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M I C R O M I N E C A S E S T U DY
SepFluor Limited
The IssuePreviously, SepFluor had used external consultants to generate and manage all data and resource modelling relating to the Nokeng Project. This was not only costing the company significant amounts of money, it also meant the company could not view the raw data. Once the ore reserve was established, SepFluor management identified the need to be able to manage their data in-house. The decision was made to investigate which mining software solutions were available in the market and which solutions were going to be able to satisfy the requirements of the Nokeng Project. SepFluor required a solution that was able to handle all challenges throughout the mining cycle, from exploration through to production.
In 2013, after market research was conducted, SepFluor decided to purchase Micromine as their preferred mine design and mine planning software.
SepFluor is rapidly emerging as the
‘new name’ in fluorspar exploration, mining and beneficiation – in South Africa and globally.
SepFluor, founded in 2006, is a Historically Disadvantaged
South African (“HDSA”)-compliant company.
SepFluor’s current primary projects are Nokeng Fluorspar Mine and the Wallmannsthal mining project, both north of Pretoria, and a fluorochemical beneficiation plant at Ekandustria, near Bronkhorstspruit. Nokeng Mine has an estimated total mineral reserve (SAMREC-compliant) of 12Mt, contained in two deposits, Plattekop and Outwash Fan.
South Africa is known to have the largest fluorspar reserves globally, and the export market is primarily to Europe for hydrogen fluoride beneficiation and the production of aluminium fluoride.
SepFluor’s relationship with MICROMINE started back in 2013 when they purchased a Micromine licence with Core, Exploration, Wireframing, Resource Estimation, Mining, Scheduler, Surveying and Pit Optimisation modules.
The Solution
“Micromine was found to be easy to use and offered integrated tools for modelling, which is exactly what we were after.”
NTANDO NONOISE Exploration Manager, SepFluor
M I C RO M I N E C A S E S T U DY
SepFluor Limited
micromine.com
Prior to investing in Micromine, all mine modelling and resource estimation was outsourced to external consultants, so it was important SepFluor staff were able to get the most out of the historical data, which dated back to 2006. Micromine software provided SepFluor management with a complete understanding of the existing models and allowed SepFluor users to easily update and modify these as required. This enhanced usability is a key feature of Micromine and assists new users to easily adapt existing data and models to suit the current requirements of their project.
Micromine is able to import data in multiple file formats, which assists SepFluor staff in managing all historical data that had been generated over the years.
Additionally, SepFluor began using Micromine’s Mining module to assist with mine scheduling requirements, as well as making updates to the Nokeng mine plan. Although the main functionality for SepFluor is Resource Estimation, usage of the Micromine mining functionality has increased as the company integrates the software into their mining process.
The OutcomesMicromine provides SepFluor users with clear visibility of current projects, so that these projects can be targeted more accurately. Staff are provided interactive and easy to use modelling tools allowing them to update models themselves during the mining process.
Although external consultants are still used, each project will eventually take ownership of their own software and modelling as they become more entrenched in the workings of Micromine. This will eventually remove the need for consultants and provide cost savings for future projects.
The simplicity and usability of Micromine has perhaps been the biggest benefit of introducing Micromine into the Nokeng operations. It has given the Nokeng project team the ability to easily import, interrogate, validate and manipulate existing project data and gain further insights into the data.
Micromine is known for how well it handles large complex data and ore bodies, but what makes Nokeng unique that it is a small project and relatively simple. MICROMINE was able to provide a tailored solution to fit these requirements.
There are 2 exploration projects currently in progress, namely Kruidfontein and Welgelegen/Welgevonden. There is potential for both sites, once operational, to get individual Micromine licenses for each site.
Nokeng has a Life of Mine of 20 years, and the company plans to use the full functionality of Micromine throughout Nokeng's mine life span.
M I C RO M I N E C A S E S T U DY
SepFluor Limited
“The implementation process for Micromine software was seamless. Our exploration team found the software really easy to use. We haven’t experienced any issues since purchasing the software.”
NTANDO NONOISE Exploration Manager SepFluor
micromine.com
“Micromine also allows us to import CAD data for architectural needs, which has given us further capabilities in this space.”
NTANDO NONOISE Exploration Manager SepFluor
“Having Micromine established in the business will allow our project teams to take complete ownership of software and modelling requirements in the future.”
NTANDO NONOISE Exploration Manager SepFluor
micromine.com
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