IT notebook: Modular Mining, US tech, Mintec, Maptek, Gemcom, Geosoft
Staff reporter, 8 December 2011
US-BASED mining technology firm Modular Mining Systems will this week conduct an international webinar on machine guidance systems under the banner, “Stick to the plan: how high-precision GPS can save you time and money”.
Modular says new ideas, technology, and processes are constantly being introduced and evaluated at mines around the world. “Decision-makers are searching for innovations that will actually affect the bottom line,” it says. Well, machine guidance systems appear to fit this bill.
Modular’s resident expert in this field, William Nassauer, will use the webinar to discuss “field-proven benefits of high-precision machine guidance systems … [including] present specific examples of how mines around the world are using this technology to increase their total tonnes moved, improve the accuracy of material movement, and decrease costs associated with working outside of the mine plan”.
Webinar attendees will come away with a greater understanding of high-precision machine guidance applications for loading, auxiliary, and blasting equipment, Modular says. The financial benefit for these applications would be presented in a format that attendees could apply at their own mine.
Nassauer, Modular’s product manager for machine guidance systems, has spent 14 years in the field of high technology and more than a decade in the mining industry. Prior to Modular, he worked with General Motors Corporation as a consultant and business analyst.
BUY US technology companies, is the recommendation from investment bank Merrill Lynch.
No.8 on its list of 2012 “10 key trades”, Merrill Lynch says US tech companies “have the highest cash levels of any sector and are more likely to grow dividends, buy back stock and increase capex”. Additionally, companies in the sector had high earnings stability and attractive valuations – more than 80% of stocks in the sector were trading below their five-year average P/E.
“Within tech [sector], internet software and services, and computers have the strongest secular growth prospects,” the bank said.
JUMBO jets, Ferraris and Tokyo have been built out of Lego, so a mine block model would appear to be, well, child’s play. For Australian Lego artist Ryan McNaught, it was – after he’d worked out what the design brief was all about.
The Melbourne man was commissioned by staff in the Perth office of mining software supplier Mintec to create the block model for a seminar. The result was a built-to-scale “computer-generated block model” about 70cm long, 40cm wide and 20cm high, and weighing 17kg.
McNaught has created some amazing Lego replicas – he recently spent eight months building a Qantas A380, the world’s largest passenger jet, before taking on a life-size model of teenage popstar Justin Bieber.
“When we contacted the guy [McNaught], he really didn’t know what the heck we were talking about at first,” said Mintec’s Perth branch manager Ian Whitehouse. “But we explained it all and it took him about a week and a half to do.
“It’s colour-coded using RGB colors from Lego, and every block represents a grade. To create a cross-section view, it’s cut down the middle and separates into two halves, which is just as well because it’s quite heavy.”
AUSTRALIAN mining software developer Maptek has opened a new office in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Office manager Carlito deSouza has experience in the oil and gas industry, and has worked in various technical services roles in the drilling and exploration sectors.
Maptek said Carlito would initially focus on expanding sales and consulting business around the company’s I-Site mine survey hardware and software.
MONGOLIAN University of Science and Technology geology student Badral Narankhuu has become the latest recipient of a Gemcom Software International scholarship under its Mongolian Student Sponsorship Program.
The Gemcom program awards a two-year scholarship to a student in the mining industry, covering all of their financial obligations including school fees, book fees and living expenses. Gemcom chose to partner with the Mongolian University of Science and Technology, and to extend its sponsorship to include students of its geology program in addition to engineering which was initiated last year.
GEOSOFT expects to further improve workflows and other aspects of its software for geoscientists using Esri GIS platforms after gaining Esri Gold Tier status as a development partner.
Geosoft said in a statement the relationship recognised its commitment and collaboration with Esri to deliver integrated software solutions for the global mining and geosciences sector that optimised the use of data for discovery success. Since 2003, Geosoft had been developing advanced earth mapping workflows for ArcGIS to increase productivity and targeting effectiveness.
“Geosoft’s Target for ArcGIS extension software has become an industry standard for 3D visualisation of drill-hole geology within ArcGIS,” Geosoft said.
The company said Esri Gold Tier partners were a select group, representing the top few percent of the more than 2200 partners in Esri’s partner network.
Also in the December 8 - 14, 2011 edition
- ASIA DESK
- G-Resources demonstrates underlying strength
- Life and death struggle in China loan market
- AUSTMINE
- Mining unearths new value
- Sedgman wins national export award
- COAL
- A different proposition
- Raising the bar
- CONTRACTING
- Haves and have-nots
- FINANCE
- Ditching the Straits-jacket
- Good for business
- Sector set for new round of fusion
- Taking a shine to tin
- FROM THE CAPITAL
- NSW government tells Nucoal to stop
- GOLD
- Captain leaves ship on rougher seas
- INSIGHT
- ‘Resources curse’ or untapped opportunity?
- MINING
- No end in sight for Aquila iron ore journey
- MINING IT
- Coming up: HighGrade Mining IT Outlook 2012
- PEOPLE
- People on the move: Atacama, AngloGold, Gekko Systems, ZYL, OM Holdings
