According to the French firm, both systems would “improve global business performance, increase operational productivity, and and help control costs of mining”
The latest offerings are based on Dassault’s 3DEXPERIENCE platform and are designed to drive transformational change in mining by helping companies develop and run more efficient mines with unprecedented decision-making agility.
“Producing the raw materials essential for economic development and our modern lives is becoming ever more complex,” Anglo American group director, technical and sustainability Tony O’Neill said.
“Success for the mining industry comes from two sources of competitive advantage – increased productivity through a stable operating model facilitated by technology and the implementation of disruptive technologies that can change the game – companies will need both to succeed.
“By using 3D modelling of concepts and providing the ability to rapidly and dynamically test ideas in a more expansive way, Dassault’s platform plays a key role in addressing some of the mining industry’s business performance challenges.”
The mining industry has faced severe business challenges for more than a decade. Fragile economic recoveries and changing mining commodity demand have negatively impacted productivity, while operating costs have increased.
In addition, operations have suffered from inefficient interaction between core planning, engineering, plant production and geology teams. The result is pressure on profit margins, making many mining operations unprofitable and/or forcing them to close.
“The mining industry is at a tipping point in its history as companies seek to return greater profits while doing so more sustainably,” Dassault executive vice president, corporate strategy, industry and marketing, Monica Menghini said.
“Our 3DEXPERIENCE platform and its industry solution experiences are bringing a new level of innovation to mining and will help deliver the technological step changes companies need to deliver on their objectives.”
The new industry solution experiences, according to Dassault, introduced greater agility into business planning, design and production to spark long-needed change.
“With Lean Mine Construction, the applications and knowledge required to help ensure that mine sites are completed on time and on budget, are all available on one platform,” the company said in an announcement.
“Lean Mine Construction unites mining companies with their contractors and partners in an immersive collaborative environment for site infrastructure and processing plant design, project planning, procurement, and construction management.
“Mine sites can deliver optimal production and efficiency from the moment they are commissioned.
“With Perfect Mine and Plant, all levels of a mining organisation collaborate to make the company more agile in response to operational performance variation, emerging business opportunities and changing market conditions.
“Executives, planners, and mine managers use data from across the mining value chain, along with decision making applications, to optimise long-term plans, align financial objectives and ensure that all levels of the organization are synchronized, for greater strategic control.”
Key capabilities
Benefits of Lean Mine Construction include: better mining operational productivity through 4D simulation and modelling to identify the right site infrastructure layout and plant processing capacity before construction begins; lower costs and reduced errors by enabling design of modularised infrastructure and plant components, which can be tested and assembled in a virtual world before fabrication is approved; rapid adjustments to engineering designs when requirements change and facilitation of just-in-time delivery of components to site.
Benefits of Perfect Mine and Plant include: reduced variability through optimised scheduling and operational control; delivery on the promise of big data to improve productivity, efficiency and cost control; information management requires to achieve predictable production output and meet production targets; and breaking down the silos between mining and processing functions, providing simulation and validation capabilities required to allow innovative ideas to be explored and proven before implemented.
