The 2006 acquisition of Falconbridge by the Swiss mining company Xstrata resulted in a new mandate for FTC. The group was re-organized as XPS, a standalone commercial enterprise offering expertise to both internal and external corporate clients. This mandate was confirmed and continued upon the 2013 merger of Xstrata with Glencore plc.

XPS has been successful in making the transition to a fully self-supporting commercial entity and today offers state-of-the-art services to Glencore and the worldwide mining industry.

XPS has become a leader in innovative technology for the mining industry, offering services in a number of areas. The company is organized into seven fields of expertise: Materials Technology, Process Control and Automation, Process Modelling & Simulation Group, Mineral Processing, Mineralogy, Pyrometallurgy and Hydrometallurgy. The Materials Technology Group provides a range of services to operations that includes on-site inspection, non-destructive testing, corrosion and failure analysis, as well as materials design and selection. These tasks are vital to the assurance of safe and uninterrupted operation of key metallurgical processes.

Manager Dan Falcioni describes the group’s role in XPS as one of support, with materials engineering expertise in areas like corrosion, wear, and damage analysis specific to the mining industry (i.e. mines, smelters, acid plants).

A large proportion of the group’s work consists of on-site support and coordination with client maintenance and shutdown crews, allowing operations to maximize or improve the reliability and service life of equipment. Customers’ situations are unique, so the group has often applied innovative technology as part of solution packages. For example, the Materials group has been an industry leader in the adoption of drone technology to assist in acid plant inspections, allowing the safe, rapid and successful inspection of equipment in difficult-to-access locations without requiring the potentially hazardous ingress of personnel.

The team brings with it a wealth of technical experience and expertise from multiple operations, backed up by a comprehensive range of technical support and diagnostic services from the XPS Sudbury facility. The group also brings to sites a good knowledge of best safety practices, allowing them to work constructively at remote operations to maintain or elevate workplace standards.

The Process Control and Automation Group under the leadership of the Group Manager Nicolas Lazare combines skills in advanced control with both data handling technologies and artificial intelligence (AI) to build new generations of controls and decision-making systems. The wide range of applications for this technology includes areas as diverse as energy reduction, mine ventilation, control and optimization of unit processes (smelters, converters, grinding mills, thickeners, et cetera), protection of equipment from physical damage, or prescriptive maintenance.

The Process Control and Automation group works closely with operations, including some embedded roles in plant support. One high-potential area of development that promises to expand the reach of the group is remote loop monitoring, enabled by the continuing advances in digital technology. The group is capable of creating “virtual control rooms” at the Sudbury site, allowing process loops to be continuously and remotely monitored and tuned, with direct contact with the site team as required. This allows the Sudbury site to offer advanced control services to remote operations anywhere in the world, many or most of which could not afford to have embedded personnel dedicated to this task.

The XPS Process Modelling & Simulation Group led by Tanai Marin, Superintendent provides unique expertise and the capability of combining different modelling techniques with an in-house interface development to link several platforms; for example, embedding multiphase multicomponent non-ideal thermodynamic modelling into Multiphysics simulations or high-level process simulation for digital twin plant simulation. The Mineral Processing Group under the leadership of Tony Deng, Superintendent of Mineral Processing applies the accumulated experience of decades of flowsheet development to the design and support of mineral processing operations. From its origin as an operational support group to Falconbridge and Noranda base metals operations, the group has now diversified into precious metals (gold, silver, PGE), rare earths, lithium and industrial minerals, offering a wide range of services to the global mining community. Services range from metallurgical testing to flowsheet development and piloting, and include activities such as site support, plant audits, start-up support, desktop studies and metals accounting.

The Mineral Science Group under Group Superintendent Elizabeth Whiteman provides a team of Geoscientists for mineralogical diagnostics and support. The facility offers advanced mineralogical services such as QEMSCAN and TESCAN quantitative mineralogy, XRD analysis and laser ablation (LA-ICPMS) backed up by a variety of laboratory sizing and pre-concentration methodologies in order to provide comprehensive analyses and process development services. The application of these methods is diverse, ranging from direct plant support or support to in-house metallurgical development programs to theoretical extrapolations of metallurgical performance for exploration projects based upon the proportion of pay metals distributed into the various mineral components of the ore. The Mineral Science group provides and develops state-of-the-art techniques and custom solutions for sample preparation and analysis, allowing them to extend their activities into a wide range of minerals and commodities (soluble salts, coal, graphite and other exceptionally soft materials such as talc). The group has also engaged in some advanced environmental applications such as the origins of dust collected in sampling filters, fibre counts, and other similar applications.

Manager of Hydrometallurgy, Don Shane, comments that today’s clients are strongly focused upon issues falling into the categories of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG). Production activities need to achieve their objectives in a safe and environmentally responsible manner. The technologies for hydrometallurgy developed with clients have a long-term outlook in mind, which helps to ensure those clients are preparing for sustainable business many years into the future while meeting the needs of today.

Mika Muinonen, Director of Business Development and Pyrometallurgy, believes that this is an exciting time to be in the metals business. Many of XPS’ clients are engaged in the production of vital commodities – copper, nickel, cobalt, lithium, et cetera – that represent the key to processes like electrification and avoidance of greenhouse gas emissions; however, industry professionals are observing a paucity of new projects to replace resource depletion or accommodate increased demand.

This is especially true with respect to nickel and copper. XPS has conducted several projects using a 350 kW DC electric furnace to process strategic metals such as chromite ore from the Ring of Fire deposit and has extensive piloting capabilities for high temperature processes including fluid bed roasting and thermal treatment. The XPS team foresees a lot of project development required for green metals, with the group in a good position to support that development. This includes projects that involve metals recycling. XPS is already engaged in a number of Glencore projects that involve integration of recycled metal streams into existing operations.

Muinonen adds that the experienced workforce at XPS has a lot to offer for the day-to-day operations. By the nature of the business, XPS personnel accumulate a great deal of exposure to diverse operational environments spanning a number of locations, commodities, and companies. “XPS has great people from top to bottom and is growing in a measured way, but the continual attraction of great people to the company remains a critical focus,” he says. “The idea is to attract a younger generation to the lucrative, exciting, and rewarding careers that mining can offer.”

XPS, like all businesses, has felt the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic; fortunately, though, the rigorous environmental safety measures already prevalent in the mining industry at large served it well in keeping its workforce protected. The ingrained culture of safety at XPS has allowed the group to rapidly adapt to changes in daily operations and establish robust protocols to control the spread of the virus. Due to the restrictions in travel, some onsite support activities have had to be postponed or cancelled; however, the company looks forward to the end of the pandemic as it plans to re-establish visits to client’s sites. “As XPS is an international business, its experts regularly visit clients on every single continent… with the possible exception of Antarctica,” Muinonen jokes.

Going forward XPS will look to market its services more broadly as it continues to develop an international client base. “We want people to know we’re here,” Muinonen underlines, “and the company will look to enact a campaign based especially on its abilities in the copper market. XPS has a lot of experience in copper and has identified this as a key potential growth area.”

Vice President Pascal Coursol adds, “The XPS workforce adapts to the needs of clients. Our services include strategic project support, enabling technology development, continuous improvements and emergency client assistance during times of trouble such as plant stoppage, loss in recoveries, or an environment, health, and safety (EHS) incident. We have the right skills at hand and we are constantly bringing new talents on board to better serve our clients.”

The post An Innovative Approach to Mining Technology<p class="company">XPS Expert Process Solutions</p> appeared first on Resource In Focus.

Salto primarily offers these services in the context of heat treating, ranging from annealing through hardening (using processes like case, air, and induction hardening) to carburizing, normalizing and black oxide, and to cutting services, with additional capability in induction hardening for both pins and drill rods.

Many different processes are involved in heating and cooling metals and improving overall properties as well as performance and durability, and this complexity necessitates state-of-the-art product-order charting and traceability.

A concept takes shape
The initial stages of development for Salto began in March 2019 at the behest of company owner Felix Lopes Jr.

The company’s lead hand, Christophe Mehanna, remarks that he has known Lopes for a long time and that when Mr. Lopes Jr. sees an opportunity, he does not pass it up. Mehanna himself was called upon during the development period for his 25-plus years of experience in the field – to give input into the design and layout of the shop and make it as efficient as possible.

The initial crew, including Mehanna, brought equipment together over the course of a year and a half before joyously opening the company’s doors on May 4, 2020. Now, given its newcomer status in the industry, the team at Salto are eager to demonstrate what makes the company stand out from the competition.

Born to lead
Mehanna explains that Salto operates by employing the most up-to-date technology available and that its processes are highly automated. One of the company’s primary focuses is to be reliable to its customers and consistent in its level of quality, and automation helps the team achieve this.

Salto is ISO9001:2015 certified. All the company’s furnaces and carbon probes are calibrated and certified, with the business itself being fully certified across industry standards (Technical Standards and Safety Authority, Electrical Safety Authority, Trescall, International Organization for Standardization, etc.). “We have superior quality control measures,” Mehanna adds. “All temper furnaces are digitally equipped and monitored by temperature control. In the event of a disruption or malfunction, the system alerts us by alarm and via email and text messages to all supervisors.”

Salto also boasts a lab in its Sudbury location that offers onsite testing – a big advantage that allows the company to perform hardness testing and analysis – along with a portable digital tester allowing for off-site hardness testing as well.

The company’s customer service measures operate in tandem with its robust service offerings with a 24- to 48-hour turnaround on most applications (regardless of size) at competitive pricing.

Thanks to its all-digital interface, clients even have their own online Client Portal to access their information – which is stored indefinitely on company servers, cloud-based with quadruple backups – at a moment’s notice. In short, Salto Heat Treating offers a full suite of customer-focused processes coupled with a modern approach.

A variety of firsts
In summer 2020, not long after its doors opened to the public, Salto added two significant new service offerings to its catalogue: a black oxide line, and pin induction.

Salto is one of the first companies in the northern Ontario area to install this cold oxide system, a process that’s an environmentally friendly counterpart to hot oxide, with the black oxide finish preventing rust and giving an appealing glossy finish.

Salto is also the only provider in the area to offer pin induction up to 7 feet in length. It can handle parts of up to 1000 pounds, with 24 different diameters and coils to do any job up to a 9.5-inch diameter. The company’s pin scanner has quick-change coils to reduce time between different size pins, allowing for faster set-ups and savings for customers.

Salto’s rod induction systems are also unique to the northern Ontario area, as the systems are fully automated and can harden up to 12 inches at either end of any drill rod up to five inches in diameter.

The rod induction scanners are outfitted with heat sensors to ensure each rod is heated to the same temperature. As Mehanna puts it, “We guarantee that the first drill rod we heat will be at the same hardness as the last. Uniformity is important to our clients.”

Further measures like surge protectors guard the processes from electrical interference and minimize factory downtime, leading to both a superior customer experience and final product.

The tough get going
2020 was a challenging year for businesses across myriad sectors and Salto felt the crunch of COVID-19 as much as anyone. With the company opening midway into the year (and midway into worldwide quarantine measures), Mehanna ruefully admits that it was – understandably – not as grand an opening as originally envisioned.

The company depends on both local and international business to survive and, as borders close off to nix the spread of coronavirus, it is increasingly difficult for Salto employees to meet with potential customers face-to-face. Nevertheless, Mehanna remains supremely confident in the Salto team as one with the experience and will to overcome challenges like pandemics and recessions.

He is candid in praising the company culture that has encouraged this attitude: “I wish every company treated employees like this one does and had the culture that this one has.”

Indeed, there is a deep vein of trust that runs from top to bottom of Salto and there’s no hint of micromanagement from general contractors, suppliers or from the companies that commission Salto. The company stands by a creed of employees first in recognition that work need not follow its people home and that, more than anything else, employees are the greatest asset to a company.

Recognizing the workforce’s continued efforts to deliver on the company’s principles no matter what, Mehanna hopes that the coronavirus will be managed soon so the industry can return to business as usual and Salto can offer its full breadth of services with no added hassle.

A bright future
The team’s positivity toward the future is buoyed by that of MTI (Metal Treating Institute), of which Salto is a member. The institute is optimistic about the opportunities that 2021 will present for heat-treating businesses and, in turn, Salto will be looking to execute on a plan to take advantage of these opportunities beginning early this year.

However, at the present time the market is still somewhat unstable due to the ongoing pandemic – Salto is currently working with one of the biggest customers in the market (both in North America and worldwide), so Salto seems to be getting off to a bright start.

Beyond this, Mehanna reveals that the company has in mind a five-year plan to add another line and build a new warehouse. Hilary Hancock, office administration at Salto, explains that Salto has plans to broaden its customer base throughout Ontario. “Meeting customers is a unique difficulty right now,” Hancock remarks, “but we want to make sure we don’t become isolated.”

Salto will look to coordinate with its regional contracts, getting potential clients into the shop so that it can display its impressive capabilities on a heat-treating level. Mehanna adds that the reviews of both the company’s quality and service have been “our focus and our priority.” The company will keep that momentum going into its first full calendar year.

Although Salto Heat Treating is a new startup business, it is a dynamic business with a solid plan for its future, and one that is eager to make its mark in the metal service industry.

The post Bringing Unique New Processes to Ontario's Metal Industry<p class="company">Salto Heat Treating</p> appeared first on Resource In Focus.

Recognizing a need for the latest technology among mining clients, veteran surveyor Marty Warkentin founded NSS (Northern Survey Supply) Canada in Sudbury, Ontario in 1989. Growing the business over the decades to a team of about 20, Warkentin and wife Ann Marie took NSS Canada from its beginnings as literally a small mom-and-pop company to where it is today.

“Marty saw that there wasn’t really a unified survey supplier at the time, and every mine was handling it by themselves on their own terms,” says geologist Matthew Brown, who took over as Business Development Manager last August. “He saw that market being open for somebody to come in and offer that service externally to keep a certain level of service and expertise.”

Last December, General Manager Bruno Lalonde took over as new company president from Warkentin, chief executive officer. While the company’s general manager, Lalonde significantly contributed to NSS Canada’s growth, brand expansion and development.

“It comes with great pleasure to promote Bruno as president of NSS Canada,” said Warkentin in a media release. “Bruno’s a true leader who understands the collective and individual intelligence of our great team. We’re in the business of adding value for our clients and industry partners by integrating a wide array of measurement technologies. I’m confident under Bruno’s leadership, our company’s future is exceptionally bright.”

Underground solution
Over the years, Lalonde’s contribution to the success of NSS Canada includes the development of MOSS, short for Miner Operated Survey System. On a mine site, greater accuracy means increased productivity, efficiency, and safety, making MOSS a complete underground solution. Combined with the Hexagon Mining Portfolio, MOSS gives feedback to workers on the surface in real time, and provides a proven ROI.

Surveying is typically labour-intensive, yet MOSS enables a single worker to do the job of an entire mine survey crew. Applying technology to existing workflows, MOSS reduces work that usually requires five workers for 45 minutes to an hour each, to just one person taking 15 minutes or less. This lets supervisors re-deploy those workers and operators to other parts of the mine, improving overall efficiency and production while maintaining accuracy and precision.

Proprietary to NSS Canada, with the current iteration built in-house, the original technology was developed by product development engineer Bernie Smith long ago, when he was a Falconbridge Mine (now Glencore) employee. To explain the MOSS setup, the company created a tutorial video at www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYTtcYjgjd4&ab_channel=NSSCanada.

One of the biggest advantages of MOSS is its machine-controlled accuracy. “You’re not relying on human observation and interpretation,” says Brown.

Coupled with a Total Station such as the Leica TS16 Total Station – which combines “all available measurement technologies into one superior instrument” according to NSS Canada – accuracy is improved and overbreaks are reduced by 10 to 15 percent, which leads to reduced overall costs and better savings for the mine.

“By tying MOSS to the Total Station, there is no ‘Oh, it’s close enough,’ or ‘I think it’s where it should be,’” Brown says. “The system is completely robotic in the sense that once the measurements are in the system, the Total Station does all the work. It tells the miner where to mark their holes and what angle and grade to use as they drill. Since everything is controlled there, there’s no human error involved.”

With even the most eagle-eyed workers, all humans tend to look at everything slightly differently; with MOSS and the Total Stations, the same level of accuracy is ensured every single time.

Starting in Sudbury-area mines and ballooning in the last decade, MOSS is now used by most mines in Northern Ontario, as well as across Canada. NSS Canada is also seeing its use in the American market along with trials in Mexico, and upcoming expansion in Brazil, with some units recently sold to mines in South Africa and Russia.

One system was recently sold in Fiji, because of a mine site’s need to reduce personnel, modernize operations, and because of temporary closures forced by COVID-19. Management on the mine site saw the system on an NSS Canada Instagram post.

Strategic partners
For years, NSS Canada has strategically allied itself with some of the most respected brands on the market. One of the company’s original partners was Leica, founded in Germany and known worldwide for its cameras, microscopes, and other high-end optics. Several years ago, Hexagon Mining purchased Leica, incorporating Leica’s many years of experience and innovation into its portfolio. Today, NSS Canada is an Authorized Reseller of Hexagon Mining, and a provider of sophisticated mining solutions.

“We are showing their new techniques,” says Brown. “One of the things we are working on is incorporating augmented reality and virtual reality. Mining is moving toward being more automated, and physically removing people from the working areas of the mine. So we are trying to offer alternatives to people who have to physically be there to do something to be able to do it from a safer distance, or to remove them from that process entirely.”

Through vastly improved technology, mines of the future will boost surveying accuracy, reduce manpower, and increase safety. In recent years, Brown keeps seeing the “Industry 4.0” tagline, as mining becomes much more data-driven.

“I think we’ll continue to see a trend toward automation,” he affirms. “They are trying a lot of different solutions to collect that data, but now the conversations are changing about how to use that data, and how is it applicable to get more production, safety, and efficiency? I think companies like NSS Canada that have expertise find that it works in their favour, because we can come in and show them how best to use that data based on what we are seeing on our sites, or we can be the guides to get that technology in place and get those workflows developed.”

Taking drones below
Throughout history, technology has always “leaked” – what is used for one purpose will eventually find its way into other applications. One of the best examples is drones.

Adopted by hobbyists to get an aerial view of neighbourhoods and nature, drones are today used on above-ground mine sites for surveying. Now, incorporating the fruits of its own experience into existing drone technology developed through other innovations, NSS Canada is creating advanced tools for underground mining operations.

“A lot of that technology is getting so cross-pollinated between industries that as long as you can prove it works for one area, they are able to put it into mining, or at least give it a fair go,” says Brown. “There seems to be a lot of money for technology lately, so companies are willing to try anything and everything to make their mines safer.”

Most impressive of all is, if there is good underground infrastructure, everything can be done seamlessly. “The drone does the mission,” Brown says. “It goes in, does its scan, turns around by itself, and that information gets pushed to the operator as the drone gets back in range.”

Night and day
Yesterday’s drone technology compared to today’s is night and day, says Brown. Operators do not need a pilot’s license to operate the drone because it is autonomous and so sophisticated that it won’t bump or crash into walls; very little human training is involved, other than how to use the software and a tablet.

“The actual drone itself and the technical piloting is completely removed. Mines see it as a benefit, because you only have to rely on one operator. Before, if you only had one drone pilot and they took their holidays or were off rotation, you couldn’t do anything. So now it seems autonomous is the way to go, and a lot of the older technologies are moving toward it.”

Able to map up to six million points per second and equipped with cameras and Lidar (Light Detection and Ranging using pulsed lasers to measure ranges), outstanding 3D resolutions are created, better than any that can be done solely by camera.

Along with unparalleled accuracy, another benefit of the technology is speed. Open spaces in mines known as a stope measuring 160 to 200 feet (48 to 61 meters) can be analyzed in two minutes, a process that used to take anywhere from 25 minutes to an hour, depending on the type of resolution needed.

Looking out for local
Even with rapid technological advancements, the company has never lost the human touch. As a proud Sudbury-based business, NSS Canada strives to source all the services, supplies and tools it needs locally. Most of the people the company hires are also from nearby, or based in Northern Ontario, to keep the local economy strong.

“We know everybody is going through a tough time, so we pride ourselves on being the kind of team that if somebody comes to us and says, ‘we have this problem,’ and we know we can’t solve it but we know somebody else who can locally – even if they are our competition – we direct that person to the local company,” says Brown. “It makes sense that they go with somebody [local], even if it’s not us, because it is still benefiting the town and Northern Ontario.”

It is this kind of community- and client-focused approach that has led NSS Canada to ongoing success.

The post The Future of Underground Mining<p class="company">NSS Canada</p> appeared first on Resource In Focus.

The answer is metals and minerals. And you get those through mining.

The Mining Association of Canada’s website mining.ca calls metals and minerals the ‘building blocks’ of the smartphones and computers we rely upon, the vehicles that get us around, the buildings in which we work and live, and the green technologies that may one day save the planet from turning into Mars or Venus-like conditions.

But the industry providing the backbone for the technology boom does not exactly have a reputation for embracing technology itself, and that is where the Centre for Smart Mining (CSM) of Cambrian College comes in. Based in Canada’s mining capital of Sudbury, Ontario, the CSM facilitates new technology adoption for the mining industry, which has lagged in adopting new technology over the years.

CSM Manager Stephen Gravel said his organization focuses on mining technology companies and mining end-users as its main client base. It has expertise in underground technologies, alternative tailings treatment technologies, digital technologies, and battery-powered mining vehicles.

Gravel is quite blunt about the CSM’s reason for existence. “Mainly, I would say, the reason we exist is that the mining sector hasn’t really gone through a technology retrofitting since the 1970s and ‘80s, and with the advent of technology we have in our homes going into mines, companies are having a hard time coming to terms with that new technology,” he explained. “So, what we do is at the center, is, we do pilot studies and proof of concepts and make it easier for them to buy and implement new technology.”

Essentially, the CSM helps businesses in the mining industry focus is mining needs and technology from an applied research and technology skills development perspective. It is all about bringing the mining industry around the world up to date. But why has the industry lagged?

Gravel said this typically happens because of the great cost of deviation from established practices. This is not an industry, he explained, where a company can just try a product in the street like a new car. Any interruption to underground production means loss of profit, and if a mine tunnel is shut down to test new technology, that is a lot of time and money lost.

Something else mining companies have to consider is that testing and adopting new technology is capital sensitive. If a company bought a diesel-powered fleet five years ago, the cost of replacing that equipment with electric vehicles is a huge upfront cost. That is a lot to consider for any company when the current fleet is still working and relatively inexpensive to maintain.

Gravel said that mines have to see new technology adopted by other mines before they will adopt it, which is another hindrance to adopting that new technology.

“That’s not a direct rule. They’ll buy with their eyes, traditionally,” he said, “but they need to see it in operation. They want to see the white papers, the engineering, more so than other industries, like IT for example, and everything they do is bigger and more expensive, so making mistakes with bigger, more expensive things means a lot more risk.”

Everything is huge in mining, Gravel added, and it wears. Where a person who drives a regular vehicle might spend $500 for a set of tires, a mining vehicle may cost tens of thousands of dollars to outfit with new rubber. If a company comes along with a new rubber technology that could be more cost-efficient, a mining company is more likely to say it wants to see proof of the return on investment before it will adopt it.

“So, what we do there is we’ll do demystification through pilot studies so clients will be more apt to buy, and technology companies will get a sale out of it,” said Gravel. “We can also help any skills gap that may come up in maintaining a fleet of vehicles.”

Gravel explained that if a mining company owner has, for example, thirty years of operation, it would stand to reason it would have a roster of heavy-duty equipment mechanics who are accustomed to fixing and maintaining diesel equipment. If that company wants to adopt new battery technology, there will be a significant skills gap among employees on how to maintain and safely operate that new equipment. So, the CSM can create short, purpose-built, customized training courses where it will develop course content to help industry leaders.

Safety is a huge motivator for the CSM as well, especially given that there have been some horrific mining accidents in the past. Making mining technology safer is more important than ever, and the CSM works with partners that have innovations for simple but important things like the air mine workers breathe when they are so far underground.

“When people think of electric vehicles, they’ll think of Tesla or wonder what’s Toyota going to do in the future but not this industry, and we need to think of it,” he said. “For every horsepower of diesel equipment operating underground, we have to supply the appropriate amount of air coming from the surface – at great cost – using ventilation, and the added cost of ventilation in mining is really fuelling this rapid technology adoption. A lot of people don’t really know about that.”

Sudbury is known for its mining industry, having been mining nickel for over a century. Gravel says several companies in the Northern Ontario city are talking about purchasing between 250 to 300 electric vehicles for mine use in the next four years, which Gravel says can be considered an important move. The electric vehicle version of the typical diesel vehicle is usually twice as expensive, which one possible vehicle reaching upwards of $1 million.

“That’s a huge investment, so we’re trying to make sure their investment in those vehicles is less risky by providing the workforce with the technology and techniques to adopt them,” he said.

Asked what he is most proud of, Gravel does not hesitate. The CSM’s work with underground robotics makes him want to, in his words, “shout from the rooftops.” In the last two decades, he said, the industry has seen controlled underground vehicles coming closer to looking like an X-box game controller. A recently-finished project from a company called Clickmox has users operate underground 5G enabled drones to scan mines. Those just starting in life and trying to figure out what they want to do, Gravel advises, should consider mining, as it is high tech and can take you around the world.

Being part of a college, students are an integral part of the CSM. In fact, for every industry project involving the CSM, the centre’s mandate states it must include student researchers, so whenever it works with a company, a student of a related discipline is there to add value.

“We want to be able to give them an immersive experience,” explained Gravel. “And who better to hire at the end of a project than a student who has worked on that project?”

As early as the fall of this year, the CSM will start to offer students some of the materials it has created for clients in its electric vehicles program. Cambrian College in particular has been looking into connected devices underground, the centre is watching the industry to figure out where the gaps are.

Gravel is proud of how the CSM keeps a close relationship with industry partners, such as FiComm Technologies, Sofvie Inc., Ionic Mechatronics, and Laurentian University.

“It’s not just about showing new equipment or about meeting a new engineer we just brought on board,” he said. “We always talk about how we can help, how we are able to go to industry and get a laundry list of things that keeps them up at night and provide solutions.”

Other projects the CSM has worked on include Underground 3D cavity scanner design and development, battery-electric drivetrain development, digital lockout solutions for pneumatic systems, wearable health monitoring for miners, and crusher feed optimization using machine learning. Check out the Center for Smart Mining at Cambrian College’s website to find out more.

The post Bringing Mining Into the 21st Century<p class="company">The Centre for Smart Mining (CSM) of Cambrian College</p> appeared first on Resource In Focus.

“As we reflect back on 100 years of mining in Ontario, it’s clear that the industry has never stood still,” says OMA President Chris Hodgson.

The OMA was created to represent the province’s mining industry, and today is one of the Canada’s longest-serving trade organizations. Boasting an impressive history of communicating with governments and communities to build agreement on vital mining and social issues, the association celebrates with great optimism.

“It was always about the future. The minerals we pulled from the ground made new technologies and innovation possible. In turn, adaptability to innovation allowed mining to flourish and drive the Ontario economy forward. Open minds have meant open mines,” he says.

OMA has been continuously working to educate Ontario residents about its long-time leadership of responsible mining and its current role in making modern life, innovation, and a green economy possible.

Driven by data
To achieve this, the OMA’s Communications and Outreach Committee took a data-driven approach in developing a communications strategy focused on the “millennial plus” demographic – one that was inclusive of future employees, voters, policy makers, investors and consumers.

“The themes we selected directly correspond to knowledge gaps and topics that this demographic is curious about – as is evident in the data,” says Hodgson. “To ensure we are successful in reaching our audience, the campaign has been focused on sharing authentic stories in direct, emotional, and highly visual ways.”

This is not a typical anniversary campaign, he says, as the OMA has not been preoccupied with celebrating historical achievements. Instead, it continues to encourage people to think outside the box, facilitating engagement, dialogue and mutual discovery.

“Our aim is to surprise and motivate people to form opinions about our industry based on curiosity and engagement,” says Hodgson. “We see it as a way to inspire the next 100 years.”

Building the workforce
OMA launched the #ThisIsMining campaign to shine a light on the importance of diversity and inclusion in the industry, realizing that people are the greatest asset and core of their ongoing success. As mining companies in Ontario value different perspectives, skill sets, leadership styles and approaches, there is growing momentum to elevate diversity and inclusion from merely being a topic of discussion to being part of the actual business plan.

“It makes sense given how the mining process itself is changing and the way that innovation and digital technologies are influencing the way we work,” says Hodgson.

“The industry needs a fresh and diverse pool of talent, and we can offer careers that open up opportunities for personal growth and exciting lifestyles,” he says. “This is something that we talked about during the campaign in terms of adventure – sharing the personal stories of men and women working in the industry, including Indigenous Canadians and new Canadians.”

Guided by science
In respect to science, technology, engineering and math, the industry continues to push the boundaries of what it can accomplish with technology, while learning from science. Disruptive technologies are changing the way everyone lives, communicates, and does business. This in turn changes the way OMA members mine. In addition to undergoing a technological and sustainability transformation, the industry is helping to reshape the future in fundamental ways.

“We produce the essential and irreplaceable components of daily life that fuel modern technology and its advancements,” says Hodgson. “This important role was re-confirmed during the COVID-19 pandemic when Canada, and many countries around the world deemed mining an essential business, critical to maintaining global supply chains.”

Although mining has been described as the “backbone of Ontario’s economy,” many may not be aware of the vital role mining plays in our daily lives. Though the number fluctuates with various commodity price changes, mining in Ontario produces revenues of around $10 billion per year. When taking into account indirect and induced benefits, the value of mineral production grows considerably.

Ultimately, Ontario’s mineral production, including indirect and induced impacts, provides for more than $12 billion in Canadian GDP and creates 78,800 jobs.

“The impact of mining goes beyond mineral extraction and processing,” says Hodgson. “Mining is linked to many other industries and sectors in the economy, including transportation, construction, equipment manufacturing, environmental management, geological services, education and research, among others.”

Everything from life-saving medical devices to planet-saving green technologies depends on metals produced in Ontario, Hodgson explains. The mining sector has exceptional potential to further contribute to the economic and social development of the province, given that the world needs responsibly sourced resources.

“Demand will only grow as we transition to an increasingly urban, high-tech, low carbon and green future,” he says.

This is Mining – today
As part of OMA’s campaign, This Is Mining: The Podcast was produced in partnership with Amber Mac, an entrepreneur, bestselling author, blogger, keynote speaker, and podcast/TV/radio host.

The podcast’s first season was devoted to exploring stories of human transformation connected to Ontario’s mining industry. Guests included Glenn Nolan, an accomplished mining executive and former Chief of the Missanabie Cree First Nation located in Northeastern Ontario. Nolan spoke about economic hope and the path to reconciliation.

Alicia Woods, the founder of a company making workwear designed for women, and Nicole Lynds, a transgender woman working as a miner, addressed the topic of entrepreneurial hope and the logic of diversity.

The second season explored STEM-related themes and how mining is the technology of today that is tackling the most pressing challenges facing this generation.

Guests included Dr. Joshua Marshall, engineering professor in field/mobile robotics and other future things at Queen’s University. Don Duval, startup guy, angel investor, engineering prof, MaRS Fellow, TED talker, and CEO of NORCAT, discussed how the technology transformation in mining is helping it win the battle for talent and opening the wallets of VC investors.

Kati McCartney, environmentalist and founding president of FROSKR, a firm using technology to build confidence in taking climate action, described how the mining industry will contribute net positive environmental impacts, contributing to this generation’s greatest challenge – climate change.

The Honourable Seamus O’Regan, Canada’s minister of natural resources, also talked about leveraging resources, mining and innovation ecosystems, and global leadership to position Canada as the supplier of choice of critical minerals for global markets.

A bonus episode explored the issue of climate and environmental action through the story of Sudbury’s re-greening. Guests were Dr. John Gunn, biologist and director of the Vale Living with Lakes Centre at Laurentian University, and Dr. Nadia Mykytczuk, environmental microbiologist and former NOHFC industrial research chair in biomining, bioremediation, and science communication at Laurentian University.

Sophia Mathur, climate activist and Fridays for the Future (Sudbury) organizer, also took the podium. Sophia is regarded as the “Canadian Greta Thunburg,” and was the first young person outside of Europe to organize climate strikes, with activism that has reached global scale.

Making ‘green’ a reality
The issues of climate change and “going green” are huge – and controversial – issues around the world, and mining is sometimes negatively viewed in relation to these concerns. To combat this, Ontario mining is at the forefront of providing the world with the sustainably sourced minerals and metals needed to make “going green” a reality, and to solve the most pressing environmental problems.

“Ontario mines its rich mineral resources responsibly, ethically and safely,” says Hodgson. “We have a world-class safety record, clean processes and low carbon emissions when compared to other industries and jurisdictions. Miners in Ontario continually strive to set, meet and exceed the highest standards of excellence, balancing their economic, environmental and social responsibilities.”

OMA’s vision is to make Ontario mining the cleanest, most productive, technologically advanced and socially responsible in the world, Hodgson adds. To that end, in 2017 OMA members launched the Target Zero+ campaign – an innovation strategy that balances short- and long-term goals, harnesses inputs from a variety of stakeholders and aims to deliver a step change in the way we mine.

“When it comes to driving enhanced productivity, we’re not just focused on individual mines, but working to encourage the opening of new, next-generation mines in the province,” says Hodgson.

Environmental comeback story
Sudbury in particular is a city that has benefited from changes in the mining industry, offering a story of hope that, through collective action, we can make change happen. The City of Sudbury has a history of environmental devastation wrought by mining companies of a different age, but 50 years ago, the people, governments and mining companies in Sudbury recognized that it wasn’t beyond repair.

Nearly 12 million trees have since been planted, more than 3,400 hectares of land have been revitalized and residents swim and fish in the 330 lakes inside the city’s boundaries. Today, Sudbury has some of the cleanest air in all of Ontario.

“It’s considered by some to be the greatest ‘environmental comeback’ story of modern times, and community volunteers on the ground say their work holds lessons on how to break the current cycle of climate conflict often pitting industry against the environment,” says Hodgson.

As the Sudbury story shows, understanding mining’s potential to lead sustainable, economic and social progress in the 21^st century requires the collaboration of mining companies, government, and society, a message shared through the #ThisIsMining campaign.

Health and safety
The ongoing pandemic has affected mining, of course, as it has all industries. As an industry providing critical materials, mining was deemed essential by the province throughout this crisis.

With regard to the mining industry’s reaction to COVID-19, its deeply ingrained health and safety culture proved to be a great asset. Companies were able to quickly adapt their robust health and safety protocols to help prevent transmission of the virus. OMA members were among the first to use rapid antigen tests as part of screening, and are now working with public health units to assist in the distribution of vaccines. Many of the member companies stepped up to help with pandemic relief efforts in their communities, donating urgently-needed personal protective equipment in the early stages of the pandemic, and supporting the most vulnerable through generous donations.

“We’re very proud of the swiftness and breadth of community support that they offered and continue to provide,” says Hodgson.

Ontario miners’ safety record is also something OMA is very proud of, with the wellbeing of its people always the number one priority, and members continuing to make strides in their safety performance. Over the past 30 years, the industry improved lost time injury frequency by 96 percent, making Ontario one of the safest mining jurisdictions in the world and making mining one of the safest industries in Ontario.

“We’ll get to our goal of zero harm by continuing to collaborate with governments and other partners,” says Hodgson. “So actually, it is not just the safety record we’re proud of, but also the collaborative approach we’ve taken to building a world-class safety culture. Collaboration and inclusion are the secrets of our success.”

Put on your sunglasses
The next 10 years are looking bright for the OMA.

“Ontario is blessed with commodities that are currently in demand, and the market has been doing well, but in order to keep our industry thriving, we have to be competitive in the global arena,” says Hodgson. “Ontario mining offers high wages and there are high costs associated with operating here. This makes it necessary for us to continually make gains on efficiency and productivity. We want everybody to benefit from mining, but in order for those benefits to flow, we need to have less red tape, and more predictability and long-term certainty in energy prices.”

Additionally, technological innovation, new research, better engineering and training, as well as advances in equipment, mechanization, digital analytics, artificial intelligence and robotics will also mean progress toward achieving zero harm objectives, greater environmental sustainability and production efficiency.

“OMA remains the hub for information sharing and promotion of best practices,” says Hodgson. “We need to keep the momentum going so that Ontario becomes the number-one mining jurisdiction for capital, not only invested in operating mines, but also in juniors, because a robust mining cycle relies on vibrant mineral exploration that leads to discoveries which can be turned into new mines.”

The post Going Forward, Going Green<p class="company">Ontario Mining Association</p> appeared first on Resource In Focus.

Unlike the dreaded tokenism – which sees minorities, women, and disabled persons put into high-profile roles to create the impression a business or organization is on board with equality – diversity and inclusion (D&I) is about representation, respecting unique identities and perspectives, and support.

For employees, diversity and inclusion help promote a healthy and creative work environment, one where staff are comfortable sharing ideas from their own perspectives. Workplaces representing persons from different backgrounds result in more contented staff, higher degrees of teamwork – where one person learns from another – and greater productivity.

For businesses themselves, this translates into a broader talent pool, the ability to reach more customers, and increased revenue. A genuine approach to D&I is a win-win for everyone.

The need for greater diversity and inclusion – and the links showing higher employee satisfaction and boosted profits – is not lost on businesses.

In 2015, U.S.-based management consultants McKinsey & Company issued an in-depth report on the subject, Why diversity matters. Three years later, the firm released the follow-up workplace study Delivering through diversity, which expanded on the earlier report, “drawing on an enlarged data set of over 1,000 companies covering 12 countries, measuring not only profitability (in terms of earnings before interest and taxes, or EBIT) but also longer-term value creation (or economic profit), exploring diversity at different levels of the organization, considering a broader understanding of diversity (beyond gender and ethnicity), and providing insight into best practices.”

Takeaways from the second report showed that, despite a link between gender and ethnic diversity and profitability, women and minority groups remain under-represented in many businesses. Equally revealing was the finding that executive teams with gender diversity are linked to greater profitability and value creation.

In the United States, recent diversity guidelines were established by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), which oversees and enforces federal laws making discriminating against someone on grounds of race, sex/sexual orientation, religion, colour, national origin, disability, genetic information, or age.

Some workforces, such as healthcare, education, and retail have higher rates of diversity and inclusion; others, such as big technology companies, are lagging far behind in hiring and retaining people of colour

One sector focusing strongly on diversity and inclusion is mining. Organizations including the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) have issued recent reports including Women in Mining: Global Perspective Cases and Best Practices from Australia and South Africa, which supports gender equality in mining. The Future of Mining Diversity from American-British law firm Hogan Lovells in partnership with Africa Legal is another valuable resource.

These reports and others such as Promoting Gender Diversity and Inclusion in the Oil, Gas and Mining Extractive Industries, A Women’s Human Rights Report, from Minneapolis-based The Advocates for Human Rights, reveal the need for increased D&I in the mining world, and point out that although improvements are being made, there is still a way to go.

Globally, the number of women in mining lags far behind that of men, including females in senior roles, and there is a substantial gender-based pay gap.

In Canada, mining companies and various organizations are striving to further D&I initiatives. Women in Mining Canada (WIMC) is a national not-for-profit group focused on its mission, “Educate Elevate Empower,” and on advancing the role of women in mining and minerals exploration.

Others, including the Mining Association of Canada (MAC) – which serves as the voice of the nation’s mining industry – agree more needs to be done to advance D&I in the country.

Last year, MAC and its member joined forces over six months “to identify and commit to several tangible objectives focused on ensuring discrimination, racism and sexism have no part in the Canada’s mining sector,” according to MAC. This resulted in the issuing of a formal statement, Canadian Mining: Our Commitment to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.

Along with prioritizing D&I and condemning discrimination, hatred and inequality, objectives includes strengthening equity, inclusion and diversity, and greater representation for Indigenous persons, members of the LGBTQ2s+ community, racialized persons, newcomers, youth, women, and those with disabilities.

The statement also notes, “Together, we aim for a Canadian mining workforce that reflects the diversity of Canada and the communities where we operate and a culture of belonging and inclusion; where everyone is respected, valued and empowered to excel within the mining industry.”

Known worldwide for its annual March convention, the Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) is also leading the way with Gender Diversity and Inclusion: A Guide for Explorers. Providing “e3Plus: A Framework for Responsible Exploration,” the 50-page document was developed by PDAC to assist with D&I strategies among junior mining and exploration companies in both the workplace and the communities in which they operate.

“There is often an assumption that improving gender diversity and inclusion is a resource-intensive pursuit,” says PDAC Executive Director Lisa McDonald in a media release. “This guidance document challenges that assumption and demonstrates how small actions can have a tremendous impact on diversity and inclusion.”

Although Canada mining industry is one of the world’s biggest producers of more than 60 metals and minerals and directly and indirectly employs about 630,000, women comprise just 17 percent of sector workers – yet they comprise almost half of Canada’s national workforce.

By forming a Diversity & Inclusion Working Group made-up of 30 industry leaders from over two dozen organizations, PDAC is helping to improve gender diversity in Canada.

Covering topics including gender imbalance in the mineral industry, how to attract and retain talent, avoiding company-community conflict, addressing barriers and more, PDAC’s Gender Diversity and Inclusion: A Guide for Explorers serves as an ideal tool for companies implementing D&I strategies, and cultivating more diverse environments both internally and externally.

For mining and minerals companies across Canada, encouraging and implementing diversity and inclusion will bring positive changes to an industry traditionally led by men. Presenting a unique opportunity, greater representation is essential to the growth of the sector, today and into the future.

While larger mining companies such as Barrick Gold and BHP are making efforts to break barriers – with BHP welcoming three more women to its executive leadership team last year – there is much that junior mine businesses can do to encourage women, Indigenous persons, and many others not only to join the ranks, but aspire to go higher.

In 2019, the study Board gender diversity and environmental performance: An industries perspective, examined over 850 firms on the S&P 1500 Composite Index, which represent some 90 percent of America’s stock market capitalization.

Arguing that increased D&I brings a broader knowledge and experience base to boards and improved decision-making, the study concluded “gender diversity is positively associated with firms’ environmental performance scores primarily in the more environmentally impacting industries.

“Therefore, our research provides valuable direction for those firms working to improve both their boards’ gender diversity and their environmental performance. Our findings also offer insight into the mixed results of previous studies.”

For the mining and minerals sector to thrive, greater inclusion and diversity is not only the right thing to do, but the benefits will be realized long into the future.

The post Diversity and Inclusion<p class="company">The Modern Mining Workforce</p> appeared first on Resource In Focus.

To demonstrate the importance of water, the late Josephine Mandamin, a grandmother, Elder and champion of water, travelled great lengths by foot, covering nearly 18,000 kilometres around the Great Lakes carrying water and her timely message.

Fortunately, like her, Ontario’s mining industry is working to ensure there is fair access to the resource and that its quality and quantity are preserved for present and future generations.

With more than 250,000 lakes and over 100,000 kilometres of rivers in Ontario, water stewardship has also gained legislative priority over the last several decades. The government has been working intensively to define the biggest threats to watersheds, and strategies to meet those threats.

A human right to uphold
Water is a human right, and the government’s duty is to uphold that right.

The Ontario Government has made great efforts to mandate water conservation, preservation, and safety, especially after the tragedy in Walkerton when E. coli contaminated the water supply resulting in thousands of illnesses and six deaths. Proper monitoring, testing in accordance with established benchmarks, and enforced compliance can safeguard against this reoccurring.

Legislation like the Clean Water Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act lay the foundation and set the stage to form a strategy and action plan. This is advantageous for companies like those in the mining industry because there is clear guidance and the support necessary to get there. However, water stewardship can still be a complex matter given the number of agencies that oversee it and the myriad policies that regulate it.

Under the Ontario Water Resources Act (OWRA) and the Environmental Protection Act (EPA) the Ministry of Environment and Energy are tasked with setting the policies and guidelines related to the management of provincial water resources, including a framework for managing quality and quantity of surface and ground water to ensure it is safe for consumption, recreation and aquatic life.

Under OWRA, the ministry has power to regulate water supply, sewage disposal, and the control of pollution as it pertains to all surface and ground waters in the province. Under the EPA, contaminants are prohibited from being discharged into the natural environment, except when approval is granted and certified in accordance with the guidelines set out in these acts.

While the policies and guidelines have no formal legal status, they tend to become legally binding and provide the foundation for standard practices, as well as compliance and enforcement. Changes are often made incrementally, to give companies the opportunity to make the changes necessary to comply with the improved standards.

Taking action
With the understanding that prevention is more effective than end-of-pipe treatment, the Ministry of Environment and Energy has placed great priority on preventing and minimizing the presence of pollutants wherever possible. Pollution prevention, the management of hazardous substances, and the municipal and industrial strategy for abatement (MISA), form the basis for its actions.

The Provincial Water Quality Objectives (PWQO) are also designed to protect aquatic life and ensure water safety for consumption and recreation. They provide a framework to improve water quality when samples test below benchmark levels. It is important that the government not only regulate quality and quantity, but also provide solutions to breaches in compliance when they occur.

Further to the Ministry of Environment and Energy, the Ontario Ministries of Natural Resources, the Ministry of Health and Agriculture, the Ministry of Food and Rural Affairs, various conservation authorities, the Federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans, and Environment Canada also have jurisdiction over certain aspects of water management.

In Ontario, there are two major challenges impacting two vastly different parts of the province. In Southern Ontario, the rapid rate of industrialization and urbanization are creating greater pollution of the air and water, while in Northern Ontario, mining and other resource-dependent industries like pulp and paper and agriculture are the leading polluters.

Setting standards
Mining, in particular, has had to adapt to the changing regulations surrounding water, its use and protection and many companies are starting to understand their role and responsibility in preserving the health and wellbeing of vital ecosystems.

Toward Sustainable Mining® (TSM®) is a global program for mining companies that assists with the management of environmental and social sustainability efforts. The best way to do that is to evaluate and report performance based on established standards, which are increasingly becoming requirements of membership in mining associations worldwide.

It is important for mining companies to implement a water management system and accompanying system of accountability, and to use tools like water budgets, which help build a water balance forecast based on seasonal conditions and climate change.

Of course it’s hardly ever easy being at the mercy of Mother Nature, and wet and dry seasons will have different implications for a mine’s water flows. Operators need to be aware of changes in water volumes and water budgets – and prepared for them – to mitigate the challenges of seasonality.

Planning ensures companies are both responsible and accountable for their actions. This requires buy-in from executive leadership, the adoption of a water monitoring program, water-management training, and the establishment of performance objectives and the means of achieving them. Training, or the lack of it, was a major issue in the Walkerton tragedy.

With an adequate water management infrastructure and a commitment to using water-balance forecasts to model water quality over the life-cycle of a mine, operators can minimize the impacts to the watershed and surrounding environment from potential toxic run-offs.

Engagement is the key
Engagement is an especially important part of water stewardship and something that the mining industry is putting into action through groups dedicated to watershed governance and preservation. Together, the industry is conscientiously assessing impacts to watershed ecosystems to improve performance and lessen environmental impact in the future.

Between 2017 and 2018, there was a concerted effort to bring the mining industry together to develop a set of performance indicators that would help to measure and govern water standards in mining operations, including benchmarks for reporting at the mine-site level, as well as operational water-management standards, watershed-level planning, and water performance.

This effort resulted in the expansion of the TSM® initiative that will be phased in over the next several years with public reporting scheduled to begin this year. Dubbed the Mining Association of Canada’s (MAC) Water Stewardship Protocol, the goal is to strengthen industry standards including TSM®, building upon its Water Stewardship Policy Framework established in 2015.

The Water Stewardship Protocol is a tool that is available for companies to be able to implement the commitments defined in the framework, including water governance, operational water management, watershed-scale planning and water-reporting and performance indicators, while also going above and beyond what is legally required.

Level A is the highest achievement under the Protocol, achieved when a facility has demonstrated that all commitments and accountabilities are in place and align with the Water Stewardship Framework.

This requires water-related plans and management systems to be implemented including the preparation of a water balance, and the introduction of a water monitoring program, as well as response and contingency plans if water-related risks or incidents should transpire. Accidents happen, but proper preparation can reduce the impact to the environment and watershed.

A challenge is an opportunity
Engagement is an important part of achieving Level A status, as companies are expected to create a dialogue with other water users and stakeholders in the watershed, promoting collective planning and governance activities when possible.

Ultimately, to be in compliance with Level A standards, companies are required to establish targets and measure their performance against those benchmarks, reporting on that performance publicly to demonstrate its efforts.

Any comprehensive solution to preserving and improving the quality and quantity of Ontario’s enviable natural water supply will require a collaborative effort between both the private and public sector.

There are countless challenges, but an equal number of opportunities to improve water stewardship at all levels, and in the mining industry in particular. As the industry works to establish the right balance between development, growth, profit, and environmental sustainability, there are countless organizations and agencies ready to support them in that endeavour.

The post A Resource More Valuable than Gold<p class="company">Taking the Lead in Water Stewardship</p> appeared first on Resource In Focus.