Project Outcome
With a focus on productivity across the industry, Barminco soon saw the value in their REFLEX solution. Increases in drilling per rig per shift were realised which quickly amounted to significantly more metres drilled per month. This translated to savings of 8.6% which were gained through less time spent in the office by the drillers filling out hand written plods and documentation which translates to more time at the rig providing more drill time.
Integration with the Reflex Gyrocompass for rig alignment also alleviates issues with operators reading and interpreting the data provided. The client provides us with a CSV file which is uploaded to the Hub and all relevant information is directly uploaded to the Gyrocompass and the handheld tablets. Eliminating the reading and handling of data reduces the amount of errors due to the operator reading the information incorrectly. (27 drill rigs x 54 shifts in a 24 hour period x increased revenue of $17,650 on average per 24 hours) While Barminco enjoyed the productivity gained across their projects, their clients were pleased to be able to report the same efficiencies in their drilling programmes.
The time saved with the immediate visibility of the drill reports and the ability to correct any errors on site has reduced the end of month billing and reconciliation time requirement from five days to literally hours. As the client has been able to monitor activity throughout the month in near real-time, any issues could be resolved on a shift by shift basis. This means that end of month invoices are generally not queried and payments made on time.
The amount of time spent each week on inputting the PLODS was reduced from 12 hrs to just 2.5. This allowed more time for drilling.
Similarly, the electronic format now allows for online searching of specific holes (for example, searching for records of holes that have been grouted. The manual searching through files of PLODS (some that are archived) for the same outcome comes with considerable time costs.
Cost savings were substantial with no requirement for the printed PLOD, survey, pre-start and service record books, these usually totalling up to $36,000 per year, per site. Added to this, the costs and delays usually associated with the deciphering and triple entry of records were also negated.
The reports available through IMDEXHUB-IQ™ enabled Barminco to draw daily revenue figure for budgeting and reporting purposes quickly and easily. This also supported efficient management of operations on site with the ability to forecast metres and trends.
Implementation
“The success of the uptake of our REFLEX solution was largely due to the change management plan which was put in place,” said Freestone. “When introduced, the concept received a negative response, however, after working with our drillers and testing the solution, they then had the proof that it could be trusted. We then rolled it out to our clients.”
“Our drillers now depend on it, and our clients love it."
Further functionality has been planned for the Barminco solution to enhance safety throughout their business, this will include site induction forms, further performance monitoring reports and training.
Conclusion
Barminco see their use of IMDEXHUB-IQ™ as a key differentiator in a competitive industry. “We see IMDEXHUB-IQ™ as a foundation from which we can build further efficiencies for both our business and our clients”, said Freestone.
At a time when immediate access to on-site data is a prerequisite for optimal efficiencies across any exploration or mining project, the connectivity available through IMDEXHUB-IQ™ provides the platform to position drilling and resource companies firmly in the new and connected world.