Greetings from my corner of the "Frozen Eastern Wilderness" @ 1140 feet above mean sea level.

If you have not done so already please look at the forum sections and related items-the web site deals with the handling and movenent of materials of all types in bulk quantities using various means of transport being gravity, pnuematic, conveyor, tracked bucket wheel reclaimers, ore haulage trucks, cranes with grab buckets and slurry pipelines to name a few.

With regard to TPM, TQM, JIT, I would advise you to just set everything aside and read, listen and learn.

The systems used today are as simple or complicated as we wish to make them, PLC useage in bulk handling plays a huge part in operation, trouble shooting, and maintenance.

when I started in this business we had no computer to run mining machinery, conveyors, screening plants- the term wass and is "fly by wire control" where everything is controlled by electric switches of various types such as timers used in sequencing start up, bin level switches-referred to as bindicators, load cells for weight measurement of material. cables used for control of operations may be copper or leaky feeder/fiber optic which is coming along quickly in the mining industry.

As nothing is absolute as you still must create a hypothesis, experiment and come to a conclusion of either postive, negative, good, bad, more expensive, less expensive, do I lease or buy?

Projecting revenue streams, deciding on a depreciation method whether it is straight line, weighted average, declining balance, double declining balance, sum of the years, etc.

After spending twenty two years on the surface and underground in a hard rock mine I am more than willing to say I am still learning.

In my case I dealt with underground mine haulage using diesel powered mining equipment and belt conveyors.

I am a fond believer in the capsule pipeline method of transporting ores-to see one in use since 1983 at a japanese limestone quarry

go to <www.capsu.org.> If you have ever gone to the bank and used a tube to deliver your paycheck it is the same principal.

Please forward your comments,

lzaharis@lightlink.com ■

I'm also looking for the same thing.

please help me.

Kimmi ■