What Is The Best Mining Industry Software?

Mining is a thriving industry that involves companies of different types and sizes worldwide, striving to meet the surging demand for minerals and energy. These operations face new design, safety, and productivity issues daily, and traditional IT systems and software tools are not always up to the task. Thankfully, a new generation of mining industry software has emerged, with customized capabilities and features to address the biggest challenges in mining.

In this blog post, we review the definition, scope, and importance of software for mining industry applications, as well as the many benefits it brings. We also examine some relatable real-world success stories demonstrating the power and potential of the best mining software solutions.

What is Mining Industry Software?

Software for mining industry professionals includes a variety of digital tools that have been created to support different aspects of mine development and operation. These valuable software solutions are tailored to the specialized needs and challenges of the mining industry.

Mining is known as an old-world process that has remained relatively frozen in time as new software tools, automation, and analytical capabilities continue to transform other industries in exciting ways. The latest generation of cloud-enabled and mobile-friendly software tools are leaving their mark on construction and mining as well, with innovations to address both new and traditional mining activities. Some of the compelling mining industry software solutions available today include:

• 3D modeling software to optimize layouts and estimate mineral resources
• Operational management software for tracking workflow performance
• Maintenance software to facilitate equipment repair, asset tracking, and replacement
• Procurement software to simplify complex supply chain management
• Business intelligence software to analyze data and predict future outcomes

Project management software solutions developed for construction projects like buildings, bridges, and roads also lend well to mining since each industry relies on intelligent resource allocation, careful cost management, and timely progress monitoring, often across vast physical spaces, to remain profitable.

What are the Benefits of Mining Industry Software?

The global mining industry is expected to expand by 6.2% over the next year. Software tools and other advanced technologies are driving the speed and productivity that make this growth possible. As more mining companies and contractors explore the available options, the benefits of mining industry software become clear.

Precision engineering

Mining has traditionally been known as an inexact science, with miners often spending big money to stake their claim, only to come up empty. Science, technology, and software are changing that reputation with the help of imaging tools like ground penetrating radar (GPR). Enhanced images can be used to create precise 3D mine plans and models that are optimized based on underground geology.

Precision engineering practices for mining combine with technologies like virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) to improve visibility and accuracy, as software tools place engineers and owners inside virtual mine models to better understand the scope and details of a project. These solutions also allow designers to collaborate from any location, using cloud-based platforms to share and test ideas.

Enhanced productivity

Software tools in the operations management, maintenance, business intelligence, and asset tracking categories all share the common benefit of enhanced productivity. In recent years mining productivity has decreased, even as demand and profits increase. Although there are many causes for this decline, mine management software is among the very few tools available to counter this trend.

These tools improve productivity by helping to automate routine or dangerous tasks, streamline communication between team members, and make real-time monitoring possible to detect and resolve bottlenecks and other productivity issues faster.

Reporting and documentation

Advanced reporting capabilities are an important benefit of software in almost every industry, and mining is no exception. Powerful technology makes it easier to transfer data from the field into customized reports for owners and other stakeholders without time-consuming data entry and formatting tasks.

Mine management software is tailored to report metrics like recovery rate, cycle time, and equipment utilization in easily understandable formats. In contrast, document management software tools allow teams to store, access, and update reports and other files from any location.

Safety and compliance

The connections between software and safety are not always obvious, but with accidents, injuries, and jobsite deaths continuing to occur, safety remains a high priority for mining industry software developers. Advanced software tools are the key to remote equipment, environment, and worker tracking systems designed to alert both managers and miners quickly when hazards arise.

These tools also make it possible to complete timely incident tracking and root cause analysis for safety issues, implement effective safety training programs, and manage emergency response plans to maintain compliance.

Cost reduction

To maintain acceptable profit margins, mining operations must deliver more resources or reduce costs. In the long run, focusing on cost reduction through improved scheduling, resource allocation, and predictive maintenance is a more reliable option. Cost reduction strategies rely on the best mining industry software to analyze data and provide optimized solutions.

Mining project management software makes cost reduction possible from the earliest concept and design phases throughout the lifecycle of the mine. Improved forecasting, dynamic scheduling, and supply chain management are among the capabilities that remain valuable long after a mine is fully operational.

Mine Management Software: Real-World Success Stories

The best way to illustrate the many benefits of software for mining industry applications is by reviewing some real-world examples. These recent case studies make it clear that the latest tools are transforming the industry in many exciting ways.

1. Venetia Diamond Mine

The ongoing expansion of the Venetia diamond mine in South Africa, which originally opened in 1992, has already created 1500 new jobs during the construction phase alone. With the end of life extended to 2046, the Venetia mine is expected to deliver about 96 million additional carats in diamonds. The USD $2.1 billion project is converting the site from an open pit mine to an underground mine, heavily relying on automation made possible through advanced software tools and intelligent mining machines.

The seeds of technology that will eventually produce the “diamond mine of the future” were planted early in the construction phase, with solutions like RIB Candy optimizing project management and estimating functions at the job site. The centralized control, asset tracking, and monitoring capabilities of mining industry software will also be instrumental in taking the site from a semi-automated to fully automated (and fossil fuel-free) state over the first few years of underground operation.

2. De Beers Group

The powerhouse organization behind the Venetia diamond mine and many other ambitious projects is the De Beers Group. This South African and British company began mining and trading diamonds in 1888 and is now synonymous with these precious gems. As an industry leader employing more than 20,000 people worldwide, De Beers uses its unique platform to demonstrate the potential of mine management software.

De Beers realized that large, multi-year undertakings like Venetia required reliable mining project management software to deal with all facets of the operation effectively and transparently. RIB Candy was selected to complete project estimating and goal-setting tasks, then transition into monitoring, forecasting, and record-keeping through one versatile platform. The results have been astonishing, with tasks that once took several days now completed in a matter of hours.

3. Impala Platinum Mine

The Impala Platinum Mine, also in South Africa, underwent a major expansion that involved the sinking of main and ventilation shafts, along with additional underground development operations, to boost production capacity to 250,000 tons per month. The main shaft was completed with a final depth of 1657 meters, while the ventilation shaft reached a depth of 1400 meters.

Selecting RIB Candy for project planning, control, and estimation was consistent with the commitment to productivity, safety, and regulatory compliance made by the Implats Group, Impala Platinum’s parent company. In addition, robust digital communication systems and enterprise resource planning (ERP) software ensure the centralized data collected on the ground is accessible to operators performing critical tasks far below.

How Do I Choose the Best Mining Industry Software?

The extreme conditions and physical anomalies found in mining operations have not always been compatible with the software needed to improve productivity and safety. Still, new tools and technologies are changing the equation. Choosing the right solutions involves evaluating factors that include system integration, data security, scalability, and cost. Capabilities and features of the best mining industry software packages include:

• Real-time tracking and analysis of mining operation metrics
• Integrated human, material, and equipment resource planning
• Environmental monitoring, including GHG emissions and water usage
• Employee safety incident reporting, training, and hazard alert capabilities
• Mobile access for connectivity and communication in remote mine locations

Above all, finding the right software solutions comes down to evaluating the present and future of your mining operation and choosing the software tools capable of taking you from point A to point B. Modular solutions that combine the power of specialized tools under a common umbrella present a practical alternative for the mining industry.

So, What Is the Best Software for the Mining Industry?

RIB BuildSmart and RIB Candy are used by many of the world’s leading mining companies to manage and optimize their operations at all stages and levels. Developed over decades, with the capabilities needed to address the challenges mining operators face in the real world, BuildSmart and Candy have broken new ground in mine management. The practical functions and features include seamlessly integrated modules for:

• Operations
• Procurement
• Maintenance
• Production
• Fixed Assets
• Business Intelligence
• Projects and Financials

Our solutions take you from feasibility budgets and bankable estimates right through to project execution.

All elements are supported by the dedicated RIB team, which makes implementing your software a joy rather than a chore as they get you up and running at a pace that suits your needs.

The combination of RIB BuildSmart and RIB Candy, RIB CanBuild, also enables mining operations to leverage the vast experience of industry leaders. The smartest and most successful companies and individuals in any field learn from their mistakes as they continually strive for perfection. By utilizing RIB CanBuild for your mining operation, you effectively apply the knowledge, processes, and procedural advances gleaned from the countless lessons and experiences of industry trailblazers.

Contact the team at RIB Software and explore what RIB Candy and RIB BuildSmart can do for your company. Discover first-hand how you can benefit from the very best applications and the collective experiences of the mining industry overall. Get your free product demo here!