Efficient Dump Design Saves Agnico Eagle $1.4 Million
Company Size
1,000+
Region
- America
Country
- Canada
Product
- GEOVIA GEMS SQL
- GEOVIA MineSched
- GEOVIA Whittle
Tech Stack
- SQL
Implementation Scale
- Enterprise-wide Deployment
Impact Metrics
- Cost Savings
- Productivity Improvements
Technology Category
- Analytics & Modeling - Real Time Analytics
- Application Infrastructure & Middleware - Data Exchange & Integration
Applicable Industries
- Mining
Applicable Functions
- Discrete Manufacturing
- Quality Assurance
Use Cases
- Predictive Maintenance
- Process Control & Optimization
Services
- System Integration
- Training
About The Customer
Agnico Eagle is a gold mining company with mining operations in Canada, Mexico and Finland and exploration activities in Canada, Europe, Latin America and the United States. The company is headquartered in Toronto, Canada and has over 5,500 employees. The Meadowbank mine, located in the Kivalliq region of Nunavut, about 2,600 kilometers northwest of Toronto, is Agnico eagle’s largest gold producer, with 1.8 million ounces of gold in proven and probable reserves since the open pit began in early 2010. The mine is one of the most complicated waste management sites in Canada with 14 dikes, 9 pits, multiple dumps and more than 100 haul routes.
The Challenge
Agnico Eagle’s Meadowbank gold mine in northern Canada was facing a challenge of integrating mine design and production schedules with geological modeling to increase in-house knowledge and ensure profitability. They were struggling with a competitive software solution for over a year and needed a more efficient and effective solution. The mine is Agnico eagle’s largest gold producer, with 1.8 million ounces of gold in proven and probable reserves since the open pit began in early 2010. The mine is one of the most complicated waste management sites in Canada with 14 dikes, 9 pits, multiple dumps and more than 100 haul routes. The mine was also looking to reduce production costs and needed to modify the long-range plans on-the-go ensuring they are up to date with current operations.
The Solution
Agnico Eagle implemented GEOVIA GEMS SQL, GEOVIA MineSched and GEOVIA Whittle with onsite GEOVIA Services training and assistance for life of mine estimation, life of mine production scenarios, pit optimization, pit designs and ore control. The implementation of these solutions was completed successfully with the help of a skilled GEMS power user onsite to train their staff. The staff uses GEMS SQL for pit design and road design infrastructure, and appreciates that it can handle the large amounts of data contained in their complex operation. The implementation of Whittle assisted with economic optimization of the pit design. The company also improved the layout and design of their in-pit dumps, which increased the capacity of the dump by 1.7 million tonnes, decreasing hauling and construction costs. The company also used MineSched for life of mine and medium-term planning.
Operational Impact
Quantitative Benefit
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