Barminco Limited has boosted training capacity and reinforced its approach to safety with the purchase of a UG360 Advanced Equipment Simulator from the mining industry’s leading simulator supplier, Immersive Technologies.

The acquisition includes a transportable UG360 simulator, three modular Conversion Kits® (equipment modules) and a virtual Custom Mine Site training environment.

Barminco CEO Neil Warburton said the advanced operator training solution would support Barminco’s ‘Safety First – Safety Foremost’ commitment to its employees and drive improvements in unscheduled maintenance costs and operator efficiencies.

“This is a significant addition to our training capacity and we are looking forward to passing the benefits realised through this process onto our clients,” Mr Warburton said.

“Maintaining a high standard of training is vital for ensuring high safety standards across all of our projects. 

“This is particularly important as we grow our presence in the international market and seek to maintain a strong position in the Australian market.”

Immersive Technologies’ Chief Executive Officer Peter Salfinger said, “We are very proud to partner with Barminco to deliver a sustainable training solution that underpins their proactive approach to safety management and measured performance.”

“Immersive chose not to enter into the underground market until it was confident it could provide the industry’s best simulator solution. The UG360 achieves that goal and we look forward to helping Barminco achieve its business goals.”

The sale to Barminco continues Immersive Technologies’ strong growth during 2010 which follows the company’s launch of its next generation product range, the PRO3 for surface mining and the UG360 for underground mining in August 2010.

“We are pleased to see the level of positive interest from the mining industry to our new UG360 technology. In addition to partnering with Barminco, two underground mining customers in Australia have already acquired these simulators and have since incorporated them into their operator training programs. These include a leading copper miner in northern Queensland and large nickel producer in Western Australia. Globally, Immersive has a number of additional UG360 simulator deals underway”, he said.

Immersive Technologies was appointed Barminco’s preferred supplier for simulation technology following a rigorous international tender.

"Barminco demonstrated a commitment to partnering with their suppliers to develop and commercialise new technologies," Peter Salfinger said.

Immersive Technologies' extensive simulation expertise and compelling track record in successfully integrating and supporting its technology to meet customers' long-term business objectives were noted as key success factors, together with Immersive's exclusive OEM alliances, provided Barminco the confidence of a 'future-proofed' simulation platform.

In development for three years, the UG360 simulator is specifically designed for training in underground mining conditions and delivers the highest level of fidelity through advanced display, feedback and measurement systems intended to provide a trainee with maximum skills transfer in a safe learning environment.

The first Conversion Kits® to be made available for the UG360 are a range of Caterpillar underground trucks and Load Haul Dumps units (LHDs). The accuracy of these Conversion Kits® was made possible through Immersive Technologies’ exclusive technical information alliance with Caterpillar Inc. This sees CAT provide Immersive with access to its engineers and confidential technical information to develop the simulators.

Barminco’s simulator will be commissioned in March 2011.