RICHMOND, BC, CANADA (March 2013) — Wenco International Mining Systems Ltd. is proud to announce a contract with Koniambo Nickel SAS to supply the Wenco Fleet Management System. The Koniambo mining project is located in New Caledonia, one of the most important nickel producing areas in the world.
Koniambo Nickel SAS, a joint venture of Xstrata Nickel and the Société Minière du Sud Pacifique (SMSP), is managing the project development. The mine covers approximately 745 hectares, has an expected annual nickel production of 60,000 tonnes, and a projected site length of 50 years.
Wenco's Fleet Management System will be installed on 9 shovels and 44 trucks at the mine site over the next two years. Koniambo will be utilizing Wenco's innovative BenchManager™ high precision GNSS systems on their shovels to further optimize their mining operations.
"The Wenco Fleet Management System is a logical solution for this type of scenario," explains Wenco Regional Director Jayson Bebek. "With its ability to control dispatching and monitor productivity our product is an excellent choice for maintaining ore consistency."
Situated on top of a coastal mountain range, the Koniambo mine has to deal with rugged terrain, a complex geology, and very specific blending requirements. Wenco will be interfacing with a custom software package called GEKO to ensure the most up-to-date grade and quality information is used by the dispatching algorithms.
Koniambo is also taking advantage of Wenco's Mobile Supervisor Terminal (MST) technology, providing supervisors in the field with real-time data and the ability to control operations from their vehicle.
Construction of the main processing facilities has been completed and production at Koniambo mine is slated to begin in 2013.