Expanding into Europe

GEODRILLING INTERNATIONAL – DECEMBER 2012

ThoroughTec Simulation has made a strategic decision to enter the European mining market with its surface and underground drill-rig mining simulators.

“ThoroughTec has been very successful in Africa, dominating our local market, while the expansion into the rest of the world has been progressing at pace,” Adam Smallman, business development manager at ThoroughTec Simulation, says. “In addition to the headquarters and production facility in Durban, South Africa, ThoroughTec now has satellite offices in Santiago, Chile; Toronto, Canada; and Perth, Australia, to deal with sales and after-sales service. Recent sales span the globe, from North, Central and South America to Indonesia, Australia and India.

“We are continually investigating new markets, which has led to our investigations into Europe looking for sustained incremental growth. Both the Scandinavian and CIS [Commonwealth of Independent States] regions offer possibilities.” The company says there is proven demand for drill-rig simulators across the world, and ThoroughTec builds a range of surface and underground drill-rig simulators that service this demand to the required level of authenticity and realism.

“We’ve developed a simulator that can perform these customised roles, beyond the OEM’s original specifications.”

Productive partnerships
ThoroughTec’s simulator cab for the Atlas Copco 282, for example, is already in its fifth generation, while rival companies have only recently entered the segment with a first version. In terms of surface drill-rig simulators, ThoroughTec’s P&H range is already in its third generation and the company looks to continue this with new Atlas Copco Pit Viper and Cubex models.

The CYBERMINE4 range of drill rigs covers all the major original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), including Atlas Copco, Bucyrus, P&H and Sandvik. The firm’s best-selling cabs are the Sandvik DD320 and DD420 and the Atlas Copco Rocket Boomer 282 and Pit Viper range.

“The CYBERMINE4 range is constantly expanded and updated to serve our customer base,” says Mr Smallman. “Our latest underground drill-rig development is an extension package for the Atlas Copco 282, developed in conjunction with Gold Fields mining company and providing the ability to perform both scaling and bolting functions with the dual-boom rig.

“It’s something that has come out of the Australian markets where they don’t use a separate bolter and scaler, but use their jumbo or dual-boom drill rigs to do scaling and bolting as well as drilling. We’ve developed a simulator that can perform these customised roles, beyond the OEM’s original specifications and catering for what the machines are used for in practice. All CYBERMINE4 simulator units can be customised in this way to match customers’ operating procedures, as can the virtual mine site that the vehicle operates in.”

Training and time savings 
Simulators offer a range of benefits for mines: safety, productivity, cost savings, recruitment and skills development.

On the safety side, training is executed in a safe, controlled environment. During training, operators can practise difficult procedures repeatedly without the possibility of vehicle damage or personal injury. On some simulators, such as the ThoroughTec CYBERMINE4, operators can also experience emergency situations such as drill bits jamming and hydraulic failure, again without risk to person or property, so that when these situations occur in reality, the operators know how to respond correctly. Similarly, trainees on surface equipment can operate in all weather conditions and times of day, no matter what the real-life conditions. The result is an operator who is more aware of his surroundings and risks, meaning lower accident rates and accident severity.

The most direct example of simulators improving productivity is that production equipment stays available for its primary role, instead of being taken out for training.

This is emphasised when one considers the risk of damage to equipment in the hands of unskilled trainee operators, and the resultant unavailability of that equipment. Productivity is also directly affected by having more proficient and efficient operators.

Not only are they more efficient at performing their core tasks, but the lower incidences of accidents and therefore less downtime in the case of both personnel and machines means an increase in productivity. Wear and tear of machinery is also reduced, while operating costs such as fuel are taken out of the equation. On top of this, there is zero risk of an inexperienced operator damaging real equipment, which eliminates repair costs and, once again, a vehicle being out of the production cycle. While simulators are expensive, technologically advanced pieces of capital equipment, there is no doubt that they produce significant cost savings if incorporated correctly into a training programme. Simulators are not a replacement for training on the real equipment, but can produce better training at an accelerated rate and at reduced costs.

Benefits at Gold Fields
Since integrating CYBERMINE4 simulators, including an Atlas Copco 282 dual-boom drill rig cab, into its training programme, Gold Fields’ South Deep Mine has realised a significant decrease in the time required to train an operator to full competence, while operators who have completed simulator-based training outperformed those who had been through conventional training.

They have also achieved lower production costs as operators no longer destroy drill bits or vehicle components while being introduced to the machine and learning its controls, while the simulator has led to increased production rates with the advance per blast and quality of the blast improved considerably.

Snapshot
ThoroughTec has been designing and manufacturing simulators for over 20 years and supplies to the South African military. It is one of the largest global suppliers of both surface and underground simulators in the mining and construction industries, with well over 500 units deployed worldwide.

For more information: www.thoroughtec.com