We are very pleased to make this CAD build available to companies engaged in Mining projects. It has taken us many years to build, adding the necessary data required for mining projects, creating Vendor and Standards model libraries, and beta testing it on small, medium, and large real projects with great results. It was built using almost a lifetime of experience in the Engineering industry and lessons learned from previous project successes and failures.

We have paid particular attention to detail and project workflows to enable ease of use for efficient MIM to DE processes. We aim to support and promote your company with the same enthusiasm, hard work, and attention to detail as we have used in this CAD Build.

We also know that our work is never done. Every new library we create, every database we configure, or application tool we exploit helps to improve your company's efficiencies and competitiveness. We like feedback from your project teams, praise or critique, and always listen to suggestions for making improvements. We never stop learning.

Our first of many to come Youtube Video.

We hope you like what you see, if not please don't hesitate to tell us.

This is the innovative approach system we have been waiting a long time for. Risk management and the confidence level will be significantly improved if we always have instantaneous info for the manager to make a decision.

We still need further improvement (top-down) to follow the modern project management style (flexibility and adaptability for project life scenarios).

Principal Mechanical Engineer wishes to remain anonymous for company policy reasons.

Allan Crow is the AACE-AU (Association for the Advancement of Cost Engineering) Australian Section, WA & NT Regional Committee Chair.

The AACE members' objectives drive projects to complete on time, on cost, and meet investment and operational goals. The AACE arm their members with the technical tools and expertise to support successful projects and programs.

Allan is also the Director of Allied Projects, who provides specialized Cost Controls Management services and regularly holds Cost Controls training events.

The approach taken for the Case Study was to not only use the MIM models and DE for the development of the Schedule but also for,

1. Determining the cost estimate line items right down to every component from the detail design model.
2. Alignment of the budget items for the cost management system.
3. Alignment of the cost control accounts to track costs, report EV, generate S-Curves and report performance.
4. Alignment of the contract line items (Pay Items) for managing progress across all phases, including Construction.
5. To show this graphically using 4D Construction Simulation technologies.

The success of this Case Study was establishing the coding structures directly from the 3D model. The Case Study was performed by adopting the MIM (Mining Information Modelling) approach supplied by e3D.

Coding structures enabled full integration between the 3D model, PrismG2, Primavera P6, with a final link to Synchro. For example, the Fabrication contract holds every item to be fabricated within the Transfer Station using the Element_ID's in the 3D model. Yes, that means every single Beam, Brace, Plate etc., required to be fabricated can now be tracked and progressed.

Budget Details in PrismG2 have been summarised, so we know precisely how many Beams, Braces, Handrails etc, are required, even the number of bolts (fully categorized) for each part of the Construction.

Control Accounts for cost management have been created from the Work Packages and directly linked to the Primavera P6 schedule (via API). Phasing of Costs, Quantities and Hours can be visualized through the generation of S-Curves.

The obligatory 4D visual of the 3D model has also been thrown in for good measure.

Here's what Allan had to say about the Case Study,

There are significant reductions in costs to be gained from the approach presented, especially when you bring the design aspects back into the design office (where it belongs) instead of just passing it down the procurement chain.

I dare say the most significant savings are derived from reducing RISK to the delivery of the project.

Above all, it is about systems that manage the same project Scope through integration.

The granular level of detail will undoubtedly improve Cost Estimates as we now have ALL the detailed information right down to each beam and even to the last bolt. No longer do we need to guestimate the weight of steel over the structure; instead, we know the exact weight and dimensions of each beam!!!!

Some might say the level of detail is insane to set up in a system, let alone manage it. We wouldn't have enough time to do the setup.

Now that I have devised a functional approach of grabbing this detail directly from the 3D model (MIM), it is all quite elementary and super quick (hours, not days/weeks). The skill of pulling the Schedule together and selecting the right balance of grouping data for Progress Accounts and Control Accounts etc. remains with the savvy Project Controls expert. That cannot be automated.

Will it eliminate cost blowouts? It certainly will go a long way towards eliminating cost blowouts because SCOPE can now be easily seen in the Cost System (PrismG2, Primavera P6 etc.) and therefore managed.

We are no longer flying blind.

Disclaimer: e3D Pty Ltd and Allied Projects are not connected in any way, nor does either party derive any remuneration from the other. We are simply two colleagues from different spectrums of the Mining industry that share common objectives of utilizing MIM to DE technologies and processes to improve your project outcomes. To demonstrate these benefits, we sometimes share and collaborate our company-derived information.

Throughout our development of the MIM CAD build, we have been asked the same question by several colleagues on quite a few occasions,

"I am no expert here, but ISO 19650 for BIM has been adopted by quite a few countries. Generally speaking, we find that Australia adopts many of the UK standards and practices. Why don't you follow what the UK has done?"

Before working on the AECOsim build back in 2015, e3D researched what the UK had done for BIM in the AEC industry. We concluded that the BIM acronym and AEC work practices were too broad to be functionally applied to the design of Mining projects. While the AEC and Mining BIM requires similar tools, how the tasks are done, and the project workflows between the two industries are very different.

Recognizing this, we defined the following terminology,

Definition: Mining Information Modelling (MIM) - is a BIM-enabled 3D CAD application used by the 3D Modeler/Designer for designing and managing all 3D component related mining project information. The 3D models designed by the Modelers and created by using the BIM CAD application contain the digital description of each component as non-graphical metadata. The metadata is instantly associated with the related 3D graphical object and applies to every component modeled within the project.

Definition: Digital Engineering (DE) - is using those models and model-generated metadata data as the base project information for all other project activities and tasks, which is used again for the Construction, then the Operations phases of the asset.

Making this distinction greatly simplified everything and clarified what we had to do to build the MIM CAD system for AECOsim to be specific for Mining projects' design.

Here is the extract from Professor M. Reza Hosseini post confirming our approach,

This might be a matter unique to #Australia: the perceived dichotomy of BIM and Digital Engineering (DE). To address this, we have written a position paper to make things clearer.

Position paper: digital engineering and building information modelling in Australia

Even though their client's contracts were not requesting BIM (or MIM) for their projects, BG&E-Resources (BGE-R) still chose to use e3D's MIM CAD Build. Here are their reasons why,

• Ability to hit the ground running with a CAD build already set up for Mining projects which was/is project-ready and project-proven.
• Much reduced costs for CAD Administration tasks, which is generally considered a costly and time-consuming over/head.
• Makes for very efficient design of Mining projects with e3D's supplied Vendor and Standards model libraries, making them very competitive.
• At some point, they know they will be required to produce full MTO's and quantities of all project Structural, Concrete, Mechanical, Piping, and Electrical components, which e3D's CAD build does for them very well.
• Having comprehensive lists of every component from all of their legacy projects allows them to create complete and very accurate Cost estimates for upcoming projects of a similar nature.
• Having data about every component in the projects is beneficial for their projects' construction support.
• They have seen first hand the added value that MIM to DE has brought to their clients.
• It is reassuring for them to know they have a full team of people ready and waiting for any online support or training queries for their 3D Modelers/Designers.

On a recent project involving a 6.5km overland conveyor and an 800m plant conveyor, they had a special request from their client for the exact number of conveyor pull wire pigtails and pigtail brackets. The client wanted to know this so they could send them out to be painted a different color. BGE-R queried the model and had the answer back to the client in ten minutes. Now that is service.

On the same project, the Constructor queried how many and which type of Wind Hoops belonged to each different ground module type. Even though this was denoted on the supplied design drawings, BGE-R queried the design model and answered it back to the Constructor within 10 minutes. Service that is hard to beat. Their client used the MIM-generated data extensively throughout the construction phase of the project.

The WSP Resources Group won the tender from Riotinto to perform the Engineering and Design of the Paraburdoo Conveyors 4, 5 & 8 Take-up Tower Reconfiguration project. The contract stipulated that it was to be done as a BIM project. Using eD's MIM CAD Build, WSP completed the project on time and within budget and supplied detailed lists of every component in the project's design, high-quality detail design drawings, and data-rich MIM 3D models in DGN format.

The WSP Resources Group was responsible for the Iluka – North Capel Separation Mill Upgrade project. Using e3D’s CAD Build, WSP delivered highly detailed and accurate 3D models of the project and lists of every component inclusive of all piping components to Iluka Pipe Speicifcations as actional data.