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Mine Technical Services

The Mine Technical Services (MTS) Department is responsible for developing the long-term operational strategy for Phu Bia Mining, including growth projects to extend the life of Phu Bia Mining assets in Laos.

The MTS team undertake studies to determine the economic viability of PBM’s growth projects.  

The MTS team provide technical support to various site operational teams – these include: mine planning; geotechnical engineering and hydrogeology; metallurgical projects to improve ore recovery; and life of asset planning including rehabilitation requirements.  

Working closely with the Mineral Resource Development team (MRD), MTS and the operations team continuously identify and develop growth projects.  

The MTS team is also responsible for short-, medium- and long-term mine planning. This planning projects include: ‘Life of Mine’ strategic planning; servicing the pit and waste rock dump development schedule; all design work associated with open pits including: pit design; stage pit design; waste rock dump design; haul road design; and water management plans. The MTS team is responsible for the budgeting, forecasting and cost control of all related projects. MTS also support the Mine Development department with technical support for projects including the underground earthwork project among other growth projects as required by the business for current operations and future growth.

Geology

The PBM Geology Department’s remit encompasses critical regional exploration, mine resource development and being the technical lead for mine and underground geology.

Phu Bia Mining has a core team of long-serving, experienced geoscientists and technical personnel. The team’s core objectives are to explore, discover and define resources for Phu Bia Mining within the existing MEPA agreement area. These complex processes involve the use of state-of-the-art equipment including drones, as well as geophysical and geochemical techniques complemented by ‘boots on the ground’ geological and structural mapping. The latest modelling techniques are applied to define and understand the mineral resource potential. The terrain, remoteness and presence of UXO (unexploded ordnance) means the areas to be researched can be both inaccessible and potentially dangerous and require a high proficiency in logistics as the conditions are often challenging with limited access to reliable communications. The MEPA has been in place for close to 30 years and during that time extensive exploration has taken place, resulting in a huge amount of data being collected. The rigorous interpretation of integrated data sets and peer review forms the backbone of our success.

Operations Improvement

The Operations Improvement Department’s core functions include championing Phu Bia Mining’s ‘improvement mindset’​, seeking to eliminate waste while generating additional value.

The Operations Improvement teams provide integrated insights of operations, processes and assets​ across the business. Utilising targeted and prioritised engagements the team’s partnerships and systems deliver superior production outcomes.  

The Operations Improvement team’s Value Pipeline is a collaborative effort. All the teams across the business are involved and they work closely with the Finance team to reduce costs and increase value. The work program is a continuous effort to identify, shape, prioritise and deliver improvement projects across Operations and Support Functions. 

In 2023, Operations Improvement achieved US$32.5 million of verified value from our improvement projects. 65 cost and value projects were completed last year, a similar number of projects are already in the pipeline for 2024 which will contribute to our value generation target to exceed US$30m this year. Since 2019, Phu Bia Mining’s operations improvements have delivered value exceeding US$100 million.

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