DMC Mining Services

Contract Mining Services

Contract mining is a form of outsourcing whereby a project owner retains an outside contractor to conduct all or a portion of mine development and operations. In providing contract mining services, DMC draws upon its broad range of disciplines: its engineering and estimating staff assesses mineable reserves based on geological reserves estimates provided by the owner; it assesses mine feasibility and designs underground operations, including mine shafts, ore and waste handling systems, mine dewatering systems, backfill systems and ventilation systems; it is capable of selecting and procuring equipment and determining manpower requirements; and once the feasibility and design of an underground mine have been established, DMC is able to develop and operate the mine with its equipment, trained personnel and management systems. Where it assumes responsibility for mine operation, DMC hires staff, develops production budgets and schedules, produces regular reports, maintains regulatory permits and filings, manages operating staff and assumes overall responsibility for safety and loss control.

Mine shaft sinking is one of the most critical and technically difficult aspects of underground mine development and construction. A mine shaft must be completed and commissioned for a deep mine before any other underground mine development can commence. Accordingly, mine owners place a premium on rapid sinking schedules. DMC is one of a small group of companies in North America that possesses the highly-skilled shaft sinking crews and the specialized techniques and equipment necessary to meet the requirements and schedules of technically difficult projects, such as those involving poor ground conditions or extreme depth. DMC's expertise in mine shaft sinking is based on more than 100 years of combined manpower experience. During this time DMC has continuously worked to develop technical improvements, the most significant of which is the patented Long Round Jumbo technology which involves a process for blasting 5 metre long shaft benches and which has materially increased the speed at which shafts can be sunk.

Lateral mine development involves the excavation of access ramps and declines and the excavation of drifts and crosscuts leading to the ore body. Management believes the expertise in mineshaft sinking has allowed it to capture lateral development work through a bundling of services. The Louvicourt Mine, Meikle and Bousquet Mines, are typical examples of major lateral mine development work obtained by DMC as a result of having performed mine shaft sinking at an earlier stage in the same project. DMC was also involved in initial ore production on each of these projects prior to the owner's crew assuming responsibility for operations.

DMC's mine construction services involve numerous specialized activities related to both surface and underground mine construction. The mine construction work has also included:

• the construction of refuge stations
• underground explosives magazines
• underground shops
• crushing and conveying systems
• sumps and dams for mine dewatering systems
• mine stabilization through the installation of rock bolts and application of shotcrete
• Injection of grout and grout backfill

In conjunction with major mine development, DMC has completed a number of underground construction projects, including at the Louvicourt Mine and  Bousquet Mine in Quebec, the Meikle Mine in Nevada, Xstrata's lead-zinc mine in New Brunswick, the K2 potash mine in Saskatchewan, the Cayuga salt mine in New York state, the Red Lake Mine in Ontario and the Turquoise Ridge Mine in Nevada. DMC also carried out a mine dewatering and water control project at Esterhazy, Saskatchewan for Mosaic. This project employed approximately 120 personnel. This work was carried out on a cost plus basis, with incentives given for meeting safety, water control and productivity objectives. 

Civil Underground Construction 

DMC also provides services to customers in the civil underground construction industry. DMC has completed an underground powerhouse excavation, penstock excavation and tailrace tunnel excavation for a mini-hydro project in northern Ontario and ground stabilization and construction work for The Sudbury Neutrino Observatory at the Creighton Mine in Sudbury, Ontario. In 1999, DMC completed work on the Cat Arm, Newfoundland hydroelectric tunnel rehabilitation, as well as establishing a freshwater reservoir and collection system for a Utah resort by the installation of a concrete bulkhead and piping system in an adjacent abandoned mine. DMC also constructed a pedestrian walkway and utility tunnel under a main street in downtown Salt Lake City. 

Raise Boring and Alimak Raising 

Raise boring is a continuous, mechanical method of boring vertical, or nearly vertical, openings used for ventilation, manways, and ore and waste transportation for operating mines. Raise boring techniques are also used to complete underground shafts for civil construction projects. Raise boring is a substitute for traditional raise excavation methods, such as Alimak raising, and has a number of advantages that make it preferable in certain applications. In particular, raise boring leaves smooth walls allowing for more efficient ventilation, which enhances the use of the opening as a hoisting shaft when equipped with conveyance guiding systems. Raise boring is generally considered a safer means of excavating raises than more traditional drilling and blasting methods. In addition, in unstable or frozen ground conditions, raise boring dramatically lowers the cost and expedites completion of the raise. DMC has a fleet of 16 raise boring machines and has performed raise boring for both the mining and heavy civil construction industries in North America and internationally. The largest raise boring project that has been completed was for Westmin Mining Corporation's mine on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, which involved four 480 metres long, 3.8 metre diameter raises to the surface. DMC currently has 12 drills active at projects in Canada and the United States.
DMC also operates a fleet of 12 Alimak raise climbing machines in order to provide raise excavation to its customers in those applications where it is preferable.

Engineering Services

Our evaluation and design services include concept, pre-feasibility and technical engineering. Our technical engineering capabilities cover all the major disciplines (civil, electrical, mechanical)

Concept & Pre-feasibility Studies
Our studies include elements such as:

• Assessment of the regional and local geology
• Ore reserve estimate
• Shafts and Ore handling systems
• Selection of mining method and mine plan
• Production schedule
• Capital and operating cost estimates

Technical Engineering
We provide technical engineering services to assess and optimize mining projects.
As operators and engineers, our services are founded on practical operating procedures and sound engineering standards.
Our expertise includes:

• Mine planning (conceptual/feasibility/detail)
• Equipment evaluation
• Mine and facility design
• Flow sheet layouts
• Material handling
• Ancillaries/utilities design
• Design of transportation systems
• Cost estimating

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