Mining software provider Gemcom, which was acquired by Dassault Systèmes and is now known as Geovia, states that it will continue to develop its Minex software to meet the cost, efficiency, productivity and risk challenges of the global mining industry, with version 6.2 of the software to be released in mid-2013.

“Minex technology is used all over the world and is respected in major mining markets. Minex’s role is to grow its customer experience and educate and train customers on the full breadth and depth of its software solutions,” states Minex director Ben Farquharson.

Minex software is the dominant coal model- ling tool in South Africa, with about 90% of local coal mining companies using this technology, he adds.

The technology is the only integrated, end-to-end mining software specifically designed for coal and other stratified deposits, such as lignite, phosphate, bauxite, iron-ore and platinum.

Fully integrating all aspects of mining, from exploration to rehabilitation, Minex ensures that resources are evaluated accu-rately and mined efficiently, while improving productivity and profitability throughout the mine life cycle.

“The technology has evolved over several decades to meet the ever-increasing need for mining in complex geological conditions using unique methods to model seams and handle complex and inherently unpredictable stratigraphic layers and surfaces,” says Farquharson.

Issues such as seam splitting and faulting, as well as other geological mining constraints, which include managing waste, are all accounted for within the Minex modelling tools, he notes.

“Minex also offers impressive tools for mining engineers, rendering it suitable for any part of the planning process.”

Minex software comprises a single, cohes-ive, mine planning system that is repeatable, accurate and easy to follow. “It delivers solutions for the entire mine-planning value chain, from exploration to rehabilitation, to openpit and underground mining environ-ments,” states Farquharson.

Minex users benefit from working with one system and one data file type. This results in lower cost of ownership and reduced chances of errors by eliminating the need to transfer data between multiple types of software.

Meanwhile, Farquharson notes that while a boom in the coal industry has been beneficial to miners, investors and particularly devel-oping nations such as China and India, which have helped drive the need to gener-ate more power and energy for steel manu- facturing, many industry issues have sub- sequently emerged.

“The biggest issue in the coal industry is the blow-out in mining costs. Over the last few years, commodity prices rose sharply and mining companies often attempted to increase productivity, at almost any cost.

“This approach has changed, following the reductions in coal prices combined with weaker demand from developing economies. Mining companies started reassessing their situation when the average coal prices were often less than the cost to mine coal. This rendered some mines uneconomic, forcing them to shut down or change their mining strategy and lower production rates to pre-serve costs,” Farquharson explains.

“Minex software manages this problem by giving companies the option of evaluating their geology more closely. Using the strategic mine planning tools available in the Minex system allows an operation to understand and unlock the true economic value of a project,” he adds.

Tools such as the Minex Pit Optimiser and Scheduler enable engineers to evaluate different options and create different mining strategies and, therefore, make better decisions in the changing economic environment.

Farquharson highlights that energy and pollution challenges are always considered in Minex’s software development processes, as these are growing concerns for the coal industry. “The Minex software solution assists the industry in dealing with energy and pollution challenges by enabling better decision-making processes, which leads to more efficient production methods and fleet use.”

Pollution and energy challenges also provide Minex with a growing opportunity to deliver industry-relevant solutions, Farquharson adds.

“We deliver easy-to-use tools that do not need software experts to drive them. Therefore, Minex is helping the industry by making complex tasks easier and delivering quick and decisive action back to mining companies requiring accurate information at a fast rate. “User experience has never been more important and this underlying consider- ation is driving our development roadmap.”

Acquisition

Gemcom Software was acquired by Dassault Systèmes, the 3DExpereince company, in mid- 2012 and will be marketed under the new Geovia brand.