Business Areas and Locations
A business area is either a logical management area or a group of locations. Examples of business areas include mine sites and ports. Business areas can be nested within each other. For example, a mine site may be created as a top-level business area. Specific areas at the mine, such as the pit and processing plant, may be nested as lower-level business areas within the mine. A business area contains the stock or despatch locations, and these contain the low-level physical objects between which transactions occur.
The definition of these objects allows transactions to take place between stockpiles (mine sources, WAG stockpiles, LIFO stockpiles, FIFO stockpiles, discrete unit divisions, and despatch stockpiles (train rakes, trucks, barge holds and vessel holds).
Process flows, packing process flows and discrete unit movement flows occur between the locations in the business areas. Transactions of bulk material can be done over process flows between stock locations and despatch locations. Packing of bulk material, or unpacking of packaged material, can be done using packing process flows between discrete unit locations, stock locations and despatch locations. Movements of packaged material can be done over movement flows between discrete unit locations and despatch locations.
The number of locations that can be created is limited by the MineMarket licence.
Location Types
The following location types can be modelled in MineMarket.
Mine Locations
Mine locations are configured to represent the high-level locations where mining takes place; for example, an open pit or underground mine. Mine sources are then created within the mine location to represent the specific sources of material to be mined. Bulk material can only be moved off this type of location.
Stock Locations
A stock location is a generic location set up to represent where stockpiles are physically located. After a stock location is created, stockpiles can be configured within it. The structure and hierarchy of the stockpiles within a stock location can be defined using nested stock locations and/or stockpile categories. Bulk material is moved on and off this type of location.
Stockyards
A stockyard is a location that is used to store bulk material prior to despatching. A stockyard can have multiple stock rows, each of which can contain multiple stockpiles. Additional detail can be recorded about the position of stockpiles within stock rows, including defining metre marks and dead zones.
Discrete Unit Locations
A discrete unit (DU) location is used to manage packages and package groups. Discrete unit (DU) locations can be created within a business area or a despatch location (rail siding, truck location, barge terminal or port location). Discrete unit locations can be sub-divided into discrete unit divisions.
Discrete Unit Divisions
Discrete unit divisions are an optional way to divide up a discrete unit location without needing to create other discrete unit locations as sub-locations. Discrete unit divisions can also be set up within discrete unit divisions.
Waste Locations
Waste locations represent physical locations where mining waste materials are stored and managed; for example, tailings ponds. Waste stockpiles can be created within waste locations.
Transport Locations
Also called 'despatch locations', each despatch type has a specific location type: rail siding, truck location, barge terminal and port location. See Transport Locations.
Toll Locations
Tolling is the process by which a material containing metal (one or more valuable analytes) is processed (for example, in a refinery) by one organisation on behalf of another organisation. Toll locations are where toll account stockpiles are located. See Tolling.
Reporting on Locations
Locations can be categorised in location groups to facilitate reporting. You can record rainfall and tide levels for locations for reporting purposes.
