Mining 2.0
Challenges
The mining industry has difficult challenges with volatile commodity prices, profitability, declining ore quality, environmental responsibility, and increased expectations for social license. The mining industry requires substantial change in approach to be sustainable, economical, and ensure social license. Company culture must transform to take on improved practices and technology to be able to better balance safety, production and risks. The recent downturn has focused many operations on staying afloat in these challenging times. Success may however require more than just focusing on the core business, mining companies now more than ever need to leverage the value of information and technology to meet new demands.
Insights
Conventional mining approaches are shorter term than the commodity cycles and subject the mining company to the boom and bust cycles typical of the industry. Mines are typically designed using large economies of scale, and with the plant designed 5-10 years before operation. This typically results in a system that cannot operate efficiently or profitably for the actual market for much of the cycle, and as the industry faces declining ore grades this situation becomes even more challenging. The solution is to holistically adapt the core business in practical ways to be more agile, more profitable, more sustainable, reduce risks, and increase social license. Ways to do this include using a systems approach to the core business, improving innovation, improving use of technology, changing risk management models to more risk-sharing, changing contracting models with service providers, changing procurement models, and implementing change that can be accepted by both site and head office, management and front-line staff, etc.
With the right approaches, investments and projects, progressive companies can outperform their competition, thrive, and improve social license.
With the right approaches, investments and projects, progressive companies can outperform their competition, thrive, and improve social license.
Our services
We support mining companies to improve their core business and operations at any stage in the life-cycle, whether for a new plant, or an existing one. We bring a total systems approach to the business, – plant design, process optimization, improved technology, information technology, all-fuels energy efficiency, productivity de-bottlenecking, carbon management and reporting programs, culture change, different contracting models, and improved management systems. We can help you improve your business from mine to mill and the entire logistical train and supply chain.
Examples and case studies from our former experiences
- Flyn McCarthy was formerly Goldcorp’s Corporate Energy Manager and lead the Canadian Mining Innovation Council’s Energy Team. Flyn has successfully fostered innovation in the mining industry at the corporate strategy level and the site management level. Flyn’s focus on cost reduction technology applications helped Goldcorp reduce costs and meet social license requirements. Flyn’s previous projects have included, low carbon power purchase agreements and "build, own, operate" renewable energy projects. Application of innovative technology in all aspects of open pit and underground mining. Flyn was responsible for the development and application of near real time company wide data analytics and translating this information into corporate metrics including all in sustaining costs, sustainability targets and site level KPIs. Flyn has worked in both mining and oil and gas to adapt the ISO 50001 energy management framework as a vital tool for managing company wide systems analysis, opportunity evaluation and value tracking.
- 2014 Goldcorp Renewable Energy Strategy
- Application of big data software to solutions
- Large data solutions applied to mining - Eleonore project
- Internet of things applied to mining
- Canadian Industrial Program for Energy Conservation - Ventilation on Demand
- 2015 Energy report Goldcorp Energy Management
- Eleonore Ventilation on Demand project http://www.nrcan.gc.ca/energy/efficiency/industry/technical-info/library/newsletter/17116 , http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/solutions/industries/materials-mining/goldcorp.html , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7qUny6tNJc