Improved Visibility in Mining Value Chains: Interview with: James Balzary, Director of Natural Resources, SolveIT Software, a solution provider at the marcus evans Global Mining Summit 2012, on gaining the information that is required to make mining operation decisions.

1. Improved Visibility in Mining Value Chains
across the enterprise that allows a What are the uncertainties in the
range of what-if scenarios to be mining supply chain that this
analyzed. software can help with?
What information do they need to It can identify production bottlenecks,
make decisions? and optimize around them to improve
performance. Provide confidence you
Our planning, scheduling, simulation are producing the right quantity of
and optimisation systems give material at the right quality to meet
executives a complete view of their contractual commitments.
business, and work towards unified KPIs
in their organization. Two years ago, Are the maintenance and shutdown
that was likely to be maximizing activities being done at the right time
Interview with: James Balzary, throughput as market prices were high for minimal impact on production and
Director of Natural Resources, for most commodities. revenue? Do they have the right
SolveIT Software number of people on site with the right
Now minimizing cost in an optimal way competencies for these activities?
is the primary focus for nearly all
Mining executives need to optimize companies. Management need to be How can mining companies ensure
th e ir opera ti on s wi th a stron g able to produce detailed supply and the long-term viability of their
understanding of market dynamics in demand chain plans that work towards business?
order to be more proactive and take an optimal cost reduction outcome,
advantage of rapid shifts in internal and while still maintaining operational Consolidation in the industry, rapidly
external events that are occurring on a performance at an appropriate level to increasing cost pressures and shrinking
daily basis, noted James Balzary, achieve plan and budget compliance. margins mean that it is important to
Director of Natural Resources, SolveIT look at the business from a global
Software. perspective, to find opportunities for
value maximization.
This requires them to have one version
of the truth visibility for decisions they To be more competitive, they need to
are about to make, so that they do not
second guess an execution strategy, he
Companies be more flexible and adaptive in terms
of product specification and price, taking
added.
need to be advantage of upturns in the market. By
squeezing existing assets untapped
As a solution provider at the upcoming
marcus evans Global Mining Summit able to capacity can be extracted through
integrated decision support processes.
produce
2012, in Las Vegas, Nevada, December
6-7, and a masterclass presenter, Any final words of advice?
Balzary talks about some current
challenges in the industry and outlines
initiatives that can help lead to optimal
detailed Consider your business, no matter how
complex, as a series of components that
mining performance.
supply and represent a traditional supply chain and
work towards unifying these. Break
What difficulties are mining
companies experiencing today? demand chain down functional and departmental silos,
such that every stakeholder is working
plans and
towards a unified set of corporate KPIs
Difficulties right now include fluctuations and objectives.
in market dynamics, pending decisions
about capital expansion or acquisition,
increasing cost pressure and sovereign
schedules Implement business processes that
support this and technology that
risk. These can be addressed through enables the process to occur more
the application of an integrated decision efficiently than it can in fragmented
support and optimization capability applications.

2. About the Global Mining Summit 2012
The Mining Network –
marcus evans Summits group This unique forum will take place at the Red Rock Casino, Resort & Spa, Las Vegas,
delivers peer-to-peer information Nevada, December 6-7, 2012. Offering much more than any conference, exhibition
on strategic matters, professional or trade show, this exclusive meeting will bring together esteemed industry thought
trends and breakthrough leaders and solution providers to a highly focused and interactive networking event.
innovations.
www.miningsummitna.com
Contact
Please note that the Summit is a Sarin Kouyoumdjian-Gurunlian, Press Manager, marcus evans, Summits
closed business event and the Division
number of participants strictly
Tel: + 357 22 849 313
limited.
Email: press@marcusevanscy.com
For more information please send an email to info@marcusevanscy.com
All rights reserved. The above content may be republished or reproduced. Kindly
inform us by sending an email to press@marcusevanscy.com
About SolveIT Software
SolveIT Software Pty Ltd is an Australian company specialising in supply & demand optimisation. Acquired by Schneider Electric in
August 2012, the company offers enterprise solutions for:
Advanced planning & scheduling
Supply chain network optimisation
Demand planning & forecasting
Predictive modelling
Customers include world leading vertically integrated organisations including Rio Tinto, BHP Billiton, Xstrata, BMA Coal, and
Fortescue Metals Group. These organisations use our technology and capability to optimise production activities on both a local
(mine/plant) and global (network) level with intuitive and powerful advanced planning, prediction, simulation and scenario
modelling with what-if analysis capabilities.
www.solveitsoftware.com
About marcus evans Summits
marcus evans Summits are high level business forums for the world’s leading decision-makers to meet, learn and discuss
strategies and solutions. Held at exclusive locations around the world, these events provide attendees with a unique opportunity to
individually tailor their schedules of keynote presentations, think tanks, seminars and one-to-one business meetings.
For more information, please visit: www.marcusevans.com
Upcoming Events
Mining Technology and Operations Summit (APAC) - www.mtosummitanz.com
To view the web version of this interview, please click here: www.miningsummitna.com/JamesBalzary