MMG Dugald River
Fast-tracked Configuration HMI Design Commissioning
- Dugald River, 65km north-west of Cloncurry, Queensland
- Plant wide control system configuration, HMI design and commissioning
- I/O Count: 3200
- Control System: Schneider M580 PLC, Wonderware System Platform
Dugald River Mine is an open field mine and concentrator located 65km north-west of Cloncurry in Queensland. Dugald River Mine is a global top 10 zinc mine processing on average 1.7Mtpa to produce 170Ttpa of zinc concentrate.
Project scope
- Plant wide control system, full concentrator, crushers to thickeners/filters
- Develop standards and functional descriptions
- Control system engineering, HMI design and configuration
- FAT (factory acceptance testing) and architecture optimisation
- Plant control system commissioning
Project highlights
- Fast-tracked project, first production achieved ahead of schedule
- Working seamlessly with Dugald River Mine stakeholders to achieve plant commissioning project milestones across multiple organisations
- Advised and developed control standards for MMG
- Smooth transition from project commissioning to operational support
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At the 2026 Mill Operators Conference, many sites told Mipac their leadership wants advanced process control and AI. Our first question was about their base layer: reliable instrumentation, well-performing PID loops and trustworthy operational data. Without those foundations, APC performance deteriorates, operators lose confidence, and systems get switched off.
Brisbane engineer John Robinson, who joined Mipac in 2022, has been promoted to Senior Control Systems Engineer. Supporting automation work at a mine site in Canada’s Elk Valley, often on his own and in temperatures as low as minus 40, proved he could solve problems independently on client sites. He talks about who helped him progress and what changes in the senior role.
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