Evolution of a scheduling solution

Origin Mining Company owns the open pit Mineral Park copper and molybdenum mine in Kingman, Arizona. Origin Mining is currently operating Mineral Park as a heap leach operation, and plans to restart the concentrator in the next phase of operation.

The decision to implement the Maptek Evolution scheduling solution was driven by two main technical goals: 

• Schedule performance and improved optimisation. 
• Workflow efficiency and improved productivity when generating multiple scenarios in a short period of time.

Previously we used a strategic scheduler, with short to medium range mine plans scheduled using MS Excel,’ said Mike Chen, Manager Mining, Waterton Global Resource Management, who was in charge of designing schedules.

Origin Mining worked with the Maptek technical support and customer success teams through a ‘software adaptation pipeline’ that gradually implemented Evolution Origin Solids, Strategy and Phase using data from the operation. 

A subscription model allowed Origin Mining to trial specific applications over a three to five-month commitment. 

‘We felt the one-month trial was too short to adequately familiarise ourselves with the software and to see its impact on our project—the longer period allowed for a gradual and organic implementation of Evolution,’ said Chen.

Maptek set up Evolution over two months using site data. At this stage the Origin Mining team was relatively hands off, observing how Maptek established the scheduling project from scratch. 

‘Meeting weekly during this time was perfect as it allowed Origin Mining personnel to focus on existing work priorities and absorb new information at a comfortable pace, preferable to intensive full-day training sessions,’ said Chen.

As Origin Mining took over the Evolution files the weekly calls with Maptek became technical support and problem-solving sessions, exploring various scheduling scenarios and software features. The need for weekly meetings naturally waned and the overall onboarding process was complete.

‘Evolution Origin performs as required and we are happy with the features and functionality,’ commented Chen.

The combination of the subscription model along with tailored Maptek training and support was considered a major factor in the successful implementation.

Chen praised the professional expertise and helpful support of the Maptek team. 

‘They were open and attentive to our specific engineering challenges. The tailored solutions helped us better understand the software and also unlocked value in the form of a better optimised mining schedule,’ Chen concluded.

Origin Mining anticipates implementing Evolution Epoch using a similar approach.

Thanks to
Mike Chen
Manager Mining, Waterton Global Resource Management
and Origin Mining Company