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Automation in mining processing plants

Alejandro Salvatierra, Commercial Director of Banff S.A. exposes in this interview conducted by the Canada – Peru Chamber of Commerce, the importance of automating mining processing plants in the face of the radical change scenario of the Covid-19 situation.

Automatización en plantas de procesamiento en minería
“The factors that distinguish us from the competition are 23 years of serious attention to the Peruvian market, world-class suppliers, engineers and professionals with the highest level and experience”
  • What is the contribution of automated technological processes in a mining operation?
    Objective production control, online fault control, instant traceability when required, 100% objectivity as it is not manipulated by people and, most importantly, allocate instrumentation to protect human life in high-risk areas.

  • What benefits does the use of automation in mining offer the industry?
    Increased production, decreased associated costs and better control of equipment operations, therefore, we can make improvements in production processes.
  • What was the situation regarding the automation of the mining industry before Covid 19? And now, what are the prospects for the resumption of activities?

    It is evident that the scenario changed radically. Today, government health restrictions greatly limit the number of people inside the site. If we only operate with that number of people that the government allows, production would drastically drop to less than half. The challenge is to incorporate technology in order to compensate for the lack of staff so that production at least remains at its historical levels, reducing production costs. The ideal is to modularly automate processes. In this way, the staff will get used to interacting with the technology and it will be possible to increase production, at the end of a period of approximately 2 years.

  • What automation services does your company offer for the mining industry?
    Pumping system, leach pad irrigation system, water resource drive systems, crusher dust suppression systems, conveyor belt dust control systems, intermediate feed station pumping control system, automated systems track shop washing systems, automatic wheel washing systems for mining trucks, to cite a few examples. But in reality we can monitor and automate any area where there is material, be it solid or liquid.