Albian Sands Energy, Suncor Energy, Syncrude Canada Ltd has supported an initiative that provides Keyano College in Fort MacMurray with four Advanced Equipment Simulators from an Australian company, Immersive Technologies Pty Ltd. The AE Simulators will train current and potential mine equipment operators, providing the collaborating companies with skilled machine operators. This outstanding opportunity provides operator training in the safest, most efficient environment available.

Syncrude Canada’s Mine Training Administrator; Wayne LeBraun believes the unique collaboration is an excellent example of how industry operators can work together, ensuring qualified operators and a long term saving. “Rather than taking vehicles out of commission for training purposes, employees and students can get hands on training in a truck that simulates a multitude of conditions.”

Jeff Stibbard, General Manager of Safety and Mining at Albian Sands agrees. “This type of collaboration goes beyond industry standards in the areas of safety, productivity, efficiency and training and ultimately enables mine team member to consistently achieve outstanding results from day one.”

Immersive Technologies Pty Ltd manufactures what our clients consider the Worlds Best Training Simulator for Mining Machines. With 32 units in operation around the world and four (five in January) in Canada, the reliability and efficiency of the AE Simulator has proven to be the primary choice for mines and companies committed to developing expert operators.

“The Simulators test and train prospective operators and retrain existing operators in less time, at less cost and with greater all round safety and reliability than any other real time, in vehicle method”, said Keyano College Dean of Trades and HeavyIndustrial Fred Atkins.

The Advanced Equipment Simulator can be freestanding at your training facility or delivered as self-contained, transportable, climate controlled, modular unit. The AE Simulator can be set up and training your operators within 30 minutes of arriving on site. The portability of the AE Simulator allows the versatility to train operators at many locations and can be shipped and commissioned to even the most remote mine site.

Immersive Technologies Pty Ltd’s AE Simulator incorporates a unique modular design, allowing interchanging machine specific conversion kits. Immersive Technologies Pty Ltd manufactures over 15 different Conversion Kits, which accurately recreate the “feel” of 42 real machines. Machine groups Simulated include Rear Dump Trucks, Articulated Dump Trucks, Wheel Loaders, Dozers, Electric Face Shovels, Hydraulic Shovels and Hydraulic Excavators.

All component parts are sourced from the O.E.M.; (including Caterpillar, Komatsu, Hitachi, O&K, Bell, Bucyrus, and P&H) and this, added to the Non Disclosure Agreements we have, enables the operators to experience a very accurate Simulation. Information given during the Simulation via lessons and/or on screen prompts provides instant feedback on areas for improvement. After the session, the supervisor can produce reports, graphs, benchmarks and video to enhance the training.

The Simulator immerses the trainee in an environment that is almost identical to training in the real machine, but with much less risk. The trainee can confidently learn how to use the machine to the manufacturer’s specification, without the concern of endangering the supervisor, themselves or damaging equipment. The operator has an 180º cab “view” that is also mine specific, and surround sound provides allows the operator to hear all the sounds of the site. With an AE Simulator, the operator is not training on a generic piece of equipment at a generic mine site, your operators can be training on the specific piece of equipment they will use at your mine site.

The AE Simulator will be exhibiting at the AIMEX Asia Pacific International Mining Exhibition in Sydney, Australia from the 9th to the 12th of September 2003. Do not miss the opportunity to test drive the Advanced Equipment Simulator for yourself! For further information see www.ImmersiveTechnologies.com or contact Graeme Rutherford on (+61 8) 9204 2944.

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About Immersive Technologies

Immersive Technologies is the world's largest, proven and tested supplier of surface and underground Advanced Equipment Simulators to the global mining industry. The company has achieved this unique position by focusing on its mission to make every mining and earthmoving equipment operator in the world safer and their employer more profitable through its simulation technologies. Immersive Technologies' Advanced Equipment Simulators are helping hundreds of mining companies around the world to increase their equipment operators' safety and site profitability through effective simulation training.

Immersive Technologies provides its customers with the most effective Advanced Equipment Simulators available. This is made possible through the formal exclusive licensing and technical information alliances Immersive has established with the leading Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM), including: Caterpillar, Hitachi, Komatsu and Liebherr. These unique alliances provide Immersive Technologies with exclusive access to the OEM's proprietary and confidential machine technical information that is required to correctly simulate the OEM's machines and is not available through other public or dealer channels.

With advanced simulator modules deployed in 39 countries, Immersive Technologies is dedicated to provide outstanding service. To deliver on this commitment the company has customer sales and support offices located close to its customers in Perth and Brisbane Australia, Salt Lake City USA, Calgary, Ottawa & Vancouver Canada, Monterrey Mexico, Lima Peru, Santiago Chile, Bochum Germany, Johannesburg South Africa, Jakarta Indonesia, Kolkata India and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Immersive has the global mining experience, innovative technology, product range, OEM relationships, proven support commitment and industry vision to partner with you to ensure your simulator training solution delivers the significant results you expect.