MINING CONSULTANTS
“ With the optionality of greenfield mining , there is an inherently large value that can be added or destroyed during the early stages of the mining life cycle ,” MEC Mining ’ s Christofer Catania says
standard of environmental , social and economic impact throughout the entire raw materials value chain .
CERA uses blockchain technology to enable the traceability of raw materials along the value chain . It comes with the first definition of sustainability valid for all materials and manufacturing processes , meaning the standard will be applicable from mineral exploration to the final product , and covering every raw material , across every country , under a single scheme , according to the company .
Dr Roubos explained : “ CERA includes not only exploration , operations , processing and the product as such – it is also transforming traceability and recycling possibilities for raw materials and is part of DMT ’ s wider commitment to building a more sustainable mining sector globally .”
The role of technology
Just as blockchain is facilitating comparable sustainability standards in the case of CERA , the use of technology is helping deliver on the ESG requirements mining companies are being judged on .
MEC ’ s Catania says new technology , in many cases , is allowing consultants to offer solutions that fulfil both ESG and profitability requirements for miners .
“ Over the years , there has been an obvious shift towards reducing operating costs and minimising the environmental footprints of operations ,” he said . “ With improved technology , we are starting to see both goals achieved and remain economically viable .”
With unexpected challenges like COVID-19 continually being thrown at the mining sector , Stantec ’ s Treen sees miners having to rely more heavily on technology to solve problems in the future .
“ We must create a culture of innovation within the industry to recognise areas where implementation of technology can have a significant impact ,” he said . “ Even though implementing a new technology in an operating mine is more difficult – due to the potentially disruptive change or the cost of downtime to install the new technology – the addition of technology can be transformative !
“ The key is to ensure that the solution is driving the technology and not the technology driving the solution .”
Dr Roubos said DMT – which has an Innovation Cluster incubating and accelerating as many as 40 individual mining R & D projects at any one time – factors in similar considerations when applying new technology .
“ Working hand-in-hand with clients here is very important because our role is to provide optimal solutions for every single client to achieve quantifiably better performance , not to push sales ,” he explained .
“ From big data or automation to artificial intelligence , even the most cutting-edge technology offering is only relevant if it solves problems for clients , optimises processes or improves efficiency .
“ So , our approach to innovation is always rooted in finding the right solution to the right problem .”
Diversity of thought
Just as the mining sector is trying to escape the perception that it is ultra-conservative when it comes to adopting new technology , it is also attempting to leave behind the impression that it is an industry only suitable for men .
Those mining leaders have come out in support of creating workplaces that both encourage and value diversity in the workplace , setting targets at both the executive and global employee level .
These targets have been underpinned by internal studies , such as one from BHP , published earlier this year , which showed that its most inclusive and diverse teams have 67 % fewer recordable injuries , their sense of pride is 21 % higher , they have 28 % lower unplanned absence rates , and have up to 11 % higher planned and scheduled work delivery .
Like BHP , DMT has been advocating for increased sector-wide diversity through research .
Dr Roubos explained : “ We at DMT have conducted studies that show that a highly diversified team achieves significantly better performance . We regularly convey this message to our clients and develop concepts for transforming diversification from paper into practice .”
The sector ’ s diversity and inclusion leaders will understandably look to align with consultants that have similar aims – a point which some respondents acknowledged .
Stantec ’ s Treen was one of them : “ The industry as a whole understands the benefits of a more diverse workforce and our clients want their
“ A lot of people understand that nowadays you cannot obtain bank finance without showing your ESG credentials ; you need more than just a good NPV and payback period ,” CSA Global ’ s Karl van Olden says
consultants to demonstrate – in words and action – a commitment to diversify and to share the successes that result from having a diverse workforce .”
Some of the initiatives Stantec is pursuing to keep a focus on inclusion and diversity include providing “ unconscious bias training ” to all staff , identifying opportunities to diversify its leadership teams , and assisting the industry as a whole to build a more inclusive workplace , Treen said .
It is also forging partnerships with universities to ensure there is a diverse pipeline of incoming graduates into the company , as well as sponsoring the International Women in Resources Mentoring program to mentor female leaders of the future .
“ Having a diverse workforce that is inclusive is no longer just ‘ nice to have ’, it ’ s a business imperative ,” Treen said .
SRK ’ s Braun said the company had recently reviewed and updated its nomination process for management and director-level positions , with a specific aim of expanding the resource pool and encouraging a diverse range of nominations .
“ During this review process , we discovered inclusion and diversity success stories in our regional practices that could be shared globally ,” he said .
Braun said SRK had not experienced pressure from its clients to build a diverse workplace , but it has seen an increasing number of “ requests ” from larger clients regarding workforce diversity .
Alongside the wider mining industry commitment to create an inclusive and diverse environment , RPMGlobal has dedicated programs in place to encourage the growth of workplace diversity across all divisions , Baudry says .
“ As you may expect , with 23 offices located in 12 different countries , our advisory team is very culturally diverse ,” he added . “ Furthermore , over 20 % of our workforce in the Advisory division are female , including two of our senior country / regional managers .”
Catania says MEC Mining has been proactive in
14 International Mining | OCTOBER 2020