Introduction

Abstract

© 2018, Springer International Publishing AG. The viability of todays mining industry is very highly dependent on careful planning and management strategies that minimise operating costs. An important and challenging problem is that of selecting and allocating a fleet of trucks and loaders for use in extracting and moving ore and waste throughout the life of the mining operation. This fundamental problem is important as the cost of the truck and loader fleet is estimated to account for up to 55% of the total cost of the operation. The difficulty of the problem is due to many factors including: the scale of the mining operation which involves multiple sites, multiple pits and a mine plan that extends over many periods; the complexity of the mining operation which requires a number of restrictions and operational constraints to be met; and multiple objective criteria that needs to be addressed. In this chapter, we define the equipment selection and allocation problem in the context of surface mining. We provide context by describing the background for the problem and define the scope of equipment selection in this book with respect to equipment and mining types. We also describe and define factors that can have an impact on equipment selection, such as equipment availability and utilisation, planning horizons and operating cost over time.