MaptekTM, the leading global provider of innovative software, hardware and services for the mining industry has moved into the Mongolian market with the provision of 11 VulcanTM licences to the Oyu Tolgoi copper-gold mine.
Founded in 1981, MaptekTM develops VulcanTM, one of the world's dominant 3D geological modelling, mine planning and scheduling packages and Maptek I-SiteTM, an integrated laser scanning hardware and software system for mine survey, face mapping and stockpile calculations. Maptek MineSuiteTM is a mine production monitoring and fleet management system. These products are in use at more than 1200 sites in over 60 countries, and are supported by professional and technical services world wide.
Maptek entered the Mongolian mining market with the sale of multiple Vulcan licenses for survey, geological modelling, resource estimation, grade control and underground mine planning to the Oyu Tolgoi mine, which when in production, will be Mongolia’s largest copper-gold mining operation. Oyu Tolgoi LLC, a partnership between the Government of Mongolia, Ivanhoe Mines and Rio Tinto will build and operate the mine which is set to go into production in 2013. Maptek Vulcan™ software was acquired for exploration, geological modelling and the engineering design of the project.
Maptek provides training, consulting and technical help for all its products. These services can be delivered locally, while being able to draw on the company’s global mining and software expertise. With Mongolia located in the same time zone as Perth, Maptek is able to provide Oyu Tolgoi LLC with real time technical support for their Vulcan licenses.
In addition to help desk support, Maptek technical staff travelled to the Oyu Tolgoi site earlier this year to provide specialist training in Vulcan geology, block modelling, resource estimation, geotechnical, underground survey and mine design tools to 23 personnel.
These workshops used Oyu Tolgoi data to help technical personnel become confident using the Vulcan tools. Maptek mining engineer Mike Winfield explains, ‘By providing the opportunity to work with data from the site during training, users are able to better understand new skills because they are already familiar with the data.’