Thunderbird users will now have access to CR Digital’s Orion platform as well as its technical support.
CR Digital announced it will acquire Thunderbird Mining Systems in a transaction that expands CR Digital’s product offering, IP, sales/marketing and technical support activities.
Damian Assaillit, head of CR Digital, welcomed the move. “Thunderbird Mining Systems were highly regarded in the mining technology sector, providing world-leading blasthole drill optimization technologies to mining customers for more than 30 years,” he said.
Thunderbird founder John Vynne reported his team has pioneered Measurement While Drilling (MWD) technologies since founding the company.
“I am really pleased to see that our technologies will be part of CR Digital’s range,” Vynne said. “There is immense appetite for digital knowledge of drill planning and blast outcomes, and the Thunderbird technology combined with CR Digital’s Load Haul Optimization creates a unique and compelling combination that our mining customers will be able to leverage,” he said. “Thunderbird’s technology is proven to increase mine productivity, reduce drilling costs and improve blasting effectiveness.”
The addition of blasthole drill optimization and rock knowledge systems reflects a strategic move by CR Digital to expand its product range across fragmentation through to load and haul optimization, the company reported.
“Thunderbird Mining Systems products complement our existing CR Digital product range, including our market-leading Titan 3330TM Load Haul Optimization technology,” Assaillit said. “Optimized fragmentation is a key variable in the productivity of load haul circuits and being able to offer our customers more real-time knowledge is a great opportunity to further enhance mining productivity using technology.”
Thunderbird Mining Systems’ customers will benefit from the enhanced capability of the global CR group, CR Digital’s proactive technical support, the data analytics capability of its Orion platform, and access to a broader technology portfolio providing enhanced value to their operations.
