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By C. Jay Hodgson

Hydrothermal systems form on land where and when an impermeable cap-rock unit ( either natural or self-sealed) , a permeable aquifer. and permeable discharge and recharge channels (cross-stratal permeability) develop in an anomalously hot part of the crust. A consideration of the relationship between magmatic and tectonic events in volcanically active areas indicates these conditions arise during: (1) the resurgent doming stage of the resurgent caldera cycle; (2) following movement on the bounding faults of tilted fault blocks ; and (3) as a result of hydrothermal boring associated with the intrusion of major sills. On the assumption that the submarine hydrothermal systems which deposit volcanogenic massive sulphide ores are comparable to subaerial hydrothermal systems, it is suggested that: (1) the horizon of mineralization corresponds to the time period when conditions favour the development of hydrothermal systems, as outlined above; (2) exploration for Cu-rich Cu-Zn-Pb or Cu-Zn ores should be directed to paletopographically high areas near discharge conduits , whereas exploration for Cu-poor ZnPb ores should concentrate on paleotopographically low areas down slope from conduits; (3) deposits with stringer zones lying above normally permeable units may be underlain by regionally extensive weakly mineralized and altered zones (self-seal caps) ; (4.) in the absence of a self -sealed cap, the ore horizon may be underlain by a naturally impermeable unit (e .g. a fine clastic sediment) ; (5) the condition of cross-stratal permeability may be evidenced by features such as dykes. alignment of vari ous magmatic and hydrothermal phenomena, abrupt thickness changes in stratiform units indicative of ponding against syn-volcanic faults, and fault-scarp slump deposits; (6) the condition of high heat flow may be evidenced by near-surface magmatism and steep thermal gradients preserved in metamorphic mineral assemblages.

Jan 1, 1977

By G. N. A. Senhorinho, J. A. Scott, C. A. Laamanen

"Closed mine sites are widely regarded as a negative asset due to their legacy of environmental impacts. These sites are often characterized by waterbodies with elevated metal concentrations and low pH that are traditionally considered to have little or no value. These sites are potential sources of beneficial biocompounds produced by microalgae in response to environmental stresses. A bio¬prospecting program found that certain microalgae from waterbodies near historical mine sites exhibited higher antibacterial activity than any microalgae previously reported in the literature. There is potential for the mining industry to be involved in examining features such as tailings ponds at mine sites for high-value compounds, including ones that might help mitigate rapidly growing microbial resistance to current antibiotics. ¦ KEYWORDS Antibacterial, Closed mining sites, Metabolites, Microalgae, Stressed environments RÉSUMÉ Les sites miniers clôturés sont généralement considérés comme des actifs négatifs en raison de leurs répercussions sur l’environnement. On trouve souvent sur ces sites des étendues d’eau affichant de fortes concentrations en métaux et un pH faible, généralement considérées comme ayant peu, voire pas de valeur. Ces sites sont des sources potentielles de biocomposants bénéfiques produits par des microalgues en réponse aux perturbations environnementales. Un programme de bioprospection a permis de déterminer que certaines microalgues trouvées dans ces étendues d’eau à proximité de sites miniers historiques présentaient une activité antibactérienne supérieure à celle mentionnée dans toute la docu¬mentation existante. L’industrie minière pourrait bien participer à l’examen de particularités telles que la recherche de composants à haute valeur dans des bassins de décantation des résidus sur des sites miniers, notamment des composants qui pourraient aider à atténuer l’augmentation rapide de la résistance micro¬bienne aux antibiotiques actuels. ¦ MOTS CLÉS antibactérien, environnements perturbés, métabolites, microalgues, sites miniers clôturésINTRODUCTION The mining industry is one of the largest economic drivers in the world. Within Canada, for example, it contributed 2.8% (C$57.6 billion) of the 2016 gross domestic product (Marshall, 2016). Canada also has the highest non-ferrous exploration budget worldwide (Marshall, 2016); therefore, it is likely that mining operations, mine waste disposal, and the number of closed sites will continue to grow in Canada. The environmental impact of mining operations stems from the volume of tailings produced, which can be up to 97–99% of the total volume of ore processed at a mine (Adiansyah, Rosano, Vink, & Keir, 2015). In 2010, mining was the world’s largest industrial producer of waste at a total of 65 billion tonnes: 51 billion tonnes of waste rock (mine overburden) and 14 billion tonnes of tail¬ings (Jones & Boger, 2012)."

Jan 1, 2019

By Christoph Mueller

Broad band mine communication today is characterized mainly by individual solutions, which have in common their long development phases and their high cost for development, operation and service. The use of Ethernet and TCP/IP on the other side provides an uniquely price efficient combination of high bandwidth open networking, universal use and accessibility of cheap development tools, especially because it forms the technical infrastructure for the worldwide Internet. TCP/IP and Ethernet assures reliable networking however it is not able to guarantee the latency timing of forwarding network information. Therefor, the network design requires strict load limitation and application level traffic control especially if moving equipment has to be manually remotely controlled via the network. To optimize the use of bandwidth on mining networks using load limited, ?bandwidth wasting? local Ethernet segments, long distance broadband traffic should be carried out using more efficient, deterministic communication backbones providing a guaranteed quality of service for each of the physically separated networks. Open networking and broadband systems however may lead to the anticipation that any demands on bulk data or multimedia traffic can be fulfilled in the future. This definitely will not be the case as the bandwidth demands of applications will be growing as least as fast as the bandwidth provided by communication systems. Looking on those problems from an overall system integration perspective, machines and equipment in the future have to be equipped with intelligent computing devices capable of an intelligent local data preprocessing. Such ?Embedded Machine Information Servers? running commercial computing power in the future will be the intelligent bridge between open networking and a secured, high safety local automation system. These ?Embedded Machine Information Servers? then also can make advantage of intelligent video and audio data preprocessing to store and transmit multimedia information ?on demand? or when the application requires it. Summarizing the potential for the future Ethernet based networking together with powerful communication backbones and intelligent local data preprocessing on the machines in the future will lead the way to integrative, reliable and cost efficient mine automation solutions.

May 1, 2002

By Sir Stopford Brunton

Gold was first found in Nova Scotia about 1830-40, but its significance at that time was not appreciated. Probably the first discovery that resulted in any work was made by Lieut. C. !'Estrange, at Mooseland, on the Tangier river, in 1858.1 Since that time gold has been mined with varying success until now, and from 1868 onwards work has never altogether ceased. Gold mining in Nova Scotia is at the moment under a cloud, and the idea generally accepted by most people is that it has failed in the past, and that there is no prospect for it in the future. The actual reasons for the present situation have never been carefully analysed, and it seems a good thing to see what really is the state of the case and whether or not this general idea is worthy of credence. It is the purpose of the present paper to analyse the situation in the light of present knowledge, and to set forth some data which may assist in the future development of the Province.

Jan 1, 1926

By G. Clarkson, M. Hitch, R. Clarkson

"A novel reagent-free method of extracting gold from gravity middling concentrates in the Yukon placer fields is presented in this paper. This method exploits the malleability of gold by submitting concentrates to grinding in a rod mill. Brittle waste minerals are effectively reduced, whereas malleable gold particles are flattened and are then extracted by classification through sieves. Recoveries in the field using a laboratory-sized rod mill regularly exceeded 90%, whereas correlation laboratory tests indicated recovery to be most sensitive to the mill charge size. This method has broad potential, including application to the gravity circuits of large hard-rock processing circuits.RÉSUMÉ Cet article présente une nouvelle méthode sans agents réactifs d’extraction de l’or dans les concentrés gravimétriques mixtes que l’on trouve dans les districts placériens du Yukon. Cette méthode exploite la malléabilité de l’or en broyant des concentrés dans un broyeur à barres. Les déchets miniers cassants sont bien réduits, alors que les particules d’or malléables sont écrasées puis extraites par classification au travers de cribles. Si les récupérations sur le site à l’aide d’un broyeur à barres de laboratoire excèdent 90 %, les essais de concordance en laboratoire indiquent que la récupération est très sensible à la taille de la charge du broyeur. Cette méthode présente un grand potentiel, notamment une application possible aux circuits gravimétriques des grands circuits de traitement des roches dures.INTRODUCTIONExploiting the high density of gold to separate it from waste materials is the oldest known mineral processing technique. This basic technique is still widely used in gravity concentration circuits today; however, gravity processing invariably results in high-value middlings, especially in the Yukon placer gold fields. In addition to having a uniquely high density, gold is also the most malleable metal. This unique malleability can be exploited to extract gold from otherwise inaccessible gravity middlings.The Yukon placer gold industry has been continuously ongoing since the 1860s, and today produces approximately 60,000 oz t (1.87 million grams) of crude gold annually, most of which is from the Klondike region near Dawson City (Van Loon & Bond, 2014). It is important to note that Yukon placer miners do not use any chemical extraction methods; rather, gravity upgrading methods are the sole processing techniques used. Placer deposits are typically coarse, well liberated, and naturally gravity concentrated and recoverable, thus making more expensive chemical extraction unnecessary (Mitchell, Evans, & Styles, 1997). Furthermore, a strict permitting regime, environmental concerns, lack of expertise, and fear of repercussions from regulators prevent miners from attempting more advanced processing methods, such as flotation or cyanidation. Even simple chemical extractions like mercury amalgamation have not been implemented for decades, with one observer noting that, as many as 30 years ago, “the art of mercury for amalgamating appear[ed] to be dying [in the Yukon]” (Osler, 1983)."

Jan 1, 2017

By J. R. Giegerich

Purpose It is the purpose of this paper to describe the application of underground conveyor systems to the transportation of ore in the Sullivan mine of The Consolidated Mining and Smelting Company of "Canada, Limited, at Kimberley, British Columbia. General Applications Conveying has been recognized as a means of underground transportation for a great number of years but only during the past fifteen to twenty years has there been any extended application of the method to underground metal-mine operations. Coal miners became conveyor conscious before metal miners. Probably one reason for this is the fact that there are more flat coal seams than flat orebodies. A second reason is that coal is light and is a less abrasive material than most metallic ores. The vast improvements made in belt construction during the past few years, together with improvements in mechanical conveyor equipment, have gone a long way in making this form of transportation attractive to the metal miner. In new mines being opened today, or in major extensions to older mines, the possibilities of conveyor transportation should receive serious consideration. There may not be any widespread application of the belt conveyor as a replacement for the conventional hoisting and locomotive haulage. Where there is an application, tl1e saving in cost can be appreciable and many operating ad-vantages gained because of ease in operation.

Jan 1, 1951

By Yuanming Pan, Brett Rogers, Baoquan Hu, Gary Yeo, Christine Austman

The nature and distribution of radiation-induced defects (RIDs) in quartz from the Maw Zone, a yttrium- and rare-earth-element-enriched sandstone breccia complex exhibiting intense hydrothermal alteration, have been investigated by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. EPR spectra show that detrital quartz in sandstone, from five diamond drill holes intersecting the Maw Zone and one above the crest of the so-called Quartzite Ridge, contain only background-level RIDs, indicating that Ubearing fluids were absent in this area. However, close to the sandstone-basement unconformity, in hole WR-194 immediately west of the Quartzite Ridge, the concentration of RIDs in detrital quartz is significantly above background but at least an order of magnitude lower than those at the Key Lake and McArthur River deposits. Widespread drusy quartz at the Maw Zone, which signifies intense hydrothermal alteration, is associated with hematite-, sulfide- and carbonate-bearing mineral assemblages, which exhibit complex crosscutting relationships. EPR spectra of drusy quartz in all three types of mineral assemblages are low in RIDs as well, supporting the EPR evidence that fluids at the Maw Zone did not carry significant U. These EPR results suggest that, in spite of intense hydrothermal alteration and favorable structural geology, the Maw Zone is unlikely to host any significant U mineralization. Moreover, this study shows that the EPR technique is potentially a useful exploration tool, capable of determining whether individual alteration zones in the Athabasca Basin were associated with U-bearing fluids or not.

Jan 1, 2013

By F. Sorensen

ABSTRACT Electricity production by the Electricity Supply Commission of South Africa (Eskom) is the most important beneficiation process for South African coal. As one of the world’s lowest cost producers, energy-intensive industries such as ferroalloys and aluminium were introduced. However the poor were neglected. The white paper on energy policy (Department of Minerals and Energy, 1998) sought to redress this. Also, chasing economic growth to generate jobs resulted in high electricity demand and interruptions. Lifespan estimates of South African coal reserves based upon peak theory vary widely. Approaching peak, coal production in the future will be more expensive and, thus, contribute to more expensive electricity, which could inhibit industrial development unless South Africans work smarter.

Jan 1, 2011

By A. H. Lang

Introduction Tin continues to be as much a strategic metal as it was during the war. This situation is due to the fact that the tin mines in the major producing areas of Malaya and the Netherlands East Indies have not yet reached their pre-war production. Moreover, the world requirements for tin in certain fields, particularly in the food pack industries, are steadily increasing. At present, tin is still under International allocation by the Combined Tin Committee, of which Canada is a member nation. This Committee reviews periodically the availability of refined tin for export from the producing countries and makes allocations of tin to ensure equitable distribution to the consumer countries. In 1947, availability permitted an allocation of only 70 per cent of stated requirements. From 1935 to 1938 the price of tin in New York averaged 49 cents a pound and during the war the price in Canada was controlled under a subsidy programme at levels from 60 to 70 cents per pound. Just recently, this price has been raised to 96 cents. The value of the Canadian production amounts to about half a million dollars annually and the whole of this is obtained as a by-product of the lead-zinc-silver ores of the Sullivan mine in British Columbia. In 1947 Canada's imports of tin were 3,961 long tons valued at over $6,000,000. In addition, tin plate to a value of $8,000,000 was imported from the United States; the tin content of this is estimated to be from 650 to 700 long tons. An increase in domestic production would, therefore, be of great national importance, and the present high price may make the search for and development of tin deposits more attractive than it has been in the past. Although no one can foretell what future prices will be, there is reason to believe that, unless there is a drastic downward revision of production costs, the price will be maintained at present levels for some years. A number of tin occurrences are known in Canada, but none of these have been developed for their tin content alone.

Jan 1, 1948

By A. A. Millar

THE output of coal from the Province of Alberta reached its peak; in the year 1928, when 7,334,179 tons were produced. Following this, a steady decline was recorded, and in 1930 a low mark of 4,564, 290 tons was made. Since that time, however, the tendency has been upward, and this year (1937) 5,551,682 tons were produced, compared with 5,696, 375 tons in 1936 and 5,462,973 tons in 1935. The value of the output in 1937 was $14,434,969, against $14, 720,004 in 1936. The coals of Alberta have been classed under three heads, viz., domestic, sub-bituminous, and bituminous The domestic (or lignite) and the sub-bituminous coals are used chiefly for domestic purposes, with the possible exception of the smaller sizes and the output of the two stripping pits at Stereo and Coal Valley The bituminous output is used mainly by the railways, for locomotive purposes, which, in 1937, accounted for 80.6 per? cenr of the total sales of bituminous coal. A fair proportion is sold for stationary engine and steam purposes and, in 1937, 25,000 tons were used in making briquettes at plants operated by the Canmore Coal Company, Limited, and Brazeau Collieries, Limited. The International Coal & Coke Company, Limited, used 99,500 tons in their plant at Coleman, for making coke. The bulk of the 66,000 tons of coke produced was sold for use at the smelter at Trail, B.C.

Jan 1, 1938

By G. Van Weert, O. Wang

ABSTRACT: When exposed to microwaves, rocks containing sulphides adsorb energy preferentially over barren gangue and quickly become warmer with minimal energy consumption. This effect makes subsequent machine sorting of ore from waste rocks or overburden possible using infrared sensing. This paper reports on the 2450 MHz microwave response of a variety of sulphide minerals by mesh size and spatial distribution, as they might occur in ore rocks. The implications for infrared ore sorting are discussed.

Jan 1, 2011

By G. Van Weert

ABSTRACT When exposed to microwaves, rocks containing sulphides adsorb energy preferentially over barren gangue and quickly become warmer with minimal energy consumption. This effect makes subsequent machine sorting of ore from waste rocks or overburden possible using infrared sensing. This paper reports on the 2450 MHz microwave response of a variety of sulphide minerals by mesh size and spatial distribution, as they might occur in ore rocks. The implications for infrared ore sorting are discussed.

Aug 1, 2011

By Tao Long

Recently, the great amount of funds has been invested in the reconstruction of damaged infrastructure and house of subsidence area of coal mine and mine reclamation. This is a benevolent and popular work, which is highly praised. However, because of complicated collapse area problems in China, especially the less integrated control research in the collapse area of metal mine, and the technological weakness, how to effectively control the subsidence area, restore landscape and ecological environment, and utilize the abandoned mine land, are major issue related to the mining area of sustainable development. The research situation about the formation of metal mine collapse area at home and abroad is reviewed, and then the effect of the collapse area on the mine safety and ecological environment, the existing technical problems and development direction are analyzed. Lastly, the technical measures of the collapse area control and cooperative underground mining is put forward.

Oct 1, 2010

By The Staff

Introduction For many years the necessity of mechanization of all the underground services in the collieries of the Dominion Steel and Coal Corporation in the Sydney, Pictou, and Cumberland coalfields has been foremost in the minds of those concerned with the engineering and operating policies of the Corporation, and a gradual policy of the mechanization of these services has been undertaken over the years, until nearly all the underground services, except the actual loading of the coal at the face, have been mechanized. Early in 1928, experiments in mechanical loading were conducted which finally culminated in the installation of mechanical loading units in our No. 20 colliery in 1938. This attempt at mechanization of the final underground services proved unsuccessful because the workmen were not ready to accept complete mechanization, and the fruition of many years of study was delayed until the year 1947. During the ensuing years, the engineers and operators of the Corporation had studied the possibility of adapting to conditions prevailing in Nova Scotia mines the many types of loading equipment in use in the United States and Europe. The varied physical conditions which exist in the fields operated by the Corporation rendered it extremely difficult to apply the equipment and technique successfully employed in the United States, and more recently in Europe, and special techniques have had to be devised to meet the need of each individual colliery. Prevailing physical conditions in the Nova Scotia fields find no parallel for mechanization with those of any other part of the American continent.

Jan 1, 1949

By D. Chakravarty, D. Dutta, B. Samanta, S. Patteti

"This paper presents the mixed spectral behaviour of iron ores from deposits in Gua, India. Spectral signatures of powder samples and their two-component mixtures were generated by spectro - radiometry. Spectra were divided into continuum and absorption components. A modified Gaussian model was used to extract subtle features from the absorption components of the spectra. A linear unmixing model (LUM) applied to estimate minerals from the spectra of mixed powder samples indicated that this model achieved an R2 value of 0.88. The LUM was then applied to estimate the abundance of ores from a hyperspectral satellite image of the deposit area.RÉSUMÉ Le présent article montre le comportement spectral mixte de minerais de fer de gisements à Gua, en Inde. Les signatures spectrales d’échantillons de poudres et leurs mélanges à deux composantes ont été générés par spectroradiométrie. Les spectres ont été divisés en composantes de continuum et d’absorption. Un modèle gaussien modifié a été utilisé pour extraire des caractéristiques subtiles des composantes d’absorption des spectres. Un modèle de démélange linéaire, appliqué pour estimer les minéraux dans le spectre des échantillons de poudres mixtes, indique que ce modèle a atteint une valeur R2 de 0,88. Le modèle de démélange linéaire a ensuite été appliqué pour estimer la quantité de minerai à partir d’une image satellite hyperspectrale du secteur du gisement."

Jan 1, 2015

By A Palynchuk

The development of welded pipe has paralleled the general industrial development and, in particular, that of the petroleum industry. The petroleum industry's need for high-grade, economical pipeline material to make many 'of its projects feasible has been a significant factor in the development of light-wall, high-grade welded pipe. The modern welding processes, such as high-frequency, electric resistance, flash, submerged arc, etc., have some basically different characteristics. The modern high-frequency weld mill is a complex of specialized equipment that is integrated into a production unit. Each component in the unit performs a specific function in the production process. Quality control must be built into the process on an operating basis and, to maintain the quality required for pipeline standards, must be more than a policing operation. The further development of the welded pipe industry will be determined by changing and increasing demands. The technical and economic views and requirements that will influence the development have to be resolved.

Jan 1, 1964

By C. George Miller

"As the influence of governments has become more widely felt, the use of research techniques to analyze policy has increased. Mineral economics, as one of the foundations of mineral policy research, has grown accordingly. Policy research and analysis has been carried out within governments, university departments and the private sector. Each of these institutional environments has characteristics which influence the topics of study, the approach, the methodology and the output of the research. A brief survey of recent research activities provides illustrations of trends and developments occurring within this organizational framework.A radically different organization, the independent research institute, has begun to make an impact on policy research in recent years, and will have an increasing importance in the future. Combining certain features of the traditional research organizations, it nevertheless has important differences which are essential to its effective functioning. An overview of the formation, goals, organization and operation of one such institute is presented."

Jan 1, 1976

By Dale Verran, Jared Orynik, Chad Sorba, David Bronkhorst

Denison Mines Corp. (“Denison”) has a 90% interest in the Wheeler River Uranium Project (“Wheeler River”) located along the eastern edge of the Athabasca Basin in northern Saskatchewan between the Key Lake mill and the McArthur River uranium mine. The project is host to the high-grade Phoenix and Gryphon uranium deposits, discovered by Denison in 2008 and 2014 respectively, which include combined Indicated Mineral Resources of 132.1 million pounds U3O8 (1,809,000 tonnes at an average grade of 3.3% U3O8). The Pre-Feasibility Study (“PFS”), completed in accordance with NI 43-101 in September 2018, is highlighted by the selection of the In-Situ Recovery (“ISR”) mining method for the development of the Phoenix deposit, with an estimated average operating cost of $4.33 (US$3.33) per pound U3O8. Phoenix is the highest-grade undeveloped uranium deposit known globally, including Indicated Mineral Resources of 166,000 tonnes at 19.1% U3O8 for 70.2 million pounds U3O8. The paper aims to provide a summary of Wheeler River and an overview of the proposed development of the Phoenix and Gryphon deposits according to the PFS completed for the Project. Further details regarding the PFS, including additional scientific and technical information are described in greater detail in the NI 43-101 Technical Report titled "Pre-Feasibility Study for the Wheeler River Uranium Project, Saskatchewan, Canada" dated October 30, 2018 with an effective date of September 24, 2018. A copy of this report is available on Denison's website and under its profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and on EDGAR at www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml.

Jan 1, 2020

By Euler De Souza

"Underground operation ventilation energy requirements constitute a significant portion of mine energy consumption (40–50%) and total energy costs (25–40%). In general, mine ventilation systems are energy inefficient; the author has found several systems that operate at efficiencies below 65%. This paper presents how engineering design principles can improve the performance and efficiency of ventilation appliances, resulting in reduced power consumption and operating costs. Case studies demonstrate that, by retrofitting ventilation appliances using proper engineering concepts, systems will operate at efficiencies well above common operating efficiencies, resulting in a drastic reduction in costs and base electrical and energy loads.RÉSUMÉ Les besoins énergétiques nécessaires à l’aérage d’une exploitation souterraine représentent une part considérable de la consommation d’énergie d’une mine (de 40 à 50 %) ainsi que des coûts totaux liés à l’énergie (de 25 à 40 %). De manière générale, les systèmes d’aérage d’une mine sont loin d’être écoénergétiques ; l’auteur a trouvé plusieurs systèmes fonctionnant à des rendements inférieurs à 65 %. Cet article présente les principes de conception technique qui peuvent améliorer la performance et l’efficacité des systèmes d’aérage, entraînant une réduction de la consommation d’électricité et des coûts d’exploitation. Des études de cas montrent qu’en les rénovant à l’aide de concepts techniques adéquats, les systèmes d’aérage fonctionneront à des rendements bien supérieurs aux rendements habituels d’une exploitation. Ces rénovations donneront lieu à une réduction considérable des coûts ainsi que des charges électriques et énergétiques de base.INTRODUCTIONIncreasing electricity supply problems in North America have encouraged an industry-wide evaluation of energy consumption, resulting in a more urgent emphasis on energy-efficient design and operation for all energy-consuming systems. Electricity is the main mode of energy supply and the mining industry is affected by the increasing cost of this commodity (Natural Resources Canada, 2017). Ventilation systems normally operate 24 hours per day, 365 days per year, and account for 25–40% of the total energy costs and 40–50% of the electrical consumption of a mine operation (De Souza, 2013). Ventilation engineers are under ever-increasing pressure to reduce ventilation energy consumption and be cost effective."

Jan 1, 2018

By P. L. Richard

An open pit a mine can be thought of as a business unit, with capital, operating and maintenance costs that exceed those of many large business enterprises. Truck-and-shovel operations have an inherent ?looseness? to them, unlike manufacturing or processing operations where production components are tightly coupled (through conveyors, material flow in pipes, assembly lines, and so on). Effective monitoring and control of truck-and-shovel operations requires a combination of both information systems and performance management. Production monitoring systems can impact operations at three levels: minute-by-minute decisions during the shift, procedures, and policies. The technology of production monitoring ranges from real-time data collection to manual entry of time card data into a computer. Time card information is too coarse to effectively manage a multi-million dollar fleet of mobile equipment, so a higher level of production monitoring is required. People issues affect whether the implementation will be a success or a disappointment. Considerations that affect the people issues are discussed, including common obstacles, and key success factors. A balanced scorecard approach must be used, since uni-dimensional measures of performance like tons produced give no indication of whether the production was achieved at the expense of another factor.

May 1, 2004