Micromine corporate sales manager Myke Jones said version 9.3 would take the MICROMINE software package from being largely an exploration product to clearly a strong competitor in the mining software arena.
"With the effort over the last couple of years, we have been able to put together all the functionality that mine engineers and mine geologists require in a mining software package," he said.
"Version 9.2 had some openpit design functionality, but it was still a bit off the pace. We really had a look at current offerings within the market and put the bar that we were aiming for above the perceived market leaders."
The new additions to the MICROMINE mining package include full openpit and underground mine design capabilities, grade control functionality and stope ring design.
Micromine also improved the geostatistical functions in version 9.3, and it is one of the few products to use the latest formulae for calculating variograms.
Jones said the addition of these new functionalities would also bring Micromine 9.3 closer in-line with the company's PITRAM mine control software package.
PITRAM was developed to allow mining operations to track the use of equipment or its workforce by automatically time-stamping events around the mine site. It also allows operation managers to check the current status of equipment, people and production at multiple networked locations around the site.
"The convergence of those two products is moving ahead nicely and you will see more and more interaction between the two in the coming years," Jones said.
Jones also said version 9.3 would remain one of the easiest to use software packages in the industry with its unique, intuitive user interface.
"The way it is set up the user interface follows logical steps," he said.
"With some other programs on the market unless you know scripting language you will struggle. Our program puts it into plain commands, really, all you have to do is click buttons."
Jones said the new additions to the program had taken between five and six man-years to develop. However, with version 9.3 now on the market, he said the time and effort would be worth it.
"Our market research indicates that Version 9.3 will increase our sales by 20-25%," he predicted.
"We have some fairly aggressive and innovative strategies up our sleeve to ensure we obtain market share.”
"Already there has been quite a bit of pre-sales activity and we have had a number of companies and consultants undertake mining software market comparisons. They have reported that Micromine 9.3 will do 100% of what they needed at an extremely attractive price."
Micromine's has experienced significant sales growth, averaging plus-50% each year over the past three years. This has come mainly from sales of MICROMINE,
PITRAM and other mining software packages including GBIS and Field Marshall.
Internationally the company has extensive sales into countries such as Russia and China with its software used by major mining companies throughout the world, including BHP Billiton, Newmont, Rio Tinto, Barrick, WMC, Xstrata and Placer Dome.
Australia’s Mining Monthly
