At Debswana’s Jwaneng Diamond Mine in Botswana, one of the richest diamond mines in the world, numerous data collection systems and other legacy subsystems were used to process and generate production surveys, various mine plans, geological and resource models, and ultimately a variety of production reports. There were standalone data sources for drilling and blasting, a separate tire management system, and the crushing portion of the mine treatment plant’s SCADA system, plus other technical systems for mineral resource planning, management, and reconciliation.  Manipulating and reporting data from all these disparate systems required laborious manual effort, which often resulted in redundant or incomplete information.  Additionally, the time required to hand-produce this information rendered it virtually useless for any short-term decision-making, and unreliable for determining accurate long-term trends.  One of the underlying problems was the high number of un-reconciled independent, proprietary systems, which frustrated users because more than one version of the “truth” often existed.

By eliminating the standalone data sources that once frustrated users and implementing Gemcom InSite, Jwaneng mining professionals now have the information they need at their fingertips to ensure that mine design, mine planning, and production ‘actuals’ are more reliable, accurate, and accessible.  With InSite, users can easily convert a number of previously disconnected manual work processes into a seamless computerized process. By consolidating these work functions into a single process, users gain greater insight into the core business of mining and can address issues more effectively. More informed, timely decision-making is now possible because the latest and most accurate information is available.

“Jwaneng mine depends on Gemcom’s mining execution solution to manage data across disciplines including geology, engineering and mine production. Gemcom worked with us to determine and establish best practices for our operation, which they reflected in a tailored solution. This has enabled us to increase mine productivity by improving our ability to monitor, analyse and optimise the operation.”
– Kabelo Letlhoma, Mining Manager, Jwaneng Mine, Debswana Diamond Company (Pty) Ltd.