Calculate a Blend for a Stockpile

This activity is most applicable to weighted-average grade (WAG) stockpiles. The Calculated Blending module does not take into account the layers in first-in-first-out (FIFO), last-in-first-out (LIFO) stockpiles. Therefore, the use of FIFO or LIFO stockpiles as blend sources is not recommended, even though they can be selected. Do not use 3D stockpiles with the Calculated Blending module.

The current stockpile is always displayed in the Source Stockpiles table.

Security Note: You need the Allow blending template maintenance security right in the Blending domain security rights group for this activity.

Note: The current stockpile is always included as a source stockpile with a Desirability of 10 in the blend because its contents will be part of the blend result.

Activity Steps

Select the Supply Chain panel in the Solution Explorer.
Expand the Business Areas node.
If a blend has previously been assigned to the stockpile, to use an assigned blend as a template:
1. Right-click the stockpile and select Interim Blend from the menu.
  The Blending screen displays with Source Stockpiles, Specifications, Target Tonnes and Sensitivity from the latest assigned blend.
2. Update the Master Blend if required. Select from the blends previously assigned to the stockpile.
  The Source Stockpiles, Specifications, Target Tonnes and Sensitivity update to match the selected assigned blend.
To create a blend based on a blend template, right-click the stockpile and select Blend and the required template from the menu. Select from the blend templates assigned to the stockpile's location. See Assign Blend Templates to a Location or Stockyard.
The Blending screen displays with Source Stockpiles, Specifications, Target Tonnes and Sensitivity that 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.
To create a blend without using a blend template, right-click the stockpile and select Blend » Blend For This Stockpile from the menu.
The Blending screen displays with source stockpiles at locations for which there is a process flow to the stockpile's location.
To change the blend template, or to select a blend template, update Use Template. Select from the blend templates assigned to the stockpile's location. Not applicable to interim blends.
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.
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.
To display contributors in the Source Stockpiles table, select a Contributor Group. The contributor values are read-only.
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.
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.
Update the Target Tonnes for the blend if required.
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.
Update the Sensitivity if required. Select from:
- Stockpile Desirability
- Target Analytes
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.
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.
If the suggested blend is unsatisfactory, select the Blend Criteria tab, adjust the criteria as required and recalculate the blend.
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.
Update the Blend Date, Name and Comments for the blend if required.
For an interim blend, select the Transactions From and Transactions To dates if required.
To assign the blend to the stockpile, right-click in the Blend Assignment table and select New from the menu.
Note: If analyte values exceed limits, a warning displays. The blend can still be assigned if required.
Click Save.
If the blend was assigned, MineMarket updates the following data on the Current State tab of the WAG Stockpile (or FIFO or LIFO stockpile as applicable):
- The Planned Quantity
- The Blend Plan, Target, Minimum, Lower Warning Limit, Upper Warning Limit and Maximum values in the Quality table