Mipac

A respected provider of design, automation, control, instrumentation, electrical engineering and process optimisation, MIPAC works on plants of any size.

Headquartered in Brisbane, Australia, MIPAC’s team provides expertise and solutions to optimise plant-wide process control and ensure operational excellence for its clients.

“We have been instrumental to the successful delivery of more than 200 projects worldwide and are adept at managing business-critical operations in mining and metals and minerals processing,” MIPAC managing director Eddie DeRivera says.

“Our experienced team of experts can deliver a complete project management solution — design, procurement, selection, construction, commissioning, training, maintenance — or offer contracting services for any individual electrical, instrumentation or control issue.”

In addition to operating across Australia, MIPAC delivers engineering solutions in many locations around the world. For example, at the moment MIPAC staff are working in:

• Khazakhstan providing instrumentation and process control automation engineering at a lead smelter, copper smelter and copper refinery
• Toronto, Canada on ISAMILL systems for mines in Chile and Peru
• Senegal on the optimisation of SAG mill controls at a gold mine
• Armenia on a feasibility study for a gold mine’s process control, instrumentation and engineering using the Albion Process, as well as the project’s electrical engineering
• Mexico where work has just finished on ISAMILL commissioning for a copper and gold mine.

“We take the time to get to know our customers’ needs so we deliver the best-possible solution,” Mr DeRivera adds.

“We present high-quality, cost-appropriate control systems that are maintainable and effective. We focus on robustness, reliability, risk reduction and self-sufficiency.

“We see things from our clients’ perspective. For example, there is no point selecting hardware for a client if there is no local support available for it.”

To ensure clients’ needs are fully addressed, MIPAC conducts a thorough audit of current plant. It introduces change management systems and addresses security issues, and then project manages the programming and implementation of process control systems.

For example, MIPAC is helping optimise productivity and profit at a large gold mine in western Africa.

The mine commenced operations in March 2009 and is now expanding its plant to double capacity. To increase and optimise production, MIPAC was commissioned to improve throughput in the gold mine, specifi cally working on ineffi ciencies in SAG mill controls.

“MIPAC was asked to tender for the work based on our reputation for delivering sustainable results,” Mr DeRivera says. “We were not the cheapest but we won because our client had confi dence in our abilities and we had proven success on similar plants.

“After a discovery visit we reported back with a list of suggested modifications. We defined and implemented a new control strategy on the SAG mill and, by modifying the distributed control system, we de-bottlenecked the feed to the SAG mill.”

MIPAC was directly involved in the project for about three months, however, within a week of the MIPAC team’s return to Australia, positive changes were evident.

In an email to MIPAC, the plant’s senior metallurgist advised that:

“We’ve set three new daily tonnage records in the last week — we’ve pushed more than 8,500 dry tonnes through the plant, not bad given the previous records were 8,300 wet tonnes! So I am very sure we’ve seen a five per cent improvement through better control already.”

This five per cent improvement in throughput equates to an increase of $10 –15 million a year in revenue.

MIPAC continues to implement remote monitoring, providing the gold mine operation with performance reports and suggesting improvements.

“An investment in proper process control brings immediate positive returns,” DeRivera says. “Improved quality and quantity of throughput, plus improved safety, naturally improve the bottom line.

“MIPAC makes plants operate at their full potential.”

For more information about MIPAC and how it can help transform your business, please visit www.mipac.com.au or telephone +61 7 3212 5600.