Hello, how are you? Did you have a good summer/winter (hemisphere dependent)?
Mine was good, although busier than planned. I’m writing to you on a flight home from Skellefteå to London. You see, I’ve been to visit Boliden. The company has ambitions to become the world’s most sustainable metals provider and, together with OEM, Epiroc, and electrification specialist, ABB, the miner has been trialling a new trolley assisted, battery-electric truck haulage system at its Kristineberg underground mine.
Why am I sharing this? Because this month’s Intelligent Miner editorial theme is ‘creating operational efficiency’. When most people think about operational efficiency in mining they think of metals production – easing material bottlenecks, minimising waiting times for people and equipment… essentially, making the process more streamlined while lowering costs. And that is absolutely one definition of operational efficiency.
But to me, an efficient operation is more than that. It’s an operation that takes that philosophy, of using time and resources in the most effective way possible to achieve a goal, and extends it to every aspect of its systems. That includes, for example, minimising and recycling waste, reducing and substituting usage of natural resources like water, managing energy generation and storage, caring for staff in order to minimise sick days…
To me, a mine cannot be truly efficient unless it’s optimised at a systems level. Often, though not always, there are trade-offs to be struck and efficiency in one area, like sustainability, can come at the cost of another. However, the net effect over time is nearly always a positive one.
I thought about this as I watched Boliden’s battery-electric trolley truck, the first of its kind, drive up and down the haul ramp. While underground trolley combined with battery is a new technology (in mining at least) and there are questions still to be answered around performance in a production setting, the tests have already shown the system to support higher production, lower emissions and a reduction in maintenance requirements compared to diesel haulage. It also offers faster haul speeds and a significantly longer battery life than battery-electric vehicles that depend upon static charging.
I’ll tell you more soon, I promise. In the meantime, enjoy this month’s content. It will challenge you to think differently about efficiency. And I hope to see lots of you at MINExpo 2024 in a few weeks. If you’re planning on attending, drop me an email. Let’s catch up.
It’s good to be back!
Carly
Efficiency, on and off site
quote
“We stand on the brink of a once-in-a-generation opportunity—to reshape mining’s future”
Rohitesh Dhawan