About 40,000 years ago, while Paleolithic humans were mining hematite in Swaziland, Neanderthals in search of weaponry and tools were scratching the dirt of Europe for flint. Mining software arrived elsewhere, a little later: Tucson, Arizona – 1970, to be exact.
That’s when Mintec began applying computers to solve complex mine planning challenges. The software, formerly known as Medsystems, then MineSight and now HxGN MinePlan, is a dependable single source of truth for geologists and engineers in more than 450 open pit and underground mines located across almost 40 countries.
MinePlan is counted on for 3D modeling and data visualization across design, scheduling and production. Through integration with Hexagon’s MineEnterprise portfolio, it is increasingly serving up data remotely for a workforce adapting to the limits of COVID-19. Innovation in short-interval control, strategic scheduling and drill and blast will ensure that MinePlan remains essential for the next 50 years.
Learn more about these developments in “50 More Years of Intelligent Mining,” a webinar hosted by Mining Magazine on May 27.
- Mining Magazine presents: 50 More Years of Intelligent Mining with Hexagon
- Hosted by Donna Schmidt, Mining Magazine Senior Correspondent
- With guests:
- Marc Poualion, MinePlan Portfolio Manager,
- Dustin Meisburger, MinePlan Product Manager, Engineering Products
- Seth Gering, Product Manager, Planning
- Jose Sanchez, Product Marketing Specialist
In a one-hour webinar, our subject matter experts share details about the portfolio’s development plans in the following areas.
Short-interval control
Short-interval control improves the progress of a shift by bring field actuals closer to the target. This increases savings from equipment availability, utilization and production rate. However, it requires integration between short-term planning, operational decision-making and technology to make sense of the data. Learn how integration between MinePlan Activity Scheduler and our MineEnterprise portfolio will empower decision-makers with the information they need to improve the progress of a shift and optimize production value.
Strategic scheduling
Pit optimization is too important to be left to outdated interfaces and old programs understood by only the most experienced members of your staff. Manual configuration takes valuable time and it can be difficult to consider multiple scenarios, especially when your ability to create modern reports is limited. Learn how MinePlan Project Evaluator (MPPE) heralds a new era in the strategic scheduling space. MPPE uses the familiar pseudoflow algorithm to generate ultimate pits but now incorporates a modern interface that allows planners to easily consider multiple potential scenarios both in the pit optimization and scheduling process.
Drill and blast
In the mining cycle, drill and blast (D&B) is arguably the first and most important step to get right. And the D&B workflow begins with details of the mine plan and ore control for each mining bench, to engineer the blast design. Recent acquisitions of Blast Movement Technologies and Split Engineering mean that Hexagon now offers a comprehensive approach to drill and blast that encompasses design, implementation, measurement and improvement. Find out more about HxGN MinePlan Blast’s role in creating designs that incorporate geology and other properties from the block model into the workflow while improving fragmentation, reducing energy costs, and offering management greater insight via configurable reporting and drill operator scorecards.