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Sunday, 06 September 15
AUTOMATION AND TECHNOLOGY IS CERTAINLY PART OF THE SOLUTION FOR IMPROVING PERFORMANCE AND EFFICIENCY TO MAKE THE MINE OPERATIONS MORE PROFITABLE, HOWEVER............ - LUKE JALSEVAC
 "The Technology and Innovation in Mining 2015" production team at Information Exchange Group interviewed Luke Jalsevac, Director, Business Optimization Global Value Assurance, Kinross Gold Corporation, one of their speakers for TIM2015.
“ When the price of a commodity is rising, most companies focus on extracting as much from the ground as possible to capture the high margins, which may result in diminished rigor around operational excellence. When prices decline, they often overshoot to the downside, creating substantial financial pain for companies " - Luke Jalsevac
Q: The central theme behind the upcoming Summit is Innovation and Technology. From some of the innovative projects that you have been a part of at Kinross, can you share some areas where automation has helped optimize your business?
A: While Kinross has not done a great deal that can be classified as purely automation, we have been implementing a number of optimization projects involving either data automation or automation of components of processes in both mining and processing. Our focus on improving operational processes over the past number of years is enabling us to look at technology for additional opportunities.
Q: Given the current market scenario for the resources sector, do you think automation and technology is the best way forward to make the operations more profitable?
A: Automation and technology is certainly part of the solution for improving performance and efficiency, however I would argue that it needs to be used judiciously. All too often I have seen technology proposed as a ‘silver bullet’ solution when in fact there are great gains possible from improving foundational technical and business processes first, often with much smaller investments. If there are underlying process problems, technology can in fact exacerbate the situation by adding significant cost and complexity without improving bottom line performance. Having said that, for more mature operations there certainly are opportunities for automation and technology to play an important role in propelling performance to the next level. As an industry, gold mining isn’t the fastest to adopt new technologies for a whole host of reasons, some quite legitimate, but it strikes me that there is much to be learned from other mining companies as well as industries that seem unrelated.
Q: The mining sector has been one of the last ones to wake up to the benefits of technology. From a traditionally orthodox set of operations to drones flying in the mine sites, do you see challenges in terms of employees being able to keep up with the changes?
A: There are definitely a number of structural challenges faced by mining that make it harder for employees to keep up with the changes:
As a general rule cutting edge technology originates in large cities, which is where the top technology talent want to live. Most mines are in remote locations making it very difficult to attract people with the skills required to manage and implement new technologies.
The primary input, the ore body, is usually quite varied throughout changing, making it difficult to automate and standardize certain elements of the process. Manufacturing, in comparison, doesn’t face this same challenge.
The cyclical, boom and bust nature of mining makes it difficult to invest in technology in a methodical manner. Typically speaking , when the price of a commodity is rising, most companies focus on extracting as much from the ground as possible to capture the high margins, which may result in diminished rigor around operational excellence. When prices decline, they often overshoot to the downside, creating substantial financial pain for companies. In this difficult environment, like the one we are experiencing now, technology is often one of the first things to get cut from the budget.
Despite these challenges, there is no question that there are significant opportunities for resource companies to adopt technologies from other industries to improve our performance. It will require the willingness to step out of our comfort zone and try something new.
Q: Would you like to share something about the ongoing projects at Kinross which involves cutting edge technology? What are some of the typical challenges you face when trying to convince the management to embark on such projects?
A: Our focus as a company over the past five years has been building a foundation to strengthen our processes in mine planning, maintenance, geology, operations, etc. As a result, our primary focus has not been on technology, although technology has played a par t in the various improvements. Some examples include: optimization of our mining dispatch systems and implementation of High Precision GPS (HPGPS); implementation of maintenance health monitoring systems; drilling and blasting optimization (e.g. blast hole monitoring); automation of daily production reports, and the list goes on.
Q: What are your expectations from the Technology and Innovation in Mining 2015?
A: I’m interested to hear from other mining companies about which technology has truly helped them improve their bottom line performance, but even more importantly, how they go about selecting and managing technology implementations to ensure that they actually achieve the expected benefits.
Luke Jalsevac, Director, Business Optimization Global Value Assurance, Kinross Gold Corporation was interviewed by the Technology and Innovation in Mining 2015 Production Team at Information Exchange Group
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Thursday, 02 March 23
DRY BULK MARKET: THE WAY CHINA GOES, SO GOES THE MARKET - BIMCO
We expect demand growth within the 1.5-2.5% range in 2023, driven by China’s economic recovery. Improvements in consumer sentiment should hel ...
Thursday, 02 March 23
INDIA, CHINA DEMAND BOOST LOW-RANK THERMAL COAL PRICES IN ASIA - RUSSELL, REUTERS
Signs of stronger import demand from India have arrested the decline in price of the thermal coal grades most commonly sought by the world’s ...
Thursday, 02 March 23
INDIA CHEERS THE RETURN OF ‘KING COAL’ AS INDUSTRY SEES BUOYANT FUTURE - REUTERS
India’s coal industry celebrated the return of its major conference after a three-year pandemic hiatus by presenting a bullish view of demand ...
Wednesday, 01 March 23
GEO CONNECT ASIA RETURNS IN MARCH TO ACCELERATE THE REGION’S GEOSPATIAL AND LOCATION INTELLIGENCE CAPABILITIES
Press Release: The third edition of GCA will be held in conjunction with Digital Construction Asia and the inaugural Drones Asia – an event d ...
Wednesday, 01 March 23
THE DECLINE IN THE COAL PRICE SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR HAS BEEN SIGNIFICANT - INTERMODAL
Last week, the front-month API2 future rose by 3.5%, but since the beginning of the year the future has fallen by 39% to $136.65/t, while the Newca ...
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- Kapuas Tunggal Persada - Indonesia
- Mercator Lines Limited - India
- Altura Mining Limited, Indonesia
- Aboitiz Power Corporation - Philippines
- Tamil Nadu electricity Board
- Offshore Bulk Terminal Pte Ltd, Singapore
- Petrochimia International Co. Ltd.- Taiwan
- Madhucon Powers Ltd - India
- Sojitz Corporation - Japan
- OPG Power Generation Pvt Ltd - India
- Global Coal Blending Company Limited - Australia
- The State Trading Corporation of India Ltd
- Standard Chartered Bank - UAE
- Banpu Public Company Limited - Thailand
- MS Steel International - UAE
- Neyveli Lignite Corporation Ltd, - India
- Posco Energy - South Korea
- Oldendorff Carriers - Singapore
- Bulk Trading Sa - Switzerland
- Gujarat Mineral Development Corp Ltd - India
- Wilmar Investment Holdings
- Dalmia Cement Bharat India
- Bhoruka Overseas - Indonesia
- Alfred C Toepfer International GmbH - Germany
- Kohat Cement Company Ltd. - Pakistan
- Trasteel International SA, Italy
- Agrawal Coal Company - India
- Sakthi Sugars Limited - India
- Star Paper Mills Limited - India
- Aditya Birla Group - India
- Ind-Barath Power Infra Limited - India
- Ceylon Electricity Board - Sri Lanka
- Ministry of Finance - Indonesia
- Singapore Mercantile Exchange
- Formosa Plastics Group - Taiwan
- Kaltim Prima Coal - Indonesia
- Bhatia International Limited - India
- Directorate Of Revenue Intelligence - India
- Coalindo Energy - Indonesia
- Jindal Steel & Power Ltd - India
- Orica Mining Services - Indonesia
- Sical Logistics Limited - India
- Planning Commission, India
- Renaissance Capital - South Africa
- Bayan Resources Tbk. - Indonesia
- Baramulti Group, Indonesia
- Bukit Asam (Persero) Tbk - Indonesia
- PowerSource Philippines DevCo
- Timah Investasi Mineral - Indoneisa
- Asia Pacific Energy Resources Ventures Inc, Philippines
- Intertek Mineral Services - Indonesia
- Sindya Power Generating Company Private Ltd
- Indika Energy - Indonesia
- White Energy Company Limited
- ICICI Bank Limited - India
- Bharathi Cement Corporation - India
- Salva Resources Pvt Ltd - India
- Mercuria Energy - Indonesia
- Marubeni Corporation - India
- Malabar Cements Ltd - India
- Kobexindo Tractors - Indoneisa
- Vedanta Resources Plc - India
- Jorong Barutama Greston.PT - Indonesia
- Uttam Galva Steels Limited - India
- Australian Commodity Traders Exchange
- Merrill Lynch Commodities Europe
- Dong Bac Coal Mineral Investment Coporation - Vietnam
- Mjunction Services Limited - India
- Australian Coal Association
- New Zealand Coal & Carbon
- AsiaOL BioFuels Corp., Philippines
- Central Electricity Authority - India
- Bank of Tokyo Mitsubishi UFJ Ltd
- Semirara Mining Corp, Philippines
- Billiton Holdings Pty Ltd - Australia
- SMG Consultants - Indonesia
- Xindia Steels Limited - India
- Essar Steel Hazira Ltd - India
- Indian Oil Corporation Limited
- SMC Global Power, Philippines
- Holcim Trading Pte Ltd - Singapore
- Edison Trading Spa - Italy
- GN Power Mariveles Coal Plant, Philippines
- Indogreen Group - Indonesia
- Maheswari Brothers Coal Limited - India
- Chamber of Mines of South Africa
- Siam City Cement PLC, Thailand
- Coastal Gujarat Power Limited - India
- Truba Alam Manunggal Engineering.Tbk - Indonesia
- Mintek Dendrill Indonesia
- Leighton Contractors Pty Ltd - Australia
- Gujarat Sidhee Cement - India
- Gujarat Electricity Regulatory Commission - India
- Latin American Coal - Colombia
- IHS Mccloskey Coal Group - USA
- Kartika Selabumi Mining - Indonesia
- Energy Development Corp, Philippines
- Energy Link Ltd, New Zealand
- Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission - India
- Tata Chemicals Ltd - India
- Minerals Council of Australia
- Economic Council, Georgia
- TeaM Sual Corporation - Philippines
- Siam City Cement - Thailand
- Sinarmas Energy and Mining - Indonesia
- Indian Energy Exchange, India
- TNB Fuel Sdn Bhd - Malaysia
- Filglen & Citicon Mining (HK) Ltd - Hong Kong
- Price Waterhouse Coopers - Russia
- South Luzon Thermal Energy Corporation
- Semirara Mining and Power Corporation, Philippines
- Ambuja Cements Ltd - India
- Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited - India
- Romanian Commodities Exchange
- Cement Manufacturers Association - India
- Asmin Koalindo Tuhup - Indonesia
- Parry Sugars Refinery, India
- India Bulls Power Limited - India
- Videocon Industries ltd - India
- Antam Resourcindo - Indonesia
- Sree Jayajothi Cements Limited - India
- Karaikal Port Pvt Ltd - India
- Pipit Mutiara Jaya. PT, Indonesia
- Kumho Petrochemical, South Korea
- Carbofer General Trading SA - India
- Meenaskhi Energy Private Limited - India
- Heidelberg Cement - Germany
- Commonwealth Bank - Australia
- PTC India Limited - India
- Attock Cement Pakistan Limited
- Indonesian Coal Mining Association
- The University of Queensland
- Ministry of Transport, Egypt
- Straits Asia Resources Limited - Singapore
- Simpson Spence & Young - Indonesia
- Chettinad Cement Corporation Ltd - India
- Karbindo Abesyapradhi - Indoneisa
- Deloitte Consulting - India
- Directorate General of MIneral and Coal - Indonesia
- Rio Tinto Coal - Australia
- Savvy Resources Ltd - HongKong
- SN Aboitiz Power Inc, Philippines
- Iligan Light & Power Inc, Philippines
- Larsen & Toubro Limited - India
- Interocean Group of Companies - India
- Binh Thuan Hamico - Vietnam
- Wood Mackenzie - Singapore
- LBH Netherlands Bv - Netherlands
- Miang Besar Coal Terminal - Indonesia
- ASAPP Information Group - India
- The Treasury - Australian Government
- VISA Power Limited - India
- CIMB Investment Bank - Malaysia
- Manunggal Multi Energi - Indonesia
- Cigading International Bulk Terminal - Indonesia
- Indo Tambangraya Megah - Indonesia
- European Bulk Services B.V. - Netherlands
- Eastern Energy - Thailand
- Samtan Co., Ltd - South Korea
- Africa Commodities Group - South Africa
- IEA Clean Coal Centre - UK
- PNOC Exploration Corporation - Philippines
- Metalloyd Limited - United Kingdom
- Kideco Jaya Agung - Indonesia
- Eastern Coal Council - USA
- Independent Power Producers Association of India
- Ministry of Mines - Canada
- Georgia Ports Authority, United States
- Jaiprakash Power Ventures ltd
- GVK Power & Infra Limited - India
- Bukit Makmur.PT - Indonesia
- PetroVietnam Power Coal Import and Supply Company
- Therma Luzon, Inc, Philippines
- Parliament of New Zealand
- GMR Energy Limited - India
- GAC Shipping (India) Pvt Ltd
- Bahari Cakrawala Sebuku - Indonesia
- Sarangani Energy Corporation, Philippines
- Meralco Power Generation, Philippines
- McConnell Dowell - Australia
- CNBM International Corporation - China
- Petron Corporation, Philippines
- Bangladesh Power Developement Board
- Electricity Authority, New Zealand
- Global Green Power PLC Corporation, Philippines
- Krishnapatnam Port Company Ltd. - India
- Riau Bara Harum - Indonesia
- Lanco Infratech Ltd - India
- Barasentosa Lestari - Indonesia
- Thiess Contractors Indonesia
- Borneo Indobara - Indonesia
- Coal and Oil Company - UAE
- Makarim & Taira - Indonesia
- Globalindo Alam Lestari - Indonesia
- Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand
- Power Finance Corporation Ltd., India
- International Coal Ventures Pvt Ltd - India
- Vijayanagar Sugar Pvt Ltd - India
- San Jose City I Power Corp, Philippines
- Bhushan Steel Limited - India
- Medco Energi Mining Internasional
- Port Waratah Coal Services - Australia
- Orica Australia Pty. Ltd.
- Bukit Baiduri Energy - Indonesia
- Kalimantan Lumbung Energi - Indonesia
- Goldman Sachs - Singapore
- Central Java Power - Indonesia
- Kepco SPC Power Corporation, Philippines
- Pendopo Energi Batubara - Indonesia
- London Commodity Brokers - England
- Vizag Seaport Private Limited - India
- Toyota Tsusho Corporation, Japan
- Thai Mozambique Logistica
- Anglo American - United Kingdom
- Global Business Power Corporation, Philippines
- Grasim Industreis Ltd - India
- Dr Ramakrishna Prasad Power Pvt Ltd - India
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