Customer Success Story: Kamoa Copper & CCLAS

Kamoa Copper modernised smelter laboratory operations with Datamine CCLAS, replacing paper-based workflows with digital traceability, automated validation, and integrated operational data.

Laboratory digitalisation
Smelter system integration
Automation-ready data foundation

FROM MANUAL LAB WORKFLOWS TO DIGITAL CONTROL

Kamoa Copper S.A. operates the Kamoa-Kakula Copper Complex, one of the world’s highest-grade and largest-scale copper deposits. At the heart of the operation sits a single-line copper flash smelter complex producing 500,000 tonnes per annum of blister copper anodes, supported by advanced environmental performance including greater than 99% SO2 capture.

As production and operational complexity increased, laboratory workflows had to keep pace with smelter performance requirements. Before CCLAS, sample handling and reporting relied heavily on handwritten sample bags and manual data entry.

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Before CCLAS, the laboratory faced:

CHALLENGES

To support operational scale and ensure laboratory data could be trusted and acted on quickly, Kamoa Copper selected Datamine CCLAS to modernise and automate laboratory workflows.

Full digital traceability
CCLAS enables automated sample registration, delivering complete digital traceability from sample receipt through to reporting. This ensures full transparency and auditability across the laboratory workflow.

Seamless smelter integration
Kamoa Copper required a system that could integrate with existing operational platforms, including Proscon and WIRE, enabling laboratory results to flow directly into core process monitoring and production systems.

Faster validated turnaround
Automated validation and real-time dashboards were critical to accelerating turnaround time for results and ensuring process teams had timely insights for operational control.

Less manual transcription
By enabling instrument data auto-capture, CCLAS significantly reduces the need for manual data entry, improving data reliability and eliminating common transcription risks.

Trusted laboratory data became the foundation for faster process control, cleaner reporting and future automation.

IMPLEMENTATION JOURNEY: DIGITISING AND INTEGRATING THE LABORATORY

The implementation of CCLAS introduced major operational improvements across the laboratory and smelter workflow. It moved the lab away from fragmented manual processes and toward a reliable, connected data environment.

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Automated sample registration
Providing full digital sample footprints

Real-time data flow
Results integrated with Proscon and WIRE for operational visibility.

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Stronger reporting governance
A more consistent foundation for reports and laboratory control.

“We got rid of all the paperwork… there’s shorter turnaround time, data integrity… so no incorrect transposing of data from one person to the next. So, a great improvement.”

Mationesa Nemasasi, Metallurgy Superintendent - Technical

As with any transformation project, implementation required overcoming technical and operational challenges

Data export complexity
SQL database disconnection issues
User adoption and workflow change management
Backfilling historical data into the historian environment

Despite these challenges, the implementation delivered a robust foundation for reliable, integrated laboratory operations.

FASTER, MORE ACCURATE LABORATORY OPERATIONS

Following the rollout of Datamine CCLAS, Kamoa Copper achieved significant improvements in laboratory efficiency, accuracy and integration. Automated validation and reporting streamlined workflows and gave process teams faster access to critical results.

Post-CCLAS transformation:

Faster Turnaround Time for Critical Results
Automated validation and reporting streamlined laboratory workflows, enabling faster delivery of results required for operational decision-making.

Increased Data Accuracy and Trust
By capturing instrument results directly into the system, CCLAS eliminated transcription errors and improved confidence in laboratory outputs. This strengthened the credibility of lab data across operational teams and improved downstream reporting quality.

End-to-End Operational Integration Laboratory data now flows directly into key operational systems, improving the ability to support: furnace control optimisation production visibility improved metal accounting accuracy This integration has enabled laboratory results to become an active operational driver rather than a delayed reporting function.

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A Foundation for Advanced Automation
With reliable real-time laboratory data now available, Kamoa Copper has positioned itself for the next stage of operational transformatio, automation-driven furnace optimisation.

LOOKING AHEAD: SUPPORTING AUTOFURN INTEGRATION AND SMELTER OPTIMISATION

Kamoa Copper is preparing for integration between CCLAS and Tenova AutoFurn(R), enabling advanced furnace optimisation capabilities. The future-state environment depends on one core foundation: trusted, accurate, real-time laboratory data.

Future-state capabilities:

All of these advancements rely on one core foundation: trusted, accurate, real-time laboratory data now delivered by Datamine CCLAS.

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CONCLUSION

Datamine’s CCLAS has successfully transformed Kamoa Copper’s smelter laboratory into a digitally integrated, high-performance analytical environment.

Faster process decision-making
Improved smelter stability
Increased confidence in laboratory reporting
More accurate metal accounting
A strong digital foundation for automation and optimisation

With future AutoFurn® integration on the horizon, Kamoa Copper is now positioned to unlock even greater operational efficiency and intelligent smelter control through data-driven automation.

“The implementation process with the Datamine team was seamless… they were very attentive, very patient… and now LIMS is operating seamlessly.”

Mationesa Nemasasi, Metallurgy Superintendent – Technical