CONTINUOUSLY CHANGING Servicing the construction, military and mining industries allows for the cross-pollination of technology, keeping ThoroughTec’s products up to date with the latest international simulation trends
Tertiary education institution the Canadian Collège Communautaire du Nouveau-Brunswick (CCNB) plans to initially offer two mining programmes through its newly launched Mine Training Centre in September, after taking delivery of six military-grade Cybermine simulators in March.
The simulators will facilitate the training of trainee heavy-equipment operators on surface and underground Komatsu 930E haul trucks and PC5500 shovels; and Caterpillar 992G wheel loaders, DT10T dozers, R2900G load haul dump trucks and AD55 articulated dump trucks.
The CCNB, located in Bathurst, New Brunswick, selected South African surface and underground mining simulator supplier ThoroughTec Simulation to equip its centre, established this year, with the latest high-fidelity operator training simulators designed to facilitate training in French and English.
ThoroughTec marketing and communications manager Andre Mendes adds that Cybermine simulators increase productivity through optimising operator skills.
“The simulator is fitted with comprehensive training tools and reporting capabilities that assist the instructor in identifying low-level operator skills and knowledge gaps which contribute to suboptimal mining efficiencies,” he explains, noting that this information enables the instructor to tailor training interventions to redress such issues quickly and efficiently, thereby contributing to mine productivity.
Further, the Cybermine simulators are specifically developed to target operator behaviours that may contribute towards unnecessarily high wear and tear of the equipment, thereby improving operator sensitivity to the effects of machine interactions on the cost of production.
“This means there will be fewer breakdowns and more time to focus on the task,” Mendes enthuses.
The programmes to be offered at the Mine Training Centre are the Diamond Driller’s Helper, which will last 12 weeks, and Heavy Equipment Operator in a Mining Environment, which will last seven weeks. Both programmes aim to assist in the training of safe and productive mining equipment operators.
In addition, CCNB is interested in conducting on-site training using the Cybermine simulators in conjunction with the training offered at its Bathurst training centre.
“The centre will service the rapidly expanding mining industry in the Bathurst region,” enthuses CCNB Bathurst Campus development head Alain Gauvin.
ThoroughTec North America region sales VP Adam Smallman enthuses that the CCNB project is testimony to the strength of ThoroughTec’s simulator portfolio.
“The project highlights our ability to deliver a large number of simulators across a range of equipment classes in an incredibly short timeframe. We are proud to lead the market in this respect and work hard to maintain that position,” he notes.
“We see these simulators and the Mine Training Centre playing an important role in New Brunswick’s mining industry,” says Gauvin. He estimates that about 50 students will complete the programme in the first year.
Cybermine also sells simulators under its Cyberquip banner for small earthmoving machinery, as well its Cyberwar simulator, which is a military simulator brand for all types of military vehicles, from tanks to armoured 4 × 4s.
“This gives rise to the cross-pollination of technology, with technologies developed for our construction and military clients finding its way into our mining products and vice versa. It keeps our products fresh and up to date with the latest international simulation trends,” Mendes tells Mining Weekly.
Cybermine simulators have been sold in more than 25 countries and cover over 140 bespoke models and 23 different classes of mining equipment.
ThoroughTec’s clients include mining companies such as Anglo American, BHP, Rio Tinto, South32, Goldcorp, FMI, Newmont and Vale.