Ferreyros and ThoroughTec Collaborate to Train Volcan’s Operators

MINING WEEKLY – JANUARY 2016

Major Caterpillar (CAT) distributor in Peru, Ferreyros, a company which strongly believes in recognising talent and promoting the development of heavy equipment operators, is collaborating with global workforce optimisation solutions provider, ThoroughTec Simulation and Peru’s Volcan Compañia Minera on their already successful operator training centre in Yauli. This centre features the latest in high fidelity Full Mission Simulators, as well as E-learning and Operator Familiarisation Training systems.

Ferreyros and Volcan chose ThoroughTec Simulation, a company with over 20 years’ experience in developing advanced training solutions for the mining, construction and military sectors, to supply its fourth generation CYBERMINE Full Mission Simulator, Operator Familiarisation Trainers and E-learning systems. This will provide Volcan with a complete training solution to optimise its heavy equipment workforce.

Now over 90 years old, Ferreyros has a strong history of social responsibility practices and believes in the upliftment of operators. Earlier this year the company held its second Best Heavy Equipment Operator of Peru contest, which is now held annually. This social responsibility initiative aims to contribute to operator development and highlight the importance of professionalism. The company sees itself as an agent of change and looks to promote the progress of Peru. “Here at Ferreyros we promote mutually beneficial business relationships and long term relationships with our customers by offering solutions for their businesses,” says Rodolfo Gerstein Patron, Development Manager for Technical Personnel and Training at Ferreyros. “Ferreyros has developed several actions as part of its social responsibility role in the country, which includes these programmes to promote the development of heavy equipment operators.”

“As part of this social responsibility, we saw an opportunity to implement a training programme with Volcan for the training of their low profile CAT equipment operators in Yauli. We are confident this will have a positive impact on the mine’s surrounding community and enhance the capabilities of its people,” says Rodolfo Gerstein.

Renzo Muente Barzotti, Human Development Manager at Volcan says, “One of the main goals is to achieve a high level of skilled operators that are committed to the company and have the opportunity to develop and grow professionally thanks to their knowledge and experience.” According to Renzo Muente, the incorporation of ThoroughTec’s CYBERMINE workforce optimisation solutions will bring a reduction in training time, reduce risks associated with field training and help to recreate specific scenarios that would be difficult to replicate in the real world.

“From experience, Ferreyros has found that simulators help operators to correct errors in less time and at a lower cost than in real operations”

“We here at ThoroughTec have a similar philosophy. We aim to optimise the performance of mines’ heavy equipment workforces around the world and ensure they are safe and productive,” says José Ignacio Porras, Vice President of Americas at ThoroughTec. “We are extremely pleased to have been selected as the preferred workforce optimisation technology provider for this advanced operator training centre.”

Yauli’s new CYBERMINE simulator, their second after an underground drill rig sim was commissioned last year, will be for the training of CAT R1600G underground loader operators. This will be ThoroughTec’s sixth simulator for this particular model. “Over the past few years we have rapidly increased our range of surface and underground simulators for CAT equipment operators,” says José Ignacio.

Underground loaders are a vital cog in the production cycle of a mine so they need to be operated as efficiently and safely as possible. “It’s imperative that operators of expensive equipment know how to react to emergency situations correctly and operate in a cost-effective manner,” comments José Ignacio.

“From experience, Ferreyros has found that simulators help operators to correct errors in less time and at a lower cost than in real operations, without putting the equipment, facilities and especially themselves and other employees at risk. We will continue to invest in this technology,” emphasises Rodolfo Gerstein.

“Ferreyros believes that its greatest competitive advantage, beyond the products and services offered, are its employees, who are critical in helping to achieve the company’s strategic objectives. It is they who shape the company and give it strength. Providing ongoing training is essential for business growth and this vision extends to its customers,” says Rodolfo Gerstein.

“Once these new systems are implemented, we will have an average of 200 operators come through the training centre each year,” says Renzo Muente.

These CYBERMINE simulators will also be some of the highest heavy equipment training simulators in the world, as Yauli is located well over 4,000m above sea level. ThoroughTec’s military simulation credentials ensure that the CYBERMINE products are designed to withstand harsh conditions, including high altitude.

“Mines are becoming increasingly aware that they need to integrate multiple training tools into their training programmes to optimise their workforce and to improve safety and productivity levels,” notes José Ignacio. Because the actual heavy equipment is being used for fewer training tasks, the associated running costs of training are greatly reduced. Damage and wear-and-tear decreases as operators are able to familiarise themselves with the controls and iron out their mistakes on the simulator instead of the real equipment. “This means less unscheduled maintenance and lower maintenance and training costs,” concludes José Ignacio.