Construction is under way on Vale's Challenging Ore Recovery (CORe) project. The CORe project is a brownfield integration within the Clarabelle Mill in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada, which also includes a greenfield development of a new flotation building.

The planned underground expansions to existing mines, as well as major new underground operations being looked at, means that achieving faster and more efficient development underground is as much at the fore as it has ever been. In this month's im-mining.com 'Spotlight Feature Article', from the pages of the December 2011 issue of International Mining magazine, Editor Paul Moore looks at some advances being made in helping to make faster and more efficient underground mine development a reality.

Over time all operating conveyor belts stretch requiring adjustment to restore optimal tension. Failure to do so not only compromises handling efficiency but can also result in unplanned downtime and maintenance and therefore higher operating costs. This was the exact problem at British Gypsum in Barrow, England.

stp2.jpg With MineSight Version 7.0 there is a unified approach to a highly customised industry at the heart of MineSight’s update CD. “The integration of the tools in our short-term planning suite - MineSight Interactive Planner, MineSight Haulage, MineSight Schedule Optimizer and Material Manager - provides a formidable tool for rapid schedule evaluation,” said John Davies, [...]

Aker Wirth has received an order from Saudi Arabia to supply 11 piston-diaphragm pumps to Ma'aden Bauxite & Alumina Co for its refinery project. The pumps will be delivered and installed in 2012.

Maptek's new streamlined I-Site 8400 laser scanner is an ideal option for sites requiring routine survey, topographic and volumetric tasks. It is a lighter instrument (weighing only 12 kg), with internal digital compass, onboard controls, and USB memory storage.

Croatia-based Dok-Ing, the manufacturer of the XLP Diesel Dozer, which has been widely used in South Africa's deep platinum mines for a number of years, has developed a new Ultra Low Profile solution. The new machine has dimensions of 3,146 x 1,600 mm and a height of only 58 cm which puts the machine in the ULP equipment class. Dok-Ing's states that its new offering is the only machine currently availably in this size category.

Mutech, one of the UK's leading electronics design and manufacturing companies, has pledged its charitable support to the National Coal Mining Museum for England (NCM) based in Overton, near Wakefield. The NCM, formerly Caphouse Colliery working mine, which ceased production in 1985, preserves the heritage of coal mining in England, attracting thousands of visitors annually from the UK and overseas.

There is new energy to harness the job-creating ability of the mineral sector, after the National Planning Commission admitted that South Africa had missed the boat during the recent commodity boom. But the industry and government need to be practical about how any new plans are to be brought to life, according to Roger Dixon, chairman of leading engineering consultants SRK Consulting.

Marthinusen & Coutts (M&C), repairer of rotating electrical equipment, is close to completing an R8.6-million contract awarded in January 2011 by specialist winder consulting company DRA Technical Services (DRATS) on behalf of the client Konnoco Zambia, for the rewinding and refurbishment of the rock winder and man winder rotating machines for the Konkola North copper project. Konnoco Zambia is a subsidiary of Teal Minerals (Barbados), which is a Joint Venture owned by African Rainbow Minerals and Vale.

Communities around the Australian state of Queensland will provide the many thousands of new employees needed to service Queensland's resource sector expansion out to 2020, according to a QRC Growth Outlook Study released last week. Queensland Resources Council Chief Executive Michael Roche said that the study by Deloitte Access Economics with the co-operation of QRC member companies was an essential guide for industry, governments and communities in maximising the benefits to Queensland over the next decade.

Industrea Mining Services has signed an extension contract by for the hire, service and support of a range of equipment to CST Minerals' Lady Annie mine worth approximately A$26.9 million in revenue based on minimum contracted hours up to February 2014. Industrea Managing Director and CEO, Robin Levison, said the extension related to its existing equipment used at the site.