We welcome article submissions from experts in the areas of coal, mining,
shipping, etc.
To Submit your article please click here.
|
|
|
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
If you believe an article violates your rights or the rights of others, please contact us.
|
|
Monday, 07 September 15
CFR SOUTH CHINA COAL SWAPS ROSE 1.1 PER CENT WEEK OVER WEEK
COALspot.com: API 8 CFR South China Coal swap for 4Q’ 2015 delivery declined just US$ 1.52 (3 %) per MT month over month.
A commodity sw ...
Sunday, 06 September 15
THE CAPE SIZE INDEX ROSE 10.83 PER CENT WEEK OVER WEEK
COALspot.com: The BDI, the Baltic exchange's main sea freight index, which tracks rates for ships carrying dry bulk commodities, declined o ...
Saturday, 05 September 15
DRY BULK MARKET MAY SUFFER NOW, BUT IS BOUND FOR A RECOVERY THANKS TO A LIMITED FUTURE FLEET GROWTH - NIKOS ROUSSANOGLOU, HELLENIC SHIPPING NEWS
The slow increase of dry bulk tonnage growth this year could turn into a solid indicator of the market’s future prospects. According to a rec ...
Friday, 04 September 15
U.S. COAL PRODUCTION FOR THE W/E AUGUST 29, UP SLIGHTLY; FALL 4.5 PERCENT Y-Y: EIA
COALspot.com – United States the world’s second largest coal producer has produced approximately totaled an estimated 18.7 million shor ...
Friday, 04 September 15
GOVERNORS WILL HAVE THE POWER TO REVOKE MINERS' PERMITS: ENERGY MINISTRY - JG
Starting Oct. 1, Indonesia's governors will lawfully become "executors" in revoking the licenses of miners that fail to secure a &quo ...
|
|
|
Showing 2831 to 2835 news of total 6871 |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
 |
|
|
| |
|
- Mercator Lines Limited - India
- PNOC Exploration Corporation - Philippines
- Gujarat Electricity Regulatory Commission - India
- Star Paper Mills Limited - India
- Wilmar Investment Holdings
- Ministry of Transport, Egypt
- Eastern Energy - Thailand
- Formosa Plastics Group - Taiwan
- GAC Shipping (India) Pvt Ltd
- Kobexindo Tractors - Indoneisa
- Asia Pacific Energy Resources Ventures Inc, Philippines
- Vizag Seaport Private Limited - India
- Maheswari Brothers Coal Limited - India
- Kideco Jaya Agung - Indonesia
- Rio Tinto Coal - Australia
- Aditya Birla Group - India
- Vedanta Resources Plc - India
- Ambuja Cements Ltd - India
- Parliament of New Zealand
- PowerSource Philippines DevCo
- Leighton Contractors Pty Ltd - Australia
- Ministry of Mines - Canada
- Malabar Cements Ltd - India
- Edison Trading Spa - Italy
- Indian Oil Corporation Limited
- Trasteel International SA, Italy
- Semirara Mining and Power Corporation, Philippines
- Grasim Industreis Ltd - India
- Carbofer General Trading SA - India
- Semirara Mining Corp, Philippines
- Kumho Petrochemical, South Korea
- Agrawal Coal Company - India
- Bangladesh Power Developement Board
- Barasentosa Lestari - Indonesia
- Power Finance Corporation Ltd., India
- Sojitz Corporation - Japan
- McConnell Dowell - Australia
- Coastal Gujarat Power Limited - India
- Directorate Of Revenue Intelligence - India
- Straits Asia Resources Limited - Singapore
- Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand
- Bhatia International Limited - India
- Timah Investasi Mineral - Indoneisa
- Aboitiz Power Corporation - Philippines
- Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited - India
- Karaikal Port Pvt Ltd - India
- Jaiprakash Power Ventures ltd
- GN Power Mariveles Coal Plant, Philippines
- Bharathi Cement Corporation - India
- Kepco SPC Power Corporation, Philippines
- Petron Corporation, Philippines
- Coal and Oil Company - UAE
- Georgia Ports Authority, United States
- Global Coal Blending Company Limited - Australia
- Videocon Industries ltd - India
- Heidelberg Cement - Germany
- Cigading International Bulk Terminal - Indonesia
- Central Java Power - Indonesia
- Chettinad Cement Corporation Ltd - India
- Makarim & Taira - Indonesia
- Bhoruka Overseas - Indonesia
- Jindal Steel & Power Ltd - India
- Siam City Cement - Thailand
- Bulk Trading Sa - Switzerland
- Indonesian Coal Mining Association
- San Jose City I Power Corp, Philippines
- Iligan Light & Power Inc, Philippines
- ICICI Bank Limited - India
- LBH Netherlands Bv - Netherlands
- Standard Chartered Bank - UAE
- Alfred C Toepfer International GmbH - Germany
- Siam City Cement PLC, Thailand
- Essar Steel Hazira Ltd - India
- Thai Mozambique Logistica
- Krishnapatnam Port Company Ltd. - India
- Toyota Tsusho Corporation, Japan
- Eastern Coal Council - USA
- Xindia Steels Limited - India
- Deloitte Consulting - India
- Kohat Cement Company Ltd. - Pakistan
- The Treasury - Australian Government
- Dong Bac Coal Mineral Investment Coporation - Vietnam
- Electricity Authority, New Zealand
- Billiton Holdings Pty Ltd - Australia
- Uttam Galva Steels Limited - India
- Kapuas Tunggal Persada - Indonesia
- Price Waterhouse Coopers - Russia
- Therma Luzon, Inc, Philippines
- Meenaskhi Energy Private Limited - India
- SMC Global Power, Philippines
- Bukit Baiduri Energy - Indonesia
- Parry Sugars Refinery, India
- Renaissance Capital - South Africa
- Globalindo Alam Lestari - Indonesia
- Merrill Lynch Commodities Europe
- The University of Queensland
- Sinarmas Energy and Mining - Indonesia
- GVK Power & Infra Limited - India
- Gujarat Mineral Development Corp Ltd - India
- Larsen & Toubro Limited - India
- Chamber of Mines of South Africa
- PetroVietnam Power Coal Import and Supply Company
- Neyveli Lignite Corporation Ltd, - India
- Antam Resourcindo - Indonesia
- International Coal Ventures Pvt Ltd - India
- Australian Commodity Traders Exchange
- OPG Power Generation Pvt Ltd - India
- Riau Bara Harum - Indonesia
- Kalimantan Lumbung Energi - Indonesia
- CIMB Investment Bank - Malaysia
- IHS Mccloskey Coal Group - USA
- Salva Resources Pvt Ltd - India
- Meralco Power Generation, Philippines
- Mercuria Energy - Indonesia
- Coalindo Energy - Indonesia
- Sical Logistics Limited - India
- Binh Thuan Hamico - Vietnam
- Petrochimia International Co. Ltd.- Taiwan
- Independent Power Producers Association of India
- Tamil Nadu electricity Board
- Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission - India
- Economic Council, Georgia
- Orica Mining Services - Indonesia
- Anglo American - United Kingdom
- India Bulls Power Limited - India
- Orica Australia Pty. Ltd.
- Borneo Indobara - Indonesia
- Metalloyd Limited - United Kingdom
- Kaltim Prima Coal - Indonesia
- Cement Manufacturers Association - India
- Jorong Barutama Greston.PT - Indonesia
- TNB Fuel Sdn Bhd - Malaysia
- South Luzon Thermal Energy Corporation
- The State Trading Corporation of India Ltd
- Bukit Asam (Persero) Tbk - Indonesia
- Manunggal Multi Energi - Indonesia
- Oldendorff Carriers - Singapore
- Dr Ramakrishna Prasad Power Pvt Ltd - India
- Ind-Barath Power Infra Limited - India
- New Zealand Coal & Carbon
- Ministry of Finance - Indonesia
- Lanco Infratech Ltd - India
- Sakthi Sugars Limited - India
- Miang Besar Coal Terminal - Indonesia
- Simpson Spence & Young - Indonesia
- Sarangani Energy Corporation, Philippines
- London Commodity Brokers - England
- Bank of Tokyo Mitsubishi UFJ Ltd
- Madhucon Powers Ltd - India
- Global Green Power PLC Corporation, Philippines
- Indian Energy Exchange, India
- Planning Commission, India
- IEA Clean Coal Centre - UK
- Port Waratah Coal Services - Australia
- SN Aboitiz Power Inc, Philippines
- White Energy Company Limited
- Interocean Group of Companies - India
- Baramulti Group, Indonesia
- TeaM Sual Corporation - Philippines
- Altura Mining Limited, Indonesia
- Goldman Sachs - Singapore
- Energy Development Corp, Philippines
- Pendopo Energi Batubara - Indonesia
- Latin American Coal - Colombia
- Singapore Mercantile Exchange
- Bhushan Steel Limited - India
- Indo Tambangraya Megah - Indonesia
- Central Electricity Authority - India
- Pipit Mutiara Jaya. PT, Indonesia
- Filglen & Citicon Mining (HK) Ltd - Hong Kong
- ASAPP Information Group - India
- Posco Energy - South Korea
- Indika Energy - Indonesia
- Offshore Bulk Terminal Pte Ltd, Singapore
- Samtan Co., Ltd - South Korea
- Thiess Contractors Indonesia
- Attock Cement Pakistan Limited
- Commonwealth Bank - Australia
- GMR Energy Limited - India
- Gujarat Sidhee Cement - India
- SMG Consultants - Indonesia
- CNBM International Corporation - China
- Medco Energi Mining Internasional
- MS Steel International - UAE
- Holcim Trading Pte Ltd - Singapore
- Asmin Koalindo Tuhup - Indonesia
- Bahari Cakrawala Sebuku - Indonesia
- Intertek Mineral Services - Indonesia
- Africa Commodities Group - South Africa
- Energy Link Ltd, New Zealand
- Mjunction Services Limited - India
- PTC India Limited - India
- Dalmia Cement Bharat India
- Mintek Dendrill Indonesia
- Marubeni Corporation - India
- Bayan Resources Tbk. - Indonesia
- AsiaOL BioFuels Corp., Philippines
- Karbindo Abesyapradhi - Indoneisa
- Bukit Makmur.PT - Indonesia
- Truba Alam Manunggal Engineering.Tbk - Indonesia
- European Bulk Services B.V. - Netherlands
- Directorate General of MIneral and Coal - Indonesia
- Savvy Resources Ltd - HongKong
- Banpu Public Company Limited - Thailand
- Indogreen Group - Indonesia
- VISA Power Limited - India
- Kartika Selabumi Mining - Indonesia
- Sree Jayajothi Cements Limited - India
- Global Business Power Corporation, Philippines
- Romanian Commodities Exchange
- Sindya Power Generating Company Private Ltd
- Vijayanagar Sugar Pvt Ltd - India
- Minerals Council of Australia
- Australian Coal Association
- Ceylon Electricity Board - Sri Lanka
- Tata Chemicals Ltd - India
- Wood Mackenzie - Singapore
|
| |
| |
|
