Hands-on Learning Through Simulation

AFRICAN MINING BRIEF – MARCH 2013

Training simulators are enabling mines in Africa to equip their employees with skills critical to their operations.

Endowed with an abundance of mineral resources, the African mining sector is being touted as ‘mining’s next big thing’, with the global appetite for commodities as still high. But beneath the romanticism, the harsh reality is that a worsening skills shortage could be one of the greatest obstacles that could prevent it from fulfilling its potential. Gregory Lew, Executive Vice President and Director of Global Business Development of ThoroughTec Simulation, a highly regarded supplier of training simulators, observes that, while the basics of mining are more or less the same globally, mining In Africa Is a different kind of a beast.

“Mining in Africa does present unique challenges to both operations and training, not least language barriers, low levels of literacy, remote mine sites and harsh environmental conditions, to name but a few.” With the continent losing pertinent technical skills to other parts of the globe at an alarming rate, evidently, the problem confronting mining companies in Africa runs deeper than its deepest mine shafts. It is now excruciatingly clear that relying on training institutions to meet their needs no longer suffices. For this reason, bereft of skilled hands to operate heavy equipment, mines are investing in training simulator systems to train employees.

“The product the company has supplied is perfectly conditioned for the conditions of African mining: durability in the demanding heat and dust.”

Training tailored for a remote area
ThoroughTec has supplied Rio Tinto’s Simandou mine in Guinea, West Africa, with a complete simulation system that includes a CYBERMINE simulator base and two CAT surface simulator cabs, which will be used to train new recruits and in the long term to offer refresher training to experienced operators and eliminate any operator errors that might crop up. Based in a very remote area, the greatest challenge the mine faces is that much of the local population have never set foot in a motorised vehicle, let alone operated one, and there are low levels of training in the area.

Lew is confident the product will help Simandou meet its skills requirements. “Because the CYBERMINE simulator is a containerised, fully independent system, training will begin while the mine site itself is still being developed, reducing start up time and therefore increasing initial productivity.”

Elaborating more on the product, he says: “Developed to meet challenges unique to Africa, CYBERMINE simulators offer authentic high fidelity training, accurately representing the layout of the original vehicle’s cab and operation. By the time green recruits have progressed through the training program, they are competent enough to progress to the actual equipment to become safe and productive members of the mine’s team.”

What is more, the training department at Simandou is faced with the additional issue of the local language being French. And to help in overcoming this language barrier, ThoroughTec has developed a French version of simulator systems, greatly facilitating and expediting training.

Thus far, Lew is encouraged by the progress at Simandou. “We are delighted at seeing miners gain basic knowledge critical to operations.” The product the company has supplied is perfectly conditioned for the conditions of African mining: durability in the demanding heat and dust, thanks in no small part to the quality of ThoroughTec’s engineering, a legacy of its military background.

This is a feature that is highly valued in African Mining. With over 20 years in designing and manufacturing simulators ThoroughTec has supplied CYBERMINE simulators to Anglo American Kumba’s Sishen iron ore mine in the Northern Cape, South Africa, and in Asia Pacific region, South and Central America, and has made inroads into the North American market.

Its products are also used at universities in Australia. It is the leading simulator system supplier to the South African Military as well as the largest global supplier of both surface and underground simulators in the mining and construction industries, with well over 500 simulator units deployed worldwide.

Keeping pace
Training simulators have redefined the way mines In Africa equip their employees with critical skills. However, as most manufacturers of training simulators would agree, fulfilling the fast needs of the labour-intensive mining sector is quite demanding, not least that each mine has specific requirements. Thus, for suppliers to keep pace, they have to constantly network with leading OEMs, equipment dealers, owners/operators and training professionals.

– Article extracted from African Mining Brief