Photo: SKM/Vale team, Brisbane - Australia
Engineering, project delivery and sciences firm, Sinclair Knight Merz (SKM), has extended its global reach by working with Brazilian mining company Vale on a series of feasibility studies relating to the economic and technical viability of in-pit crushing and conveying (IPCC), otherwise known as “truckless mining”, for a major iron ore project in Brazil.
The study has largely been undertaken by an SKM team based in Brisbane, chosen due to SKM’s experience in this technology derived from projects such as Rio Tinto’s Clermont mine in the Bowen Basin. Brisbane is home to SKM’s Mining & Metals Mining Systems team, who worked closely with the Vale client team, including both parties making the long trip and timezone changes to each other’s bases. The studies also drew on major contributions from SKM colleagues in Perth (the base for SKM’s Iron Ore Centre of Excellence) and Santiago, Chile (home to specialist design skills, and SKM’s Copper Centre of Excellence).
The project has required some language and cultural awareness training for SKM staff to better understand their new Brazilian client. SKM has also employed two Portuguese-speaking team members in Brisbane and has been able to draw on the Spanish/English/Portuguese language expertise of SKM’s Country Manager in Brazil.
“It’s now imperative, rather than an optional extra, to have people who are good communicators – ideally to understand and speak other languages - and are prepared to be open to different ways of working and living,” said SKM’s Project Manager, Tim Atchison, who has himself travelled several times to the Vale project office in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
SKM’s contribution to Vale’s project portfolio commenced with a structured Value Improvement Project (VIP) Study on crushing and screening circuits of the wet beneficiation plant layouts and equipment selection for planned expansions at Vale’s largest iron ore mine, Carajás, in Pará State in North East Brazil. At the time, Vale’s Project Director for the Carajás S11D Iron Ore Project, Jamil Sebe, said that SKM’s experience in Iron Ore Beneficiation Plants had provided exactly what Vale was seeking.
"We visited several Australian Iron Ore Beneficiation Plants between 2006 and 2007, and we were impressed with their constructability, level of automation and robustness of equipment,” Mr Sebe said.
“The layouts adopted by the plants enhanced the maintenance and operational performance of the equipment, as well as enabling an optimisation of plant personnel and, most importantly, a reduction in operational cost.
“This was exactly the model we were looking for...for this reason, we sought a partnership, which today we have with SKM."
Thereafter, Vale engaged SKM on a Programme of Works for both its Carajás mine and for a new 90Mtpa greenfields iron ore project known as S11D. Under this arrangement, SKM has been able to effectively contribute to technical advisory and design studies, further VIP work, introduce concepts of Operational Readiness, and confirm the suitability and viability of IPCC systems in Vale’s iron ore mines.
The on-going work with Vale has prompted SKM to establish Sinclair Knight Merz Serviços de Engenharia Limitada, and to accelerate the opening of its Belo Horizonte office.
The Vale team recently visited Brisbane, and their first impressions were positive, although they weren’t so impressed by our food.
“You fry everything here. We cook ours!” laughed Vale’s Project Manager, Carlos Santiago.
For more information, contact Maria Whaley at mwhaley@skm.com.au
Source: SKM
Engineering, project delivery and sciences firm, Sinclair Knight Merz (SKM), has extended its global reach by working with Brazilian mining company Vale on a series of feasibility studies relating to the economic and technical viability of in-pit crushing and conveying (IPCC), otherwise known as “truckless mining”, for a major iron ore project in Brazil.
The study has largely been undertaken by an SKM team based in Brisbane, chosen due to SKM’s experience in this technology derived from projects such as Rio Tinto’s Clermont mine in the Bowen Basin. Brisbane is home to SKM’s Mining & Metals Mining Systems team, who worked closely with the Vale client team, including both parties making the long trip and timezone changes to each other’s bases. The studies also drew on major contributions from SKM colleagues in Perth (the base for SKM’s Iron Ore Centre of Excellence) and Santiago, Chile (home to specialist design skills, and SKM’s Copper Centre of Excellence).
The project has required some language and cultural awareness training for SKM staff to better understand their new Brazilian client. SKM has also employed two Portuguese-speaking team members in Brisbane and has been able to draw on the Spanish/English/Portuguese language expertise of SKM’s Country Manager in Brazil.
“It’s now imperative, rather than an optional extra, to have people who are good communicators – ideally to understand and speak other languages - and are prepared to be open to different ways of working and living,” said SKM’s Project Manager, Tim Atchison, who has himself travelled several times to the Vale project office in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
SKM’s contribution to Vale’s project portfolio commenced with a structured Value Improvement Project (VIP) Study on crushing and screening circuits of the wet beneficiation plant layouts and equipment selection for planned expansions at Vale’s largest iron ore mine, Carajás, in Pará State in North East Brazil. At the time, Vale’s Project Director for the Carajás S11D Iron Ore Project, Jamil Sebe, said that SKM’s experience in Iron Ore Beneficiation Plants had provided exactly what Vale was seeking.
"We visited several Australian Iron Ore Beneficiation Plants between 2006 and 2007, and we were impressed with their constructability, level of automation and robustness of equipment,” Mr Sebe said.
“The layouts adopted by the plants enhanced the maintenance and operational performance of the equipment, as well as enabling an optimisation of plant personnel and, most importantly, a reduction in operational cost.
“This was exactly the model we were looking for...for this reason, we sought a partnership, which today we have with SKM."
Thereafter, Vale engaged SKM on a Programme of Works for both its Carajás mine and for a new 90Mtpa greenfields iron ore project known as S11D. Under this arrangement, SKM has been able to effectively contribute to technical advisory and design studies, further VIP work, introduce concepts of Operational Readiness, and confirm the suitability and viability of IPCC systems in Vale’s iron ore mines.
The on-going work with Vale has prompted SKM to establish Sinclair Knight Merz Serviços de Engenharia Limitada, and to accelerate the opening of its Belo Horizonte office.
The Vale team recently visited Brisbane, and their first impressions were positive, although they weren’t so impressed by our food.
“You fry everything here. We cook ours!” laughed Vale’s Project Manager, Carlos Santiago.
For more information, contact Maria Whaley at mwhaley@skm.com.au
Source: SKM
