On the road to MINExpo 2024

Innovation and technology have been a driving force for Orica and continues to be as we look to partner with our customers and the industry to deliver smarter solutions to sustainably mobilise the earth’s resources. 

In the lead up to one of the biggest global mining trade shows, MINExpo 2024 we took the opportunity to sit down with our Chief Technology Officer, Angus Melbourne to reflect on our 150-year history in innovation and technology and what’s on the horizon.  

The future for blasting

Technological advancements are continually reshaping the mining industry, driving it towards greater efficiency, safety, and social responsibility. There is a growing demand for innovative blasting solutions, as mining operations seek to enhance decision-making across the mining chain to boost productivity and efficiency. As mines go deeper and ore bodies become more complex and remote, demand for innovative technological solutions is on the rise. 

What is Orica doing in this space currently to meet the demands of the industry and add value to our customers operations? 

In our 150-year anniversary as a company I think we can be proud of our investment in technology and innovation to deliver blasting products and solutions that are safe, best in class and are ready when you need them.  

In recent years, a surge of new solutions has emerged because of our continual investment in technology and innovation.  

Our aim has been to:

1. Firstly, reduce or eliminate safety risks for our customers and minimise the need for human intervention in both mining and mineral extraction.  
2. Secondly, harness our technology to help enable improved social and environmental outcomes.  
3. Thirdly, our advancements across the mining chain are enabling an integrated digital workflow from mine to mill, leading to enhanced productivity.  
4. Finally, we are focusing on precision across the value chain to help achieve better recovery rates and reduce energy usage for our customers. 

By placing our customers at the heart of our innovation and technology, we believe we can make a real difference in the industries we operate in and create a more sustainable and prosperous future for all. 

Our innovative 4D™ bulk system is testament to our commitment to developing a solution that is displaying some remarkable results for our customers globally in both underground and surface operations. The benefits of the system are proving to be multifaceted, and we are confident that these will continue to expand and grow as our customers begin to extract more from the system. 

It is revolutionising underground operations, offering a range of advantages of conventional blasting methods. The 4D™ underground bulk system, a global first of its type in the underground space, enables the delivery of multiple energies in a single blasthole during one pass, even across extended charge lengths. This results in optimised energy distribution to deliver superior rock fragmentation whilst reducing waste rock dilution.  

4D™ - The new dimension in blasting

The capital investment required to extract finite ore deposits is significant, and our 4D™ trials so far have shown the system can maximise ore recovery. At MMG's Dugald River Mine, 4D™ boosted average stope recovery from 90%-95% in fully compliant stopes. This translates to an annual increase of about 10,000 tonnes of zinc metal, worth AUD $23.3m in additional net smelter returns. Moreover, the automated nature of the system is offering workforce health and safety advantages by reducing manual tasks and operational rework. 

Globally, social, and environmental performance for mining (and mineral processing) is under increasing scrutiny, driving the push to reduce the impacts of operations, especially where operations are encroaching on communities.   

This is where the versatility of the 4D bulk system technology applies to surface operations, where the social licence to operate is crucial, particularly when operations have geology challenges and are situated close to communities.

For instance, at the Bloomfield coal mine in NSW, the 4D™ system was able to achieve a 20 per cent reduction in relative bulk strength and a 12 per cent decrease in powder factor, with no fume occurrences, and consistent fleet productivity. Similarly, another coal mine in Australia reported an 8 per cent reduction in bulk explosive consumption as well as a reduction in associated value chain greenhouse gas emissions, underscoring the environmental benefits of the system in addition to its operational advantages.  

We look forward to seeing the outcomes of the recent implementation of the 4D™ bulk system in a metalliferous operation in Chile, where early results are indicating some exciting benefits for our customers.  

We are also driving further advancements in sustainable blasting technology by offering consultative services that address site-specific environmental issues. The extensive range of products and services provide a unique advantage allowing Orica to partner with customers to improve operations and deliver safer, smarter outcomes.   

Providing a consultative framework to deliver an innovation-led outcome for a customer was key at the De Beers’ Gahcho Kué mine site in Canada. By successfully applying the Orica Nitrate Risk Reduction framework to their site, De Beers was able to successfully manage their nitrate risks.  

The three-tiered approach to systematically reducing nitrate contributions from blasting in mine water, incorporated various best practices on-bench and in blast design, with the introduction of  i-kon™ III to decrease misfires and switching to a specialised emulsion blend of Fortis™ Protect, a bulk system aimed at reducing nitrates and a modified explosives delivery system on an Orica Mobile Manufacturing Unit (MMU™). Year-to-year results show a 78.85 per cent decrease in nitrate levels in 2023 compared to 2017. 

This is just one example of how close collaboration with our customers and leveraging our ability to provide solutions across a range of products and services enabling a multi-pronged approach to effectively address site-specific concerns and achieve optimal outcomes.

What can we expect to see at MINExpo from our initiating and electronic blasting systems? 

In terms of initiation systems, Orica has exciting plans for our electronic blasting system i-kon™ III, with a new range of product advancements scheduled to roll out from late 2024 through 2025. The upgrades include i-kon™ III Steel for enhanced safety through a sturdy design, i-kon™ III Digital for improved user experience integrating with Orica’s digital solutions and the elimination of paper-based processes, and i-kon™ III Neo fully lead-free detonators to advance our move to more sustainable solutions.   

And it doesn’t stop there, with nearly 300,000 WebGen™ units fired globally, the next offering in our wireless initiation system is WebGen™ 200 Surface Pro. Specifically designed for surface mining applications, this new and robust version offers greater shock resistance, loading at greater depths, and the ability to sleep for longer periods, making it ideal for more intense blasting operations. By removing the necessity for physical connections to a blast or within blast holes, this latest addition to the advanced system provides the industry with even greater flexibility in blasting and scheduling in more extreme environments.  

The WebGen™ wireless initiating system, is redefining what's possible in mining operations worldwide

WebGen™ 200 Surface Pro is set to also further advance enhance multi-stratum blasting. This fully wireless system enables on-demand blasting by loading multiple decks in a single pass, enhancing the efficiency of drill and blast preparation, as well as load-haul fleets. This advancement promises to enhance operational efficiency and significantly streamline the mining process.  

We firmly believe it will be a game changer in the management of mine scheduling for the industry and unlock new opportunities for our customers.

We have also taken a big step towards sustainable mining solutions with our Neo led-free non-electric initiating system offering. In September 2023, the Exel™ Neo non-electric detonator series was the world’s first lead- free detonator introduced to the European market. The uptake by the industry so far has been very positive. Less than one year later in June 2024, our facility in Gyttorp, Sweden, celebrated the manufacture of its millionth Exel™ Neo lead-free detonator.   

Exel Neo- Exel Neo, the world’s first lead-free non-electric detonator range launched in September 2023

The next Neo offering is expected for release into the European market in early 2025 with another world first, Orica’s Neo range of lead-free electronic blasting systems, with field trials and CE testing currently underway. The lead-free alternative will be made available across the full range of electronic blasting systems, including the new eDev™ II Neo, uni tronic™ 600 Neo and i-kon™ III Neo, with the same proven performance and results as the current electronic blasting system range.

Digital Solutions - Transforming the resources industry

Orica’s Digital Solutions is pioneering a new path for our business as we expand the next generation of technology solutions for blasting and beyond across the value chain.

Real time data to enable decision-making is key to the revolution required in our industry, how will our digital solutions technology allow our customers to optimise their entire operations? 

Orica Digital Solutions seamlessly connect our customers' physical and digital worlds, giving our customers the right intelligence at the right time across their operations for better decisions and more predictable outcomes. 

Whether operating individually, or as a whole, our solutions ensure the right intelligence at the right time for better decisions and more predictable outcomes. With a complete, timely and accurate picture, customers can adapt their operations to improve safety, be more productive, use less energy, produce fewer emissions, reduce environmental impacts, and reduce costs. 

Orica Digital Solutions is leading the drill and blast industry into a new era

Orica’s digital solutions offering continues to expand beyond its tried-and-true application, SHOTPlus™. For 35 years SHOTPlus™ has remained as the core application embodying the Orica Digital Solutions vision, with operations around the world utilising the technology to optimise blast designs and streamline drill and blast processes.   

Today, SHOTPlus™ continues to evolve to enable other solutions within Orica, including i-kon™ electronic blasting system, our wireless blasting technology WebGen™, as well as our bulk explosives range. SHOTPlus™ is used with those technologies to design blasts.

SHOTPlus™ is also used to enable more recent developments such as BlastIQ™, OREPro™, and BlastVision®.  

SHOTPlus™ is approaching its next evolution as it becomes a highly performing and intelligent blast design product. The application will continue to be the centre point for drill and blast decision-making, while supporting Orica Digital Solution’s move into adjacent and integrated workflows across the value chain. Next evolution SHOTPlus™ launching at MINExpo has an optimal data management and modelling capability which will benefit Orica Digital Solutions customers greatly.  

Optimising with Digital Innovation - BlastIQ™ Underground

Orica’s influence on underground operations has taken one step further with the launch of BlastIQ™ Underground. This latest offering provides quality control and improved drill and blast productivity for superior blast outcomes. From planning to post-blast analysis, it enables underground operations to efficiently manage their blasting process with user-friendly reporting, analytics, and information management.  

This integrated suite of technologies improves blast productivity with the digital communication of blast designs, including the re-application of charging designs in response to hole locations. The digital collection and management of drilling data allows engineers to identify opportunities for continuous improvement of drilling and charging operations.   

Orica continues to expand its digital offerings for customers to match the rapid digital transformation across the industry. The level of accuracy in our software offerings ensures that every blast is executed precisely, and the desired outcomes are achieved, translating into significant cost savings and improved resource utilisation for customers.   

Orica Digital Solutions continues to build a digital technology portfolio that complements Orica’s core blasting technologies such as 4D Underground, WebGen, and Avatel.

Our Orebody intelligence with Axis Mining Technology will be highlighted at MINExpo, enabling our customers to gain accurate insights into their orebodies from the outset, leading informed decision making throughout the value chain. Having critical intelligence at the start of the value chain, such as hardness of rock, its variations, and the location of the most valuable ore, allows for better optimisation of operations and mitigates downstream risks.

Orebody Intelligence enabling our customers to gain accurate insights

Our complete range of Geosolutions helps our customer across the mining and civil infrastructure sectors to monitor and optimise and mitigate risks through the provision of critical data and insights with our our leading products from GroundProbe, Measurand, 3vGeomatics, Navstar, RST Instruments and Syscom will also be part of the MINExpo experience.

Geosolutions helps our customers monitor, optimise and mitigate risks.

What are you looking forward to seeing at MINExpo 2024?

While not at Orica's booth, visitors shouldn't miss Avatel™, the world's first development charging system, displayed at Epiroc's stand #13419 (directly opposite Orica’s booth). Experience the magnitude of this impressive unit in person. 

Avatel™ - Designed to remove personnel from high-risk areas in underground mining operations, Avatel™ enhances safety and productivity.

Underpinned by WebGen™ Wireless Initiation System and Epiroc's Boomer M2C Carrier, Avatel™ is a revolutionary solution for underground mining. Automating all aspects of the explosives handling process enables safer, more sustainable access to those difficult to extract critical minerals.   

A key highlight for visitors to the Orica booth will be the TREAD MMU™ truck, featuring BlastIQ™ and industry leading 4D™ technology, allowing visitors to experience firsthand the latest in mobile manufacturing units.   

We will also be running a series of presentations on our booth in our Technical Seminar Area over the course of the three days with technical experts from across Orica. To find out more about what’s on offer as part of the technical series please click here. 

But most of all, I’m looking forward to catching up with our customers to showcase our latest technology and innovation and gain a better understanding of the current and future challenges and how Orica can help to improve their operational outcomes.  

Working with our customers to gain insights into their needs and challenges, is key to inspiring the creation of new technologies and solutions that will deliver even greater value in the future.    

The future of mining, with Orica

As we set our sights on the future, we are excited about the opportunities that lie ahead. We remain committed to providing sustainable solutions and technology to mobilise the earth's resources and we look forward to another 150 years of success and delivering value to our customers, employees, communities, and shareholders.

Come see us at booth #13901 to speak to our experts at MINExpo.