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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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Tuesday, 17 January 23
CHINA'S SHANXI TARGETS 2023 COAL PRODUCTION OF NEARLY 1.37B TONS - XINHUA
China’s coal-rich province of Shanxi has set a coal production target of nearly 1.37 billion metric tons for 2023, according to a government ...
Tuesday, 17 January 23
MARKET INSIGHT - INTERMODAL
Rumor has it that the New Year has come, to set the pace in, for Russia to continue hostilities against Ukraine. Ten months on the go, into Russia& ...
Tuesday, 17 January 23
INDONESIA IS ACCOUNTING FOR 32.3% OF THE GLOBAL SEABORNE COAL MARKET IN 2022 - BENCHERO COSTA
After a slow start in the first quarter, global coal trade has really picked up pace last year, and is now fully back to pre-Covid levels, Benchero ...
Tuesday, 10 January 23
INDONESIAN HBA IS SEEING A SPIKE IN JANUARY 2023 INSTEAD OF A SIGNIFICANT FALL IN DECEMBER 2022
COALspot.com: Indonesian Coal Price Reference up 8.43% in January 2023.
HBA is seeing a dramatic spike in January 2023 i ...
Sunday, 08 January 23
INDIAN COAL POWER PLANTS SHOULD BE COMPENSATED FOR 2022 FORCED GENERATION – REGULATOR : REUTERS
Indian power plants that rely on imported coal should be fully compensated when forced to supply electricity, the country’s power regulator s ...
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- Central Java Power - Indonesia
- Heidelberg Cement - Germany
- Maheswari Brothers Coal Limited - India
- IHS Mccloskey Coal Group - USA
- Wood Mackenzie - Singapore
- Global Business Power Corporation, Philippines
- GN Power Mariveles Coal Plant, Philippines
- Romanian Commodities Exchange
- Ambuja Cements Ltd - India
- Jaiprakash Power Ventures ltd
- Coastal Gujarat Power Limited - India
- Holcim Trading Pte Ltd - Singapore
- Xindia Steels Limited - India
- Jindal Steel & Power Ltd - India
- SN Aboitiz Power Inc, Philippines
- Wilmar Investment Holdings
- Videocon Industries ltd - India
- Karbindo Abesyapradhi - Indoneisa
- Mercuria Energy - Indonesia
- Singapore Mercantile Exchange
- Chettinad Cement Corporation Ltd - India
- Standard Chartered Bank - UAE
- Vijayanagar Sugar Pvt Ltd - India
- South Luzon Thermal Energy Corporation
- Semirara Mining Corp, Philippines
- Savvy Resources Ltd - HongKong
- Planning Commission, India
- Thai Mozambique Logistica
- Latin American Coal - Colombia
- Dr Ramakrishna Prasad Power Pvt Ltd - India
- Mintek Dendrill Indonesia
- Bhatia International Limited - India
- Orica Australia Pty. Ltd.
- GVK Power & Infra Limited - India
- CNBM International Corporation - China
- Borneo Indobara - Indonesia
- Billiton Holdings Pty Ltd - Australia
- Truba Alam Manunggal Engineering.Tbk - Indonesia
- ASAPP Information Group - India
- Anglo American - United Kingdom
- Salva Resources Pvt Ltd - India
- International Coal Ventures Pvt Ltd - India
- Australian Commodity Traders Exchange
- Mjunction Services Limited - India
- Oldendorff Carriers - Singapore
- LBH Netherlands Bv - Netherlands
- San Jose City I Power Corp, Philippines
- Directorate General of MIneral and Coal - Indonesia
- Kalimantan Lumbung Energi - Indonesia
- Vedanta Resources Plc - India
- Bahari Cakrawala Sebuku - Indonesia
- Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand
- Filglen & Citicon Mining (HK) Ltd - Hong Kong
- Indian Energy Exchange, India
- SMC Global Power, Philippines
- Bulk Trading Sa - Switzerland
- Sojitz Corporation - Japan
- Jorong Barutama Greston.PT - Indonesia
- Indian Oil Corporation Limited
- Global Green Power PLC Corporation, Philippines
- European Bulk Services B.V. - Netherlands
- Barasentosa Lestari - Indonesia
- TeaM Sual Corporation - Philippines
- Electricity Authority, New Zealand
- Eastern Energy - Thailand
- Chamber of Mines of South Africa
- Africa Commodities Group - South Africa
- Kumho Petrochemical, South Korea
- Dalmia Cement Bharat India
- Uttam Galva Steels Limited - India
- OPG Power Generation Pvt Ltd - India
- Energy Link Ltd, New Zealand
- Gujarat Mineral Development Corp Ltd - India
- Straits Asia Resources Limited - Singapore
- Lanco Infratech Ltd - India
- Pipit Mutiara Jaya. PT, Indonesia
- Directorate Of Revenue Intelligence - India
- Formosa Plastics Group - Taiwan
- Miang Besar Coal Terminal - Indonesia
- Grasim Industreis Ltd - India
- Bharathi Cement Corporation - India
- Renaissance Capital - South Africa
- Parry Sugars Refinery, India
- SMG Consultants - Indonesia
- PetroVietnam Power Coal Import and Supply Company
- Thiess Contractors Indonesia
- MS Steel International - UAE
- Leighton Contractors Pty Ltd - Australia
- New Zealand Coal & Carbon
- GAC Shipping (India) Pvt Ltd
- London Commodity Brokers - England
- Globalindo Alam Lestari - Indonesia
- Ministry of Transport, Egypt
- Timah Investasi Mineral - Indoneisa
- Tamil Nadu electricity Board
- Cigading International Bulk Terminal - Indonesia
- Kobexindo Tractors - Indoneisa
- Rio Tinto Coal - Australia
- PowerSource Philippines DevCo
- Bhushan Steel Limited - India
- Economic Council, Georgia
- Independent Power Producers Association of India
- Meenaskhi Energy Private Limited - India
- Kapuas Tunggal Persada - Indonesia
- Medco Energi Mining Internasional
- Posco Energy - South Korea
- PNOC Exploration Corporation - Philippines
- Energy Development Corp, Philippines
- Siam City Cement - Thailand
- GMR Energy Limited - India
- Georgia Ports Authority, United States
- Mercator Lines Limited - India
- Sree Jayajothi Cements Limited - India
- Riau Bara Harum - Indonesia
- Ind-Barath Power Infra Limited - India
- India Bulls Power Limited - India
- Commonwealth Bank - Australia
- Semirara Mining and Power Corporation, Philippines
- Madhucon Powers Ltd - India
- Ministry of Mines - Canada
- Makarim & Taira - Indonesia
- White Energy Company Limited
- Sinarmas Energy and Mining - Indonesia
- Petron Corporation, Philippines
- McConnell Dowell - Australia
- Attock Cement Pakistan Limited
- Simpson Spence & Young - Indonesia
- Bhoruka Overseas - Indonesia
- Aditya Birla Group - India
- Minerals Council of Australia
- Parliament of New Zealand
- Banpu Public Company Limited - Thailand
- Edison Trading Spa - Italy
- Marubeni Corporation - India
- Coalindo Energy - Indonesia
- Indogreen Group - Indonesia
- Bayan Resources Tbk. - Indonesia
- Bukit Makmur.PT - Indonesia
- Indo Tambangraya Megah - Indonesia
- Krishnapatnam Port Company Ltd. - India
- Indonesian Coal Mining Association
- Vizag Seaport Private Limited - India
- Malabar Cements Ltd - India
- Antam Resourcindo - Indonesia
- Eastern Coal Council - USA
- Pendopo Energi Batubara - Indonesia
- Neyveli Lignite Corporation Ltd, - India
- Power Finance Corporation Ltd., India
- Alfred C Toepfer International GmbH - Germany
- Gujarat Sidhee Cement - India
- Indika Energy - Indonesia
- Dong Bac Coal Mineral Investment Coporation - Vietnam
- Ceylon Electricity Board - Sri Lanka
- Sakthi Sugars Limited - India
- Toyota Tsusho Corporation, Japan
- Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission - India
- IEA Clean Coal Centre - UK
- The University of Queensland
- Metalloyd Limited - United Kingdom
- Deloitte Consulting - India
- Essar Steel Hazira Ltd - India
- The Treasury - Australian Government
- Global Coal Blending Company Limited - Australia
- Star Paper Mills Limited - India
- Asia Pacific Energy Resources Ventures Inc, Philippines
- Kartika Selabumi Mining - Indonesia
- PTC India Limited - India
- Baramulti Group, Indonesia
- Therma Luzon, Inc, Philippines
- Orica Mining Services - Indonesia
- VISA Power Limited - India
- Kideco Jaya Agung - Indonesia
- Agrawal Coal Company - India
- Offshore Bulk Terminal Pte Ltd, Singapore
- Manunggal Multi Energi - Indonesia
- Bukit Baiduri Energy - Indonesia
- Sical Logistics Limited - India
- Kaltim Prima Coal - Indonesia
- Samtan Co., Ltd - South Korea
- Sindya Power Generating Company Private Ltd
- Bangladesh Power Developement Board
- Altura Mining Limited, Indonesia
- Ministry of Finance - Indonesia
- Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited - India
- Goldman Sachs - Singapore
- Meralco Power Generation, Philippines
- Carbofer General Trading SA - India
- CIMB Investment Bank - Malaysia
- The State Trading Corporation of India Ltd
- Larsen & Toubro Limited - India
- Petrochimia International Co. Ltd.- Taiwan
- Port Waratah Coal Services - Australia
- Price Waterhouse Coopers - Russia
- Australian Coal Association
- Cement Manufacturers Association - India
- Gujarat Electricity Regulatory Commission - India
- Trasteel International SA, Italy
- Sarangani Energy Corporation, Philippines
- Asmin Koalindo Tuhup - Indonesia
- Intertek Mineral Services - Indonesia
- Binh Thuan Hamico - Vietnam
- Iligan Light & Power Inc, Philippines
- AsiaOL BioFuels Corp., Philippines
- Karaikal Port Pvt Ltd - India
- Interocean Group of Companies - India
- TNB Fuel Sdn Bhd - Malaysia
- Bank of Tokyo Mitsubishi UFJ Ltd
- Merrill Lynch Commodities Europe
- Bukit Asam (Persero) Tbk - Indonesia
- Kohat Cement Company Ltd. - Pakistan
- Central Electricity Authority - India
- Aboitiz Power Corporation - Philippines
- Coal and Oil Company - UAE
- Tata Chemicals Ltd - India
- Kepco SPC Power Corporation, Philippines
- ICICI Bank Limited - India
- Siam City Cement PLC, Thailand
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