One of the major financial impacts on any mine site is the number of trucks required to extract the coal/ore. By accurately evaluating the cycle times of individual haul routes from mining blocks to dump locations over the course of the mine life, the total amount of trucks at different years can be established. By evaluating alternate scenarios for dumping strategies sites can establish which option offers the lowest truck hours.
We’ve heard it all too often, “fail to plan – plan to fail” and it rings so true across all facets of the business process.
At MEC Mining, we believe in a holistic approach to identify the strengths and weaknesses of Management Operating Systems (MOS), particularly within mining organisations.
Continue reading “If it’s not in the plan, it just won’t happen. A “BoB” perspective”
With prominent Australian organisations such as ANZ and the Australian Stock Exchange offering their employees options around work hours and locations, flexibility is fast becoming a cornerstone of Australian businesses focused on attracting and retaining high-calibre staff.
Continue reading “The future is flexible: working arrangements at MEC”
MEC Mining are excited to present our latest lunch and learn with Doug Henderson, CEO of V2H Australia. Utilising innovative, high pressure water jetting systems, the Vertical To Horizontal drilling technology offers a low cost, high productivity alternative for the Petroleum, Gas and Coal industries.
Continue reading “MEC Mining Lunch & Learn with V2H Australia”
Drill and Blast is one of the leading causes of coal loss in an open cut coal mining operation. There are so many aspects that must be considered as part of the Drill and Blast Engineers design process and it is easy for an inexperienced or time constrained engineer to overlook critical areas. A poorly designed and managed blast can lead to millions of dollars of lost revenue.
There are many scenarios that might result in a mine owner looking for assistance from a contract miner. Choosing the right contracting strategy can be something of a mine-field (see what I did there?), depending not only upon the project objectives the mine owner is trying to achieve. But also a mix of other considerations such as: operating experience; in house capability (or “bench strength”); resources (people and equipment); attitude to risk; geographic location; and financial capacity – to name just a few. Often the timing around engagement of a mining contractor is a critical consideration as well.
Many years ago, when I was a young engineer working for a contract mining company at a large surface mine, a good friend (working for the client at the same operation) lamented the way contractors issue variations. From memory, I think he wanted to borrow a dozer for a few hours, and the contract didn’t provide for wet (operator included) hire.
Join the MEC Mining team for a relaxed networking event where we will share our story on strategically optimising the extraction of a steeply dipping coking coal deposit in chilly Russia! Not only will we dig deep into the technical rigour of Lerchs Grossman, we will also provide our personal insights into; both the cultural and environmental challenges we faced working on the other side of the planet.
Continue reading “From the Bowen Basin to the Asian/Arctic Rims of Russia”
Post Doze is a method of improving the economics of waste material movement by extending the use of dozers. The Post Doze method was developed jointly by 3D Data Guidance and MEC Mining and is protected by an PCT Patent Application number: PCT/AU2017/050915. The Post Doze method is applicable to strip mines and bulk earthmoving applications where waste is moved less than 200m horizontally. In Post Doze, a 100 -200 tonne excavator is used to elevate and translate waste towards the low wall, which is then pushed to spoil by dozers. A significant volume of work has been undertaken on the method to validate the value and create operational sequencing and training material.
Continue reading “Post Doze Licence – Expression of Interest”
In my eyes, it’s one that brings together diverse, unique and innovative people who are passionate about achieving a common goal. These individuals have a fire in their belly to make change and both challenge and embrace the distinctive strengths each brings to the game. They dust each other off when they fall and have learnt to be comfortable being uncomfortable. Every member of the team feels valued and included by their direct working group and leaders.
Continue reading “What does a high-performance culture look like?”