Consultants and Community

Consultants and Community

Optimal Mining Solutions was established in 2004 with the aim of providing niche mine planning solutions to open cut mining operations. Our highly skilled Principal Mining Consultants all have over 23 years' experience in mine planning, which ensures that we provide accurate, timely and cost effective consulting services to all our clients.

Tony O'Connell
Director

 Tony, founder and director of Optimal Mining Solutions, has been working in the mining industry in Australia and New Zealand for over 24 years.

He has worked for BMA in the Bowen Basin, Rio Tinto Coal Australia at Tarong and Solid Energy in New Zealand prior to founding Optimal Mining Solutions.

He has extensive experience in many facets of mine planning including independent technical reviews, dragline optimisation, truck & shovel haulage analysis, long-term planning and due diligence. Tony is also experienced in the development of complex simulations and spreadsheets that are tailored specifically for each client's needs.

Tony is the competent person and signatory for 9 operating sites for the reporting of open cut JORC Reserves.

 


Michael Hooper
Principal Mining Consultant

With over 24 years' experience in the mining industry Michael is a Registered Professional Engineer of Queensland (RPEQ) that has worked for BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto, as well as a number of junior resource companies.

His experience has covered an extensive range of planning, operational and management roles in a variety of commodities including coal, iron ore, oil shale, copper, tin and gold. Michael's strength is strategic mine planning including the development of life of mine plans, optimisation, options analysis and identification of improvement opportunities.

Brett Ehler
Principal Mining Consultant

Brett is a qualified mining engineer working in the mining industry for the past 23 years with experience across a broad range of mining and technical operations. Since completing his studies he has worked in Australia and New Zealand in several open cut and underground gold, nickel, mineral sands and coal mines.

During this time he has worked for a number of large mining companies and contractors gaining experience in various aspects of the mining process including production, planning and scheduling, ventilation, mine design and project feasibility studies / evaluations. 

Brett has also completed an MBA and holds a first class mine managers ticket.

Kurtis Weins
Senior Mining Consultant

Kurtis has over 11 years' experience in the mining industry working for many of the world's largest miners and contractors such as Rio Tinto, Yancoal and Thiess as well as gold and diamond miners in Canada.

Kurtis is an expert user of all scheduling packages, especially Spry, and is a proficient user of other mine planning packages such as Deswik and Vulcan.

Kurtis' variety of owner and contractor work combined with extensive on-site knowledge provides him with great experience in the completion of all schedule types - from strategic and long-term schedules down to short-term and daily schedules. 

Community

Optimal Mining Solutions is a proud member of the western Brisbane community and has provided donations and sponsorship to several organisations in our local area through the Optimal Mining Solutions Community Program.

Contributions so far include:
  • Donation to Ashgrove Golf Club flood refurbishment project,
  • Participation in Steptember which raises funds for people living with cerebral palsy,
  • Donation to Red Cross bushfire appeal,
  • Sponsorship of The Gap Dragons Junior AFL club,
  • Donation to Hilder Road State School for the purchase and installation of sandstone block seating around their ovals and playgrounds,
  • Sponsorship of the Windsor Bowls Club Veterans Bowls Days,
  • Sponsorship of Leighton Contractor's Sub 18 Team in The Kokoda Challenge.
For more information on the Optimal Mining Solutions Community Fund please email Katrina.

Photographs provided by Chelsea Kavanagh Photography.
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