Calculate a Blend for a Despatch Order

This activity is only applicable to a despatch order on a despatch or lot despatch.

Activity Steps

1. Open the Train, Truck Despatch, Service Trip, Shipment or Lot Despatch.

   Note: You can also calculate a blend for a despatch order via the Despatch Orders table of the Shipment Explorer. In this screen, the context menu item is called Blend.

2. Select the Despatch Orders tab; or for a shipment, the Despatch Orders sub-tab of the Marketing tab.
3. Right-click the despatch order and select Blend From Route Point from the menu.

   An error message about not being able to determine a loading location if there are no transactions can be ignored.

   The Blending screen displays with source stockpiles at locations for which there is a process flow to the despatch loading location.

   Note: The despatch order displays as a product 'stockpile' with Forced Usage being the quantity of any existing loading transactions. This product stockpile is excluded from the blend by default, but can be included if required. Including this product stockpile is useful if a despatch has been partially loaded, and a new (interim) blend needs to be calculated to ensure the total quantity meets contractual requirements.

4. Select a template in Use Template if required. Select from the blend templates assigned to the despatch loading location.

   The Source Stockpiles, Specifications, Target Tonnes and Sensitivity update to match the template. If the template includes a stock location as a source, the individual stockpiles at that location display as source stockpiles for the blend.

5. Select a Shift Definition and Date Option to control the Blend Date if required. For the shift definition, select from shift definitions defined on the Supply Chain panel of the Solution Explorer. For the date option, select from Any, Start Of Shift, End Of Shift, Start Of Previous Shift and End Of Previous Shift.
6. Configure the display of analytes in the Source Stockpiles table with any combination of the following settings:
   • Only Show Included Analytes—If checked, only those analytes that have Include checked in the Specifications table display. If unchecked, all specification analytes with values display.
   • Analyte Group—Select from the analyte groups defined on the Quality panel of the Solution Explorer. If selected, only analytes in that group display.
   • Hide Analytes Without Values—If checked, the analyte columns only display if at least one source has an analyte value. If unchecked, all analytes applicable to the sources display.
7. To display contributors in the Source Stockpiles table, select a Contributor Group. The contributor values are read-only.
8. Update the Source Stockpiles as required.
   1. To add sources, see Set up a Blend Template.

      Note: If you filter data in the Source Stockpiles table, the sources that display after filtering are the only sources that can be included in the blend. That is, for any sources that are filtered out, Include is effectively unchecked. For more information about filtering functionality, see Sort, Filter and Group Data in Tables.

   2. For each source:
      1. Select whether to Include the source in blend calculations.
      2. For products, brands, specifications and process flows, update the Available quantity as required.
      3. Enter a Minimum Reclaim if required. If the source is included in a blend, at least this amount will be included.
      4. Select or enter the Desirability (on a scale of 1 to 10) of using the source.
      5. Enter a quantity for Forced Usage if required. If entered, exactly this quantity from this source must be included in blends.

         Tip: To copy the Available quantity to Forced Usage, right-click the applicable Forced Usage cell and select Copy Balance from the menu.

      6. Update the analyte values if required.
   3. To refresh the source stockpiles, right-click in the Source Stockpiles table and select one of the following options from the menu as required:
      • Refresh List Of Sources—Updates the stockpiles of any location, stockpile category or process flow, and the despatches of any route.
      • Refresh Source Tonnes And Quality—Gets the latest best-known info of quantity and quality for all sources, and resets any overrides entered in Available or for the analyte qualities.
9. Update the Specifications as required.
   1. To change the set of specifications, see Set up a Blend Template.
   2. For each analyte in the specifications:
      1. Select whether to Include the analyte in blend calculations.
      2. Select or enter the Weighting (on a scale of 1 to 10).
      3. Update the Target, Minimum, Lower Warning Limit, Upper Warning Limit and Maximum if required.

         Note: There is a right-click context menu option to Revert Targets and Limits. This option reverts the Target, Minimum, Lower Warning Limit, Upper Warning Limit and Maximum values for all analytes.

10. Update the Target Tonnes for the blend if required.
11. Update the Blend Date if required. If the date and time entry is controlled by the times of shifts, use the left and right arrows on the time selector to move between shifts.
12. Update the Sensitivity if required. Select from:
    • Stockpile Desirability
    • Target Analytes
13. To save the blend criteria as a blend template:
    1. Right-click in the Source Stockpiles field group and select Save As Template from the menu.

       The Blend Template Definition displays and the template is stored in the Unassigned Blend Templates category.

    2. Close the Blend Template Definition.
14. Click Blend.

    The suggested blend displays on the Results tab.

    The Stockpile Results and Blend Results tables can be copied to the clipboard or printed. However, MineMarket cannot automatically create transactions from the suggested blend stockpiles. (This is because source stockpiles may have been used for which there is no direct process flow between the locations.)

    Rows highlighted in orange indicate analyte values that are outside the warning limits. Rows highlighted in red indicate analyte values that are outside the minimum or maximum. If a blend is not possible with the current criteria, an error message displays.

15. If the suggested blend is unsatisfactory, select the Blend Criteria tab, adjust the criteria as required and recalculate the blend.
16. If the suggested blend is satisfactory, click Save Result.

    The blend displays on the Blend History tab.

    Note: This tab can be used as an explorer for all blends. Select a date range and filter to search for blends if required.

17. Update the Blend Date, Name and Comments for the blend if required.
18. To assign the blend to the despatch order or despatch, right-click in the Blend Assignment table and select New from the menu.

    For a lot despatch, the blend is assigned to each despatch in the lot despatch.

    Note: If analyte values exceed limits, a warning displays. The blend can still be assigned if required.

19. If the despatch order is on a train, update the Assigned To object if required. Select from the train rakes.
20. Click Save.

    If the blend was assigned, the blend quality displays as the Planned values on the Summary tab of the applicable despatch(es). See View the Logistics Summary of a Despatch.