSensorAMMag

• vega.com

AUSTRALIANMINING

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EVENTS

CONFERENCES, SEMINARS & WORKSHOPS EVENT SUBMISSIONS CAN BE EMAILED TO EDITOR@AUSTRALIANMINING.COM.AU

International Mining and Resources Conference (IMARC) Melbourne | January 31-February 2 After going virtual last year, IMARC returns in 2022 with a hybrid event – welcoming thousands of guests from Australia and overseas, in-person and online.

More than 130 countries will participate in Australia’s most influential mining event, with more than 200 exhibitors and 100 hours of networking opportunities to take advantage of.

The event encompasses a threeday conference diving into topics of exploration, investment, production optimisation technology and global opportunities.

Additionally, the expo floor will cover 13,000 square metres to accommodate the bigger-and-better machinery and equipment on show this year.

Tickets range from free passes through to premium delegate passes, so visit the site below to book your spot now.

• imarcglobal.com Austmine Mining Innovation Roadshow Newcastle | February 24 This full-day conference will cover concepts discussed at Austmine’s biennial conference and exhibition from May 2021. Conversations surrounding sustainability and innovation will be driven by keynote speakers Mick Buffier, Glencore; Stuart Sneyd, Metso Outotec; Cam Halfpenny, Bengalla Mining Company; and Belinda Grealy, Orica.

New topics related to the local mining and METS industry will also be discussed, including safer

and more productive coal mining, opportunities for diversification into metals mining and other industries, the role of innovation in driving sustainable processes and effective stakeholder engagement.

Roundtable interactions will present an excellent opportunity to network with senior industry leaders, researchers and a range of METS company delegates.

• austmine.com.au International Women’s Day Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth | March 4-11 Returning across the country in March 2022, AusIMM will present another forward-thinking event as it continues to raise the profile of women in the resources sector.

As part of the 2021 International Women’s Day event series, AusIMM welcomed 1600 people from across Australia to applaud the achievements of women in the resources sector and hear from inspiring keynotes about their own journeys on challenging bias and inequality.

Women were provided an important platform to tell their stories and express their concerns, paving the way for the continued evolution and equality of the resources sector.

The series welcomed respected industry speakers such as human rights lawyer and hostage survivor Rabia Siddique, Australia’s chief scientist Dr Cathy Foley AO, South Australia’s chief scientist Prof Caroline McMillen AO, success coach Yemi Penn, and company director, author and leadership expert Dr Kirstin Ferguson across the five locations in 2021.

• ausimm.com/conferences-andevents/international-womens-day AUSTRALIANMINING

Australian Mining Prospect Awards Brisbane | March 17 The most esteemed and prestigious awards for the Australian mining and minerals processing industry, the Australian Mining Prospect Awards return in March of 2022.

Mining has always been a part of Australia’s landscape, playing a major part in the development of this nation from its early days.

The sector remains vibrant and innovative, and since 2004, the Prospect Awards have been the only national awards program to stop, take a look at what the mining industry is doing, and reward those who are excelling and going above and beyond, recognising and rewarding innovation.

The Australian Mining Prospect Awards were established to recognise and reward excellence and innovation across the Australian mining industry.

• prospectawards.com.au Gold Plant of the Future Symposium Blue Mountains | May 11-12 AusIMM and the Gold Technology Group at Curtin University are pleased to announce the Gold Plant of the Future Symposium.

Building on the nearly 40-year history of the Gold Technology Group and the Amira P420 Gold Processing Technology project, this two-day event will feature international experts in gold processing, covering processing, sensors and automation, ESG and related issues.

The first day will focus on current and emerging practice, with the second day driving conversations on identifying longer term technology needs and strategic thinking.

The Gold Plant of the Future

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Symposium will provide a platform for industry and academia to actively engage in how to develop best practice for the world’s gold plants both now and the future, providing support for the difficulties facing design, commercialisation and commissioning of new technologies.

Delegates can attend in-person and online with the hybrid registration or join online and gain access to live and on-demand content, online courses and exciting networking opportunities.

• ausimm.com/conferences-andevents/gold-plant Australian Bulk Handling Awards Melbourne | August 25 The Australian Bulk Handling Awards return in 2022, welcoming the sector’s esteemed and emerging to come together and celebrate the outstanding achievements from across the last two years. With prior events postponed, finalists from both 2020 and 2021 will be recognised at the 2022 event. Awards to be announced include Supplier of the Year, Bulk Handling Facility of the Year, Best Practice in Safety, and Dust Control Technology, Application or Practice. Taking place on August 25, the gala dinner will coincide with the Australian Bulk Handling Expo in Melbourne – a three-day event that encompasses the entire bulk solids handling industry.

The Australian Bulk Handling Expo is supported by the Australian Society for Bulk Solids Handling (ASBSH), who will host an industry conference, while the trade expo will showcase the latest in bulk materials handling equipment and technologies.

• bulkhandlingawards.com.au

REVOLUTIONISE BALL STUD CHANGE-OUTS

Ball Stud Removal Tool (BSRT) to suit Caterpillar 785,789 & 793 Haul Trucks

The Patented Geographe Ball Stud Removal Tool (BSRT) can help release a ball stud in under 5 minutes. It's safe, easy to use and designed for single person operation.

“Using the Geographe Ball Stud Removal Tool, the workgroup was able to separate 6 ball studs in under 15 minutes, this all done without heat or excessive stress on steering components”

The BSRT is used globally at mines in Australia, Canada, Indonesia, Mongolia, New Zealand, North America, South America and Papua New Guinea.

Scan the QR code to view BSRT demo video Mobile Maintenance Supervisor, South 32 Used on Caterpillar 785 Haul Truck Fleet

www.geographe.com.au/bsrt

DESIGNED TO DELIVER. © 2021 Geographe ALL MANUFACTURERS NAMES, NUMBERS, SYMBOLS AND DESCRIPTIONS ARE USED FOR REFERENCE PURPOSES ONLY AND IT IS NOT IMPLIED THAT ANY PART LISTED IS THE PRODUCT OF THE OEM. GEOGRAPHE IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF GEOGRAPHE ENTERPRISES PTY LTD ABN 65 008 754 596.

XYLEM

MINING SOLUTIONS PUMP RENTAL & SERVICES Whatever the Challenge, Xylem has the Solution.

By partnering with Xylem, you can rent best-in-class pumping equipment, without capital expenditures.

Ensure equipment is being serviced correctly with the right parts and gain access to our skilled engineers, product experts, and service technicians who will keep your operations running.

13 19 14 xylem.com/au