Coert du Plessis shares five areas where machine learning applies across the mining value chain, reflecting on his experience leading data science at Deloitte, Digital and Data at BHP and his current role as CEO at MaxMine Coert covers exploration, Asset Health, Production, Human behaviour and Sustainability / Carbon reduction

1. Coert du Plessis
10 November 2021
Machine Learning in
Mining’s Value Chain

3. People who had safety events (not blue)
Machine learning taught me cruel, haunting lessons in the early days…

4. Fatigued, “Nappy Valley”, Maintainers
270 people,29 severe incidents (2009 – 2011)
Within the feature Diff. to the popn
Employees 263 people < 5% of pop
Tenure with xxxx 4.5 years (mean) 35%
Tenure in current
position
2.3 years (mean) 42%
Age 37 (mean) -5%
Maintainers 234 people 334%
Task RelevantTraining 180 people (approx) -
Carers and Parental
Leave
172 people 128% - 274%
Fatigued 40% of shifts -
Nappy Valley 223 people 128%
Voluntary additional
shifts
172 people 334%
[Withheld] [Withheld] [Withheld]
People involved in
severe incidents
27 people 92%
Low severe incidents
reported
183 people 79%
Hazard reporters 24 people -72%
Safety interaction
reporters
61 people -48%
Incidents involving
working at heights
5 855%
Billions of data elements processed
Some truths would never find a home
Protected in PDF
distribution

5. Exploration &
Geoscience
Planning &
Scheduling Extraction Processing Logistics Marketing Rehabilitation
How we look at the mining value chain
Supporting Capabilities
Exploration
Resource
Characterisation
Resource
Dev. Planning
Planning &
Scheduling
Production
Management
Drill & Blast
Load & Haul
Supporting Services
Crushing & Blending
Beneficiation /
Processing
Rail & Road Logistics
Quality Management
Marine Logistics
Sales & Marketing
Monitoring &
Compliance
Rehabilitation & Sale
Port Operations
Geotechnical
Engineering
Product development
Asset Management &
Maintenance
Work Management
People (HR and
Contractors)
Travel &
Accommodation
Facilities
(Non Processing)
Finance Procurement
Safety, Risk, Security Technology &
infield comms
Data & Information
Management
Improvement
Corporate Affairs &
Legal
Tenancy Community

6. Exploration &
Geoscience
Planning &
Scheduling Extraction Processing Logistics Marketing Rehabilitation
We just covered safety, and the delicate balance in knowing
Exploration
Resource
Characterisation
Resource
Dev. Planning
Planning &
Scheduling
Production
Management
Drill & Blast
Load & Haul
Supporting Services
Crushing & Blending
Beneficiation /
Processing
Rail & Road Logistics
Quality Management
Marine Logistics
Sales & Marketing
Monitoring &
Compliance
Rehabilitation & Sale
Port Operations
Geotechnical
Engineering
Product development
Asset Management &
Maintenance
Work Management
People (HR and
Contractors)
Travel &
Accommodation
Facilities
(Non Processing)
Finance Procurement
Safety, Risk, Security Technology &
infield comms
Data & Information
Management
Improvement
Corporate Affairs &
Legal
Tenancy Community
Supporting Capabilities

7. Exploration &
Geoscience
Planning &
Scheduling Extraction Processing Logistics Marketing Rehabilitation
And we have great coverage at this event
Supporting Capabilities
Exploration
Resource
Characterisation
Resource
Dev. Planning
Planning &
Scheduling
Production
Management
Drill & Blast
Load & Haul
Supporting Services
Crushing & Blending
Beneficiation /
Processing
Rail & Road Logistics
Quality Management
Marine Logistics
Sales & Marketing
Monitoring &
Compliance
Rehabilitation & Sale
Port Operations
Geotechnical
Engineering
Product development
Asset Management &
Maintenance
Work Management
People (HR and
Contractors)
Travel &
Accommodation
Facilities
(Non Processing)
Finance Procurement
Safety, Risk, Security Technology &
infield comms
Data & Information
Management
Improvement
Corporate Affairs &
Legal
Tenancy Community
Gurav
Chris
Coert
Greg
Chelsea
Eun-jung
Alex Alex
Edin Justin Matt
Mitin
Fred

8. Exploration &
Geoscience
Planning &
Scheduling Extraction Processing Logistics Marketing Rehabilitation
Exploration is puuuuurrrrrfect for Machine Learning… almost…. You also
need to handle the firehose of data…
Exploration
Resource
Characterisation
Geotechnical
Engineering

9. Exploration &
Geoscience
Planning &
Scheduling Extraction Processing Logistics Marketing Rehabilitation
Predictive maintenance is all the rage… is knowing enough?
Exploration
Resource
Characterisation
Resource
Dev. Planning
Planning &
Scheduling
Production
Management
Drill & Blast
Load & Haul
Supporting Services
Crushing & Blending
Beneficiation /
Processing
Rail & Road Logistics
Quality Management
Marine Logistics
Sales & Marketing
Monitoring &
Compliance
Rehabilitation & Sale
Port Operations
Geotechnical
Engineering
Product development
Asset Management &
Maintenance
Work Management
People (HR and
Contractors)
Travel &
Accommodation
Facilities
(Non Processing)
Finance Procurement
Safety, Risk, Security Technology &
infield comms
Data & Information
Management
Improvement
Corporate Affairs &
Legal
Tenancy Community
Supporting Capabilities

10. BHP’s Maintenance Centre of Excellence (MCoE)

11. Exploration &
Geoscience
Planning &
Scheduling Extraction Processing Logistics Marketing Rehabilitation
A deeper dive into the nuance of sensitive data… dig unit hang time
Exploration
Resource
Characterisation
Resource
Dev. Planning
Planning &
Scheduling
Production
Management
Drill & Blast
Load & Haul
Supporting Services
Crushing & Blending
Beneficiation /
Processing
Rail & Road Logistics
Quality Management
Marine Logistics
Sales & Marketing
Monitoring &
Compliance
Rehabilitation & Sale
Port Operations
Geotechnical
Engineering
Product development
Asset Management &
Maintenance
Work Management
People (HR and
Contractors)
Travel &
Accommodation
Facilities
(Non Processing)
Finance Procurement
Safety, Risk, Security Technology &
infield comms
Data & Information
Management
Improvement
Corporate Affairs &
Legal
Tenancy Community
Supporting Capabilities

12. Automated Dig Unit Time
Usage Classification
Aim: Simplicity
• Less sensors.
• Less failures.
• Less maintenance
• Foster Trust

13. The Basic Challenge
ACTIVITY DEFINITION
Cycling Productive work
Hang Waiting for truck / not doing anything
Clean Up Non-productive work
Repositioning Moving to a new location
9-DOF IMUs
Dual feed
GPS
Using independent
sensors
Input
Output

14. Scale can varies – one [general] algorithm for all size dig units
800 Tonnes
48 cubic meter bucket
3 MW engine power
300 Tonnes
18 cubic meter bucket
1.1 MW engine Power

15. Calibration can be fun… installation in remote Africa
Inertial measurement units (IMUs)
can be installed in any location or
orientation.
Anticipate and automate
calibration.

16. Calibration of each sensor is contextual…
E.g. the GPS antenna may be in
different locations
Even small placement
differences affect behaviour
signal classification

17. And sometimes it is hard to simply tell the time A computer that knows the time…
Logger System Time GPS Time
IO Board Counter Combined Time

18. But if you add a dash of
passionate developer, a
main course of quality
high resolution data….

19. Rapid learning, labelling & signal validation, relearning
Before Improvement Effort
65%
After Improvement Effort
96%
Clean
Up
Cycling
Hang
Labels MaxMine Labels MaxMine

20. Data Quality and
Algorithm Quality
cannot be trusted…
ever

21. We now run a fully automated classification system 24/7
with almost no human input or error correction

22. In parallel, fully automate testing with machines
Tesla has Dojo trainer, MaxMine has Canary – Test & Learn
MaxEdge Testing Components
Permutations of hardware versions
(for different equipment types and
software builds)
CanaryTestand Train unit
Bench test unit for MaxMine hardware
Confirms edge software before
deployments (In-house Developed)
CanaryMaxStation
Each Station is 12 canary modules
with canary units driving test scenarios
and system configs
Canary replicates real field environment from
historic data, including equipment data stream,
GPS, etc
Integrated to our Continuous Integration
pipeline
MaxEdge
Compute
MaxEdge
IO Board
Off the Shelf
industrial
Touchscreen

23. Exploration &
Geoscience
Planning &
Scheduling Extraction Processing Logistics Marketing Rehabilitation
Achieving impact in with the operators is truly rewarding…
Exploration
Resource
Characterisation
Resource
Dev. Planning
Planning &
Scheduling
Production
Management
Drill & Blast
Load & Haul
Supporting Services
Crushing & Blending
Beneficiation /
Processing
Rail & Road Logistics
Quality Management
Marine Logistics
Sales & Marketing
Monitoring &
Compliance
Rehabilitation & Sale
Port Operations
Geotechnical
Engineering
Product development
Asset Management &
Maintenance
Work Management
People (HR and
Contractors)
Travel &
Accommodation
Facilities
(Non Processing)
Finance Procurement
Safety, Risk, Security Technology &
infield comms
Data & Information
Management
Improvement
Corporate Affairs &
Legal
Tenancy Community
Supporting Capabilities

24. Haul Speed
25%
less
tonnes
FuelBurn
40%
more
diesel
Fill Factor
45%
less
tonnes
Abusive Shifts
140%
more
wear &
tear
Operator Performance Is Variable!

25. When we treat each operator as a human, smiles are easy

26. Miners Hate
Technology
Don’t Trust

27. 27
The first rule of any technology used in a business is that
automation applied to an efficient operation will magnify the
efficiency. The second is that automation applied to an
inefficient operation will magnify the inefficiency.
- Bill Gates

28. … one more thing …

29. “Our ambition is to
reach net zero
emissions by 2050.
Our 2030 targets are
to reduce our
emissions intensity by
30% and our absolute
emissions by 15%.”
“A medium-term
target to reduce
operational
greenhouse gas
emissions by at
least 30 percent
from adjusted
FY2020 levels by
FY2030.”

30. Exploration &
Geoscience
Planning &
Scheduling Extraction Processing Logistics Marketing Rehabilitation
…one more big thing… Sustainability
Exploration
Resource
Characterisation
Resource
Dev. Planning
Planning &
Scheduling
Production
Management
Drill & Blast
Load & Haul
Supporting Services
Crushing & Blending
Beneficiation /
Processing
Rail & Road Logistics
Quality Management
Marine Logistics
Sales & Marketing
Monitoring &
Compliance
Rehabilitation & Sale
Port Operations
Geotechnical
Engineering
Product development
Asset Management &
Maintenance
Work Management
People (HR and
Contractors)
Travel &
Accommodation
Facilities
(Non Processing)
Finance Procurement
Safety, Risk, Security Technology &
infield comms
Data & Information
Management
Improvement
Corporate Affairs &
Legal
Tenancy Community
Supporting Capabilities

31. Efficiency of diesel fuel combustion in mobile equipment is only
~30%, making the focus on increasing productivity essential
100%
30%
15-18%
Of the 100%
of fuel volume
burned,
only 30%
is converted
to energy
And, only 15-18%
is used for productive work
(the balance doing unproductive work)

32. Carbon and greenhouse
equivalent emissions from
surface load and haul equipment
presents an imperative for a
substantial in reducing overall
mining emissions
80/20
Load and haul in open pit mines produce
~84% of operational mining emissions

33. Unlock Your Mine’s Full Potential
maxmine.com.au