Atlas Copco simulator training goes global

April 16, 2012

More and more mining companies are turning to Atlas Copco training simulators to optimize their training programs in the face of a growing shortage of skilled labor. BHP Billiton of Western Australia is one mining company that has adopted this method successfully and is reaping the benefit.

While the mining industry is enjoying a period of strong growth and expansion it also faces one of its biggest future challenges – a major shortage of skilled operators. There are many reasons for this, not least the need to hire large numbers of people for new mining projects, partly to meet the high demand for metals and minerals, but also to compensate for the loss of experienced “hands” that will soon move into retirement. In Australia alone, according to one report, more than 150 000 new jobs will need to be filled by 2015. Against this background, operators need to be trained faster, better and more cost-effectively than ever before – a fact that has not escaped BHP Billiton which is among those companies now using Atlas Copco drill rig simulators together with the training program Master Driller.

"We all have varying levels of experience; some have no big drill experience and others have only seen the levers in big rigs. I think this is great exposure to technology and I can see how the drillers’ skills have increased."

Dan Rolston ,Drill & Blast Superintendent at the Yandi Mine

Major changes in sight

2012 Training Mining and Rock Excavation Service division Services International Open pit mining Customer story

Atlas Copco simulator training goes global

Major changes in sight

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