Across Australian operations, a meaningful share of production holes finish outside design tolerance at some point in the drilling-to-blasting cycle. The downstream impact shows up in fragmentation, dig rates, haul cycles and crusher throughput. Drilling rarely gets credit, or blame, for any of it.

In the June/July edition of Australasian Drilling, IMDEX APAC BDM Adam Jennings looks at where the gap is coming from, what contractors can actually control, and how real-time downhole data is reshaping decisions at the bench.

The true cost of an off-design hole

A hole that finishes outside tolerance does more than miss its target. It changes the energy distribution of the blast, shifts the size and shape of the muckpile, and pushes variability into every step that follows.

Operations that measure this find the cost is rarely confined to drilling. It compounds through loading rates, truck cycles, primary crushing and mill performance. The driver is consistency, and consistency starts with accuracy at the collar and through the hole.

What contractors can control

Plenty of factors influence hole position once drilling starts, from ground conditions to bit selection. The two levers within most contractors' reach are the quality of the survey data and how quickly it is acted on.

Traditional methods rely on assumed rig alignment and slow feedback. By the time data reaches the people who can act on it, the next holes are already in the ground. Correction lands after the blast, when the cost is locked in.

How real-time downhole data changes the picture

North-seeking downhole solutions such as OMNIxBOLT remove reliance on assumed rig alignment. They deliver true azimuth and inclination at the collar and through the hole, independent of the rig.

Paired with rapid reporting through SURVEYxMINE, the data moves from the hole to the bench in time to act on. Decisions shift from post-blast review to in-process correction. Patterns get adjusted while they are still being drilled, not weeks later.

What this looks like in practice

On one hard-rock site, faster access to accurate survey data cut unnecessary re-drilling and tightened first-pass performance. No new rigs. No new consumables. No new workflows. The change was in how quickly trusted data reached the people making the calls.

The takeaway

The gap is no longer data availability. It is timely, trusted use at the bench. Operations that close that gap lift first-pass accuracy, reduce rework, and pull cost out of every step downstream.

Read Adam's full feature on pages 56 and 57 of the June/July edition of Australasian Drilling Magazine.