Zambia has set an ambitious course for its copper industry, positioning itself as a global powerhouse in the years ahead. Through the National Three Million Metric Tonnes Copper Production Strategy (2031) and the Critical Minerals Strategy (2024–2028), the government aims to increase annual copper output from 820,000 tonnes in 2024 to one million tonnes in 2025, with a long-term target of three million tonnes by 2031.
Achieving this scale will demand more than just deeper pits and larger fleets. As operations grow, so does the complexity of managing them. Without the right systems in place, inefficiencies such as idle trucks, queuing delays, and untracked variances can quietly erode performance—turning ambitious production targets into missed opportunities.
Where Mines Lose Value in Real Time
Production losses in open-pit mining often aren’t driven by geology. They stem from operational “time leaks” – for example:
- Trucks standing idle in queues.
- Shovels waiting for blast clearance.
- Payload variances only discovered after the shift.
By the time managers see the reports and step in, the tonnes are already lost.
The Case for Short-Interval Control (SIC)
The Case for Short-Interval Control (SIC)
Short-interval control (SIC) breaks each shift into smaller review windows of 15 to 60 minutes, giving supervisors live, real-time visibility into what’s happening across the pit. This timing allows operational teams to spot deviations – like truck queues, underloading, or shovel delays – and act immediately before small inefficiencies snowball into lost production.
Traditionally, production reviews happen at the end of a shift when reports are compiled, and problems analysed. By then, the tonnes are already lost. SIC changes this dynamic by creating a continuous feedback loop, where managers and operators solve issues in-shift, while material is still moving and changes can be most effective.
For example, if dispatch data shows a buildup of idle trucks at a particular loading point, fleet allocations can be adjusted within minutes rather than hours. Similarly, cycle-time spikes can trigger rapid investigations, helping to keep operations aligned with the plan and production targets on track. SIC turns production management into a continuous feedback loop, where every decision protects tonnes while they’re still moving.
How Mineware Consulting Enables SIC
Mineware Consulting is a South-African based company writing operational mine management software for international deep-level and open-pit mines. Their flagship Syncromine Production module turns control room logs into actionable, same-shift decisions. Here are the highlights:
- Dispatch and payload data feed automatically into SIC dashboards.
- Variances in cycle time, payload, or queuing are flagged in real time.
- Supervisors receive in-shift alerts to optimize fleets or adjust truck allocations.
- Digital shift change data ensures accountability and a smooth shift changeover.
The result? Fewer idle minutes per truck, more tonnes per operating hour, and tighter plan-versus-actual reconciliation by bench, fleet, and cycle.
Why It Matters for Zambia
For Zambia, where national output targets depend on ambitious expansion programmes, every marginal tonne counts. SIC ensures that production growth translates into real, measurable output – not just theoretical targets.
South African mining companies already using Syncromine have reported significant efficiency gains. The same discipline can now support Zambia’s copper expansion drive, ensuring scale does not come at the cost of control. For those mines looking to scale smarter, not just bigger, Mineware Consulting is the answer.
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