Mines Business Planning at the Vale Inco Ontario Operations

2009

Richard Jundis, Lee W.T. Weitzel, Steven J. Lowen,

At the Vale Inco Ontario Operations, the working environment is rapidly evolving with organizational changes, new business systems and software tools. These changes are required in order to meet today’s challenging business environment. Mining professionals are focusing on the development of safe and achievable mine plans to maximize mining value while reducing the potential of project delays and production shortfalls. This paper explores how new design tools, techniques and system designs in mine planning are being developed to optimize the value of every ton of ore mined and processed. To differentiate from other papers on long-term planning, this paper focuses on the concept of business planning at the mines. Business planning is the understanding and optimization of the relationship between mine plans and the value it adds in the overall process. The management and key stakeholders of Vale Inco have recognized that the development of a robust mine planning system and programs are essential for the long-term sustainability of the operations.

Keywords: long-term mine planning, Optimization, Business Planning