Every Ton Tells a Story: Nickel Grade Control Management
Industry Process Consultant: Join Damanik
From 22–24 April 2026, the ACALA Training Center in Jakarta became a meeting point for knowledge, experience, and shared dreams for PT Empat Pilar Adidaya. Geologists and mining engineers from head office and site gathered with one goal: to manage nickel grade control more accurately, so every tonne mined truly reflects the value of the company’s resources and hard work in the field.
Throughout three intensive days, participants worked with real exploration drilling and grade control data, mirroring the complex conditions they face every day in PT Empat Pilar Adidaya’s nickel project. Discussions were open, honest, and full of energy, numbers and models were no longer just figures on a screen, but decisions that affect production, targets, and the future of the operation.
Over three days, participants worked directly with real exploration drilling and grade control data, mirroring how modern mines build block models, define ore and waste boundaries, and optimize drill spacing and selectivity.
Using realistic nickel style datasets, they practiced managing drillhole databases, setting geostatistical parameters for interpolation (e.g., variogram and kriging setups), and understanding how data quality affects resource estimates and short-term grade control.
Discussions highlighted how accurate grade models and well-managed databases are essential for ore and waste discrimination, minimizing dilution and ore loss, and improving reconciliation between plans and actual production. Participants saw how methods such as ordinary kriging approaches can significantly enhance prediction of nickel grades nickel deposits.
Training Highlights
- Exploration & Grade Control Drillhole Database Management
- Organizing collars, surveys, and assays into a consistent database.
- Ensuring exploration spacing and grade control grids contribute to a trustworthy orebody picture.
- Data Integrity & Consistency
- Establishing validation checks for drillhole entries.
- Maintaining alignment between exploration and grade control datasets.
- Geostatistical Parameters for Interpolation
- Selecting appropriate kriging methods for nickel laterite and saprolite.
- Defining variogram models that reflect geological variability.
- Case Studies from Indonesia
- Applying lessons from local deposits.
- Honoring geology rather than relying on software defaults.
- Ore Block Delineation for Operations
- Converting block models into practical ore blocks and dig lines.
- Minimizing ore loss and dilution while ensuring operational feasibility.
- Operational Realism
- Designing dig lines compatible with dozers, excavators, and truck fleets.
- Balancing geostatistical precision with mining practicality.
- Linking Grade Control to Long‑Term Value
- Demonstrating how drill spacing and selectivity affect project economics.
- Highlighting ore/waste discrimination impacts worth millions of dollars.
- Strategic Decision Making
- Reinforcing the importance of careful, data‑driven grade control.
- Building confidence in decisions that safeguard both accuracy and project value.
Participants reported feeling more confident, proud, and motivated, equipped with new tools to solve real field problems and a shared vision to apply these skills in PT Empat Pilar Adidaya’s nickel projects.
The atmosphere of open discussion and joint problem‑solving created strong emotional connection and optimism about delivering more consistent grade, higher value, and a more sustainable future for the company’s operations.
By the end of the training, participants did not just gain “more knowledge”, they felt more prepared, more connected, and more responsible for the success of PT Empat Pilar Adidaya’s nickel project.
Head office staff better understood the daily challenges at site, while site teams felt heard and empowered, seeing how their data and decisions are crucial for corporate targets and national nickel supply.
Geovia Surpac in Nickel Grade Control Management
Geovia Surpac plays a central role in turning nickel drilling data into practical decisions for mining, from early evaluation through to day‑to‑day grade control. It links exploration information, 3D geological models, block models, and production planning in one environment.
- Drillhole & Database Management
- 3D Geological and Block Modeling
- Geostatistical Interpolation & Grade Models
- Ore Block Delineation & Operational Planning
- Participants master the concept of Dynamic Anisotropy for Nickel Resource Estimate and learn to apply it directly in Surpac block modeling.
- Surpac provides a powerful platform for variogram analysis, anisotropy configuration, and model validation, enabling participants to transform theory into practical workflows that improve accuracy and reliability.
Geostatistical simulation in Surpac improve ore grade selectivity in open cast operations
Open pit planning often relies on a single kriged block model, which smooths grades and hides local variability. Geostatistical simulation (as implemented in tools like Surpac) generates many equally probable grade models, making selectivity decisions more realistic and less risky.
- Capturing true variability
- Multiple realizations, not one model
- Higher recoverable ore at target grade
- More accurate recoverable reserves
- Better grade–tonnage and NPV outcome
This training marked an important step in strengthening our nickel grade control capabilities and prepares the team for more confident decisions in the field.
With the knowledge gained in this ACALA program, our team is better equipped to support accurate, efficient, and sustainable nickel mining operations