Introduction

Mine planning is no longer just about designing pits and calculating reserves. In today’s digital mining age, mining companies are shifting to a data-driven approach and real-time collaboration. One of the latest innovations in the mining industry is the use of Strategic Mine Planner (SMP) within Dassault Systemes’ 3DEXPERIENCE Platform. This mine planning software offers a new way to develop strategic mine plans with a more integrated, efficient, and collaborative approach. It revises the approach to mine planning, covering all stages from development to closure by implementing a robust scheduling strategy that prioritizes optimization and ecological responsibility.

What is the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform?

3DEXPERIENCE is a cloud-based platform developed by Dassault Systemes, which provides various industrial digital solutions in a single digital ecosystem. In the mining sector, this platform brings together various fields of knowledge, including geology, mining engineering, economics, and project management, in a single collaborative workspace. It simplifies workflows by integrating the platform across the entire mine planning solution ecosystem, making it a key component in the digital transformation of the mining industry.

Fast Engine Pit Optimization helps mine planners define pit limits quickly based on economic and geological data.
Fast Engine Pit Optimization helps mine planners define pit limits quickly based on economic and geological data.
Automatically generated mining phases simplify long-term scheduling and reduce manual errors.
Automatically generated mining phases simplify long-term scheduling and reduce manual errors.

The Role of Strategic Mine Planner in 3DEXPERIENCE

Developing comprehensive and robust strategic plans through multi-scenario analysis, optimizing practical stages and scheduling, and reducing project uncertainty through analysis and simulation in the early stages of simulation.

Strategic Mine Planner (SMP) in 3DEXPERIENCE is a module used for:

  • Strategically creating a Life of Mine Plan (LOM)

  • Developing block model analysis and long-term production scheduling

  • Running economic simulations and scenarios

  • Collaborating directly with geological, environmental, and financial teams on a single platform

  • Conducting scenario planning and what-if analysis quickly

Discover the advantages of using Strategic Mine Planner (SMP) in 3DEXPERIENCE, offering superior integration, speed, and data-driven optimization compared to conventional solutions.
Discover the advantages of using Strategic Mine Planner (SMP) in 3DEXPERIENCE, offering superior integration, speed, and data-driven optimization compared to conventional solutions.
Optimal phases created in Strategic Mine Planner can be instantly accessed by the Surface Mine Designer Role for seamless mine design execution.
Optimal phases created in Strategic Mine Planner can be instantly accessed by the Surface Mine Designer Role for seamless mine design execution.

Real Use Case

A strategic mine planner can use geological data from GEOVIA Surpac, which is directly connected to 3DEXPERIENCE, to create pit limits based on economic evaluations, design mining scenarios for the next 10–20 years, and share them with mine managers, financial managers, and environmental teams, all within a single platform. This use case showcases the strength of integrated mining software solutions.

Benefits for Mining Companies

  • Time efficiency: All parties work from the same data, reducing repetitive revisions.

  • Quick decision-making: Economic and technical analyses can be run in parallel.

  • Reduction of operational risk: With interdepartmental integration, planning errors can be minimized.

  • ESG and audit readiness: Data is documented and linked between processes.

These benefits show how the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform plays a vital role in helping companies achieve operational excellence in mining.

Conclusion

The use of Strategic Mine Planner in the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform is a step forward in the world of modern mining. With a collaborative, cloud-based, and integrated system, mine planning can now be carried out more accurately, efficiently, and adaptively to industry dynamics. For companies that want to remain competitive and sustainable, adopting this digital mine planning solution is not just an option, but a necessity.

Sources:

  1. Dassault Systèmes. (2024). 3DEXPERIENCE Platform for Mining.

  2. Dassault Systèmes Blog. (2023). Optimizing Strategic Mine Planning with Simulation.

  3. Hartman, H.L., & Mutmansky, J.M. (2002). Introductory Mining Engineering. Wiley.

  4. World Economic Forum. (2020). The Future of Mining: Transforming the Digital Core.

  5. SME (Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration). (2019). Strategic Mine Planning Guidelines.