South Africa-based mine workforce training technologies supplier ThoroughTec Simulation will reveal several new products at MINExpo International 2016, which will be held in Las Vegas, Nevada, in the US, from September 26 to 28.

The products are expected to emphasise the company’s commitment to providing mines with the most powerful workforce performance development technologies available on the market.

“The star of the show will undoubtedly be our brand new Cybermine Workforce Excellence (WX) platform, or WEX. This system will revolutionise the way mines approach workforce performance management, finally providing decision-makers and managers with an end-to-end tool for the continuous, scientific measurement and improvement of heavy equipment operator performance,” says ThoroughTec operations head Richard Bellengere.

Also on display will be the latest version of ThoroughTec’s Cybermine Full Mission Simulator (FMS) system. “These advanced, fourth-generation operator training simulators remain the cornerstone of our integrated training system, allowing us to directly influence workforce performance by shaping operator behaviour in a highly realistic, yet safe, cost-effective and controlled environment,” notes Bellengere.

ThoroughTec has also con- firmed that there will be a second Cybermine FMS exhibit at the show, at the stand of mining equipment manufacturer Belaz, where the world’s first and only Belaz 75135 haul truck driver training simulator will be available for demonstration. Belaz is also the manufacturer of the world’s largest capacity mine truck, the 7571. “This simulator is the latest in a string of new developments and is equipped with some new features, including the Cybermine Motion Tracking system and Mission Planner,” says Bellengere.

At ThoroughTec’s stand, the enhanced Cybermine Operator Familiarisation Trainer will be available for demonstration, along with some of the company’s latest e-learning courses. Both of these product lines are supplementary to the core FMS system and ensure that students properly acquire the foundational knowledge and psychomotor skills necessary to excel in their chosen roles. “E-learning systems have evolved considerably over the years and our in-house training systems team prides [itself] in staying ahead of the market as new technologies and methods emerge,” says Bellengere.

“We believe in the power of technology and the potential of people,” says ThoroughTec CEO Justin Collins. “It’s this philosophy that drives us to develop fantastic new products like Cybermine WX tools that harness that power and unlock that potential.”

MINExpo visitors will be able to experience these advanced products hands-on in North Hall at ThoroughTec’s stand.

The team at ThoroughTec has been designing simulator-based training systems for over 25 years. During this time, the company says it has grown into one of the world’s leading training simulation organisations, supplying the mining, construction and military sectors.

Providing operator training systems and tactical training systems for a range of vehicles and applications, ThoroughTec describes itself as the de facto supplier of simulator systems to the South African military, also supplying a number of European militaries. This military engineering has been used in the development of the Cybermine mining equipment simulator systems, elevating them above competitors through military-grade quality, reliability and low cost of ownership, explains the company.

ThoroughTec says its range of Cybermine mining simulators is the broadest in the industry, encompassing all aspects of both surface and underground mining operations for hard and soft rock and is capable of replicating a mine’s entire working fleet from load and haul through to the most complex production and ancillary equipment. The Cybermine mining simulator systems are designed and engineered with the aim of making mines safer and more productive and cost effective.

ThoroughTec’s research and development efforts have in recent years been focused on providing complete heavy-equipment workforce optimisation solutions. The company has added operator familiarisation trainers and e-learning to its Cybermine product range, complementing the Cybermine full mission simulators. In so doing, says ThoroughTec, it has also answered the call from the mining industry for more effective heavy-equipment workforces that reduce costs per tonne and improve overall mine safety.

The company’s headquarters and research and production facilities are located in Durban, South Africa. It has sales and support subsidiary offices in Perth, Australia; Santiago, Chile; Toronto, Canada; Salt Lake City, in the US; and Moscow, Russia.