Tharisa Minerals, the world’s only co-producer of both PGM and chrome concentrates, continues to embrace the usage of advanced, high-fidelity simulation technology as a core component of their already impressive operator training program at their open-pit operations in the Rustenburg region of South Africa.

Through a successful and long-standing partnership with Immersive Technologies, global leader in mining training-technology solutions, Tharisa Minerals have added a PRO4-B simulator to their existing simulator fleet. The PRO4-B will be utilizing new equipment conversion kits from Immersive Technologies which align to Tharisa’s aggressive investment in their OEM assets. These include Caterpillar 24M Grader and D11T Dozer conversion kits as well as a Caterpillar 6050 face-shovel kit.

In addition to this new hardware, Tharisa minerals have also acquired Immersive Technologies’ Operator Performance Analytics (OPA) platform. When used in conjunction with any of Immersive Technologies’ Simulators, OPA provides clients with the ability to gain deep insights into fleet operational data which can be translated into more targeted operator training programs.

Tharisa Minerals have already focused significant investment on their people through specialised training programs. Recently the haul-truck workforce underwent targeted training on correct brake application and gear selection via the Immersive Technology simulators onsite. This process led to significant improvements, with a 23% reduction in transmission related expenditure and a 64% reduction in overspeed warnings translating into a safer work environment and lower costs for Tharisa Minerals. There also remains a strong local engagement at Tharisa Minerals with the Mine drawing on the local community to be trained as potential novice operators. This program run in conjunction with Immersive Technologies simulators, provides development opportunities for community-members not only at Tharisa Minerals but more broadly in the mining sector.

“In our quest to be a World Class Mining Company, key contributing components to that objective are definitely high knowledge and competency levels of ALL our employees including Operators. Hence, it gives us a high degree of comfort and safe-assurance to be able to use the latest technology and methodologies to track, monitor and pre-determine where possible loss or damage to machinery is likely to come from, and devise proactive means to eliminate that. In my view as an HRD manager, the Immersive Technologies Simulators are valuable tools to have at our disposal here at Tharisa Minerals.”