Shane Summers started his working life as an electrical engineer before shifting to the coal mining industry in 1991. From 1991 to 1997 he encountered diverse operational experience ranging from longwall face tradesman and maintenance coordinator at the Gordonstone Mine through to site project engineer for the Newlands longwall system acquisition and its subsequent ramp up from 1997 to 1999.

In 1999 he moved to the supplier side of the industry in the role of business unit manager - shields with DBT Australia, including technical and commercial responsibility for six shield orders, three electrohydraulic control upgrades and complete longwall packages. His final position was as state manager for DBT's after-sales business in Queensland.

Shane recently established an independent company - PitWise Solutions – which acts as a representative for Inbye Mining Services' and Waratah Engineering's business interests in the Queensland coal fields.

Shane is a keen fisherman.

ILN:What is your earliest mining memory?

SS: Whilst a kid in primary school a few of us used to fossick around in the old gold mine diggings at Mt Chalmers (near Rockhampton). Pretty spooky (and dangerous in hindsight) when you’re only twelve years old. I didn’t get close to coal mining until doing surface switchyard work as an apprentice at the old Leichhardt mine and washery, Laleham and Cook collieries.

ILN: What made you choose mining as a career?

SS: In a way mining chose me… whilst commissioning high-voltage protection and metering equipment at the then new Gordonstone (now Kestrel) Mine in 1991. After working with some of the mine engineers it was suggested that I should apply for a job.

ILN: What was your favourite job in a coal mine?

SS: Being a part of the Newlands underground project team as the site longwall project engineer was extremely rewarding. Being surrounded by some of the best people in the Australian coal mining industry, all motivated and focussed for a common goal, and knocking down all of our assigned targets. With tight time and capital constraints a world class longwall system was installed on time, under budget, ramped to full production in under a month, and has consistently topped the production charts since.

ILN: What was your least favourite job?

SS: I always hated taking my turn to provide statutory coverage during strikes, whether I was a fed or on staff. Nothing is as forlorn as a quiet coal mine, and morale is always at a low during these times. Coal mines, and miners, are happiest when coal is flowing.

ILN: Who, or what, has most influenced your mining career?

SS: There have been quite a few well known managers and engineers who have mentored me at different times, however the “close calls” and mistakes made along the way have had the greatest influence on the person I am now.

ILN: What do you consider your best mining achievement?

SS: Standing with Paul Everett at the maingate of the Newlands longwall at 7:30pm on 31 August 1998… when we pushed the big green button on the Newlands longwall and the first of many millions of tonnes of coal came around the corner.

ILN: What do you see as being the greatest mining development during your career?

SS: Increase in reliability and decrease in maintenance burden on modern longwalls. In my relatively short career items like AFC sprockets, electrohydraulics and gearboxes have more than quadrupled in expected life, while ergonomics and maintainability have also improved largely as a result of customer pressure on equipment manufacturers.

ILN: Do you hold any mining records?

SS: Like other Larrikins before me I’m reluctant to personally claim any records, but am extremely proud to be part of the teams that held safety or production records at different times.

ILN: Do you have any unfulfilled ambitions?

SS: Many, but they have more to do with catching fish than mining coal.

ILN: What was your most embarrassing moment in a coal mine?

SS: I joined staff ranks during the early deterioration of union-company relations at the Gordonstone mine, and just before the 105 longwall installation. Despite being passed the shearer remote many times on shift to cut through crib, the boys took offence to me operating the shearer as a “staffy” to commission the 105 shearer zone speed control, when I couldn’t get a tradesman in the panel. To top things off a trapping shoe broke coming into the maingate, leading the boys to celebrate my poor judgement by giving themselves a 48-hour holiday. Thankfully LW105 proved to be the most productive face of that era in the mine’s history (before the Rio Tinto purchase), but this proved to be an important lesson about care when crossing lines drawn in the sand.

ILN: What was your scariest time in a coal mine?

SS: Although checking gas monitors in old workings and returns is spooky, the really scary times were probably working around an iron-bound maingate in bad ground with a bad tempered undermanager who was getting desperate to get the face moving. Thankfully a cool headed deputy and competent crew came through.

ILN: What is your worst memory of coal mining?

SS: The ugly side of mining politics, when people let the thin red line of union membership (or non-membership) decide who their friends are. Crossing pickets on staff was never fun.

ILN: Do you think that the day of the fully automated remotely operated face is near?

SS: Remote operation happens now on plow faces, and isn’t far off on shearers. It’s a shame that non-explosion proof technology available in other industries is slow to be made available to improve this situation, and of course maintenance will always require a human presence for the foreseeable future.

ILN: What major improvements would you like to see on longwall operations?

SS: A hobby horse of mine has been the way that longwall automation is always pushed to the electrical engineer. His job is to ensure the system is reliable and available, however, utilisation of face automation to cut the coal in the most efficient and productive manner requires input (and ownership) by the mining process experts, who you would expect should be the longwall mining coordinator and face supervisors. All too often these people do not even attend the initial equipment training, believing that only trades-people and operators need know how the equipment works.

Improved education and training for this group of people to better understand strata-control, longwall system operation and automation capabilities, and true process improvement techniques will increase longwall up-time and production.