Member Info for DASUT

loden, gnome and others have provided some great information and if you don't mind I will add my two penny's worth.
I read from Construction as when the mine is a go and the construction teams are in building the infrastructure, camps and facilities, workshops and plant foundations, access roads, stores, power plant, the all important water treatment plant, and the list goes on.
Orders will have been placed for the Processing Plant and the Mining equipment and if there is a mining contractor then they will be mobilising.
This is in my view a really exciting time with new people arriving, some old friends returning, local people looking for employment etc.
How long does it take from the start of construction to processing ore? This all depends on the complexities of the mine. I have seen ore being laid on the leach pads in a matter of months utilizing a contractor with equipment already available in country. Normally however this is at least 6/9 months to get the mining fleet to site and fully assembled and ready to go but as you can appreciate the Processing Plant can and normally does take somewhat longer nearer the 12 months to deliver and build.

Gnome like you I am optimistic and feel sure we will see a contract miner involved.

Mr Bond yes a very good operator will finesse a load the only problem that manufacturers who build these machines have is that you need to take into account the worse case scenario and that is what I am talking about. When operators are trained in the developing countries around the world then it can all go well and yes you see great loading practices. Problem is that over time many of those best practices deteriorate and night shift is where most issues occur and it only takes a couple of bad loads that create issues.
I am not saying this is always the case and I have visited a number of excellent mines where there are excellent best practices where you can be fined for example if you drive past a rock on an haul road without reporting it or if safe moving it.
There again I have seen loads that is offset and truck looks as though it is crabbing along the haul road and a single rock pretty much the size of the truck body loaded quite obviously by a shovel designed for larger trucks. Benches too high to allow layering so dropped from a great height. Layering with front shovels is also very difficult to achieve and whilst not impossible needs highly skilled operators.
The blast can also dictate wear and tear and often little that the operator can do to protect the equipment, as the market grows and more mines open in the region means operators are poached and there is only so much training that can be done to maintain best practices no excuse but importing expertise can be difficult often requiring work permits often only given to highly qualified personnel. Can therefore be difficult to import machine operator trainers. No excuses just something as I say manufacturers need to take account of when building machines that are fit for purpose.
Often the case where you will see truck bodies that have excessive linings and protection rather than lighter bodies this is why I believe Cat have been deeply involved with the light body design to make it mine specific hence the mention of mature mines. Egypt is not what I would class in this instance as a developing country as they have a wealth of experience in construction so will have skilled operators and the ability to train the trainer and having worked with/for the Cat dealer in Egypt I know there will have been emphasis placed on efficiencies and the importance of loading practices.
Sorry for the ramble but between us we will hopefully prevent boredom. Best

I have done my bit of research and steel bodies hasn't changed but designs and layout is the name of the game with all of the following taken into consideration.
Mine Specific Body (MSD II)
For mature mines with good operational and maintenance practices, the lightweight MSD II body is available in several sizes. This site-specific body designed to maximize performance.
Lightweight base body with configurable liner zones to prioritize productivity and durability.
Analyzed and tested internal and external gussets optimize stress distribution
Rearward taper assist with material ejection
Optional carryback reduction features (front wall curved transition and corner pop-out plates)
Available in various capacities to accommodate worldwide material densities
Exhaust heat ready
Full front machine coverage (guards and canopy)
Back compatible with older truck models
So as I thought there has been input from Caterpillar and would suggest there has been a detailed job study carried out to fully understand the nature of the material being moved and the body will then have been designed and tailored to the mine. I am sure if the Cat teams have been involved the bodies won't have been the only areas of production that will have been involved to bring about efficiencies. This will have been coupled to the introduction of the larger newer shovels to optimise shovel truck match and cycle times. All good stuff and sounds as though we are seeing strong experiences brought to the mine.
Reading between the lines I think there will have been someone looking at a larger fleet by quantity or larger size machines and the decision made was to stick to same size machines primarily trucks, up the loaders size and lighten the bodies, together with introduction of a contractor.
My view is this is a good call as allows flexibility and introduces short term knowledge by bringing in contractor personnel.

Would love to see 30/35 tonnes of rock dropped on top of the Tesla, suspension, chassis, would be flattened and the Cat 785 even the smallest Cat mining truck will still carry about 140 metric tonnes and will take the new Cat 6040 dropping approx 40 tonnes ago into the body and yes Mr Bond the bodies will be reinforced underneath as will the structure of the tractor.

Mr Bond Off Highway Trucks taking heavy loads of gold ore won't be softened with anything other than ore anything else is a waste of space and believe me there is no hanging about with niceties it is load and load as quickly as possible. That is my experience of visiting many mines around the world.

Mr Bond Oh for an alloy that can take 30 tonnes plus of rock being dropped from a single load without a very large dent and very short life.
I maybe need to do some research however to find out what they have done to lighten the Cat 785 Truck Body, feel sure they are having to compromise on body life over increased payload which is a no brainer when there is easy access to replacement bodies, but at Sukari that isn't easy so this is why I say the manufacturer will be in the loop somewhere with a rebuild/maintenance programme. If not then not good as trucks need bodies/trays as I say a fine balance.

Tibbs not sure it needs to be boring on here as there was a lot of content in the year end report and even more innuendo in the phone in. Questions only answered in part based on a phone in relating to year end 2020 results. Personally I think Horgan was talking confidently and if we could have seen him I bet he had a bit of a glint in his eye and I have a feeling that there are some very interesting times ahead and some good news on the horizon.
The really good news as far as I am concerned is that we didn't take a big hit with a repeat of what happened in the autumn with a reduction of production and we had what was great results and more profit. Absolutely amazed that the SP didn't climb rapidly. Quite obviously the gold price and the production forecast for the year is holding us back.
Given my background I was very interested in the introduction of the new Shovels/Excavators and the light weight trays for the trucks. New investments in production tools and low production costs in the open pit can only be good news especially as the forecast is for a reduction in these production costs through efficiencies.
Just brief explanation for the introduction of the light weight trays/bodies on the trucks. A truck is governed by it's gross vehicle weight and if the truck body is lighter then the more weight of material it can carry. Sounds so obvious and it is BUT you would be surprised by how many users add liners to the bodies to cope with the wear and many mines suffer from very abrasive material, so very much a balancing act. I am sure there will have been some in depth studies to ensure the light weight bodies is the way to go rather than upsizing trucks and does sound as though there has been input from the manufacturers to arrive at the costings. Hopefully not too boring Mr Tibbs

paul yes I did notice it and this is what prompted me to say earlier maybe a negotiation of their terms at the same time taking on another concession to negate the effect of the court case.

Don't get it small blip with a waste area movement caught before a major slip.
Ore (asset) still in the ground but SP drops by 50%.
At the end of the year "what problem" as record results and what happens SP drops again.

Prof not sure I understand the resource report as looks to me it is all based on historical data and the reports are doing what it says on the tin reporting where the company was as at 31st December 2020. Why no mention of the resource in West Africa is however confusing.
I am hoping that we are having a positive drip feed with these better than expected results followed by 1st Quarter results slightly up on forecast and some positive news on the the long overdue concession area(s) maybe coupled with some sort of revised agreement that negates the negativity of the court case and some positive news from West Africa.
We can live in hope.

Tibbs no need to worry as if their is a Chamber formed it will be useful to have the likes of Dr Souza as a member.

Sorry for the newbies Sami is the man who discovered Sukari.

Agreed no need for building a new plant until a permit area becomes a resource that is worth mining.
Permits are however very important as it provides companies more opportunities and I am certain there has been some geological activity and Sukari based geologists will know best where to look.
I have said it before Sami knows as much or more than anyone about the mining opportunities and possibilities in Egypt.

Autonomy1 Ok thanks and I really don't get a third party using the Sukari plant unless they are already into gold as it has also been mentioned to bring a resource to a producing mine is north of 15 years which I wouldn't disagree with.
How would anyone know what the ore is worth and what gold is the third parties gold when it exits the plant? I can't see the plant running a third party ore over a given period and not processing their own.
What I personally believe is causing the delay in announcing a new permit is the difference in the new terms and this was sort of eluded to in the last call in.

Autonomy1 My question is what are they transporting 50 miles and if it refers to ore then how is the ore transported because the cost would be prohibitive that is why a processing plant and pit/resource are designed together so that travel distances are minimised?
Clarity Rebess doesn't worry me because the new terms differ from Centamin's terms so this is what needs to be clarified, if Centamin are to use existing resources. Also if the court case isn't involved in the clarification discussions I would be surprised and disappointed.

Tibbs I would suggest Centamin are very happy with additional mining companies entering the Egyptian mining scene. The Altus maps are interesting especially as I notice Newmont Exploration is involved.
I don't think it will be overly long before we see the formation of a Chamber of Mines made up of all of the companies involved, plus associate members such as supply line organisations then the Egyptian officialdom will have a force to reckon with.

Tibbs looks like Ken has answered your question and my most recent post might also help. If you want to look at the Cat mining equipment take a look at the Cat.com web site and tap into mining there is also a good video presentation from Tinaja Hills which is a short distance from Tucson which is Caterpillars Main Proving and Demo operation.

Yes Ken 50 tonne is doable but obviously not recommended if you don't want to fall foul of Cat's warranty. Also wouldn't recommend single 50 tonne being dumped into the back of a little 136 tonne truck. I think what is going on with Centamin is that their material is relatively light and they aren't hauling the full capacity of the truck basically restricted by volume and or the turn around time (loading the truck too many passes) is taking too long and they are now upping the size of shovel to a 6040. Also see that they are trialling light weight bodies which does somewhat argue against what I have just said unless they are lighter but at the same time larger. I don't think I have ever visited a mine site where they haven't been looking at truck bodies in some way or other. I was privileged to visit the Super Pit in Kalgoorlie and they were running trucks with rubber bodies and yes they did provide lighter bodies allowing trucks to carry more material tonnage but needed considerable maintenance.
Maintenance means downtime and reduced production so I wasn't convinced especially in Developing countries.
You will also understand the wording "Greedy Boards" making bodies larger to carry more and quite obviously playing a dangerous game as abusing truck specifications mean trucks fail or don't last so the life cycle costs increase and downtime increases and as I say downtime reduces production.
Similarly haul road maintenance, haul distance and haul road grades are crucial for exactly the same reason abusing trucks is counter productive. I have had so many discussions over the years with Mine managers/engineers etc who are under pressure to reduce operating costs and early days lets put in steeper haul roads which reduce distance to travel and therefore shorter less expensive construction . Unfortunately fully laden Mining trucks don't like climbing haul roads over 10%, and if not properly maintained the negative effect is multiplied. Also long hauls of Mining Trucks along even motorway standard roads won't hurt the trucks but the tyres won't like it one little bit.
Open pit mining sounds simple but just these simple comments will explain how complicated it is and why Mining Engineers need considerable input from experts who know quite a bit about what the impact can be on their operation.
CEO's with a geology background ???
There again one of the best if not the best Mine manager I ever dealt with was/is a Metallurgist.
Sorry about the waffle but time on my hand today waiting for plaster to dry before I get painting. Moving home creates work but lockdown means not much else to do.

Tibbs from what I remember is that this information was way off beam as the blast was in the open pit and the rig is underground so fake news as some ex president would claim