The simulator will be deployed at PT Freeport's Grasberg mine in Indonesia, where simulation technology company ThoroughTec already maintains four Cybermine training simulators.

The DS421-C is a rock-reinforcement drill rig for specialised cement-grouted cable bolt installations. Larin Allison, regional vice-president of Asia Pacific at ThoroughTec, said: "Recognising our leadership in the market for underground-equipment simulators, RUC, who are on the frontline of operations at Grasberg, have invested in simulator technology to help their Sandvik bolter operators work safer and smarter."

Barry Upton, managing director of RUC Cementation, commented: "This drill rig is a complex piece of equipment. There is a drive for multi-skilled operators to optimise our workforce underground, and we believe this simulator will help us achieve this."

RUC Cementation stated that it seeks to maximise the engagement of local workers, while maintaining best practice wherever they operate.

"Safety forms the foundation of our company ethos, and through our safety, training policies and procedures, RUC makes every endeavour to ensure that our employees operate in a safe and productive environment," Upton continued.

ThoroughTec has extensive experience working with the Murray & Roberts group of companies, as it commissioned five high-fidelity simulators for Sandvik equipment at Murray & Roberts Cementation's Bentley Park training centre in Johannesburg, South Africa, a few years ago.

According to ThoroughTec, the Cybermine system is extremely useful for evaluating how the operator reacts in an emergency; one example would be equipment fires.

"It's obviously difficult to simulate a fire on the actual equipment, so the simulator is a very useful tool in simulating one and assessing how the operator reacts to it," said Allison.

"Because the drill rigs will be used for fewer training tasks, the associated running costs of training will also come down significantly. Damage and wear and tear decrease as operators are able to familiarise themselves with the controls and iron out their mistakes on the simulator instead of the real equipment."