Stockpile and Inventory Optimization

The Problems Faced by Managing Stockpiles

• Stockpile modelling using the ‘weighted average’ approach can cause issues including a fundamental lack of knowledge of the stockpile contents, and more importantly its properties.
• This knowledge gap results in a high variance in the feed to the mineral processing plant, including hardness and grade.
• In turn, this variance can impact negatively on optimum throughput and recovery.

The BASF Solution

Powered by the IntelliSense.io brains.app platform, the Stockpile and Inventory Optimization application:

1. Uses 3D modelling to keep near real-time track of where and when materials are deposited and reclaimed
2. Tracks the material flows and associated properties (e.g. source, volume, key minerals & elements, hardness, lithology) from the mine to the stockpile and into the plant
3. Integrates data from multiple sources such as Fleet Management Systems and Drone Scans to increase stockpile accuracy and management
4. Provides real-time information including predicting when material will arrive at a particular point and alerts such as ‘time in situ’.

The Value Gained from Optimization

The Stockpile and Inventory Optimization Application:

• Optimizes throughput and recovery with improved blending decisions
• Eliminates reclaim errors by knowing exactly where your material is, where it came from and where it’s going
• Avoids value loss caused by dumping errors
• Decreases waste and risk caused by material remaining in-situ for longer than is safe

Value Chain Optimization from Mine to Market

Powered and connected together by the brains.app platform, the Stockpile and Inventory Optimization Application is one of a suite of real-time, Artificial Intelligence driven, decision-making applications to optimize each process from mine to market. BASF’s Material Flow model connects these applications together to drive even greater efficiency gains.