Scheduling and simulation
The scheduler is intended for scheduling equipment operation, taking into account:
-
Target values for ore production volumes and quality
-
Sequence of the open-pit/ mine technological cycle
-
Duration of operations performed by the selected equipment
-
Hauling distances and geometric distance between the blocks
-
Equipment operating schedules
-
Scheduled equipment maintenance and other regulatory works
-
Blasting schedules.
The simulation model checks the feasibility of the scheduler’s plan, taking into account:
-
Unscheduled events (breakdowns)
-
Delays due to passing maneuvers on congested pit/mine sections
-
Loading queues
-
Unloading queues in front of dumps due to uneven load distribution.
In MineTwin scheduling mode, scheduling for a single shift is carried out first, followed by its simulation. At the end of the shift, the scheduler generates the plan for the next shift based on the results of the previous shift’s plan execution by the simulation model.
Simulation control
To switch to scheduling/simulation mode, click Simulation in the Mode group on the menu bar, or use the Simulate button on the editing toolbar.
To start the simulation, use the button 
in the upper toolbar of the simulation window.
To pause the model, use the button 
.
To pause at a specified simulation time, use the button 
.
Clicking this opens a dialog to enter the desired stop time in one of the following ways:
-
In specified time from now - in simulation hours (for example, enter 24 to stop the model one day after the current time)
-
At specified time - in simulation hours (for example, enter 48 to stop the model exactly at the start of the third simulation day)
-
At the specified date and time - in model time (use the dialog window to select exact date and time for the model to stop)
When entering a value into one field, the others are calculated automatically.
Sequence number determines the order of stop points scheduled at the same time.
Press the button Schedule stop to add the stop to the table. You can schedule several stop points before closing this window.
Several events are already scheduled by the system in the initial table. Most of them will not cause the simulation to stop (the value in the Stop column is No), except for the last one, which corresponds to the end of the simulation.
To accelerate / slow down the simulation, use the buttons 
.
For maximum acceleration, use the button 
The 
button refreshes the simulation visualization manually, while the 
button enables automatic visualization updates. For faster simulation of large scenarios, it is recommended to disable automatic updates.
Visualization of simulation results
The layout of the scheduler windows is shown in the figure below.
Animation window
In the 2D animation, the simulation process is dynamically displayed in two-dimensional space: modeling the movement and operation of equipment and vehicles on the pit/mine map.
At the bottom right of the animation window, there are buttons that facilitate working with the map.
The 
buttons allow you to zoom in and out of the map, the 
buttons allow you to pan the map. The 
button centers the map so that the entire mine is visible at once.
Buttons at the top panel allow you to display additional information on the map.
The 
button toggles the display of the geographical map, the 
button toggles the display of mine segment lengths, the 
button toggles the block names.
The 
button shows road sections where vehicles move slower than their potential maximum speed due to congestion, road grade, or surface conditions.
The 
button highlights route load based on the volume of ore mass hauled by LHDs/trucks. The 
button highlights isolated segments if any.
Clicking on the equipment unit opens a window showing information about the status of the equipment unit, its availability and equipment use factor.
Clicking on a block opens a window showing information about the status of the block, the quality and density of the ore mass in the block.
Clicking on the dump area, its loading, quality and density of the ore mass at the dump area are displayed.
The button 
in the information window closes the window.
The button 
switches to the table with the list of equipment units and highlights the selected unit.
The button 
switches to the state chart diagram, useful for debugging system operations.
The button 
pins the information window, keeping it fixed in place when panning the map.
Map 3D window
In the 3D animation, the simulation process is dynamically displayed in three-dimensional space: modeling the movement and operation of equipment and vehicles on the volumetric pit/mine map.
Clicking on a 3D model of an equipment unit displays its name above it.
The buttons allow to zoom in and out of the map, the buttons centers the map so that the entire mine is visible at once.
Schedule window
In the Schedule window of the planning mode, the Gantt chart displays planned states for blocks (drilling, charging, blasting, haulage of ore mass, etc.) and planned tasks for equipment. During the simulation experiment, the execution of the plan is dynamically displayed, showing adherence to the schedule and any deviations from it.
To start the simulation, use the button on the top toolbar of the Schedule window.
The simulation can be restarted up to the desired simulation time. To do this, place the vertical line (time marker) at the desired date and click the 
button.
Use the 
button (Normal mode) for more detailed view or the 
button (Compact mode) for more compact.
When you click the buttons with equipment type icons, only equipment of the selected type(s) are shown in the Gantt chart.
The button 
allows you to select that only specific mine area will be displayed on the Gantt chart.
A group of buttons 
allows you to display the schedule for a specific date. The 
button hows only the equipment and blocks that have tasks on the selected date.
The 
button allows you to set the date, and the 
button centers the Gantt chart on the selected date if button is active.
Statistical information
Simulation status
On the left side of the simulation screen, the Simulation Status panel displays general information about the progress of the simulation experiment:
-
Current simulation date and time
-
Current shift number
-
Number of simulated days
-
Daily and yearly ore production plan by mass and volume (volume is calculated from mass using weighted average density)
-
Daily and yearly development plan by mass and volume (volume is calculated from mass using weighted average density)
-
Percentage of ore production plan fulfillment by mass
-
Percentage of ore production plan fulfillment by grade
-
Percentage of development plan fulfillment by mass
-
Total road length (km)
-
Total number of blocks in the scenario and the number of blocks currently active
-
Number of dump locations and number of dump locations containing ore mass
-
Number of fueling stations
-
Number of equipment units, their availability factor (av.) and utilization factor (ut.)
Summary statistics
The Summary Statistics table displays the key indicators of the simulation experiment results:
-
Actual quantity of total mined rock mass delivered to dumping points, and separately for ore and waste
-
Planned production (total, ore, waste)
-
Deviation from production plan, %
-
Cumulative production of substance, t
-
Planned cumulative production of substance, t
-
Deviation from substance production plan, %
-
Average work in progress (WIP), total and separately for production and development, t: the average amount of rock mass (ore, waste, etc.) in tonnes that lies between two mining stages. Example: drilling WIP — rock mass for which drilling has started but charging has not yet begun
-
Average lead time to mine one tonne of rock mass, total and separately for production and development, days: the time required to mine one tonne of rock mass from drilling to final dumping point
-
Fraction of plant operating time, %
-
Equipment availability by equipment type, %
-
Downtime fraction by equipment type, %
-
Equipment utilization and effective utilization rate by equipment type, %
-
Average daily distance traveled by all trucks, km
-
Average daily haulage volume, t·km
-
Average haulage distance, m
-
Average haulage ascent, m
-
Average truck cycles per truck per day
-
Total costs, and separately fixed, variable, and capital costs, USD
Daily volume stats
The Daily Volume Stats table shows the daily volumes of rock mass at different stages of its production:
-
Reached - amount of rock mass available for drilling(ore mass in blocks with open access)
-
Drilled - amount of rock mass prepared for blasting, t
-
Blasted - Amount of blasted rock mass ready for haulage, t
-
Haulage started - amount of rock mass loaded into trucks, t
-
Mined, t and m3 - amount of rock mass delivered to dumping points where it could be recognized as mined according to Mined ore recognition rule, t and m³ — corresponds to the mined rock mass volume resulting from the simulation
-
Haulage completed - amount of rock mass unloaded from trucks, t
The following production indicators are also displayed:
-
Stripping ratio, m³/t — ratio of waste volume mined (m³) to ore mass mined (t)
-
Stripping ratio, t/t — ratio of waste mass mined (t) to ore mass mined (t)
-
Plan - planned mining volume for the period (daily or monthly), t
-
Act/plan deviation - deviation of simulated volume from the plan
-
Quality - simulated ore quality, daily and monthly (percentage of valuable component)
-
Planned quality - planned ore quality, daily and monthly (percentage of valuable component)
-
Quality deviation - deviation of simulated ore quality from the plan
Additionally, general daily statistics are provided:
-
Drilled holes - number of drilled blast holes
-
Blasts count - number of blasts
-
Runs count - number of truck trips
-
Transp. mass - haulage volume, t·km
-
Haulage blocks - number of blocks with ore to haul at the beginning of the period
Costs
The Costs table contains information about costs by types of costs and types of equipment.
The table displays:
-
Capital (fixed costs) total and by type of equipment
-
Number of used equipment-months by types of equipment
-
Average costs per equipment unit by type for the entire simulation period/ average per day, average monthly/ average annual
-
Variable costs by types of equipment and types of cost accrual:
-
Shift-based costs
-
Hours-based costs
-
Distance-based costs
-
Fuel
-
Maintenance
-
Failure management.
-
Blocks stats
The "Blocks Stats" table shows data on the state of blocks at each moment of time.
The following is shown for each block:
-
Mine area to which the block belongs
-
Type (production or development)
-
State of the block (wait for haulage, haulage, etc.)
-
Start and completion date
-
Duration of state
-
Blasts count
-
Tonnes hauled
-
Tonnes remaining
-
Quality (substance content)
-
Density
-
Works status: volume of completed and remaining work in the block (the number of drilled wells/holes and the number of wells/holes left for drilling, the number of hauled and remaining tonnes of ore mass, etc.).
The button 
in the upper right corner of the table opens the bar chart of blocks stats.
The button 
in the upper right corner of the table opens the Gantt chart of blocks stats.
Equipment stats
The status and general information about equipment units are displayed in separate tables for each equipment type, such as:
-
Callout - allows you to display callout window for selected equipment unit
-
Mine area to which the equipment unit is assigned
-
Current state — movement, operating, no tasks, etc.
-
Scheduled time — scheduled operating in-shift time of the equipment unit
-
Availability, % — the ratio of the time when the equipment was available for work (according to the schedule and planned unavailability periods) to the total scheduled time. For example, a truck operates two shifts of 10 hours each. Its total in-shift time is therefore 20 hours. Within each shift, it has a 0.5-hour lunch break, and at the start of the first shift it has scheduled maintenance lasting 2 hours. Thus, the truck’s available working time for that day is: 20 − 0.5 × 2 − 2 = 17 hours; Availability = 17 ÷ 20 = 85 %
-
Utilization, % — the ratio of the time when the equipment was performing tasks to the total scheduled time. For example, a truck operates two shifts of 10 hours each. Its total in-shift time is therefore 20 hours. During this time, the truck spent 5 hours in motion, 3 hours loading, 2 hours unloading, and 1 hour waiting in the loading queue at an excavator. Thus, the total time spent on work during the day is: 5 + 3 + 2 + 1 = 11 hours; Utilization = 11 ÷ 20 = 55 %
-
Effective utilization, % — the utilization factor excluding non-productive time. In the previous example, the total time the truck spent on productive work, excluding time spent waiting in the queue, is: 11 − 1 = 10 hours; Effective utilization = 10 ÷ 20 = 50 %
-
Lost time, % — the ratio of non-productive time to the total task execution time. In the previous example, the total time the truck spent on work is 11 hours, of which 1 hour was “lost” while waiting in a queue. Thus, the share of lost time is: 1 ÷ 11 = 9 %
-
Total costs, USD
-
Mine areas worked — a list of the mining areas where this equipment unit operated during the simulation.
An example table of equipment operation data, shown for trucks, is provided in the figure.
In addition, for certain types of equipment, additional specific statistics are displayed, such as the number of trips for trucks, the number of drilled holes for drill rigs, etc.
The button in the upper right corner of the table opens the display of equipment operation stats in the form of a bar chart.
The button in the upper right corner of the table opens the Gantt chart of equipment operation stats.
The button 
in the upper right corner of the table opens a table with detailed information about the equipment states for the entire simulation period.
Dump areas and storages
Separate tables for ore dump areas and storages display information about their current status, such as occupancy, types and quality of ore, etc.
The Dump areas table is shown in the figure:
The following information is displayed for each dump area:
-
Callout — allows you to display callout window for selected object
-
State — inactive/unavailable, active, leveling required, dozer leveling, filled, and leveling completed
-
Capacity, t
-
Current stock — in tonnes, m3, and % of capacity
-
Ore types — amount of ore mass by type contained in the location
-
Current quality, % — current grade of valuable component in the ore mass at the location
-
Quality StDev, % — standard deviation of ore mass quality, %
-
Avg. wait for dumping time, min - average waiting time before dumping at this location
-
Inbound rate, t/min — ore mass inflow rate, t/min
-
Outbound rate, t/min — ore mass outflow rate, t/min.
The buttons in the upper toolbar of the Dump areas and Strages windows open separate charts that display:
-
Ore mass stock in dump areas, in tons
-
Volume of ore mass stock in dump areas, in m3
-
Change in the quality of the ore mass, in %
-
Hourly inflow rate of ore mass entering the dump area, t/min
-
Hourly outflow rate of ore mass from the dump area, t/min.
-
Changes in the quality of ore fragments, %
-
Quality variation, %.
Routes stats
The Routes table displays the following data for each route:
-
Average haul distance loaded/empty, m
-
Ascent loaded/empty, m
-
Descent loaded/empty, m
-
Number of loaded trips / return trips
-
Total distance traveled, km
-
Total tonnes hauled
-
Total tonne-kilometers
-
Average travel time loaded/empty, min
-
Average travel speed loaded/empty, km/h
-
Duration of the full loading–hauling–unloading cycle, min
-
Percentage of time spent loading / unloading / waiting
-
Quality of material hauled on the route, %
-
List of equipment types and units that performed trips along the route
For each route a Z-axis profile of the route is displayed for loaded and empty route leg.
Routes graph
The Routes graph displays haulage routes in the form of a graph. It provides a visual overview of the route network used during the simulation.
The graph shows:
-
Route points and related production objects, such as loading and unloading locations
-
Connections between these points that form haulage routes
-
The overall structure of the route network in the scenario
This view complements the Routes table and helps analyze route connectivity and understand how the haulage network is organized.
Graphs and charts
The MineTwin OpenPit visualization includes various graphs and charts for analyzing simulation results. By default, they are grouped into three windows on the right side of the screen.
Charts for analyzing actual production mining
Several graphs in the upper right window are dedicated to the production mining. They are:
Production Cumulative Total Chart
The Production Cumulative Total chart displays the cumulative progress of mining operations over time, showing the total amount of ore mass (in tonnes) that has passed through each stage of the mining cycle.
This chart helps track how much ore mass has been reached, drilled, charged, blasted, hauled, and mined relative to the production plan. It allows users to visually compare actual progress against planned targets.
Chart Elements:
-
X-axis (horizontal): Timeline (dates and times of the simulation)
-
Y-axis (vertical): Cumulative tonnage (t)
Lines and Areas
-
Reached, t — ore mass in blocks that have become accessible for drilling
-
Drilled, t — ore mass in blocks where drilling has been completed
-
Charged, t — ore mass in blocks where charging has been completed
-
Blasted, t — ore mass in blocks that have been blasted and are ready for hauling
-
Haulage started, t — ore mass currently being hauled
-
Mined, t — ore mass, that was considered as mined
-
Haulage completed, t — ore mass that has been delivered to dump locations
-
Plan, t (filled area) — cumulative planned production target
How to Use:
-
Monitor the buildup of tonnage through each stage of the production cycle.
-
Verify that actual production (mined/haulage completed) is following the planned trajectory.
-
Identify bottlenecks: flat lines indicate inactive stages where no progress occurred during the period.
-
Detect delays: if the mined line lags significantly behind the plan area, production is behind schedule.
Production Cumulative Substance Chart
The Production Cumulative Substance chart uses the same logic as Production Cumulative Total chart but for useful material, contained in ore mass.
Production WIP Total Chart
The Production WIP (Work In Progress) Total chart shows the amount of ore mass (in tonnes) that is currently in progress at each stage of the mining cycle over time.
This chart helps analyze where ore mass is “accumulating” in the production process at any given moment. It shows how much rock mass is waiting at each stage — drilled, charged, blasted, or awaiting haulage — and helps identify production bottlenecks.
Chart Elements:
-
X-axis (horizontal): Timeline (dates and times of the simulation)
-
Y-axis (vertical): Amount of ore mass currently in progress (t)
Stacked Areas:
-
Reached, t — ore mass in blocks that have become accessible but not yet drilled
-
Drilled, t — ore mass drilled but not yet charged
-
Charged, t — ore mass charged but not yet blasted
-
Blasted, t — ore mass blasted and awaiting haulage
-
Haulage started, t — ore mass currently being hauled but is not yet considered as mined
-
Mined, t — ore mass that was considered as mined, but which haulage is not yet completed
How to Use:
-
Observe how material flows through different stages and where it accumulates.
-
Detect production bottlenecks — if material builds up in one stage (for example, large red area = blasted but not hauled), it may indicate insufficient equipment capacity at the next stage.
-
Verify process balance — steady material levels at all stages indicate a smooth production flow, while sharp spikes or drops show interruptions.
-
Monitor the depletion of blasted material as it is gradually hauled away.
Production WIP Substance Chart
The Production WIP Substance chart uses the same logic as Production WIP Total chart but for useful material, contained in ore mass.
Production Lead Time Chart
The Production Lead Time chart shows how long ore mass (in days) spends in each stage of the mining process, calculated as how many days ore mass is staying in its current stage of the mining process at each point of time.
This chart helps analyze the overall efficiency of the production chain by showing how much time it takes for ore mass to pass through each stage — from becoming accessible to being hauled to the final destination. It helps identify delays or bottlenecks that increase the total cycle time.
Chart Elements:
-
X-axis (horizontal): Timeline (dates and times of the simulation)
-
Y-axis (vertical): Lead time in days
Stacked Areas (lead time contribution by stage):
-
Reached, d — time ore mass spends between becoming accessible and drilling start
-
Drilled, d — time ore mass spends between drilling and charging
-
Charged, d — time between charging and blasting
-
Blasted, d — time between blasting and the start of haulage
-
Haulage started, d — time from haulage start to being considered as mined
-
Mined, d — time from being considered as mined to being hauled to the final destination
How to Use:
-
Evaluate the total production cycle time: higher values indicate slower throughput.
-
Identify stages that contribute most to delays — the thickest colored areas show where ore mass spends the most time.
-
Track how lead time changes over the simulation period:
-
A growing slope means lead times are increasing (process is slowing down).
-
A declining or stable slope means throughput is improving or stable.
-
-
Use this chart alongside the WIP and Cumulative Total charts to link time delays to ore mass accumulations.
Production Buffer Size Variation Chart
The Production Buffer Size Variation chart shows how long ore mass (in days) typically waits at each stage of the mining process before moving to the next stage. It visualizes the distribution of buffer sizes (work-in-progress inventories) for all production stages.
This chart helps assess the stability of production flow and detect where excessive ore mass accumulation or delays are occurring. It indicates how much waiting time builds up at each stage, revealing imbalances between process steps.
Chart Elements:
-
X-axis (horizontal): Stages of the mining cycle
-
Y-axis (vertical): Buffer size expressed as time in days
Box Plot Components for Each Stage:
-
Reached, d — waiting time before drilling starts
-
Drilled, d — waiting time before charging starts
-
Charged, d — waiting time before blasting
-
Blasted, d — waiting time before haulage
-
Haulage started, d — time ore mass spends during haulage before it is considered mined
-
Mined, d — time ore mass spends after it is considered mined before arriving to the final destination
Each box shows:
-
Median line (black) — typical buffer size in days
-
Box (colored) — 25th to 75th percentile range (middle 50% of values)
-
Whiskers — minimum and maximum values
How to Use:
-
Identify stages where buffers are largest (tall boxes) — they indicate potential bottlenecks or idle queues.
-
Check variation width — wide boxes or long whiskers mean unstable flow and uneven processing.
-
Aim for balanced buffer times across stages to ensure smooth production and reduce idle times.
-
Use together with the WIP and Lead Time charts to connect buffer sizes with delays in throughput.
Charts for analyzing development mining
In the middle right window there are 3 charts for development mining:
-
Development cumulative total
-
Development WIP total
-
Development lead time
They have the same logic as corresponding charts for production mining.
Note: On each chart, except box plot, you can click legend items to toggle the visibility of the corresponding data series. Clicking anywhere in the chart plot area will display the values of all visible data series at that point in time.
Other charts and tables
In the bottom-right window, several additional charts and tables are available, primarily focused on ore transportation statistics and other events.
Haulage Distance Chart
The Haulage Distance chart shows the distribution of haulage trip lengths (in meters) for all transportation runs completed during the simulation.
This chart helps analyze how far trucks or LHDs are traveling on average, identify typical haulage distances, and detect excessively long or inefficient routes that may reduce productivity.
Chart Elements:
-
X-axis (horizontal): Haulage distance intervals (m)
-
Y-axis (left vertical): Percentage of total trips in each distance interval
-
Y-axis (right vertical, cumulative line): Cumulative percentage of all trips
Chart Components:
-
Blue bars — show the share of trips within each distance interval (histogram)
-
Gray cumulative line — shows the cumulative percentage of all trips as distance increases
-
Labels above bars — show the exact cumulative percentage of all trips up to the current bin
How to Use:
-
Identify most common haulage distances — these appear as peaks in the histogram.
-
Analyze distribution balance — if most trips are clustered at very short or very long distances, consider optimizing road layout or destination assignment.
-
Track long-distance trips — high shares of long-distance hauling can indicate potential bottlenecks or inefficient routing.
-
Use this chart together with Haulage Time and Haulage Speed charts to assess transport efficiency.
Haulage Time Chart
The Haulage Time chart shows the distribution of haulage trip durations (in minutes) for all transportation runs completed during the simulation.
This chart helps evaluate the efficiency of haulage operations by showing how long typical transportation cycles take. It helps identify unusually long or short trips, as well as detect delays that reduce fleet productivity.
Chart Elements:
-
X-axis (horizontal): Haulage time intervals (minutes)
-
Y-axis (left vertical): Percentage of total trips in each time interval
-
Y-axis (right vertical, cumulative line): Cumulative percentage of all trips
Chart Components:
-
Blue bars — show the share of trips within each time interval (histogram)
-
Gray cumulative line — shows the cumulative percentage of all trips as time increases
-
Labels above bars — show the exact cumulative percentage of all trips up to the current bin
How to Use:
-
Identify most common haulage times — these appear as peaks in the histogram.
-
Detect abnormally long haulage times that may indicate delays, congestion, or breakdowns.
-
Evaluate fleet performance stability — a tight distribution (narrow cluster of bars) indicates consistent operations, while a wide spread suggests unstable performance.
-
Compare with the Haulage Distance and Haulage Speed charts to detect whether long times are due to longer routes or lower travel speeds.
Haulage Speed Chart
The Haulage Speed chart shows the distribution of average travel speeds (in kilometers per hour) achieved during all haulage trips completed in the simulation.
This chart helps evaluate the efficiency of haulage operations by showing how fast equipment moves on average, and it helps detect cases where low speeds may indicate congestion, steep gradients, poor road conditions, or mechanical issues.
Chart Elements:
-
X-axis (horizontal): Haulage speed intervals (km/h)
-
Y-axis (left vertical): Percentage of total trips in each speed interval
-
Y-axis (right vertical, cumulative line): Cumulative percentage of all trips
Chart Components:
-
Blue bars — show the share of trips within each average speed range (histogram)
-
Gray cumulative line — shows the cumulative percentage of all trips as speed increases
-
Labels above bars — show the exact cumulative percentage of all trips up to the current bin
How to Use:
-
Identify most common travel speeds — these appear as peaks in the histogram.
-
Detect low average speeds, which may indicate poor road conditions, queues or delays caused by traffic congestion.
-
Evaluate speed consistency — a narrow cluster of speeds means stable performance, while a wide spread indicates variation between trips.
-
Use together with Haulage Time and Haulage Distance charts to understand whether long travel times are caused by longer distances or lower speeds.
Daily Blasts Count Chart
The Daily Blasted Blocks Count chart shows the distribution of the number of blocks blasted per day during the simulation period.
This chart helps evaluate the intensity and regularity of blasting operations. It indicates how often blasting events occur and whether they are concentrated in large batches or evenly spread out over time.
Chart Elements:
-
X-axis (horizontal): Number of blasted blocks per day
-
Y-axis (left vertical): Percentage of simulation days that had this number of blasted blocks
-
Y-axis (right vertical, cumulative line): Cumulative percentage of all days that had this number of blasts or fewer
Chart Components:
-
Blue bars — show the share of days that had the specified number of blasted blocks
-
Gray cumulative line — shows the cumulative percentage of all days that had this or fewer number of blasts
-
Labels above bars — show the exact cumulative percentage of all days that had this or fewer number of blasts
How to Use:
-
Identify typical blasting frequency — shown by the highest bar.
-
Detect bursty vs. steady blasting:
-
A single tall bar near zero means blasting happens infrequently.
-
A wider spread of bars means more consistent daily blasting.
-
Use this chart alongside Daily Runs Count and Daily Tonnes Mined charts to see how blasting activity influences production cycles.
Daily Runs Count Chart
The Daily Runs Count chart shows the distribution of the number of loaded haulage runs (trips with ore or waste) completed per day during the simulation period.
This chart helps analyze the intensity and consistency of haulage operations. It shows how many loaded trips are typically performed in a day and highlights whether hauling activity is steady or highly variable.
Chart Elements:
-
X-axis (horizontal): Number of loaded runs per day
-
Y-axis (left vertical): Percentage of simulation days that had this number of loaded runs
-
Y-axis (right vertical, cumulative line): Cumulative percentage of all days that had this number of runs or fewer
Chart Components:
-
Blue bars — show the share of days that had the specified number of loaded runs
-
Gray cumulative line — shows the cumulative percentage of all days that had this or fewer number runs
-
Labels above bars — show the exact cumulative percentage of days that had this or fewer number runs
How to Use:
-
Identify the most common daily workload for haul trucks or LHDs (the tallest bar).
-
Detect uneven hauling performance — a wide spread of bars indicates large fluctuations in daily output.
-
Spot low-activity days — tall bars near zero show days with little or no hauling.
-
Use this chart alongside the Daily Blasted Blocks Count and Daily Tonnes Mined charts to see how hauling activity aligns with blasting and production cycles.
Daily Tonnes Mined Chart
The Daily Tonnes Mined chart shows the distribution of the total amount of ore mass (in tonnes) considered as mined per day during the simulation period.
This chart helps evaluate the daily production performance of the mining operation. It shows how much ore mass is typically considered as mined in a day and whether production rates are stable or vary significantly between days.
Chart Elements:
-
X-axis (horizontal): Total mined tonnage per day
-
Y-axis (left vertical): Percentage of simulation days that had this amount of mined material
-
Y-axis (right vertical, cumulative line): Cumulative percentage of all days that had this amount or less
Chart Components:
-
Blue bars — show the share of days that had the specified daily mined tonnage
-
Gray cumulative line — shows the cumulative percentage of all days as the mined tonnage increases
-
Labels above bars — show the exact cumulative percentage of days up to the current bin
How to Use:
-
Identify the typical daily production output — the tallest bar shows the most common production level.
-
Detect low-production days — tall bars near zero may indicate downtime or operational disruptions.
-
Check consistency of output — a narrow cluster of bars shows stable production; a wide spread indicates fluctuating performance.
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Use this chart alongside Daily Runs Count and Daily Blasted Blocks Count charts to understand how production aligns with hauling and blasting activity.
Note: In all histograms, the left boundary of each range is inclusive, while the right boundary is exclusive. This means that, for example, in the 0–1 range (with an integer number of blasts), only days with 0 blasts will be included.
Stoppage Stats Table
The Stoppage Stats table summarizes all downtime events that occurred during the simulation, grouped by equipment type and stoppage typen. It provides an overview of how much time equipment spent unavailable due to scheduled or unplanned stoppages.
This table helps analyze the impact of various downtime reasons (such as weather, maintenance, or blasting) on equipment availability and productivity.
Table Columns:
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Equipment type — the type or model of equipment affected by the stoppages
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Stoppage type — the category of downtime
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Stoppage description — the specific name of the stoppage (for example, Blast 1 or Meteo)
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Units count — the number of equipment units of this type that experienced this stoppage
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Total events count — the total number of stoppage events of this type that occurred during the simulation
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Total duration, hours — total time (in hours) that equipment was unavailable due to this stoppage
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Time fraction per unit — share of total scheduled operational time that each affected unit spent in this stoppage state (shown as a percentage)
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Total costs — total costs associated with this stoppage (if cost parameters are configured)
How to Use:
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Identify which types of stoppages cause the largest downtime (look at Total duration, hours and Time fraction per unit).
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Distinguish between planned and unplanned stoppages to assess operational reliability.
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Use this data to refine schedules (e.g., plan maintenance better or reduce weather exposure) and improve equipment availability.
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If cost tracking is enabled, compare downtime-related costs across equipment types.
Zone Stats Table
The Zone Stats table provides a breakdown of transportation performance indicators by zone. Zones are user-defined areas of the haulage network, used to group road segments (arcs) for analysis.
This table helps evaluate the efficiency of haulage operations within different parts of the mine by comparing travel distances, speeds, and transported volumes across zones.
Table Columns:
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Zone — the name of the zone assigned to road segments (or (none) if not assigned)
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Total length, km — the total combined length of all segments within this zone
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Avg. loaded speed, kph — the average speed of equipment moving with a load inside this zone
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Avg. empty speed, kph — the average speed of equipment moving without a load inside this zone
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Total haulage, t*km — the total haulage work performed in this zone, measured as tonnes transported × kilometers traveled
How to Use:
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Identify zones with high haulage workload — large values in Total haulage, t*km indicate areas where most transport effort is concentrated.
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Analyze travel speed differences between zones to detect possible bottlenecks (low speeds may signal steep gradients, congestion, or poor road conditions).
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Evaluate zone coverage — check Total length to see which areas dominate the road network.
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Use this data to optimize traffic organization and road maintenance priorities.
Availability and utilization calculation
Understanding equipment availability and utilization is crucial for optimizing mining operations and minimizing downtime. MineTwin’s simulation tool provides a clear framework to track key metrics like total time, scheduled time, and utilized time, helping identify inefficiencies and improve equipment performance. These insights support better understanding of simulation results.
On the scheme above, there are the following categories of time periods and time usage:
Total time – total time since the beginning of the simulation.
Scheduled time – time there was a shift scheduled for the equipment. For equipment without shifts, scheduled time = total simulation time or total time between commissioning and decommissioning, if these are specified for this equipment.
Unavailable time – duration of slots classified as UNAVAILABLE. Typically, failures and maintenances fall into this category.
Available time is calculated as scheduled time excluding unavailable time.
Working time – duration of slots classified as ACTUAL_WORKING, doing actual useful work. For example, for trucks it would include moving to loading location, loading, moving loaded to unloading location, and unloading
Lost time (also can be called Waiting time) – duration of slots classified as LOST_TIME, waiting for something or being blocked. For example, for trucks it would include waiting in front of an unloading point or queuing in front of an excavator.
Utilized time is calculated as working time united with lost time.
Overtime is calculated as utilized time excluding available time, should be negligibly small in real scenarios.
Working available time is calculated as working time intersected with available time.
Lost available time is calculated as lost time intersected with available time.
Utilized available time is calculated as utilized time intersected with available time.
The above time usage categories are used to calculate availability, utilization, effective utilization, and lost time fraction for individual equipment units and groups:
Availability is calculated as a fraction of scheduled time when the equipment was available:
Utilization is calculated as a fraction of available time when the equipment was utilized (e.g. either working or actively waiting for something):
Effective utilization is calculated as a fraction of available time when the equipment was working (i.e., doing the useful work):
Lost time fraction is calculated as a fraction of utilized available time when the equipment was actively waiting for something or was otherwise blocked:
Time usage diagrams
Time usage diagrams can be viewed in MineTwin to visualize how the time usage categories described above apply to individual equipment units during simulation. These diagrams provide a detailed breakdown of each unit’s activity, making it easier to understand how availability, utilization, effective utilization, and lost time fraction values are derived.
To view a time usage diagram, open the desired stats tab (e.g. "Trucks Stats"). By checking and unchecking items in the list, users can select which units to show the statistics for. The diagram will then be displayed for the checked units.
Below is an example of a time usage diagram for trucks:
The time usage diagram is a bar chart where each bar corresponds to a certain time breakdown level. Each bar is divided into colored segments that indicate the time usage category — such as working time, lost time, unavailable time, and other states. This makes it possible to see at a glance when a truck was performing useful work, when it was waiting or blocked, and when it was unavailable due to maintenance or failure.
Time usage diagrams are especially helpful for:
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Analyzing simulation results at the level of individual equipment units
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Identifying bottlenecks and periods of excessive waiting
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Verifying that shift schedules, failures, and maintenances are modeled correctly