VALE Ferrosos make big efficiency improvements to win the Immersive Technologies Annual Business Improvement Award
The annual recognition for mining companies using simulation for operator training and business improvement from Immersive Technologies was awarded to Brazil’s VALE Ferrosos. The award recognizes the achievements of mine sites focused on improving operational safety, efficiency and productivity through strategic and focused simulator based training initiatives.
Due to the international environment and falling commodity prices, the major mining companies found themselves with the need to become more efficient, increasing the productivity of their assets and reducing operating costs. For this, Vale Ferrosos intensified the use of simulators.
In 2015, Vale Ferrosos acquired five simulators from Immersive Technologies adding to the other two that were already in operation. In conjunction with the Management Department of Development of Mineral Process and Treatment, plus the training instructors of the mine, Immersive Technologies carried out a project at Carajás where cycle times were reduced by 6% and spotting time improved by 14% for CAT 793 trucks.
The global finalists for the award included:
Bukit Makmur Mandiri Utama (BUMA), Asia
Delivered positive results from Immersive Technologies simulator training for the past 12 months. BUMA’s BI program ranges from reduction in incidents arising from wet weather condition (reduced from 4 incidents in seven months to none in the last 16 months) to increase in loading equipment productivity (average) from 646 BCM/hour to 682 BCM/hour (5.5%).
Rio Tinto - Brockman, Australia
In a project focused on operator driven truck reliability, the target group achieved an in-pit average improvement in machine health events of 52.8%, encompassing motor stall, overspeed retarding, service brake abuse, dump body up, park brake applied at speed. Post training, 73% of the target group scored less errors per hour than the group average representing a substantial impact to machine availability and site MTBF performance.
Pan American Silver, North America
Reduction of total TH315 underground truck failures by 6.5%, reduction of electrical failures in TH315 fleet by 8.7%, reduction of 12% in hydraulic system failures in TH315 fleet.
To eliminate any variable which might affect the results two groups of operators were measured. The first group received training in the simulator, while the second group was only monitored. Both worked under the same conditions.
The continuous improvement of processes and operating methodologies has become a constant necessity, where the search for operational efficiency has taken on an increasingly important role in the face of a highly competitive marketplace and, therefore, the improvement of operational techniques through the use of simulators demonstrates an important step forward in this context. Projects like the one in Carajás reinforce our belief that we are on the right path towards better targeting and provision of resources,
The annual recognition for mining companies using simulation for operator training and business improvement from Immersive Technologies was awarded to Brazil’s VALE Ferrosos.
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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 increase Customer profitability by optimizing the safety and productivity of their operators. 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 licensing and technical information alliances Immersive has established with the leading Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM), including: Caterpillar Global Mining, Hitachi, Komatsu and Liebherr. These unique alliances provide Immersive Technologies with 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 51 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, Fort McMurray, Ottawa & Vancouver Canada, Monterrey Mexico, Lima Peru, Santiago Chile, Belo Horizonte Brazil, Bochum Germany, Johannesburg South Africa, Jakarta Indonesia, Kolkata India and Moscow Russia.
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.