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What problems does it solve...for the Planner, the Mine/Project Manager and Others? What particular benefits are realized? How can Mine2-4D be integrated into different planning processes? What is unique about our solution? How does Mine2-4D deliver mine information and in what formats? What is needed to get started using Mine2-4D? How will Mine2-4D add value to my operation? What is different or special about Mine2-4D's Design System? How are schedules represented in Mine2-4D? How is the Scheduler linked to the original data? What role do Multiple Calendars play in Mine2-4D? How does Mine2-4D support Reconciliation? Is it possible to Assign Resources in Mine2-4D? How does Mine2-4D handle costs and revenues?
Mine2-4D
is a Mine Planning and Scheduling System
that delivers cost and performance improvements through efficient Data
and Change Management.
It provides a fully integrated
system for engineers to manage the complexity of data from geological,
survey, and mine design layout by producing complete and detailed mine
plans and schedules.
In addition, it has the ability to quickly assess the financial
implications of variations in a mine plan. Mine2-4D can be delivered as part of a complete mine geology and planning system or implemented to complement existing software applications.
What problems does it solve... for the Planner, Mine/Project Manager and others?
Mine2-4D is extremely good at managing the constantly changing Mining Environment. It manages the change while allowing you to perform the engineering requirements of a mine:
The
solution that Mine2-4D provides, makes the Engineering Department the
CONSUMER of all other information in the mine and, in the process, integrates
it with this information.
No longer does the engineer have to ask the geologists for
"tonnes and grade" by level and then place that information into a Microsoft® Excel spreadsheet.
Mine2-4D stores this information in a block model, which it then interrogates to get the tonnes and grade, and automatically integrates this information with the schedule.
What particular benefits are realized?
One
of the main benefits realized is that Mine2-4D allows the Operation to
"see where it is going".
This means, to assess how short-term gains are impacting on the long-term and to assess how different mining scenarios impact on the operation.
What is even better, is that these numbers and results can be
realized in an extremely short amount of time.
How
can Mine2-4D be integrated into different planning processes?
Most
mines where Mine2-4D is being used had no prior
planning system.
Therefore, the integration was fairly simple.
In cases where planning systems are already in place, Mine2-4D was easily
adapted to these systems. Integration is facilitated through the use of driver technology that allows the program to "talk" to the raw (binary) data from other software packages. Mine2-4D does NOT require the data to be exported to a text file before importing into the system. When the data is imported from an external mining package Mine2-4D "remembers" the location of the original file and how it was imported. If the data in the external file changes, you do not need to re-import it, you only need to "refresh" the data in Mine2-4D.
Many systems do not flag corrupt or unclean data. Mine2-4D provides many tools for cleaning data. By doing so, Mine2-4D allows engineers to get back to their core business of providing engineering expertise.
Mine2-4D currently supports data formats from the following systems:
Is fully
integrated with Geological and Mining Systems.
Has a Scheduling system that is directly linked to design data and that can be
represented by real-time 3D Animations. Is able to apply
Resources and Costing Data to schedules.
Has unique real-time calendars that can be applied to different projects or activities. Is highly
automated
- Automated Design, Reporting Tools, Layout, Wire framing, Linking
....
How
does Mine2-4D deliver mine information and in what formats? The
reporting of mine information is highly customizable as Mine2-4D accesses
the data from a central location. Mine2-4D
is already integrated with the common Mine Planning Systems and any of the
commercially available databases. The
user can perform design duties within the system or within just about any
other source of design type information. The
following reporting formats are available in Mine2-4D:
Animations Gantt
Charts and Network Diagrams
What
is needed to get started using Mine2-4D? A
geological model (Optional) Mine
design type strings (development, stopes/panels…)
Integrates Long-Term with Short-Term Plans
Provides automated Layout Tools
Provides automated Wireframing
Provides automated Linking
Provides automated Reporting Tools
Provides fast scenario analysis
Is a defined engineering process for smooth implementation within planning departments
Provides MASSIVE TIME SAVINGS
Mine2-4D's
design system utilizes various automated tools that move away from a
manual approach and provide the user with a "rule box" for
establishing the rules or constraints specific to that mine.
The most noted of these tools is the ‘Auto Layout' tool.
Using this methodology a mine layout may be altered quickly and
easily to facilitate scenario analysis and/or changes in geological
structure. Mine2-4D then
generates a mine design within the specified framework.
A
major advantage of Mine2-4D is its ability to integrate the scheduler with
the graphical design. As
a result, there are limitless options in the presentation of the schedule
data, including plotting and 3D animations.
Gantt charts can also be printed easily from the system.
How
is the Scheduler linked to the original data? The
scheduler is fully integrated with the original data so that updating or
changing a dependency in the 3D environment automatically updates the
dependency in the scheduler and vice versa.
What
role do Multiple Calendars play in Mine2-4D? In
developing a schedule, mine specific calendars may be assigned to either
the project or to an individual activity.
This is especially useful where a mine's operation/development
calendar is different to its reporting calendar.
Mine2-4D
incorporates a reconciliation system as standard.
The process reads in survey information and allows this to be used
in comparing the plan versus the actual.
As a mine grows, a running record of the progress is maintained and
is continually updated.
Is
it possible to Assign Resources in Mine2-4D?
Yes. Mine2-4D contains a very powerful resource assignment tool
and also supports leveling of these resources.
Changes can be made to the cost and availability of the resources
over time. This assists the
user to create detailed schedules for maintenance periods and planned
shutdowns. It
is also possible to make changes to the production rate of the resources
based on the spatial position of the activity.
This allows for modeling of bad ground conditions as an example.
The assigned resources may be manually "dragged and dropped"
onto the activities in the scheduler or graphically assigned in the 3D
environment.
How does Mine2-4D handle costs and revenues? Mine2-4D
has the capability to assign any number of costs to activities or
resources. In terms of
revenue, it has the ability to read from a "price curve" that is
represented by dates. A cross
tab located at the bottom of the screen then displays true revenue, cost
and cash flow over time.
Mine2-4D incorporates the full capabilities of Microsoft® Windows technology.
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