By Neville Judd Of all the mining processes ripe for automation, blasthole drilling is up there.  Firstly, it’s a labour- and capital-intensive process; delays in drilling affect the rest of the mine. Secondly, there’s a growing talent shortfall of drillers across the world’s mines.  According to Curtis Stacy, it takes a person three to five years to become a good driller. Hexagon Drill Assist changes that.   Stacy is a senior product manager at Hexagon and co-founder of Phoenix Drill Control. In June, Hexagon acquired Drill Assist, a blasthole drilling automation technology developed by Phoenix Drill Control.  Drill Assist is an…