4 FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE COST AND PRODUCTIVITY IN UNDERGROUND MINES

By: Scott Bahr

Cost and productivity are the fundamental factors that determine how successful an outfit is. Here at Bit Service, we are dedicated to doing everything we can to help all your mining projects achieve—and maintain—their optimum outputs with maximum efficiency. Consider it our promise to you: Bit Service striving to always make you better.

That being said, part of fulfilling that promise means not only enabling you and your operations by providing you with excellent equipment but also empowering you with educational tools so that you are always in the know when it comes to what’s new in the mining industry. We wanted to bring you an informative article on four factors that influence cost and productivity most in underground mines in particular, so that you can keep pumping out (quality) product while keeping costs in check.

1. FAVORABLE ORE CONDITIONS

When it comes to underground mining, costs are already higher than surface mining due to the more nuanced techniques, the type of equipment used, and other various considerations involved. Among these other considerations are the ore conditions, which are paramount.

The ore conditions—the size, shape, and orientation of the ore body, as well as the grade of mineralization, the strength of rock materials, and even the depths you are working with—will all directly affect which mining method you utilize. The ore conditions will also affect how much your project will ultimately cost. High grade ore is what every mine operator strives for, but when that high grade ore body is accompanied by discontinuities in the seam, variabilities in the seam with inclusions of waste rock or slips requiring mechanical supports the costs per ton can escalate.

2. MAINTENANCE COSTS

Everyone knows that in the world of underground mining, there is a dreaded word: downtime. When operations slow due to equipment failure (or, in a worst case scenario, halt altogether), productivity suffers and profits plummet.

In order to help you avoid the dreaded downtime, we suggest you adopt the current smart trend sweeping the industry: moving away from reactive approaches to maintenance and heading toward preventive—and predictive—maintenance. The preventive approach does just as its name suggests. By regularly inspecting equipment to catch any minor problems and immediately fixing them before any larger issues have time to develop, you can reduce downtime. Ideally, a company’s equipment will then make it from one planned service to the next without experiencing any serious equipment or system failures, thus reducing costs and keeping productivity operating at its peak.

3. CONSUMABLES COST AND AVAILABILITY

Supply and demand are constantly in flux, depending on the global economic situation and ever-evolving availability (or unavailability) of commodities. Ensuring you have the necessary parts and “ingredients” to keep your operations humming is essential, regardless of how prices ebb and flow.

For this reason, proper and smart management of your commodities is vital. This could mean keeping a certain amount of spare parts in stock. But, as with everything, stockpiling too many will result in tying up necessary capital. The good news is that Bit Service can help you make these important decisions. We have for decades coordinated with our site clients, forecasting and predicting needs through regular communication and advance stocking of their consumable and maintenance component needs. The value of partnerships such as this are what strengthens bonds and provides tangible value to the end users.

4. LABOUR COSTS AND AVAILABILITY

Just as with consumables, labour costs and availability must be considered. Much depends on the ability to procure and retain a well-trained staff, who can ensure a consistent flow of good work organization and help to maintain a high level of mining process mechanization—all of which optimize productivity and reduce underground facilities’ overall costs.

For more advice on factors that can influence the productivity and cost of underground mines, contact us today. Bit Service can provide you with the solutions you need.