RungePincockMinarco (RPM) announced that it has finalized the acquisition of rights to the Mine2-4D design software from MineRP. RPM said acquisition of a non-exclusive right to the code will allow it to develop its own mine design products and offer integrated design capability with its existing scheduling and simulation products.
RPM said the Mine2-4D design software had recently undergone a complete rewrite, using next-generation development tools to allow improved enterprise integration and processing capability. Under the terms of the acquisition, RPM has acquired unrestricted rights to rebrand, commercialize and exploit the software code and any successor products developed by RPM.
“The Mine2-4D product is well known in the industry, and by utilizing thisexisting foundation we have a low risk, fast track approach to getting mine design on our software roadmap and delivering a more holistic offering to our customers,” said Richard Mathews, CEO of RPM.
RPM has historically provided export/import functionality for design tools of multiple third-party vendors-allowing feedback between the design and scheduling processes-and it said it will continue to do so. The full integration of an RPM-specific design tool with RPM’s scheduling and simulation applications will, however, greatly enhance the mine planning process, according to the company.
“Having our own design tool will mean we can provide our customers with a complete planning solution. With design functionality, geological reserving, and operational scheduling, a fully integrated offering will enable customers to immediately evaluate the impact of changes in the physical environment on scheduled activities,” Mathews said.
“The product also comes with a new graphics engine at its core, which is based on leading visualization technologies. Our client base is increasingly looking to use the visual representation of geospatial data to validate plans, simulate and analyze alternatives. We will be embedding these new technologies across our existing products to greatly enhance the user experience and take this visualization capability to the enterprise level.”
RPM said it will expand its development team to support the acquisition and accelerate the release of an RPM-branded mine design product, with first release expected in the second quarter of FY2015.
