Modern Mining January 2020

COMPANIES

Fast-growing Deswik a leader in mining technical software

really an astonishing figure given that Deswik is a relatively young company,” he says. “Our custom- ers include most of the major mining groups, as well as many mid-tier and junior mining companies and consultants. Geographically, we have a presence in most of the world’s mining regions, including Australia, Africa, the Americas, Europe, Russia and Central Asia.” Deswik’s software is applicable to every type of mine, whether it be underground or on surface, in hard rock or soft, and whatever the commodity. Included in the line-up are modules that address mine surveying, geological mapping, open-pit drill and blast, underground drill and blast, stope optimi- sation, operations planning and control, coal seam aggregation, and material flow mapping. New mod- ules are added to Deswik.Suite on a regular basis and updates and enhancements to existing modules are continuous. Capstick notes that a module that is proving popular at the moment, particularly in South Africa, is Deswik.Enviro, which has been developed for mines looking to optimise their rehabilitation and clo- sure outcomes and manage the risks in mining with challenging environmental constraints. It includes a Water Catchment Analysis tool that enables mine owners to perform a catchment analysis over any existing or predicted post-mining surface. Discussing the reasons for Deswik’s success, Capstick says that the software is based on a deep understanding of how mining really works. “One of our strengths is that we have a very strong consult- ing arm and, in fact, we have maintained a policy since founding of employing 1,5 consultants for every developer we have on our payroll,” he explains. “These consultants are constantly out in the field using Deswik’s software to advise and assist mining houses and individual mines with specific projects and problems. All the experience they gain is fed back to our developers who use it to ensure that our software remains up to date and relevant to the needs of the market.” He adds that Deswik’s consultants can undertake a range of tasks for customers, including mine plan- ning, design and scheduling; all types of study and due diligence work; scenario planning; equipment selection and optimisation; and process mapping and improvement. Most commonly, Deswik will provide these services direct to the customer but it also frequently participates in projects in collabora- tion with other companies – for example, as part of a multi-disciplinary feasibility study team.

A mining technical software and consulting company that believes it is growing faster than any of its competitors is Deswik, head- quartered in Brisbane, Australia, but with very strong links with South Africa. According to Dave Capstick, the company’s Business Development Manager, Deswik has grown rapidly through both the upturns and downturns of mining since being established in 2007 and now has 320 employees based in 14 offices worldwide.

T he company has developed and markets a suite of related software products (Deswik. Suite) that covers the entire mine design and planning process, with the core modules being Deswik.CAD, a fully featured CAD platform, Deswik. Sched, which encompasses both rate and duration- based scheduling, Deswik.MDM, a spatial database which offers powerful mining data management tools, and Deswik.LHS, which delivers landform and haulage solutions. In all, Deswik has 30 modules which all work seamlessly together and which are under constant review and development by the com- pany’s engineers and programmers. Capstick says that Deswik has gained a strong following from mining companies and mining pro- fessionals around the world. “Between them, our customers have around 7 500 licences, which is

Deswik’s Managing Director, Matthew Chilcott (left), is seen here with Dave Capstick at the company’s South African office.

62  MODERN MINING  January 2020