Innovations In Materials Handling Overcome Mining Handicaps In Chile

From the very beginning when an ore body is blocked out, till the last ton of mineable ore is shipped to the smelter, consciously or not, a mining engineer is incessantly wrestling with the materials- handling problem. In the mine and the plants, over the haulage routes, and at the shipping terminals, his fundamental responsibility is to see that each ton of ore and/or waste is extracted, processed and moved easily and economically. Success or failure of many a mining enterprise often rests principally with the judicious and effective application of existant materials-handling technique or its innovation. Time and again, key innovations in practicing techniques have turned a losing venture into a successful and profitable one.