[Codelco Copper] Mining’s Journey Into Digital Transformation – by Aaron Hand (Automation World – October 3, 2017)

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Through digital technologies, mining organizations today are working on shifting the mindset from increasing throughput to increasing productivity. Beyond that, there is plenty of opportunity to not only further optimization, but help operators make decisions that go straight to the bottom line.

“Once you have stable operations running close to the maximum sustainable throughput, there’s room for some further optimization through advanced applications,” noted Doug Warren, vice president of software, industry solutions, for Schneider Electric. “And how to bring the workforce on that journey through operator training and simulation.”

A key word there is “journey.” Codelco, a Chilean state-owned copper mining company, has spent more than a decade implementing advanced process control (APC) and operator training systems (OTSs) in its pyrometallurgy processes.

Realizing significant benefits along the way, Codelco is far from done. At Schneider Electric’s Innovation Summit: Software Conference 2017 this week in San Antonio, Texas, Codelco detailed where it’s been, where it’s going, and various highlights along the way.

“It’s not a project, it’s a journey,” said Ramón Hernández, software business development manager for mining, metals and minerals in Latin America for Schneider Electric. “What are we going to do from here to five years or 10 years? We build that roadmap together with Codelco.”

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