IMMERSIVE Technologies has made a further significant breakthrough in Queensland with an order to supply its state-of-the-art Advanced Equipment (AE) Simulators to Australia’s largest coal producer and exporter.

BHP Billiton Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA) will take delivery of three new training simulators in July and August of this year, expanding its Immersive Technologies simulator fleet to four units. BMA has also purchased a further seven simulator Conversion Kits® allowing BMA to now simulate over 18 different machine models, including the worlds-first simulator based dragline operator training system which was recently awarded the title most Innovated Mining Solution at the 2006 Mining Prospect Awards.

The new BMA simulators will be located at the operator’s Saraji, Blackwater and Goonyella sites, featuring in advanced training centres established at southern, mid and northern points in BMA’s Bowen Basin operations axis.

The Goonyella, Broadmeadow, Peak Downs, Saraji, Norwich Park, Gregory, Crinum, Blackwater, South Walker Creek and Poitrel mines operated by BMA produce about 60 million tonnes per annum of coking and thermal coal, and employ more than 9400 people, including contractors.

An Immersive Technologies' representative said the BMA order confirmed the high level of recognition by the state's major mining groups of the company's leading-edge simulator technology and market support capabilities.

Comalco, Xstrata, Rio Tinto, Anglo Coal, Thiess and Roche Mining were among existing users of Immersive Technologies AE Simulators in Queensland.

"Our clients are focusing increasingly on real value outcomes rather than just an equipment purchase," the Immersive Technologies' representative said.

"We have engaged an external consultant who will work with us and BMA to achieve clearly defined performance goals, which have been developed through a comprehensive process aimed at aligning site specific training key performance indicators (KPIs) with production, safety and maintenance KPIs.

"What we are seeing at other sites in Australia and across the world, is that mine operations understand that using our technology they can deliver significant increases in operator performance. Aligned with business improvement projects, we can run simulator training projects which track and capture hard data that can be transferred up into the business improvement process."

"BHP Billiton now have 10 of our simulators globally and more planned. The next goal is to start integrating the data captured in the AE Simulators to enable multiple site benchmarking for the benefit of all BHP Billiton users."

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About Immersive Technologies

Immersive Technologies is the world's largest, proven and tested supplier of surface and underground Advanced Equipment Simulators to the global mining industry. The company has achieved this unique position by focusing on its mission to make every mining and earthmoving equipment operator in the world safer and their employer more profitable through its simulation technologies. Immersive Technologies' Advanced Equipment Simulators are helping hundreds of mining companies around the world to increase their equipment operators' safety and site profitability through effective simulation training.

Immersive Technologies provides its customers with the most effective Advanced Equipment Simulators available. This is made possible through the formal exclusive licensing and technical information alliances Immersive has established with the leading Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM), including: Caterpillar, Hitachi, Komatsu and Liebherr. These unique alliances provide Immersive Technologies with exclusive access to the OEM's proprietary and confidential machine technical information that is required to correctly simulate the OEM's machines and is not available through other public or dealer channels.

With advanced simulator modules deployed in 39 countries, Immersive Technologies is dedicated to provide outstanding service. To deliver on this commitment the company has customer sales and support offices located close to its customers in Perth and Brisbane Australia, Salt Lake City USA, Calgary, Ottawa & Vancouver Canada, Monterrey Mexico, Lima Peru, Santiago Chile, Bochum Germany, Johannesburg South Africa, Jakarta Indonesia, Kolkata India and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Immersive has the global mining experience, innovative technology, product range, OEM relationships, proven support commitment and industry vision to partner with you to ensure your simulator training solution delivers the significant results you expect.