WOMP - World of Mining Professionals

Contents

News
People
Equipment News

Around the World
Conferences

FEATURES

	Hoists and Shafts
	Crusher Maintenance
	Fleet Management
	Motors and Drives

VIDEO PRESENTATIONS

The latest from the
World Mining Equipment
Video Library
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AI Developer Shares His Thoughts

During June, Hexagon invited me to its HxGN Live meeting in Las Vegas. The mining industry sees one vertical aspect of Hexagon, but the company’s products and tools are used in many different areas, including agriculture, construction, emergency response, etc. The company recently announced that it was collaborating with Nvidia on a suite of solutions for industrial digitalization. Together they are developing an app enabled with artificial intelligence (AI) that will let users see real time comparisons of digital twins. The difference between it and previous digital twins is that it will not only look better, it will also behave correctly when tasked with what-if scenarios.
During a session labeled “World Building,” Nvidia CTO Rev Lebaredian discussed the development of computing power and the advancements the company is making with AI. Full disclosure: I own a few shares of Nvidia. .... read more

Steve Fiscor, Publisher & Editor in Chief

NEWS

Rio Tinto Plans a Major Investment for Kennecott Utah Copper
Rio Tinto announced plans to invest in its Kennecott operation near Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, to strengthen its supply of copper in the United States by increasing production from underground mining and improving the health of key assets. The company approved $498 million for the underground development and supporting infrastructure for the North Rim Skarn (NRS) area .... read more

Anglo, Jiangxi to Collaborate on Responsible Copper
Anglo American and Jiangxi Copper Co., one of China’s largest copper producers, have signed a memorandum of understanding to work together to provide greater assurance on the way copper is mined, processed, and brought to market. Anglo American said this is part of the company’s work with customers to create sustainable value chains beyond its own mining operations, recognizing consumers’ increasing expectations for sustainably sourced and supplied raw materials .... read more

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BHP, Microsoft Use AI to Lift Escondida’s Copper Recovery
A new collaboration between BHP and Microsoft is using artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to improve copper recovery at the world’s largest copper mine. By augmenting new digital technology capabilities with new ways of working, the team at Escondida is..... read more

Newmont Defers Investment Decision for Yanacocha Sulfides
Newmont announced it will defer the full-funds investment decision for the Yanacocha Sulfides project in Peru for at least two years to advance its portfolio optimization strategy. In light if the recent Newcrest acquisition, Tom Palmer, president and CEO of Newmont, said the company is targeting at least $2 billion in near term cash flow improvements through portfolio optimization within the first two years. “The deferral of the Yanacocha Sulfides project represents the fi rst step in delivering on this target, as we evaluate further .... read more

AROUND THE WORLD - USA & CANADA

Hudbay Completes Copper Mountain Acquisition
Hudbay Minerals has completed its previously announced acquisition of Copper Mountain Mining. The company is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Hudbay. Copper Mountain shareholders received 0.381 of a Hudbay share for each Copper Mountain share previously held. The transaction creates a premier Americas-focused .... read more

MSHA Proposes New Silica Rule
The U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) wants to amend current federal standards to reduce exposure to respirable crystalline silica, or silica dust, for metal-nonmetal and coal mines. The agency said the proposed rule change will ensure miners have at least the same level of protection as workers in other industries. The proposed rule would lower the Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) to silica dust from 100 micrograms per cubic meter (μg/m3) to 50 μg/m3 of air for a full shift, calculated as an 8-hour ....read more

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Talon Begins EIS Scoping Process for Tamarack
Talon Nickel (USA) LLC, a subsidiary of Talon Metals, submitted its Environmental Assessment Worksheet to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources to begin the state’s Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) scoping process for the Tamarack nickel-copper-cobalt project, located near Tamarack, Minnesota, USA. “Our team in Tamarack is excited to have reached the milestone of submitting the initial worksheet form to begin Minnesota’s Environmental Review process, the starting point for any project seeking a permit .... read more

AROUND THE WORLD - Latin America

Gabriela Mistral Achieves Autonomous Milestone
Codelco’s Gabriela Mistral division recently achieved an important milestone, 1 billion tons transported with autonomous haul trucks. The Chilean mining company said the mine is the first to operate a 100% autonomous fleet, made up of 20 haul .... read more

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Newmont Suspends Operations at Peñasquito
Newmont Corp. has suspended operations at the Peñasquito mine in Mexico in response to a strike action received from the National Union of Mine and Metal Workers of the Mexican Republic. The company said that operations at Minera Peñasquito were suspended in a safe and orderly manner and essential activities related to safety, security and environmental monitoring and protection continue. A timeline for resuming operations was not provided. Newmont said it had urged the union to abide by the mutually agreed collective bargaining ... read more

AROUND THE WORLD - Australasia

Evolution Extends Mungari Mine Life by 15 Years
Evolution Mining has committed $168 million investment for a process plant expansion for its Mungari gold mine in Western Australia. The expansion will increase throughput from 2 million metric tons per year (mt/y) …. read more

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Lynas Explores Apatite Leaching
Lynas Rare Earths Ltd has been awarded a $20 million grant as part of the Australian Government’s Modern Manufacturing Initiative – Manufacturing Integration Stream. The company said the grant will contribute to the development of a new capability to process apatite-rich ores, the Apatite Leach Circuit, from the Mt Weld orebody, located near Laverton, Western Australia. The process was developed in collaboration with the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organization (ANSTO) and Mt Weld Mining Pty Ltd …. read more

AROUND THE WORLD - Africa

Appian Buys Rosh Pinah Zinc Mine in Namibia
Appian Capital Advisory LLP, has acquired Trevali Mining’s 89.96% interest in the Rosh Pinah zinc mine, located in the Kharas region of southern Namibia. The underground zinc-lead mine is operational and it has a 2,000-metric-tonper- day (mt/d) milling operation. Appian said it plans to restart the …. read more

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Implats Consolidates Control of South African Platinum
Impala Platinum Holdings Limited (Implats) purchased Public Investment Corp.’s 9.26% in Royal Bafokeng Platinum (RBPlat). This, together with additional acquisitions, results in Implats gaining majority control of RBPlat with a current shareholding of 55.46% and secures Implats’ commitment to implementing broad-based equity ownership in the South African platinum group metals (PGM) sector through a proposed empowerment transaction at Implats’ subsidiary, Impala Platinum Ltd. (Impala), and Royal Bafokeng Resources (RBR), the RBPlat subsidiary .... read more

AROUND THE WORLD - Europe

Suppliers Strategize to Achieve Sustainability
Epiroc and SSAB announced a further expansion of their partnership to secure fossil-free steel for use in the production of Epiroc’s mining equipment. Since then, the two companies have expanded their collaboration into exploring possibilities to use fossil-free steel when manufacturing spare parts .... read more

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Boliden Idles Tara, Rönnskär Suffers Fire
Positioning it as a high-cost mine, Boliden said it will place the Tara mine in Ireland under care and maintenance. The company said the business is currently cash fl ow negative, due to a combination of factors including operational challenges, a decline in the price of zinc, high energy prices and general cost inflation. This announcement follows on the heels of a mid-June announcement that a fi re broke out at Boliden’s Rönnskär smelter in Norway. No injuries occurred, but the cell house has burned down. All production at Rönnskär .... read more

FEATURE - Hoists and Shafts

Innovation Gives New-level Results, Big Wins
Five hoist-and-shaft solution and service suppliers tell how they innovated to achieve critical goals and needed results

By Jesse Morton, Technical Writer.

At a key meeting early in a project to sink a shaft in poor ground conditions, project and mine leadership agreed to sacrifice speed for safety. It was a critical decision. The move would come at a cost. Extra steps were taken. A non-traditional process was applied. Deadlines were pushed out. And ultimately, the project tallied an almost sterling safety record doing what historically was highly dangerous work. The supplier achieved its goal by focusing on priorities, and by breaking from protocol when protocol clashed with those priorities. It is a recipe for success found in recent news stories .... read more

For more companies with products in the Hoists and Shafts market - Go Here

FEATURE - Crusher Maintenance

Keeping Critical Crushers Up and Running
As the global skills shortage hits home, mine operators are increasingly relying on service providers and digital technologies to support crusher maintenance activities.

By Carly Leonida, European Editor

Whether in primary, secondary or tertiary duties, the performance of an individual crusher — gyratory, cone, jaw or otherwise — can have a significant impact upon the overall productivity and profitability of a mining operation. These units essentially act as a gateway, transforming run-of-mine ore into a feed suitable for downstream processing and beneficiation. This critical role (and thus, their potential to become a bottleneck) means that ongoing upkeep is required to keep them in the sweet spot between investment and attention versus throughput and efficiency. While the drivers for regular repairs, upgrades and optimization initiatives are clear, supply chain challenges .... read more

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For more companies with products in the Crushers market - Go Here

FEATURE - Fleet Management

Fleet Management 2.0
Today’s fleet management systems are increasingly intelligent, integrated and agile. We take a look at the latest advancements.

By Carly Leonida, European Editor

Gone are the days when the role of a fleet management system (FMS) was simply to dispatch trucks to where they needed to be, when they needed to be there. Today, these systems are increasingly seen as optimization and integration tools; enablers that allow corporate commitments surrounding production targets, and environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues — carbon emissions reductions being the prime example — to be embedded in day-today operations. In addition to ensuring the best possible utilization and availability of equipment as well as maximum tonnages .... read more

For more companies with products in the LHD market - Go Here

FEATURE - Motors and Drives

Maximizing Motor Performance
Electric motors and drives are expected to play an increasingly larger role in mining and other heavy industries. OEMs are upgrading design, fabrication and support capabilities to ensure their product lines are up to the challenge.

By Russell A. Carter, Contributing Editor

In the roughly 125 or so years since the fi rst truly useful electric motors for industrial purposes were introduced, their role has steadily expanded to include almost any application that requires rotary power. One recent estimate from a major motor supplier has electric motor-driven systems accounting for about 45% of the world’s energy usage. For the mining industry, all indications are that motor usage will continue to grow as companies study, structure and execute plans to electrify operations from pit to plant .... read more

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For more companies with products in the Drives market - Go Here

Video Presentations

The latest listings from the World Mining Equipment Video Library - to view the video, click the image.

CAT R1700 XE	Sandvik Mechanized Bolter	Normet Tuprag Turkey Testimonial 2023
FLSmidth Spider Hook for Gyratory Crushers	Liebherr One Passion. Many Opportunities	Komatsu Versatile, compact and powerful.
Tomra Insight - Digitalization	MMD Sizer clearing land mines	Volvo Penta Our most powerful engine yet
Metso Performance and Energy Efficiency	Takraf Maintenance Cart	Hexagon Inspiring Innovation
For more details on the Video Hub - Go Here

SUPPLIERS REPORTS & EQUIPMENT GALLERY

Sandvik - 32 units to Northern Star fleet
Australian gold miner Northern Star has selected Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions to supply 32 new pieces of mobile equipment for its Australian Operations. Northern Star Resources Ltd (Northern Star) operates several open pit and underground mines across three world-class gold production centers: Kalgoorlie and Yandal in Western Australia .... read more

Volvo Penta's modular electric systems triumph in FTMH partnership
Volvo Penta and FTMH have expanded their partnership to include electric forklifts. This collaboration highlights the trust in Volvo Penta's modularized electric platform and its full system supplier approach of the latest electromobility technology. Italian heavy equipment manufacturer FTMH (Fantuzzi Team Material Handling) is continuing ....read more

Pratley - Corrosion-resistant flameproof junction box
Pratley, manufacturer of innovative electrical termination products, has developed and launched its new product, the Flameproof Ex d Envirobox®. Which the company claims, is the world’s first polymeric, corrosion-resistant, direct-entry, flameproof junction box. Flameproof equipment is designed to prevent internal ignition within a flammable atmosphere from transmitting outside the .... read more

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Wingtra Introduces RGB61 Payload: The Fastest Mapping Drone Just Got Faster
Building on its customer-centric R&D reputation, Wingtra is proud to unveil the RGB61 payload. A sensor which the company claims, marks a leap forward for the entire drone mapping industry, as engineers have customized the Sony Alpha 7 Mark IV 61MP RGB camera to offer the most efficient ....read more

Eriez® Merwin Award 2022 to Adams Brothers for Exceptional Sales Performance and Customer Service
Dave Heubel, Senior Sales Director of Eriez-USA, has announced that Adams Brothers, Inc. are the winners of the 2022 Eriez Merwin Award. Since its inception in 1993, the Merwin Award has been presented annually to an Eriez manufacturers' representative firm that has demonstrated exceptional sales performance .... read more

Micromine - New Features in 2023.5 Release
Micromine, has reaffirmed its dedication to innovation and industry leadership with the launch of Micromine 2023.5. its mid-year release, comprising new features and enhancements to Micromine's entire suite of products. "Addressing the evolving needs of mining companies is the driving force behind our .... read more

Epiroc interim report Q2 2023
Epiroc has released its Q2 interim report, please find below the highlights as detailed by the company together with the comments from the CEO. A full copy of the report is available from the link at the bottom of the comments.
• Orders received increased 15% to MSEK 15 436 (13 377), supported by acquisitions. The organic decline was -1%.
• Revenues increased 34% to MSEK 15 910 (11 868), organic increase of 17% .…. read more

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ABB - ArcelorMittal Construction orders digital and control system technology for steel mill in France
ArcelorMittal Construction has awarded ABB a contract to deploy solutions specifically designed for metals processing at its cold rolling mill in Contrisson, France, as part of a modernization project. The solutions, which include ABB Ability™ Manufacturing Operations Management for metals (MOM4Metals), Roll-Gap (RGC) and Automatic Gauge Control (AGC), will help ....read more

CONFERENCES & EXHIBITIONS

SEPTEMBER 25-29, 2023: Perumin, Cerro Juli, Arequipa, Peru.
Contact: Web: https://www.perumin.com/

OCTOBER 23-27, 2023: XXXV Convención Internacional Minería be México 2023, Acapulco, México.
Contact: Web: https://www.convencionmineriamexico.mx

OCTOBER 31 – NOVEMBER 2, 2023: International Mining and Resources Conference (IMARC), Sydney, Australia.
Contact: Web: www.imarcglobal.com

DECEMBER 4-8, 2023: The American Exploration & Mining Association’s annual meeting, Nugget Casino, Sparks, Nevada, USA.
Contact: Web: www.miningamerica.org

FEBRUARY 25-28, 2024: Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration (SME), Phoenix, Arizona, USA.
Contact: Web: www.smenet.org

SEPTEMBER 24-26, 2024: MineExpo International 2024, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.
Contact: Web: https://www.minexpo.com/

WHO'S MOVING WHERE

Tomra Mining opened a second office in Perth and appointed Jordan Rutledge as sales manager based at the new location. For the last 4 years,she has focused on North American projects for Tomra Mining.

After announcing that it would defer a decision on the Yanacocha Sulphides project in Peru, Newmont said Dean Gehring would shift his focus to leading integration planning for Newmont’s proposed acquisition of Newcrest in his new role as chief integration officer. The company named Gonzalo Eyzaguirre as the new general manager for Yanacocha..

Teck Resources Ltd. appointed Ian Anderson as senior vice president and chief commercial officer. He succeeds Réal Foley, who will retire in late November 2023. Anderson has more than 20 years of experience with Teck across numerous logistics and operational functions, including general manager for both Line Creek and Fording River operations; general manager, coal logistics; and most recently, vice president, logistics, with responsibility for coordinating Teck’s overall logistics strategy and implementing a cost-effi cient supply chain. The company also appointed André Stark as vice president, marketing and logistics, base metals, with responsibility for base metals marketing and logistics functions. Stark joined Teck in 2012 and most recently held the role of vice president, marketing. Michael O’Shaughnessy has been appointed vice president, marketing and logistics, coal, with responsibility for the coal business unit’s marketing and logistics functions. He joined Teck in 2006 and most recently held the role of director, logistics strategy and planning.

Impala Platinum announces a number of senior leadership changes. After 13 years at Implats and a distinguished 40-year career in the South African mining sector, Gerhard Potgieter is retiring in July 2023. Patrick Morutlwa succeeds him as group COO. Mark Munroe , currently the CEO for Impala Rustenburg, has been appointed group chief technical officer, and is succeeded by Moses Motlhageng who moves from his current position as mining executive of the group’s Marula operations. Themba Ngobeni has been appointed general manager at Marula.

Rod Thomas has retired from his position as a director for Generation Mining Ltd. Thomas enjoyed an extensive 40- year career in the mineral exploration sector, which included working as the exploration manager for BHP Minerals in eastern Canada and general manager of VM Canada. He was also a past president of Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) from 2014-2016. Most recently he served as vice president exploration during Gen- Mining’s founding in 2018 before transitioning to a director.

Aspiring lithium producer Avalon Advanced Materials Inc. appointed three executives to its leadership team: Scott Monteith will assume control as interim CEO; Jim Jaques will serve as the company’s inaugural chief administrative offi cer; and Jan Holland will join the company’s board. The company’s former president and CEO, Donald Bubar, has decided to step down.

John N. Murphy passed on June 13, 2023. He was the executive director of the McGowan Institute and a research professor in the Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering at the University of Pittsburgh (Pitt). Prior to joining Pitt, Murphy served as the Research Director of the U.S. Bureau of Mines’ Pittsburgh Research Center (PRC) from 1978 until 1997, which is now a branch of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).

André Sougarret has resigned from the executive presidency of the Corporación Nacional del Cobre de Chile (Codelco) for personal reasons. He began his career at Codelco in the El Teniente Division in 1993, where he became assistant general manager. In 2012, he joined Antofagasta Minerals as general manager of Minera Esperanza and, later, Minera Centinela. He was executive vice president of Chile’s National Mining Co. (Enami), before accepting a position as director of operations for Minera Fresnillo in Mexico. He returned to Codelco at the end of 2020 to take over as vice president of the company’s northern operations and was appointed executive president a year ago..

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