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JOHANNESBURG, South Africa and VANCOUVER, Canada – October 4, 2010 – Gemcom Software International Inc., the largest global supplier of mining software solutions, today announced it has released an updated version of its Advanced Underground Design module for its Gemcom SurpacTMgeology and mine planning software. The Advanced Underground Design module is an automated mine design system that maximises the overall economic benefit of ore. It delivers improvements in the planning process by freeing mine planners from time consuming and tedious tasks.
The Surpac Advanced Underground Design module forms part of a complete solution for underground mine planning together with Gemcom MineSchedTM scheduling software. With the solution, design, scheduling and analysis are seamlessly linked together to provide mine planners with more control over mine development and economic return. The underground mine planning solution can be applied to any underground mine layout.
“Gemcom’s underground mine planning solution delivers an end-to-end system for turning ore body models into effective mine designs and production schedules, streamlining and automating key processes along the way,” said Marni Rabassó, director of product management with Gemcom. “Software ease of use is top of mind in the industry as mining professionals seek ways to save time and do more with fewer resources. The Surpac Advanced Underground Design module addresses this, offering simplified workflows, templates, and visual design validation. Together, these capabilities enable mining engineers to test different designs. As data flows freely between geology, design, and scheduling processes, not only is the overall process faster, but data quality is improved.”
Starting with a solid model of the ore body and some simple string layouts created in Surpac, mining engineers can focus on creating safe and effective design layouts. With the Advanced Underground Design module users can easily and quickly make several designs that test different ideas and can set up and create MineSched development schedules automatically based on the scheduling precedence parameters.
All mine designs developed in the Surpac Advanced Underground Design module are created following a logical, easy to use and visual design process that utilises a flowchart-driven approach. System users define the parameters for each element of the design, which are then saved in a secure database. This ensures that designs are both auditable and repeatable.
Benefits of Gemcom’s integrated underground mine planning solution:
• Automation is built into design and scheduling, freeing engineers from repetitive tasks so they can spend more time analysing and improving end results.
• Manual importing and exporting of data is eliminated as data flows seamlessly between design, scheduling and analysis, saving the engineer time and reducing potential errors.
• Development precedence logic is built into designs, which are then automatically read and understood by the scheduling component.
• Schedule analysis capability allows users to interrogate and supplement the data used in development schedules.
About Gemcom
When mining companies seek to increase mine productivity, they turn to Gemcom for technology and services. The Company is home to world-renowned mining solutions like GEMS, Surpac, Minex, Whittle, and InSite and to industry thought-leaders who are pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in mining. Established in 1985, Gemcom has a global reach delivering comprehensive solutions in all major mining centres in more than 130 countries. Every major mining company, including BHP Billiton, Codelco, De Beers, Newmont and Vale is a Gemcom client. Through a combination of organic growth and strategic acquisitions, the Company has become the largest global supplier of mining software solutions. For more information, visit www.gemcomsoftware.com.
