Small Mine Development, LLC

MISSION:

Our mission is to be the leader in safe, productive and innovative underground mining solutions.

COMPANY OVERVIEW:

HISTORY:

Ron Guill founded SMD in 1982. Mr. Guill is a former Marine Corps officer and graduated from the Mackay School of Mines in Reno, Nevada with a degree in Mining Engineering. For 28 years, Ron placed SMD on the leading edge of mechanized underground mining innovation. He sold the company to a group of senior managers in December 2010. Our goal is to continue the traditions of this great company and to continue to embrace the future of underground mining.

A few of our innovative mining solutions are presented here. In 1984, SMD pioneered the use of 100% cemented backfill in underhand cut and fill mining. This mining method has been proven in challenging ground conditions and is now widely used in Nevada underground gold projects. SMD portaled into its first pit highwall at the Copperstone Mine in 1989 and we have constructed over fifty portals since then. We brought Cubex RC drilling underground in the early 1990’s and have proven the extreme value and versatility of this drilling method for exploration and production. Remote mucking capabilities were added to the mining fleet in the late 1980’s. SMD recognized the safety and productivity advantages to utilizing mechanized bolting and now have one of the largest fleets of mechanical bolters in the United States. Wet shotcrete capabilities were added to several projects in the mid-1990’s proving the safety of this ground support method. We have successfully implemented Atlas Copco’s RCS system on a two-boom jumbo allowing for computerized pattern drilling resulting in improvements in drift size and support requirements.

We have also been on the forefront of solving health related issues underground. Noise and increasingly stringent Diesel Particulate Matter regulations force continuous improvement in our efforts. When others said that cabbed equipment wouldn’t work underground, we started purchasing our prime equipment with operator cabs. We have been actively installing cabs on our existing fleet of equipment as well. We partnered with a “premium” biodiesel provider to assist in overcoming plaguing issues surrounding successful implementation of bio-diesel. These efforts have allowed our fleet to run on a minimum of 20% biodiesel and as high as 70% biodiesel for years without any serious issues. The majority of our prime fleet is equipped with diesel particulate filters and we have several Interim Tier 4 engines operating in the fleet that have the new diesel exhaust fluid technology to reduce NOx even further. The landscape is continually changing, but we willingly participate in improving conditions for our workforce.

These are just a few of the innovations currently in use on a daily basis by our experienced miners. They have all given SMD the unique ability to provide safer, more productive, and more cost-effective mining solutions to the underground mining industry.

DESCRIPTION:

Small Mine Development builds and operates America’s underground mines. Our mission is to be the leader in safe, productive and innovative mining solutions. We specialize in underground, hardrock mining and look forward to advancing your project from exploration, through engineering, development, production mining, and, ultimately, closure. Our experts are here to assist you every step of the way with your project.

CONTACT DETAILS

Small Mine Development, LLC

670 E Riverpark Ln 100, Boise, ID 83706-6552 United States

Ph: 208-338-8880

Fax: 208- 338-8881

Email: info@undergroundmining.com

Web: http://www.undergroundmining.com/