  Stockpiles are essential in the mining value chain, assisting in maximising
value and production. Quality control of taken minerals from the stockpiles is
a major concern for stockpile managers where failure to meet some requirements
can lead to losing money. This problem was recently investigated using a single
reclaimer, and basic assumptions. This study extends the approach to consider
multiple reclaimers in preparing for short and long-term deliveries. The
engagement of multiple reclaimers complicates the problem in terms of their
interaction in preparing a delivery simultaneously and safety distancing of
reclaimers. We also consider more realistic settings, such as handling
different minerals with different types of reclaimers. We propose methods that
construct a solution step by step to meet precedence constraints for all
reclaimers in the stockyard. We study various instances of the problem using
greedy algorithms, Ant Colony Optimisation (ACO), and propose an integrated
local search method determining an efficient schedule. We fine-tune and compare
the algorithms and show that the ACO combined with local search can yield
efficient solutions.
