Across the global mining industry, there is an ever-increasing take-up of smart technology. Gone are the days where miners worked in isolation, digging up earth and hoping to strike pay dirt. Now every stage of the mining process is jam-packed with technology designed to improve the mining process and safeguard mining personnel.
With the inevitable uptake of smart technology, advanced communication infrastructure and autonomous machinery, comes the need to ensure employees are suitably trained and confident in utilising this technology. At RCT we categorise employee training needs into two streams; equipment operators and maintenance personnel.
Our comprehensive operator training is focused on functionality and designed to impart all necessary knowledge to get the most out of mining equipment. Our maintenance training goes a little bit deeper into the underlying technology of RCT’s proprietary products. We offer a regular maintenance package which teaches mine site personnel to replace components and conduct other minor maintenance works.
We also have an advanced maintenance package for select customers, which teaches suitably qualified mine employees to service individual components and carry out the type of activities that RCT’s specialised Field Service Technicians would carry out on a site visit.
Personal safety has been one of the key drivers behind an uptake of training programs in the global mining industry. Most countries that RCT works in has stringent laws governing people working in hazardous environments. Further to this is a cultural shift inside mining companies which want to protect their workers and safeguard their operations.
Use of autonomous technology in this sort of hazardous environment is a no-brainer because a lot of the work involves people coming into contact with dust, smoke, extreme weather, chemical particles and long working hours often in confined working spaces such as underground operations.
Therefore in order to use autonomous technology properly, they need to be informed about the standard operating procedure otherwise it can result in serious incidents involving machines and people.
Properly trained personnel contribute significantly to operational efficiency and productivity because technology is only as good as how it is used. Most people underutilise the technology that they possess.
The most common example is the smartphone which can improve personal productivity multi-fold if used optimally, however, most people only use about 10 to 15% of the features and capabilities. The same principle applies to autonomous technology in the mining industry and if properly used will enable the mine site to increase productivity multi-fold which in turn increases profits.
Training is equally essential for both younger workers who are traditionally more technologically savvy and older workers who are adapting to new technologies in the mining industry. Autonomous technology is going into every mine so the technology is becoming part and parcel of new mine infrastructure. Therefore it is important that the entire workforce be upskilled so they have some level of understanding of autonomous technology.
Going forward RCT will continue to offer face-to-face training packages delivered on mine sites or in our offices. This will be complemented by an online training portal which will enable us to reach very remote mine sites that are difficult to access physically and will focus more on repeat trainings and refresher modules.
Sunil Kumar is the Training Coordinator of RCT.
RCT’s long-term employee Michael Godfrey was recently recognised as Polytechnic West’s 3rd Year Auto Electrical Apprentice of the year.
Michael, who started with the company in 2004 in manufacturing, now resides in the bespoke project department, RCT Custom where he has been for the past four years.
This department is renowned for thinking ‘outside the box’ and being able to adapt solutions to suit specific requirements and it was here that Michael’s thirst for knowledge grew as the challenges kept presenting themselves.
Coming from an electronics background, the most logical next step was for him to undertake an apprenticeship in a field he saw himself excelling and working in for years to come. In 2015, with support from his managers, he enrolled at Polytechnic West in Carlisle, WA.
“An apprenticeship seemed like the logical next step to broaden my capabilities in my field,” said Michael.
“I was in a role I really enjoyed, however, I craved that deeper understanding about how things worked.”
“RCT Custom revolves around designing and manufacturing components to work on machines so it’s great to have more intricate knowledge of the ins and outs of how everything works.”
Michael, attended campus full-time for a three week period every six months.
“It was great that this option for study was available, I found that I could really get stuck into the course without any other distractions; everything was always fresh in my mind to execute,” he said.
Due to his previous experience, Michael was made exempt from a number of units, which he said was great to be able to concentrate on new and exciting content and material.
“I was surprised to discover how much I really enjoyed the air conditioning components of the course, I found it fascinating.”
Michael said he breezed through the apprenticeship for numerous reasons including, the fact he had a hunger to learn, he worked in an environment that encouraged his professional growth and supported him every step of the way.
“I feel very fortunate that RCT encourages further learning and education,” he said.
“The apprenticeship really allowed me to hone in on my fault finding skills, it’s something I really enjoy doing now.”
The award nomination came as a surprise to the 33-year-old; still to this day, he’s not sure who put his name forward for such a prestigious recognition and is still buzzing from the win.
“I was amazed, just really happy! It’s a good feeling to excel at something you love and then to be recognised for it.”
Michael was presented with his award at a special dinner held at the Bentley Pines. Not only was the award bestowed upon him, but he also received an Amorphous cell solar blanket for a prize and RCT was acknowledged for its contribution to supporting apprentices making it an exciting achievement for both Michael and the RCT team.
“He was one of five nominees and winning this lays testament to his dedication and hard work which he has applied to his apprenticeship over the past couple of years and continues to do so on a daily basis within the Custom Department,” said RCT Custom’s Projects Manager, Steven Appleton.
Michael said he would highly recommend an apprenticeship through TAFE for those who have a desire to learn and achieve more in the field they are in.
The now, qualified Auto Electrician said “It was a great experience for me and one I’m very proud of. We undertake meticulous projects in RCT Custom so it was great to further my knowledge; I definitely get more job satisfaction from having completed my apprenticeship.”
When Michael isn’t hard at work, helping to make the impossible, possible in RCT Custom, you can find him fixing Hifi, brewing his own beer or rocking out on his guitar and drums.
Five OK Tedi Mining Limited (OMTL) dozer maintenance personnel undertook training at RCT’s Brisbane branch recently.
The Papua New Guinea-based staff embarked on an intensive five-day training course for level 4 and 5 Line-of-Sight following the site’s decision to upgrade its dozer remotes from RCT’s ControlMaster® CM2000 to the state-of-the-art ATX2200 Line-of-Sight remotes.
“We are currently in the process of upgrading the old remote system which has served us well for the past 20 years. The transition to the new remote controls should be completed by the end of the year and it’s important our maintenance staff are prepared,” said OMTL’s Auto Electrician Supervisor, Phillip Bell.
“The change in operating platform would have made it difficult for technicians to have maintained and repaired the new systems on site. This training has empowered staff; making it possible to avoid extended downtime and save thousands of dollars in the costs associated with outsourcing maintenance overseas."
Mr Bell said he was pleased with the outcome of the training course carried out by RCT’s Brisbane-team.
“The knowledge and skills transferred to the technicians will give them the confidence to be able to work on the upgraded system,” he said.
“OTML and RCT have a long standing commitment to deliver safe remote control operating environments for dozer dumps on mine lease. Subsequently the tradesmen and technicians have to be able to repair the systems on site as opposed to sending them off for unknown periods of time.”
OMTL is just one of the many sites RCT provides training to in order to ensure they are self-reliant when it comes to maintaining the ControlMaster® solutions.
“We believe that training is integral for sites utilising our Smart Technology solutions, especially for those in remote locations. RCT training enables site personnel to perform maintenance and repairs themselves to make them self-reliant. In the long run this significantly reduces downtime and increases the longevity of the machines and solutions,” said RCT’s Product Trainer Alan Barton.
While RCT’s Brisbane branch is a great platform to deliver state-of-the-art training, the company offers training worldwide for small groups to an entire workforce, either on or off-site.