A presentation on how technology-based consulting can help bridge the gap between planning and execution will be delivered by mine management solutions provider Modular Mining Systems (MMS) customer value solution manager Sergio Rojas at the Investing in African Mining Indaba, which will be held at the Cape Town International Convention Centre from February 5 to 8.

His presentation at the event will focus on how a qualified third-party can assist mines in realising maximum applied value from their mining applications. Rojas will discuss how establishing mutually defined goals and milestones, and creating and tracking quantifiable key performance indicators can lead to immediate and ongoing improvements in productivity.

Further, he will explore how a consulting organisation, armed with thorough knowledge of a mine’s operations, can develop targeted strategies to create synergy among disparate departments, processes and systems, thereby increasing the mine’s ability to consistently execute according to plan.

Rojas will also discuss how the correct consultant can facilitate the cultural shift needed to help mine personnel adopt changes to procedures and best practices, leading to improvements in overall performance.

The presentation is targeted at GMs, mine managers, mine planning and technical services managers, as well as senior mine planning engineers and senior mine operation engineers.

Rojas has more than 20 years’ experience in the mining industry, with a focus on corporate operational improvement projects and mine technology solutions. His experience includes the implementation of mine process best practices, mining cultures and integrated solutions for the mining industry, and the application of Lean Six Sigma and Continuous Improvement concepts to leverage mine operations.

He also has extensive knowledge in short- and long-term mine planning disciplines using openpit mining methods.

MMS personnel are speakers at trade shows and conferences throughout the year. Rojas has spoken at numerous forums and symposiums, and is commonly invited to speak at universities in Peru and Chile, in South America.

Rojas’s last presentation was in August 2013 at the Mine Management Systems symposium at the Peruvian Mining Engineers Institute as a member of Freeport-McMoRan’s Operational Improvement corporate team.

On Show
MMS, headquartered in Tucson, in the US, will exhibit its industry-leading DISPATCH, ProVision, MineCare and MineAlert solutions at the Mining Indaba, as well as its IntelliMine mine management platform, which addresses the main areas of mining, including operations, planning, maintenance and safety.

“As an extension to providing products that help our clients achieve their productivity goals, we are also committed to helping mines achieve synchronicity across their systems, workflows and processes to facilitate a greater ability to adhere to plan,” notes Rojas.

At its Mining Indaba stand, MMS will highlight its Mine Plan Compliance programme, launched in early 2017. The programme is a technology-based consulting service designed to ensure that customers receive the best applied value from their MMS technologies and increase their ability to bridge the gap between planning and execution, not only in the short term but also over the life of their systems.

“We anticipate that the improvements in haulage productivity, tighter correlation between planning and execution, and more accurate compliance with throughput requirements achieved with mining operations will bolster interest in the programme, locally and globally,” notes Rojas.

Further, he mentions that when the company exhibited its MineAlert Collision Awareness System at the 2017 Mining Indaba, it received a considerable amount of interest throughout the industry.

“The 2017 Mining Indaba contributed to the system’s popularity, not only in the South African market but also in others around the world.”