Article 4: Reporting Mine Production
It’s a fact that the human brain is not good at detecting patterns in large groups of numbers – it’s why we respond so positively to charts, graphs and other visual representations of data. They help us understand information more easily so we can identify issues and make improvements. The use of range values, in particular, ensures we can quickly see when values are out of acceptable range, and help us digest large volumes of data for more rapid decision making. However, many mines are not making the best use of charts and graphs and other visual representations of data.
Example daily production report
Current issues with mine reporting
As we mentioned in the introduction to this series, traditionally, mining companies have captured operations data manually, often writing information down on paper before transferring it to an Excel spreadsheet that they then send out by email. This works, but it’s both prone to error and slow: vital data may take 24 or 48 hours before it reaches a Mine Manager, for example – too late for that manager to make a change that could improve production, reduce a cost or increase sustainability.
With paper reports, especially:
- the data is already out-of-date as soon as it is printed
- a team member who misses a meeting may not receive a copy or be unaware of the report’s existence, and
- only the numbers shown can be reviewed by the team.
With emailed Excel spreadsheets:
- version control is difficult
- numbers in an Excel file can be typed over and modified with no history of the change, and
- each user can calculate production figures and variances with different source system information or different calculations
Another issue: the KPIs used at many mines today may not be documented, and some mines use different formulas for similar KPIs, which means these mines are missing out on the benefits of using a specified set of standard KPIs.
For example, since performance reviews for managers, supervisors and operators are typically based on KPIs, a well-constructed KPI can be used to drive desirable behaviours that improve performance, while a site management KPI focused on tonnes could result in improved production from the pit.
Advantages of a Mine Operations Management system
An advanced mine operations management solution fuses together software, including operational control, material reconciliation and asset performance programs, to eliminate the manual handling of information and reliably link all sources of data, from fleet management to weighbridge, laboratory to stockpiles and everything in-between, into one database, one single source of truth.
For example, a mine can ensure that:
- production numbers based on material transported from the pit are reflected in all daily, weekly and monthly reports
- production specifically excludes material excavated but not hauled, along with material stored in in-pit stockpiles (KPIs that include in-pit movement as production encourage rehandling and storage of material in-pit to artificially boost production statistics) and
- equipment performance KPI calculations such as availability, unplanned downtime and productivity are regularly reviewed.
Dashboards and mobile reporting
In addition, mines can configure their own interactive, easy-to-navigate dashboards that will allow them to:
- view a broad range of information for specific areas of interest from multiple data sources, such as plan data, drill and blast data, production data and grade data
- view data through Functions as well as Reports for different views of the data (both can be configured to show discrepancies as well as figures that are outside of normal values) and
- look deeper through a data drill-down, which expands data into more and more detail as a user clicks in a report, in order to better understand operational performance and influence in-shift decision making.
Employees in the field or travelling away from the site also have instant access to and can interact with, these dashboards using their mobile devices and standard touch-screen gestures like swiping, tapping and pinching/spreading.
In short
A mine operations management solution eliminates time-consuming entry/re-entry issues and reduces the possibility of error while integrating materials data from pit to port and ensuring that data is securely stored and flows automatically to wherever it is needed.
The result is greater control over mine operations and a better understanding of how today’s production will affect revenue, cash flow, costs and forecasts – leading to better decisions and improved resilience to industry pressures. To learn more about Dassault Systèmes Mine Operations Management, visit our website.
Author Bio
Graham Allen
Graham has more than 25 years of experience in systems implementation and project lead roles. His analytical and methodical approach, strong communication skills and collaborative attitude make him an invaluable team member. Graham has spent the last 15 years as a business analyst in the mining industry and previously worked in finance, agri-business and manufacturing systems consulting roles.
