One Mine Cost Estimation Solution. Unlimited potential.

SHERPA

Increase the accuracy and reliability of your mining cost estimates while reducing the amount of time you invest in them with SHERPA. From financial evaluation of your project all the way through to reclamation, SHERPA has the data you need, combined with the models and algorithms required to calculate the costs at every stage of the life cycle of your mine.

Built on industry standard engineering-based estimating procedures from top minds in the field, like Scott Stebbins, combined with the robust and comprehensive dataset of the Mining Cost Service, SHERPA gives you all the tools you need to quickly and accurately determine capital and operating costs for every aspect of your project across the entire lifespan of your mine.

Our models come complete with suggested values for all standard variables, but allow you to add your personal expertise by customizing each item. Adjust for local conditions, modify values to run alternate scenarios, and output everything into a complete report for review and analysis. One set of cost estimating software, with unlimited potential.

Fueled by the Mining Cost Service

All necessary salaries, hourly wages, and equipment and supply prices are drawn directly from our cost database to allow for quick estimates with minimal project details. SHERPA provides suggested values for all necessary engineering parameters, such as hole loading factors, material densities, explosive types, and bench heights, and more.

An illustration of several people working on computers connected to a value chain.
A tablet and secondary screen displaying input screens for SHERPA Surface.

Fully Adjustable Inputs

Experienced estimators can override any or all suggested engineering, equipment, supply, and manpower requirement values simply by inputting their own data. This feature allows you to incorporate your experience directly into the algorithms used by the program ensuring the most accurate estimates possible. Since costs can be adjusted for local conditions, SHERPA is applicable to any region, worldwide.

Easy-to-Use Interface

We’ve worked hard to improve on our legacy products to bring you the best experience possible, all in the cloud. Our new, modern interface allows you to quickly navigate through all of the input screens with lightning speed. Finding and changing values is quick and easy, and tooltips on most inputs help explain the type of information requested and how the application determines its suggested values. Some tooltips even included alternate data to modify the application’s suggested values.

Detailed Reports with Data Visualization

Complete project output reports offer several views of your project estimations, including an Executive Summary, Total Project Cost Summary, and more. All of these pages can be exported in PDF format for quick and easy sharing with your team.

Models

Surface and Underground

Calculate costs for almost any mining project, whether it’s an open-pit, cut and fill, room and pillar, and more. Cost data and engineering parameters are included for nearly any condition you might encounter whether your project is surface or underground.

Reclamation

Environmental impact has never been more important than it is right now, and our reclamation cost models will ensure that you’re prepared for every step during and after mine closure. Keep track of and easily update their reclamation cost estimates for a mine from concept to closure.

Mineral Processing

Our mineral processing models calculate the operating costs and capital expenditures associated with mineral processing plants. Based on data supplied by the user, SHERPA suggests a flow sheet and emulates flow through the plant to arrive at material balance. Along with processing, SHERPA will also estimate engineering requirements for a variety of ancillary facilities, such as a tailings impoundment, water supply and treatment system, mill building, power supply, and even a project camp, if required.

Financial Evaluation

Produce a complete cash flow schedule for your project and compute the projected net present value, pay-back period, and internal rate of return on either a before- or after-tax basis with our financial evaluation models. You can easily compute the breakeven value for any of the data items you entered, such as ore grade, production rate, stripping ratio, smelting charges, or mining costs. Powerful risk and sensitivity modules allow you to examine the economic effects of variations in the data elements

How does it work?

Our Approach

The cost estimating techniques used by SHERPA rely on a number of project-specific engineering parameters, such as material densities and swell, powder factors, rolling resistance, drill penetration rates, drill bit and rod wear, stoping methods, and bench heights. These parameters, along with user specified haul profiles and ore and waste production rates, provide the foundation upon which the cost estimate is based. You may, of course, enter all these values directly into the application and manipulate them as needed. However, in cases where some or all of this information is unavailable, the SHERPA applications suggest reasonable entries. In addition to its suggested entries, our tooltips provide guidance in determining alternate values.

By suggesting entries for required fields in SHERPA Surface, for example, the applications allow you to complete reasonable estimates in a short time by specifying only a limited amount of information, such as the daily production rate, shift schedules, haul distances and gradients, and the total resource size. You can leave the rest up to SHERPA, or you can alter any and all of the suggested parameters as desired.

Equipment Selection

Once production and deposit data have been entered, the applications will begin the process of selecting equipment. Either specify your own fleet or allow SHERPA to build it for you based on your project specifications. In the case of SHERPA Surface, if the application suggests the fleet, an optimization process determines the most economically attractive excavator/hauler combination. Standard engineering techniques are used to select the types and determine the sizes of the remaining equipment in the Surface fleet and in the other SHERPA applications.

Equipment productivities are determined using widely accepted engineering techniques. Equipment availability, bucket fill factors, material densities and swell, fixed cycle times, and travel speeds (adjusted for load and gradient) are all considered when determining productivity. In SHERPA Processing, the application emulates material flow through the processing plant to determine a material balance. Using the flow rates, size fractions, and solids densities, the application selects the equipment and determines the capacities required.

Once the equipment has been selected in SHERPA Surface, the program examines the specified powder factors, bench heights, and production requirements to select the type and determine the size of the blasthole drills. Requirements for ancillary equipment, including graders, pumps, dozers, lighting plants, water tankers, pick-up trucks, maintenance trucks, and explosives loaders are also provided. Again, you can alter any or all of the fleet selected by the application by simply overwriting the suggested values.

Cost Estimates

With the equipment fleets specified, the applications begin the task of determining requirements for all other aspects of the operation. The numbers of hourly and salaried workers required to meet the specified production rate are estimated. Consumption rates for all pertinent supplies, including blasting materials, drill bits and rods, diesel fuel, electricity, repair parts, lubricants, and tires are calculated. The sizes of the shop, mine office, change house, and warehouse are provided, as are requirements for explosives storage facilities and the electrical distribution system. The application also estimates pre-production development and haul road requirements, as well as working capital, engineering, and management parameters.

Once all necessary cost engineering parameters have been determined, they are used in conjunction with the information contained in our cost database to calculate all relevant capital and operating costs. The results are then displayed under the Reports section of your project.

Who is SHERPA for?

SHERPA is an all-in-one package designed for cost estimators and engineers who need quick, reliable cost estimates for their projects. Whether you’re starting from scratch, or simply want to sanity test your own estimates, SHERPA contains all of the necessary data, models, and algorithms to ensure that your work adheres to highest standard of quality in the mining industry.

Want to learn more about SHERPA and how it can help you streamline your mining cost estimation process?

Request a demo with a member of our team to get a hands on tour of the SHERPA suite of mine cost estimation software.

Chris Berry

Vice-President Sales
  • cberry@costmine.com

Request a Demo

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