Canadian Mining Journal | April 2024

BEV ROUND UP

A look at recent offerings from OEMs

CANADA NEEDS TO ACT WITH A SENSE OF URGENCY ON CRITICAL MINERALS

MINING HAS A GEN-Z PROBLEM

AN INVITE TO REVISE CRITICAL MINERALS LIST

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FEATURES

CRITICAL MINERALS

11 Energy transition: The benefit and risk behind metals and minerals dominance in Canada.

20 Building the EV infrastructure backwards: Interview with John DeMaio, president and CEO of Graphex Technologies.

24 An invite to revise critical minerals list.

BATTERY ELECTRIC VEHICLES

13 BEV manufacturers’ product release: A look at recent offerings from OEMs.

18 Finding talent in the age of EVs.

TECHNOLOGY

27 Will mining be fully autonomous in the future?

HAULAGE AND TRANSPORT

28 A holistic approach to trailer’s total cost of ownership.

30 Tips for improving off-highway haul truck efficiency.

31 Transportation where no roads are supposed to be.

MINING OPERATIONS AND WORKFORCE

33 The crucial role of asset management in mining operations.

35 Zoomer trouble: Mining has a Gen-Z problem.

DEPARTMENTS

4EDITORIAL | Making the switch is hindered by the Canadian tradition of overregulation.

6FAST NEWS | Updates from across the mining ecosystem.

9 LAW | Canada needs to act with a sense of urgency on critical minerals.

37ON THE MOVE | Tracking executive, management, and board changes in Canada’s mining sector.

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Front cover image: Charmec Revo MF 600 V(E) SD is a battery powered remote charging device for underground hard rock mining. CREDIT:

Coming in May 2024

Canadian Mining Journal’s May issue will report on what is new in the world of analytics, robotics, autonomous mining, software and the IoT as the industry continues to digitize and automate. The issue will include a report on mining in Canada.

For More Information

Please visit www.canadianminingjournal.com for regular updates on what’s happening with Canadian mining companies and their personnel both here and abroad. A digital version of the magazine is also available at https://www.canadianminingjournal.com/digital-edition/

Tamer Elbokl, PhD

CMaking the switch is hindered by the Canadian tradition of overregulation

heaper refuelling and lower maintenance costs are making the switch to battery electric vehicles (BEVs) a win-win situation for mining companies looking to save money while reducing CO2 emissions. BEVs cost less than their internal combustion engine counterparts over their lifetime. This also applies to passenger EVs. Assuming leadership across the EV supply chain represents an enormous economic opportunity for Canada, creating good manufacturing jobs across the country. Our annual BEV round up article on page 13 takes a close look at several BEVs that are new to the market, with capabilities for the mining industry. BEV demand only goes up in the mining sector, and the selection keeps growing.

Additionally, the critical minerals that are essential for BEVs are also essential for the global energy transition. Critical minerals are not only required for clean technology like solar panels and electric vehicle batteries, but they are also key ingredients for creating middle-class jobs and growing a strong, globally competitive Canadian economy.

Last February, energy minister, Jonathan Wilkinson, announced that Canada plans to boost its energy security by slashing the time it takes to develop new critical mineral mines by nearly a decade with improved permitting processes. Wilkinson said the mining and processing of critical minerals was currently too dominated by China, and Canada plans to reduce the time to approve mining permits by better funding the regulatory agency to get rid of paperwork backlogs and running permitting and environmental assessment processes at the same time. According to our law column on page 9, the issue of overregulation continues to be among the most difficult for Canadian mining companies to overcome. Companies must navigate the complex legal landscape of provincial and federal regulations to take a mining project from concept to production. All levels of government need to work together to reduce the time required for permitting new mines for the six critical minerals key to making electric vehicles and wind turbines: lithium, graphite, nickel, cobalt, copper, and rare earth elements. The author argues that Canada needs to act with a sense of urgency on critical minerals, i.e., optimizing the regulatory and permitting processes from a 15-year process to maybe five may not be enough to help Canadian mining sector catch up with its Chinese competitors.

We cannot emphasize enough on the fact that the move toward a global net-zero economy is significantly increasing the demand for critical minerals and the clean technologies they enable around the world, creating a generational opportunity for Canadian workers and Canadian businesses. Geopolitical dynamics have exposed the need to have stable and secure supplies of these resources and technologies. Articles on pages 19 to 26 reflect on this topic.

Also, in this issue, we cover several topics related to haulage and transport in the mining sector on pages 28 to 32. Additionally, we continue to discuss the recent impact of technology on mining workforce shortages on pages 18 and 35.

Our next issue, May, is on Mining in the Digital Age. with a report on Mining in Canada. CMJ

APRIL 2024

Vol. 145 – No . 2

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Canadian Mining Journal provides articles and information of practical use to those who work in the technical, administrative and supervisory aspects of exploration, mining and processing in the Canadian mineral exploration and mining industry.

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• ELECTRIFICATION | Hitachi and BluVein accelerate electrification of haul trucks up to 400 tonnes

Hitachi Energy and BluVein, an innovator in dynamic charging technology, have signed a memorandum of understanding to accelerate the electrification of heavy haul mining fleets and solve one of the biggest challenges in decarbonizing mine operations.

Hitachi Energy’s advanced power electronics and digital charging technologies allow BluVein’s e-rail charging technology to deliver electricity safely and reliably to haul trucks of up to 400 tonnes while transporting materials.

The collaboration will fast-track the development of a high-powered, fast and flexible dynamic charging solution for surface and underground mines and quarries in Australia and across the globe. BluVein will focus on its leading-edge e-rail and connection of the truck, which Hitachi Energy will further complement with advanced power electronics and digital solutions to power and monitor the entire system.

Grounds currently under construction in Queensland, Australia.

Hitachi Energy and BluVein are also exploring the off-vehicle hardware requirements for BluVein1 for underground and smaller fleets, while actively co-operating on BluVein Proving

• EXPLORATION | NexGen’s new uranium find 3.5 km from Arrow deposit

NexGen Energy reports new greenfield mineralization on its 100%-owned SW2 property 3.5 km east of its Arrow uranium deposit at the Rook I project in northern Saskatchewan. The new occurrence is located on a previously untested conductor segment of the Patterson Corridor East.

The new mineralization was intersected by drilling for 19.8 metres beginning at 347.7 metres. The highest reading was over 61,000 cps over 3 metres. The exploration target is predominantly open in all directions including over 1.5 km along strike, said NexGen.

For comparison, the discovery hole at the Arrow deposit intersected less than 0.5 metre of over 9,999 cps.

NexGen went on to say the

new mineralization is an approximate analog for the structural controls at Arrow. Follow-up drilling cut anomalous features including hematite-quartz breccia, strong silicification, dravitic clay fracture fill, redox alteration, and elevated radioactivity similar to early discovery holes at Arrow in 2014.

The Arrow deposit has measured and indicated resources, which total 3.8 million tonnes grading 3.10% uranium oxide (U3O8) containing 256.7 million lb. U3O8, and an inferred resource of 4.4 million tonnes at 0.83% U3O8 containing 80.7 million lb. U3O8.

A total of 15,700 metres of drilling is planned this year at the SW2 target, and an additional 14,300 metres at SW1.

BluVein systems in open pits are installed near the ground, making the job quick and modular. Deployment and relocation are fast and easy. Electricity is delivered from patented and proven safe slotted rail beside the truck, eliminating the need for overhead installation. CMJ

• ENVIRONMENT | Barrick cuts cyanide by 80% by adding glycine leach for gold

Barrick Gold and Draslovka have achieved their goal – an 80% reduction in cyanide use by adding the GlyCat technology to the processing plant. Gold recovery remains comparable to traditional cyanidation.

Glycine leaching technology (GLT) uses glycine, a non-toxic, recyclable and biodegradable amino acid that is commonly used as a food additive, to recover gold, copper, nickel, and cobalt. GLT was inspired by nature when researchers at Curtin University in Perth observed plants absorbing gold and other metals out of the soil through the presence of glycine, which carries those metals through the soil and into the plant.

In 2023, Barrick rolled out a global testing and implementation program with the goal of using GlyCat to unlock savings and generate value for its operations while also improving its environmental footprint at the Bulyanhulu gold mine in Tanzania. With GlyCat as part of the process, the mine’s tailings are free of cyanide, thereby reducing detoxification requirements and costs. CMJ

The BluVein electrification system is part of Hitachi’s commitment to net-zero emissions CREDIT: BLUVEIN

Updates from across the mining ecosystem

• EXPLORATION | 1,910 g/t over 0.3 metre for New Found Gold at Queensway

New Found Gold has drilled another new discovery at its Queensway gold project 15 km west of Gander, Nfld., in the newly named Vegas zone. For lovers of bonanza grades, hole NFGC-23-1848 assayed 1,910 g/t gold over 0.3 metre within a broader zone measuring 16.9 metres and grading 35.24 g/t gold.

The hole was drilled midway between the Monte Carlo and K2 zones on the west side of the Appleton Fault zone. The Vegas zone was discovered through reconnaissance grid drilling and subsequent, follow-up drilling has identified a high-grade segment of this moderately

northeast-dipping fault that appears to link between the Monte Carlo and K2 structures. New Found says additional drilling is planned to expand on this

• MINE DEVELOPMENT | Osisko Development secures $68M for Cariboo underground gold project

Osisko Development has entered into a credit agreement with National Bank of Canada for a $67.8 million delayed draw term loan. The funds are to be used exclusively for ongoing detailed engineering and pre-construction activities at the 100%-owned Cariboo underground gold project in central British Columbia.

The work includes driving a 1.2-km development drift from the existing Cow portal into the Lowhee zone, from which a bulk sample of 10,000 tonnes will be taken.

“We are very pleased to secure funding… ahead of the anticipated receipt of permits in Q2 2024”, said Osisko Development chair and CEO Sean Roosen.

The Cariboo feasibility study was produced in 2023. It foresees underground mining for 12 years, during which time about 1.8 million oz. of gold will be produced. The project was given an after-tax net present value with a 5% discount of $502 million and an internal rates of return of 20.7% at a gold price of US$1,700 per ounce.

Measured and indicated resources at Cariboo are 27.1 million tonnes grading 4.0 g/t gold for almost 3.5 million oz. of contained gold. There is also an inferred resource of 14.4 million tonnes at 3.5 g/t gold for 1.6 million contained ounces. CMJ

newly identified high-grade domain. Good grades were also drilled at the Monte Carlo zone further south. Some of the best results were 25.77 g/t gold over 2 metres, including 92.51 g/t over 0.5 metre; 10.57 g/t gold over 3.3 metres, including 36.56 g/t over 3.3 metres; and 6.87 g/t gold over 7.3 metres, including 27.76 g/t over 1.3 metre.

Reconnaissance drilling a further 800 metres south of Monte Carlo intersected a new shear zone, named Powerline. Two holes drilled there returned 3.34 g/t gold over 7 metres and 1.85 g/t over 6.3 metres; and 1.80 g/t gold over 10.6 metres. CMJ

• PELLET PLANT | Strategic Resources studies new DR iron pellet plant

Strategic Resources (TSXV: SR) says the economic results are “robust” for a new iron pelletizing plant in the federal Port of Saguenay, Que. The prefeasibility study was prepared by BBA. The plant will produce direct reduction (DR) grade pellet feed to be used in the green steel industry. This is the only advanced greenfield project of its kind in Canada, said Strategic.

The provincial and federal governments are currently building a $111-million multi-user conveyor system at the port, and Strategic will be one of the users.

The project consists of a pelletizer at the port site to process iron ore concentrate into DR grade pellets that will supply the growing global electric arc furnace steel production market. The process flow sheet includes the multi-user conveyor system, iron ore concentrate and pellet receiving, handling and storage areas, and a 4-million t/y Metso pelletizing plant.

The initial capital outlay will be $633.7 million made up of $512.4 million in direct costs for the plant, handling, and storage, another $66.1 million for indirect costs, and $56.6 million for contingency. Annual sustaining capital for a 4-million t/y facility will be $4 million.

The economic analysis assumed a premium of US$70 per tonne of DR pellets. After taxes, the project has a net present value with an 8% discount of $1.35 billion and an internal rate of return of 25%.

The new pellet plant has already been permitted and has an estimated construction period of about 25 months following the final investment decision. Commissioning would begin in month 27, and commercial production would begin in month 30. CMJ

Visible gold from 97.6 metres down hole NFGC-231848 in the newly discovered Vegas zone at the Queensway project in Newfoundland CREDIT:

Osisko has secured financing for underground development at its Cariboo gold mine in B.C

CREDIT: OSISKO DEVELOPMENT

Canada needs to act with a sense of urgency on critical minerals

What will it take for Canada to reach its ambitious critical minerals goals? I was asked that question in Houston at a conference attended by lawyers from across the world on the future of energy.

My answer was that Canada’s preliminary steps towards a viable strategy will require much more significant involvement by the government, including financial support, streamlining approval processes, and removing regulatory barriers, if meaningful progress is to be made.

The following three areas that need prompt attention:

> Reducing overregulation.

> Far greater investment by all levels of government.

> Responding to geopolitical tensions and protectionism.

Overregulation

The issue of overregulation continues to be among the most difficult for Canadian mining companies to overcome. Companies must navigate the complex legal landscape of provincial and federal regulations to take a mining project from concept to production. In addition, the mining sector continues to grapple with the requirement to meaningfully consult Indigenous groups affected by proposed mining projects.

Currently, it can take on average up to 15-25 years to get a mine to its first year of production. This is far too long if Canada wants to fulfil its critical minerals potential.

Canadian mining firms continue to face a complex series of overlapping provincial and federal regulatory hurdles for mining projects. These complex regulatory regimes will continue to contribute to a drawn-out process for the mining industry in Canada. Substantial overhauls to permitting and approval processes will be necessary to clear these regulatory hurdles. A “one project, one assessment” policy should be the norm, not the exception.

More investment

Domestic critical minerals producers need greater investment and support from the Canadian government to be able to shoulder the financial risks of carrying a new mining project through to completion.

Since 2022, the government has pledged $1.5 billion over six years to be invested in the manufacturing, processing, and recycling of critical minerals; launched the Critical Mineral Exploration Tax Credit; and provided $25 million in funding to engage with Indigenous communities.

These developments are positive, but much more is needed. $1.5 billion would barely cover the cost of a single proposed highway project to Ontario’s Ring of Fire. And while Canada’s $28 billions of investments in EV battery production with auto manufacturers are encouraging developments, these projects will require a steady supply of critical minerals to succeed.

Another aspect of investment is access to capital. While increased scrutiny over certain foreign investments in the mining sector is crucial for Canadian national security, this has further restricted the already limited supply of investment capital available to critical minerals producers. The impacts of such measures must be balanced through both ongoing investment in Canadian producers and by encouraging investment from international firms not deemed to present security risks.

Geopolitics and protectionism

Supplies of many critical minerals are currently concentrated in the hands of countries Canada has deteriorating international relations with, particularly China and Russia. Many other governments are reevaluating their own mining regimes, leading to a wave of mineral lease renegotiations, ownership rights cancellations, and state-implemented nationalizations. These realities paint a concerning picture for Canada’s ability to con-

tinue to rely on international sources of critical minerals and underscore the need for domestic investment in exploration, extraction, and production.

However, Canada is well-positioned as a location for international mining investment relative to many other countries because of the stability and consistency of its legal frameworks and its strong emphasis on property rights and the rule of law. These factors largely eliminate the possibility — often considerable in many other mineral-rich jurisdictions — that a mining company’s ability to extract mineral resources might be granted and later rescinded because of shifting political landscapes and changing governments. That legal dependability removes a significant source of investment anxiety present in many other areas of the world, making Canada an attractive jurisdiction for international mining capital.

The Critical Minerals Strategy going forward

Unlike many of its international allies, Canada is fortunate to have reserves of many of these minerals beneath its soil. Our ability to ensure a stable supply of critical minerals is largely a matter of providing increased financial support to Canadian mining companies while streamlining approval processes and

removing regulatory barriers.

Certain overhauls to current regulatory regimes are on the horizon. Recently, Canada’s federal government announced its “Critical Minerals Strategy,” which aims to increase the supply of responsibly sourced critical minerals. Beyond the strategy itself, Canada’s natural resources minister also recently announced his intention to work toward an accelerated mine permitting process that would see critical minerals projects go from concept to production within a decade.

In addition to the federal push to secure these critical mineral resources, these policy shifts are beginning to be adopted provincially. For example, Ontario has passed the Building More Mines Act, 2023, which places responsibility for project approval in the hands of a provincial minister while easing a wide range of mining regulations, including those surrounding post-closure site recovery and remediation.

Such policy shifts will be essential to the future viability of Canada’s critical minerals sector. It remains to be seen how far the federal and provincial governments will go to follow through on these promised regulatory overhauls. CMJ

Abbas Ali Khan is a partner at Bennett Jones.

By Jon Wojnicki and Dr. Lance Mortlock

Energy transition: The benefit and risk behind metals and minerals dominance in Canada

The demand for critical metals and minerals is advancing dramatically as energy transition gathers momentum globally. Rare metals and minerals are essential to many clean energy technologies, including wind turbines, electricity transmission, and electric vehicles (EVs).

But when comparing fossil fuel-based resources such as hydrocarbons with the metals and minerals needed to meet emerging needs to build renewable power generation assets and energy storage devices, the numbers are staggering. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), it takes six times the mineral inputs of a conventional car to power an EV and nine times more for a wind plant than its gas-fired counterpart. It is anticipated that nickel production and output will need to double by 2030, and the demand for metals and minerals will need to increase a whopping six times what it is today by 2040 to meet net-zero targets.

The race is on

This demand curve poses both a benefit and risk to Canada’s minerals industry, along with the ecosystem it supports. While countries outside Canada are ramping up production at pace and looking to shape the supply chain crucial to the new EV industrial base, we may already be playing catch up.

Holding a dominant position in supply chains that transform raw materials — like cobalt, graphite, and rare earths — into finished products supporting renewable energies, Beijing recently banned the export of technology to extract and separate rare earths to protect its dominance in strategic metals and cement its competitive position.

“It is important to remember that China accounted for 70% of world mine production of rare earths in 2022.”

The U.S., likewise, is reshaping the landscape with its Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), triggering a surge in critical minerals development, including rare earths metals like neodymium used in powerful turbine magnets. Mining companies are qualifying for production credits equal to 10% of production cost, while consumers buying IRA compliant cars — made with critical metals from the U.S. or free-trade countries — are receiving up to US$3,750 in tax credits.

Metals like lithium are expected to play a vital role in electrified transportation, so reserves will be a good foundation for any competitive positioning. While the largest lithium reserves are found in Australia and Chile, totaling 9.3 million and 6.2 million tonnes, respectively, Canada is not to be dismissed, with 930,000 tonnes.

Time to act

With other countries rolling out similar initiatives, where does Canada stand? And can we get out of our own way to take advantage of the benefits? The key

factor determining whether resources benefit a nation’s populace or lead to hardship lies in how effectively the country manages them. In resource-rich countries, abundance often disrupts accountability between citizens and government and can hinder democratic and social progress, benefitting a select few and contributing to inequity.

“While having abundant natural resources may appear advantageous for any nation, it can become both a blessing and a curse.”

In Canada, we are not dependent on a single commodity and our natural resource sector constitutes only a small fraction of our broader economy. Additionally, stringent standards for financial transparency and accountability are well-established and rigorously enforced in both the private and public sectors. We invest public wealth into education, training, and social services and direct funds towards infrastructure and gover-

World lithium reserves. CREDIT: ADOBE IMAGES

nance, cultivating a diversified economy.

The bad news is we are already behind in energy transition minerals and not a competitive player. Complacency and abundant natural resources have the potential to transform our blessing into curse. Fundamental safeguards are needed to protect our natural resources and retain competitive advantage.

Getting competitive Canada’s Critical Minerals Strategy is a great start to optimize our minerals eco-system and maintain mining primacy. The $2.78 billion strategy aims to boost production and processing of critical minerals, but does it go far enough? With a seemingly dysfunctional regulatory process and added pressure to align with the U.S., the development of mines in Canada could take from five to 25 years, massively hindering our aspirations to be a player in the U.S.-led initiative challenging China’s dominance in the sector.

“The situation we face is clear. We are at a pivotal moment for Canada to accelerate its critical minerals advantage.”

On the flip side, developing the sector could catapult Canada to the top in the global race to decarbonize and monetize the EV revolution. With half of global passenger-vehicle sales in 2035 expected to be electric and major companies phasing out internal combustion engines, the lithium-ion battery is at the heart of this evolution. The following are seven success factors that can advance Canada in the metals and minerals race and position us to take hold of unparalleled opportunity:

1 | Resource identification and mine development: Identifying and mapping reserves will be vital, including developing technologies and infrastructure, flowthrough share funding for drilling and feasibility studies and construction.

2 | Building end-to-end value: Comprehensive value chains, spanning from mineral extraction to refining capacity should be prioritized and downstream economic benefits secured.

3 | Strengthening partnerships: Connecting the resource sector and Indigenous communities could help Canada emerge as a global leader in this space.

4 | Workforce development: People drive innovation. Investing in education and training to develop a skilled workforce and creating employment opportunities in exploration, extraction, processing, and manufacturing will be essential.

5 | Tax incentives: Collaborating with industry to financially motivate investment will ensure the federal government has skin in the game.

6 | Regulatory modernization: Any strategy should recognize the urgent need for a modern regulatory system that is outcomes-driven, flexible, and predictable to foster innovation and adoption and provide the business sector the certainty it requires.

7 | Protecting intellectual property: Knowledge is power. To grow competitive advantage, Canadian companies must safeguard assets and ideas, including the development and protection of intellectual property and data.

The surge in demand for critical metals and minerals driven by energy transition creates a tremendous opportunity for Canada. But competition underscores the need for a strategic, get-it-done approach. While the Critical Minerals Strategy provides a foundation, it needs to move faster to ensure Canada excels in the global race to decarbonize and monetize the electric vehicle revolution. Opportunities will not last forever unless we act with urgency, Canada’s primacy in mining will not either. CMJ

Jon Wojnicki is a partner and a co-leader of EY Parthenon at EY Canada. Dr. Lance Mortlock is the managing partner for energy & resources at EY Canada. For more information, visit: https://www.ey.com/en_ ca/mining-metals.

CREDIT: ADOBE STOCK

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ROUND UP:

BEV manufacturers’ product release

A look at recent offerings from OEMs

In this article, CMJ looks at several battery electric vehicles (BEVs) that are new to the market, with capabilities for the mining industry. BEV demand only goes up in the mining sector, and the selection keeps growing.

Epiroc

Epiroc’s “Batteries with Service” is a solution developed to support your operations. A chance for you to own your battery and at the same time get all the service you need when you need it. The service solutions include several benefits to create a sustainable business model — a shortcut to worry-free operations.

You own the battery and are in control of your own equipment. You have got the power. Epiroc offers support when it comes to proper configuration, performance, safety, guidance, upgrades and warranty. The goal is to facilitate an easier transition into battery equipment operations for customers.

Normet

Expanding from powertrain electrification to tools and manipulators, Normet’s SmartDrive battery-electric equipment, introduced in 2019, has gained a global footprint in the mining and tunneling industries. With numerous

units deployed globally, SmartDrive has proven its worth in enhancing energy efficiency, performance, and maintenance savings during tens of thousands of work hours with zero local emissions. Building on this success, Normet

BATTERY ELECTRIC VEHICLES

Normet, continued

launched new SmartDrive applications in 2023 for concrete spraying, person lifting, material transportation, and explosives charging.

With BEV technology validated, Normet is broadening its focus to electrifying tools and manipulators. A recent milestone is the launch of Charmec Revo, a remote explosives charger featuring a fully electric, servo robotic arm, available with SmartDrive or diesel carrier options. The robotic arm picks

and delivers the initiating system into the borehole and in conjunction with the emulsion kit, dispenses emulsion, keeping the operator in a secure tunnel area, away from danger.

Another example of tools’ electrification is an electric hammer, developed by Lekatech in partnership with Normet. Lekatech’s fully electric hammer offers up to 60% greater efficiency than traditional hydraulic models, delivering significant energy savings and doubled impact force.

Maclean Engineering

Sandvik

Toro LH518iB marries industry-leading battery-electric and automation technologies. Building on predecessor Sandvik LH518B, Toro LH518iB features several design updates and significantly improved field serviceability. The latest version of Sandvik’s intelligent control system enables AutoMine readiness. Sandvik’s patented selfswapping battery system, including the AutoSwap and AutoConnect functions, benefits from improvements to the operator’s controls to facilitate battery swaps.

Toro LH518iB is automation ready, and the loader can be equipped with Sandvik’s AutoMine system. The 18-tonne loader is equipped with standard valves, harnesses and other built-in hardware for automation. The AutoMine onboard kit will be available as an option, providing scanners, AutoMine box, and wireless connectivity.

With AutoMine, one operator can run the entire cycle from a surface chair, including tele-remote battery swapping. Human involvement underground is only required for connecting and disconnecting batteries from chargers and coolers.

The newest addition to the MacLean Elevated Work Platform product suite is a purpose-built alternative to the use of integrated tool carriers (ITs) in underground operations across Australia. The model is designed for mine services installation and repair work from a certified elevated work platform with a 6.5-metre working height and a 4.5-tonne payload.

“Since this first battery electric ML5 Multi-Lift arrived in Australia from our factory in Canada at the end of 2023, we have been testing it and fitting it up at the branch so that it is ready to go to work immediately in Australian underground and surface mines,” remarks Peter Black, technical sales manager at MacLean, based out of the company’s branch in Perth, Western Australia. “Its application versatility is best-in-class, and we are offering it up to the industry with a battery electric drive, so miners and contractors will get a diesel-free dividend along with the safety and productivity enhancements that we have engineered into the design from the ground up.”

“We are now able to offer a range of mine services installation and repair solutions to mines around the world, depending on their haulage ramp and drift sizes, the size and weight of the infrastructure being installed or repaired, and the working height,” remarks Jari Tuorila, vice-president Australasia. “This is what we mean when we say we have safety in our veins and innovation in our DNA. We engineer solutions for the actual job underground.”

Rokion

The R700 is Rokion’s newest line of industrial support equipment featuring dual end functionality. This multi-purpose platform is built for versatility with a quick attach system that supports a variety of accessories including forklift, backhoe, loader, bolter, blade, tire manipulator, and man lift.

The R700 is designed for optimum performance, even on uneven ground, with a shifted articulation pivot reward to reduce the relative motion of load and keep the center of gravity within the track width of the vehicle. Engineered to handle the harshest mining conditions safely and efficiently, the R700 is outfitted with configurable auxiliary hydraulic power circuits, five efficient induction motors, dual steering cylinders, 180° seat swivel, and on-board charging.

MEDATech BEVGen

What happens when BEVs need extra range? The MEDATech BEVGen is a fully automatic onboard diesel generator that acts as an onboard charger. BEVGen plugs into a vehicle’s BMS via J1939 CAN network connection. Drop below a certain

state of charge, and it switches on automatically, precisely delivering the amperage and torque that any machine requires, right up to 540 kW max/430 kW continuous power. Hit a higher state of charge threshold, and it switches off. BEVGen is compact and easy to add to any BEV. It is due to become available in Q2 2024.

Aramine

Eight years after the launch of its first battery-powered mining machine, the L140B, Aramine is marketing its larger L440B loader. Pioneer in this market segment, the French manufacturer is expanding its range with a larger machine to meet its customers’ demand. With a capacity of 4.5 tonne and all the successful solutions of the L140B, such as the QRS Battery quick replacement and the onboard battery charger, the L440B is easy to introduce underground, as it does not require any specific infrastructure or changes in the mine. Only some electrical plugs, 32 Amps, and 4 tonne crane are required to charge the spare energy module while the machine operates with its charged module. Today, L140B and L440B are allowing to transform any underground mine from 6 to 14 m2 sections in zero CO2 emission mines. The effects are quickly visible, not only in the reduction of pollution but also in the temperature in the galleries and avoiding the need to transport fuel underground.

Hitachi

Hitachi Construction Machinery will begin testing a full battery electric vehicle (BEV) prototype version of the Hitachi EH4000AC-3 244-ton (221-tonne) truck. The engineless, full battery rigid frame dump truck was transported to the Kansanshi copper-gold mine in Zambia and will be tested at the mine in mid-2024.

The truck’s energy-efficient DC/ DC converters allow it to remain in continuous operation with no charging breaks.

As the truck climbs uphill, the wheel motors are directly powered from the external trolley while also recharging its battery. On ground level, an internal battery powers the

truck. During downhill operation, a regenerative braking system recharges the battery.

This truck’s innovative battery technology was created through a collaboration between Hitachi Construction Machinery and ABB Motion’s traction division.

Komatsu

The ZB21B bolter is driven by clean battery power, which supports Komatsu’s customers’ journey to electrification and sustainability. This model features Komatsu’s innovative approach to BEV — both onboard and smart opportunistic charging with 100% compatibility with existing mine infrastructures.

This innovative bolter has a modular battery driveline with 83 kWh of onboard energy for the most demanding tram cycles and challenges of underground mining. Plus, the integrated screen handler allows operators to complete a full bolting cycle inside the cabin. All bolt types are supported. Look for the Komatsu ZB21B bolter at the upcoming CIM Convention and Expo.

RDH Scharf (SMT Scharf)

With the new LEV, SMT Scharf has launched an exceptional vehicle onto the market. It is based on the Toyota Land Cruiser known for its impressive off-road capabilities. However, the LEV goes one step further by replacing the conventional combustion engine with a

powerful electric unit and offering unique battery technology.

One of the outstanding features of this vehicle is the safety it offers in hazardous working environments. The individual cells of the battery designed and

Liebherr

The new Liebherr battery-electric truck, T 264 BET 100, is poised to revolutionize mining operations. With its dual compatibility for static and dynamic charging, it seamlessly adapts to diverse site infrastructures. When parked, this truck can utilize static chargers and during the haul cycle, it can integrate with trolley systems for charging on the go. Boasting only a 30-minute charge time, downtime is minimized, enabling maximum productivity. Plus, Liebherr’s modular design enables any T 264 purchased today to be repowered with the OEM’s advanced battery technology in the future.

Liebherr is working in collaboration with Fortescue WAE, a leader in electrification solutions, to ensure the truck delivers both minimal downtime and extended battery life.

manufactured by SMT Scharf are surrounded by a dielectric fluid. In the very unlikely event of a defective cell resulting in fire, the dielectric insulates the fire, absorbs the heat, and thus prevents other cells from igniting.

All in all, the Scharf LEV is a pioneering electric vehicle that not only protects the environment, but also increases safety and efficiency in demanding working environments.

By Steve Gravel

FINDING TALENT IN THE AGE OF EVs

How do we start to build a critical minerals talent pipeline?

The rise of electric vehicles has the potential to cause some significant shifts in the amount and mix of talent required for a high performing integrated supply chain in Canada. While much of the attention around the labour force impacts of EVs have tended to focus on the automotive sector, less time has been spent considering where the mining sector is going to get its people.

It has been well-documented generally that as mine workers begin to retire, the sector is looking at a shortage of new workers to fill the vacancies. Moreover, young people seem less interested in considering a career in mining, as its reputation as being dirty and laborious work still permeates. This lackluster interest is reflected in a 2023 report by PwC that showed that 70% of young Canadians would definitely or probably not consider a career in mining. These trends are further exacerbated by the impending increase in mining intensity in Canada if the critical minerals market delivers on what it predicted to support global decarbonization. In short, the mining sector needs to find talent, so where are firms finding it now, and how will they find

more of it?

While there are skills gaps in various disciplines within the mining process, I have decided to focus on two key areas that are of interest to the Centre for Smart Mining currently: electric mining equipment and mineral processing.

First, a look at mining equipment manufacturers reveals some interesting talent acquisition activities brought on by the advent of equipment electrification in Canadian underground mines. Mining equipment OEMs have needed to find highly skilled people to effectively shift to electric vehicle development. There are relatively few electric vehicle experts with decades of experience hanging around to draw from. And, if there are, you would expect to find them in the automotive sector as it is difficult for companies to entice them into the mining equipment sector. So, where are companies sourcing their engineering talent to develop the all-electric mine vehicles of the future? While there is not a single source to point to, some interesting trends have emerged from a cursory look at the sector. First, mining equipment OEMs do not seem to be siphoning off talent from the automo-

tive sector en masse. Rather, most design teams are made up of a combination of either mechanical or electrical engineering disciplines with some having backgrounds in the field of mechatronics engineering. Surprisingly, many team members have work histories that include previous experience designing diesel mining equipment. This suggests that some of the shift to developing electric mining equipment has been undertaken through self-education and investigation among project teams rather than sourcing talent with built-in EV engineering bona fides.

Beyond “home-grown” talent, some OEMs also bolstered their engineering bench strength to go after the EV market through strategic acquisitions and partnerships. For example, Sandvik accelerated its EV portfolio through its acquisition of Artisan Vehicles in 2019, and Epiroc achieved a similar result through its acquisition of FVT Research in 2021.

While some firms have taken it upon themselves to develop talent internally by retraining and augmenting the capacity of existing engineering staff to design and develop EVs, the good news is there is a nascent talent pipeline developing in Canada. Namely, engineering programs that focus on electric drive train development at Ontario Tech University, MacMaster University, and the University of Windsor have started producing high-quality graduates, and I have even seen some of them starting to trickle into the mining OEM space.

In addition to the mining vehicle sector, it is predicted that there will be a significant demand for highly skilled workers with backgrounds in mineral and material processing as Canada seeks to become a big player in battery metals. Unfortunately, there has recently been waning interest among high school graduates in mineral processing and metallurgy programs which has resulted in an undersupply of talent in these fields. This has induced the mining industry to look at adjacent disciplines such as chemical engineering or even environmental engi-

Left: Centre for Smart Mining engineer, Cheick Ismael Maiga, at OMA’s “This is Mine Life” event. Right: Youth learning about mining technology at OMA’s “This is Mine Life” event.

CREDIT: CENTRE FOR SMART MINING

neering to satisfy their needs. While graduates from other disciplines are still competent, significant investment must be made on the part of the mining company to upskill these individuals into fully productive workers. Some mining companies are getting ahead of this issue by offering co-operative learning opportunities (co-op placements) to a wider variety of engineering disciplines prior to graduation, so prospective engineers become more familiar with the mining process earlier on and thereby more productive once hired.

A quick look at the two subject areas above shows that, while companies are getting creative with how they find talent, it is incumbent upon the rest of the mining ecosystem, namely post-secondary education institutions, to help fill gaps as well. Changes to curriculum and to how programs are branded and marketed to prospective students will be critical to attracting the required numbers of people entering these programs to equal the commensurate number of graduates needed for a healthy talent pipeline. For example, the mining engineering pro-

grams at colleges and universities do not represent the diversity of disciplines and corresponding jobs that exist for graduates of these programs. Mining engineering graduates can work in mineral processing, exploration, excavation, geology and metallurgy, geotechnical engineering, and surveying, to name a few. So, to appeal to prospective students with a wider range of career interests, it is important to unpack these programs to showcase the full breath of careers their training can lead to. Moreover, from a quick overview of the chemical engineering technician program at Cambrian College where I work, it is not obvious that the program can lead students into the mineral processing field. Even though a larger percentage of graduates from this program end up doing just that. To that end, post-secondary institutions need to do a better job of promoting mining-related programs to prospective students as early as possible in their academic career. Marketing programs to high school and even elementary school students will be critical. Also, schools should be targeting non-obvious locales

to promote careers in mining like urban centres and areas not directly adjacent to mining communities to entice the uninitiated into mining education. I am happy to report that some of this important work is already underway in Canada. The Ontario Mining Association (OMA) launched its “This is Mine Life” campaign in late 2023 with a focus on getting the message out to youth that mining is a rewarding and high-tech industry to consider for their future careers. In addition, the campaign focuses on demonstrating to young people that a career in Canadian mining offers an attractive lifestyle for those curious enough to give it a try. A big part of reversing the stigma of working in mining will be programs like this and the collective efforts of mining-focused post-secondary institutions. While the workforce shortfall is a big problem to solve, it will take a whole host of solutions, including the attraction of qualified newcomers to the sector, that will help start to fill the talent gap. CMJ

Steve Gravel is the manager of the Centre for Smart Mining at Cambrian College.

By Tamer Elbokl, PhD

Building the EV infrastructure backwards

INTERVIEW WITH JOHN DEMAIO, PRESIDENT AND CEO OF GRAPHEX TECHNOLOGIES

Lithium, cobalt, and nickel dominate the battery scene, as they get a lot of coverage, as cathode material. However, found in every EV battery anode, graphite is a crystalline carbon allotrope that is often forgotten. Producing graphite in the forms needed to build high-performance battery cells is a complex process.

Graphex is a major global producer and distributor of graphite in its various forms, with its principal offices in Hong Kong and regional offices in Shanghai and Royal Oak, Michigan. The company is focused on the development of technologies and products to enhance renewable energy, particularly the production of spherical graphite and graphene, key components in EVs/lithium-ion batteries, as well as in other uses.

Graphex has extensive commercial experience in the deep

processing of graphite and producing battery grade purified spherical graphite. It also provides technology for producing coated spherical graphite (CSG) and distributes synthetic graphite. Battery makers use a blend of CSG and synthetic graphite to form Li-ion battery anodes.

John DeMaio (JD) is the president of the graphene division of Graphex Group and the CEO of Graphex Technologies LLC, with over 35 years of experience in executive leadership and operational management in the energy and infrastructure sectors. He is responsible for the expansion of the graphite business into the U.S. and Europe. Recently, I caught up with DeMaio, and he talked to the Canadian Mining Journal about Graphex, battery minerals, supply chains, and more.

CMJ: Can you please talk to us about your background and how you became the CEO?

JD: On a certain level, my background looks very diverse, but one thread that permeates all the way through is energy-focus, sustainability, and I always refer to it as I was involved in the energy transition long before that term was coined. I started my career basically at Procter and Gamble, which is a manufacturing company, but my focus was on onsite sustainability. We worked on optimization programs for energy consumption within the manufacturing environment. I ultimately wound up working on a waste to energy plant that was onsite, where we offset the energy consumption for the plant by installing a wood burning to steam plant.

Graphex current production is 10,000 t/y and an expansion is underway to increase production to 20,000 t/y within the next 12 months. Graphex intends to further expand existing operations to 40,000 t/y over the next three years.

What they were looking for is someone who has been in the energy transition space and is familiar with technologies and how to roll out programs, how to navigate environmental, regulatory, and financial kind of environments, and to move not only the company, but the whole electrification initiative forward. All the experiences that I accumulated to this point have bearing on how to move this initiative forward, so I was a perfect fit.

There is a lot of navigation that needs to happen to establish Graphex in North America as part of an ecosystem or an industry efficiently and effectively, and I have been in those kinds of environments.

CMJ: Can you talk to us about the history of Graphex?

After that, I got into mechanical contracting, which again was focused on energy conservation, energy retrofits, and waste to energy plants. In the city of Los Angeles, I worked on a waste to energy recapture kind of facility for the water pollution control plant where we took the digester gas, used it to fire combined cycle power generation, and then heat recovery to capture the waste heat and create energy. Then, I worked on one of the early solar energy generation stations, the SEGS one and two in the Mojave Desert.

So, these are early precursors to the modern movement. From there, I worked for a company that is now part of Stantec. Many people do not know that the highest energy consumption for municipalities is for the movement of water: potable water, wastewater, etc., and we focused on optimization programs for that.

Then, I joined Siemens where I led the smart infrastructure group for western U.S. We focused primarily on energy transformations for citywide municipalities, large scale users like universities, and major corporate campuses, where we would take a holistic view of their energy consumption and attack it with a combination of energy reduction measures; onsite generation measures.

So, we got into solar again, waste-to-energy, wind power, other renewables, even fuel cells. It is an all-of-the-above approach to addressing energy conservation and energy transition. Then, I was looking for the next opportunity. The energy transition to this point has been a little bit of an uphill battle to reduce, reuse, replace, and protect. Even though it makes sense from a sustainability standpoint and from an economic standpoint, there has been historic resistance to energy transition initiatives with the electric vehicle and electrification movement more broadly.

So, I was contacted by Graphex with their intention to expand into the North American marketplace, and my first response was, thank you for the outreach, but I have no experience in graphite. And to their credit, they said, “really nobody has, there is not many people with that kind of experience.”

JD: Graphex has been in the natural graphite refining business for over a decade. It was established in China where the whole lithium-ion battery technology and ecosystem is the most advanced in the world currently. As a result, Graphex started to produce graphite (i.e., refine from the raw material) on a commercial scale in 2013. We had spent a couple of years before that perfecting our methodologies and our technology to get to commercial relevance. We do not do mining. We take the output from the mines and shape it, purify it, and put special coating on it to make it perform in the manner that is required for electric vehicles manufacturing and/or other uses like consumer electronics, power tools, et cetera.

In 2020, the company made the conscious decision to expand outside of Asia and North America and ultimately target Europe and beyond. Currently, we are ranked in the top 10 as far as volume production, as we produce 10,000 metric tonnes of finished product.

CMJ: What is the role of graphite in batteries? Why is it ideal for that role? And what are the forms and functions of graphite in the anode?

JD: Graphite has been the predominant anode material since lithium-ion batteries were invented, and its properties make it relatively ideal. It is an abundant natural product, but it is inert. It holds the charge very well. It performs its function, which is to store the charge and then to allow that charge to flow for use. There really has been no viable substitute for graphite over the last 50 years. For the foreseeable future, graphite will continue to play a role. The anode is 95% to 99% comprised of graphite. Factors to be considered are particle sizes, coating methodology, and synthetic graphite. So, some battery configurations will include a percentage of synthetic and natural graphite.

Synthetic is similar, but it is almost a completely different animal. So natural graphite, as we know, is almost 100% carbon. Synthetic graphite is produced from petroleum coke, which is a byproduct of oil and gas production methodologies. It is a petroleum-based feedstock that is then processed via an energy intensive process into synthetic graphite, which has a high density, and its swelling characteristics are a bit better

than natural graphite. One of the operating limitations of lithium-ion batteries is that charging and discharging can create swelling during that process. So, the more you can limit that swell ing, the longer battery life you will have, but it comes at not only a dollar cost, but an ESG footprint.

CMJ: What is the role of graphite in future battery technologies in your opinion? Do you see the emerging technology still using graphite in the anode?

JD: When you think that the overall goal of electrification is to move away from fossil fuels, it does not make intuitive sense to intro duce a petroleum-based product as part of that solution. When you look at the current landscape of anode materials, it is about almost 50/50 between natural and synthetic graphite and synthetic, including a small percentage (about 6%) for the additives, silicon oxide, lithium, titanium oxide, et cetera, which may play a larger role moving forward. The forecast moving forward is that natural graphite will occupy a larger and larger percentage. Some of the additives will occupy a larger percentage, albeit still in the single digits. And the element that will get squeezed out a bit is synthetic for the reasons I mentioned, and that is likely the current thinking over the next 15 or 20 years.

CMJ: You have several products ranging from spherical to synthetic graphite and more; which type is planned for the North American facility and why?

JD: We focus on natural graphite. We have the capability to produce synthetic, but as we look at the expansion into North America and the prospect of building out domestic infrastructure, we see a clearer path to quicker productivity on the natural graphite front. The facilities required to refine natural graphite are still significant industrial facilities but not as significant as synthetic graphite facilities. Synthetic graphite facilities look like oil refinery facilities because we are dealing with petrochemical products. As far as Graphex is concerned, and for the foreseeable future, our focus is going to be on natural graphite unless we really have a strong demand and a willing partner to get into synthetic production domestically.

In fact, there is no large commercial market for that right now. Currently, there is no commercial scale graphite refining capability in North America. There are some pilot plants, and there are some other plants that are under construction, but no one with the same experience that we have is currently operating in North America. We feel that we have responsibility and an opportunity to really hit the ground running and to meet this demand that those of us in the industry know is there.

CMJ: How badly was the EV batteries industry affected by the supply chain problems?

JD: There are multiple risks. A globally diverse supply chain has pros and cons. It is better to have a diverse supply chain when you can. If there is a disruption in one stream, then you can make up for it. Where that becomes challenging in the critical mineral supply chain is that not all supply chains are created equal, and there can be multiple ways for those supply chains to be disrupted. For example, geopolitical tensions or a mine shut down because of terrorist activity. Many things can be outside your control. So, as much as you can bring that end-to-end supply chain local.

Other benefits that come with that include job creation and the economic stimulation that happens with that. Ultimately, there are limitations with respect to the raw materials. You can only extract those where they exist in space and time. In case of graphite, there is not a lot of graphite in North America or in the U.S. There is some up in Canada. And as a result, we are aligning ourselves with those resources. We had a recent announcement about our relationship with Northern Graphite, the only producing mine currently in North America, and a recent announcement with the Syrah for their production out of Mozambique. We are also looking for resources in Tanzania, South Star Battery Metals, and Groton in Brazil to diversify our access to the raw material that we need, and as a result, we believe that will provide resiliency to our ability to supply the domestic end user OEMs and battery makers.

Nobody can predict where the next disruption is going to come from. During covid, one of the biggest disruptions was that there were no container ships available, and as a result, shipping costs went up. Recently, here in North America, Graphex Technologies, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Graphex Group Limited, is developing a processing facility in Warren, Michigan, creating a stable domestic supply chain to meet unprecedented national demand for graphite, bringing technology from Asia versus shipping it out to Asia, and bringing jobs to the U.S. instead of shipping jobs out.

CMJ: What do governments, automakers, and battery makers need to do to accelerate the plan to reach net-zero?

JD: As a society, we are trying to replace internal combustion in the case of mobility, thus trying to replace over a hundred years of internal combustion technology and infrastructure completely with electrified mobility. At the same time, we are

Graphex’s Warren, MI graphite processing facility. Graphite is used to create EV batteries. CREDIT: GRAPHEX

trying to domesticate all that. So, the paradigm must shift. In the current situation, we are focused on the manufacturing of the vehicles first. Then, the batteries, and now we are focusing on the supply chain. So, when the automakers design these electric vehicles, then they go to the industry to ask to provide the raw materials or the finished materials, there is no industry there to respond. That industry must be created, which is part of what we are doing. So, when you ask what the governments can do, it is also what OEMs can do. What can the whole ecosystem do to support what the industry players, like Graphex, are trying to do? The answer is to build out the infrastructure. For example, there is no capacity right now for graphite refining.

We are building the EV infrastructure backwards: auto manufacturing first, then batteries, and then the materials that go into those batteries.

CMJ: VW’s plant in Canada will not start producing batteries until 2027, and Stellantis’ plant is also on the way; how fast do we need to build more EV battery plants in North America?

JD: I think battery plants are coming online in North America at a decent pace. More critically are the plants we need to build to feed them with the materials they need to make the batteries. Otherwise, we are only partly addressing this domestication effort, and we are still going to be, as a society and an industry, dependent on foreign sources of materials. I think the focus really needs to be on these midstream refining capabilities like the ones that we represent, not just for graphite, but for all the other critical minerals as well. We are building it out backwards: auto manufacturing first, then batteries, and then the materials that go into those batteries. So, the next piece of the puzzle is the refining capabilities that we represent.

I refer to it as aggressive collaboration. We need to get some federal and provincial government subsidies, funding, and incentive programs. We also need to get some forward commitments from OEMs to companies like Graphex to support us to build these facilities so we can produce the material that is needed. Finally, we do need some regulations from the governments. It is taking about 10 to 15 years and hundreds of millions of dollars to build mining operations. Similarly, we are not going to build a hundred million dollars or $200 million plant without some assurance that our product is going to be accepted and purchased by the end users. We hope to see some outreach by the government to say that they are on board with this. We want electrification, and we want sustainability to bring jobs back.

CMJ: So, is there a need for a more dynamic regulatory system?

JD: Definitely. More dynamic is a good way to put it to avoid using the word “aggressive,” but also more collaborative.

CMJ: Graphex recently announced the formation of its U.S. strategic advisory committee; can you please talk to us about it?

JD: We announced the formation of the strategic advisory committee around the same time we announced that we are looking at ways to create an effective standalone U.S. entity for Graphex. It makes sense to do it since we have already established a standalone U.S. presence, called Graphex Technologies, for geopolitical reasons and operational efficiency. The strategic advisory committee is being formed to assist, give us some guidance around the formation of the U.S. entity, and then of course in the implementation of our strategy, our expansion, and diversification strategy going forward in the U.S. For those reasons, we brought on two very qualified members, and we are actively seeking to add two or three more on that advisory committee. And again, it is all part of domesticating the supply chain and creating an efficient ecosystem for Graphex to be a foundational player in this buildout of domestic supply chain. We need to achieve commercial success, and we want to make sure that graphite production stays there. CMJ

By David Godkin

An invite to revise critical minerals list

Low prices dampen investment for development

Natural Resources Canada barely got its invite out the door to the critical minerals industry in January when more bad news hit. Plummeting prices for metals such as lithium and nickel pushed the ministry’s pitch for help updating the criteria of Canada’s list of 31 critical minerals list to the back burner. Instead, some in the industry were demanding government intervention, up to and including the feds spending taxpayer money on new critical minerals projects.

How bad was the hit to lithium and nickel prices? Enough for companies to capitulate and begin shutting down capacity and production, said Canada Nickel Company CEO Mark Selby (and former head of commodities research). This

occurred most recently on Feb. 12 when Glencore announced it was transitioning its Koniambo Nickel operation in New Caledonia into care and maintenance.

“When you get to the bottom of a price cycle generally what you see is a bunch of producers throw in the towel,” said Selby. “They say ‘Prices are going to stay low; they have been too low for too long; they are going to keep staying low. I must shut down and stop burning cash.’”

Now imagine how enthusiastic lenders are likely to be about your plan to build a new mine, especially in Canada where development dollars have mostly disappeared. It normally takes at least a decade to build a new mine and at enormous cost, mostly borne historically by retail investors.

That said, Canada Nickel was in a better position than most in February, announcing plans by its wholly owned subsidiary NetZero Metals to develop a nickel processing facility and stainless-steel and alloy production facility in the Timmins nickel district. Both are expected to utilize Canada Nickel’s carbon storage capacity at its Crawford nickel project.

“These processing facilities will position the Timmins nickel district and Canada at the forefront of the global transition to greener energy and materials,” said Selby. The company is at the site-selection stage across sites in the region and close to choosing engineering firms to complete the design of both facilities, it said.

Indispensable graphite

Hugues Jacquemin, chief executive of junior miner Northern Graphite said in a recent Globe and Mail interview, “the storm is brewing.” With prices of multiple critical minerals crashing, the uncertainty “is scaring smaller investors.” Today, he blames plummeting world prices for graphite on China, which produces approximately 60% of the world’s graphite.

That amounts to about one million of the 1.3 million tonnes produced each year. China also has a seemingly perennial desire to “sell that at very low margins,” Jacquemin told CMJ

“The Chinese have made a specific effort to keep the graphite price low. It is quite opaque and very difficult to raise money from lenders based on those economics.” Chinese graphite is heavily subsidized and has prevented new mines being developed, Jacquemin added. “We need more transparency on the price and have a price that is fair.”

Northern Graphite’s saving grace over 30 years has been the size of its properties and nimble operations, notably at Lac-des-Îles, Que. Boasting a cash flow operation with minimal expense to help expand its graphite pit, in mid-January the company updated its mineral resource estimate to 3.29 million tonnes at an average grade of 6.4% graphitic carnon (Cg), containing approximately 213,000 tonnes of Cg.

That same day Northern Graphite announced it was moving to a seven-daysper-week operation in the second quarter, targeting annual nameplate capacity of 25,000 t/y. So, why is it flourishing when other graphite operations are struggling? The answer is a distinctly different graphite than the Chinese product flooding the world market.

“We have been fortunate enough to service a market that is willing to pay more for the graphite flakes,” Jacquemin said. He describes these as a broad distribution of medium, large and jumbo flakes as opposed to a very fine M100 graphite produced in China.

“We also have up to 97% carbon content at our processing plant (increasing the amount of graphite per tonne), which is quite unusual and of very high value.”

You cannot mine what you cannot find

The invites to miners and explorers to update the critical minerals list came on the heels of a new billion-dollar strategy revealed by Ottawa in early December to position Canada as a global leader in critical minerals production. The federal government is firmly fixed on clean energy technologies like zero emission vehicles (ZEV), wind turbines and advanced batteries, as well as information and communication technologies.

Getting these eventually to market depend on lithium, graphite, nickel, cobalt, copper, and rare earth elements, critical minerals Ottawa called “the most significant potential for Canadian economic growth.” A rechargeable battery component, nickel can also be found in solar panels, aerospace and military air-

craft, drawing from Canadian nickel reserves of nearly 3 million tonnes.

Graphite, too, is found in rechargeable battery anodes, as well as electric vehicle fuel cells and vehicle brake linings. It is used in electrical motor components and frictionless materials – key components of wind turbines and other clean technologies.

The problem for lithium carbonate has been precipitous price drop from USD$29,000 per tonne in North America last fall to approximately US$13,500 a tonne today according to market analyst ChemAnalyst. Underlying this is a decline in lithium-ion battery manufacturing, a main stay in EV manufacture in the west.

All of which may account for the surprise by some observers when Vancouverbased Stantec Consulting Services announced plans to design a new $720 million lithium-ion battery cell plant in Maple Ridge, B.C. Taiwanese owner E-One Moli Energy Canada said the plant is expected to produce 135 million cylindrical lithium battery cells for use in power tools, high-performance vehicles, medical devices and aerospace applications.

One who was not surprised was Allan Frame, President and CEO of Winnipeg’s Beyond Lithium. Despite a decline in demand for EVs in the west and the resultant slumping price for lithium, Frame is playing a longer game.

“By 2030 if the goals are met for electric vehicles, lithium will be worth 10 times what it is today. It is a cyclical beast and not all the parts fall into place at the same time. Not everything is going to come together in a two-year span.”

It is that kind of patience and understanding that has made Beyond Lithium the largest greenfield lithium exploration player in Ontario, with 63 high potential greenfield lithium properties totalling over 195,000 ha. of five lithium exploration projects in the Georgia Lake district and Medicine Lake, Frame reserves perhaps his greatest excitement for 50 projects completed last year.

“We had a helluva year. Of the 50 properties we looked at, 18 made the cut. They were extraordinary. Two had spodumene on surface (the holy grail for signs of lithium beneath) and the other was the discovery of a brand-new pluton system.”

That is rare, Frane said, noting that most of the Ontario and Quebec lithium exploration sprang from pluton discovered 50 years ago. “It was just that people

Northern Graphite’s Lac-des-Îles (LDI) graphite bags CREDIT: NORTHERN GRAPHITE.

did not know what lithium was at the time.”

And yet despite last year’s success Beyond Lithium “got punished in the market like everybody else,” Frame acknowledged. The struggle is raising hard dollars (e.g. staff salaries, filing reports, year-end audits, and news releases) to run the company so that you can go out and look for the soft dollars

(e.g. vehicle rentals in the field, drilling, and eligible for flowthroughs).

Frame welcomes a 30% federal tax credit as potentially beneficial to both exploration and mining (“It is awesome”). But that part of raising capital is not difficult, he noted. “You can’t drive the car to the exploration field unless you have gas in the tank. That is the hard dollar part.”

Of near equal concern, said Frame, is what he terms the “pissing match” Canada is engaged in with China. In the absence of unending squabbles over price, financing would be a whole lot easier.

“I can pick up the phone and practically raise any amount of money from several Chinese companies, including battery manufacturers and explorers. But in Canada the smaller retail investors are the only ones floating the hard dollar issues and they have seen nothing but loss after loss over the past five years.”

A pitch for critical minerals supremacy

What to make of Ottawa’s desire for input from miners and explorers on an updated list of critical minerals? For one, the government said Canada’s critical minerals list provides a signal of Canada’s national critical mineral mining priorities to investors, developers, communities, and trading partners. It also must be revised approximately every three years, the government told CMJ.

As of mid-February, the consultation had received 43 submissions from industry, provinces and territories, and Indigenous groups, with more coming in after that date.

Frame will not be part of that effort. “That is not in keeping with our company goals,” he said.

Mark Selby was more forthcoming. “I think it is important to ensure we are focused on those minerals that are most critical to key industries.”

Graphite, however, is in the enviable position of not justifying its place on the list, said Jacquemin. None is more critical, especially in the worldwide demand for EV batteries, he said. “If you don’t have graphite, you do not have a battery.” CMJ

Canada Nickel Company Inc.’s subsidiary NetZero Metals Inc. announced plans in February to develop a nickel processing facility and stainless-steel and alloy production facility in the Timmins Nickel District CREDIT: CANADA NICKEL COMPANY INC.

Northern Graphite’s plant in Lac-des-Îles, Que. (LDI) boasts medium, large, and jumbo flakes that China bypasses in favor of finer M100 graphite flakes CREDIT: NORTHERN GRAPHITE

By Kathleen White

Will mining be fully autonomous in the future?

Humans have been mining to extract the Earth’s raw materials for thousands of years. Over that time, things have changed a little from when Homo sapiens were digging for stones to create makeshift tools. As technology became a little more sophisticated, mining capitalized on the opportunities it offered to yield better outcomes and enhance the safety of workers in the industry.

Mining is essential to our lives in so many ways, and though the industry is often put under the spotlight for its environmental and ethical principles, it is unquestionably a practice that is here to stay. Vast improvements have already been made to processes and policies across the sector, with a particular focus on eco-consciousness to limit the damage mining can do to the planet. However, what is clear is that there is still a long way to go, raising questions around what the mining industry of the future will look like.

In this article, we will discuss how technology, robotics, and automation are already having a major influence on the mining landscape — exploring whether there is the potential for the industry to become fully automated in the future, as technology plays a more central role in determining outcomes. While there are still a lot of unanswered questions around the use of autonomous equipment within the industry, leaders are growing increasingly optimistic about its implementation going forward.

How is automation currently being used?

Automation is not by any means a new phenomenon in the mining industry. It is already being used in so many ways to speed up processes, reduce margin of error, and enhance safety on site. There are a range of vehicles and other pieces of equipment that are now commonplace at mining sites. Fitted with robotic components, trucks, loaders, excavators, drilling rigs, and a range of other pieces of essential equipment can be operated remotely to both limit the threat to

Giving more workers the opportunity to carry out their jobs from safer (often remote) locations mitigates lots of the health risks associated with mining.

human health and mitigate some of the wider social impacts of the practice.

By integrating this advanced software alongside effective communication tools to keep things running smoothly, autonomous mining equipment can ensure that operations can continue around the clock.

Why is automation so important?

As we touched upon earlier, there are lots of benefits to automating mining processes. One of the key drivers behind its widespread use is the safety benefits it can offer. Giving more workers the opportunity to carry out their jobs from safer (often remote) locations mitigates lots of the health risks associated with mining. In addition, machine learning artificial intelligence (AI) can predict system failures to prevent potentially disastrous accidents from happening. AI and autonomous technologies have gone a long way toward ensuring the mining industry is in a better

position than it has ever been regarding worker safety.

Beyond the safety considerations and helping to create better working conditions, modern technology can also be utilized to improve energy efficiency, enhance productivity, and reduce instances of machine failure and downtime. All these things can ultimately benefit mining companies by boosting their bottom line while also reducing their environmental impact.

What does the future hold?

While it is probable that certain aspects of the mining industry will become fully automated in the not-too-distant future, we are unlikely to see a sector free from human intervention any time soon. Human input is essential in so many ways to keep operations running smoothly. However, by integrating more autonomous mining equipment, the overall goal will be to focus workers’ attention on more important tasks rather than the repetitive ones that come attached with more risks.

Automated processes are likely to become more commonplace at mine sites, meaning we may see humans take on fewer of the more dangerous tasks associated with the process. Instead, workers will be able to focus more of their time on the more complex strategy planning and high-level decision-making processes.

Leveraging technology for a safer future

The modern mining industry is facing lots of challenges — from talent shortages to safety concerns — that autonomous technology could go a long way to overcoming. Ultimately, if autonomous technology can continue to reduce the number of humans working in hazardous conditions, it surely will have a key role to play in the future of the mining industry. CMJ

Kathleen White is an independent business analyst who serves a variety of sectors. She earned a first-class honours degree in business and management from the University of Bristol.

Autonomous self-driving truck on mountain road construction. CREDIT: ADOBE IMAGES/ SCHARFSINN86

By Troy Geisler

Crunching the numbers

A holistic approach to trailer’s total cost of ownership

Purchase price is the first and most obvious element of total cost of ownership (TCO), but simply glancing at a trailer’s price tag might only tell half the story. To really understand a trailer’s TCO, businesses need to look beyond the price tag. Here are the seven factors that businesses, fleet managers, and independent operators should consider before their next trailer purchase to maximize their return on investment (ROI).

1 CAPACITY

A trailer must stand up to expected load capacities. However, weight capacity ratings are not standardized and can lead to some confusion. The overall weight a trailer can handle is just that, whether a 35- or 55-tonne lowbed. However, load concentration — or the length of the deck that can handle the weight — varies from one manufacturer to the next. For example, a 55-tonne 8-metre lowbed from Manufacturer A may need the entire deck length to safely carry the weight, while Manufacturer B’s only needs half the deck length for the same weight. Loads are rarely evenly distributed across the entire deck, so understanding concentrated load

ratings for a particular trailer ensures operators are not overloading the trailer — decreasing safety and efficiency and racking up unnecessary maintenance costs.

2 AXLE CONFIGURATIONS

Laws and regulations vary from state to state, so it is important to choose a trailer that maximizes the load while minimizing permits. Working with a manufacturer that understands this helps ensure the best possible weight distribution over the axles. Whether it is adding a fourth flip axle or spreading two or three additional axles apart to evenly accept the load, choosing axle configurations that offer

more flexibility to handle different types of loads increases earnings potential.

3 SAFETY RATING

The trailer’s safety rating is one of the quickest ways to determine if a manufacturer uses high-quality components — such as heavy-duty T-1 steel and Apitong flooring — that will stand up to the jobs you have planned.

Safety ratings tell the end user how much magnification of payload the trailer is designed to withstand when driving over bumps and chuckholes. Safety ratings will range from 1.8 to one — no margin — to up to 2.5 to one, an industry high. A trailer with a high safety rating and built with high-quality materials may cost more up front but will better stand up to the day-to-day stresses of hauling loads. Drivers should keep in mind that though the average magnification of payload is 1.8, in many instances the trailer will experience much more than that. A trailer designed with extra margin in the safety rating will experience less stress, wear, and damage, resulting in reduced maintenance costs over time.

4

REMOVABLE GOOSENECK

In addition to profile and lift ability, ease of use should be considered when selecting a removable gooseneck for optimum ROI. Industry-leading manufacturers offer hydraulic removable gooseneck systems that operate at 5 to 15 gallons per minute, making them less susceptible to leaks. These low-pressure systems also use hoses that are readily available and more cost-efficient than those needed for high-pressure systems. The location of the hydraulic system on the gooseneck can further increase ease of maintenance. Mounting the system within the gooseneck base section limits vibration and damage, increasing the length of maintenance intervals.

5 SUSPENSION SYSTEMS

A maintenance-friendly suspension system offers features designed specifically to increase its resilience and lifespan, as well as simplify the maintenance pro-

cess when things do break down. Two things to look for are solid clamp-in bushings and extra-long contoured axle seats. Solid clamp-in bushings offer an extended life over slotted designs and easy replacement that does not require an expensive press. Extra-long, contoured axle seats reduce stress on the weld and provide a strong connection without the need for added U-bolts.

6 STEEL AND PAINT

Wear components are another thing to keep in mind. High-quality materials and finishes will last longer than traditional paints and lower-cost alternatives, especially for trailers that need to stand up to challenging conditions. Look for a trailer built with high-strength steel, such as 305-mm-deep I-beams with a minimum yield strength of 100,000 psi. This, along with premium primer and topcoat finishes, will ensure long-term durability.

7 EASE OF MAINTENANCE

Some manufacturers design their trailers with maintenance points that are fast and easy to access, which is important for minimizing the time and money spent maintaining the unit. Look for cylinders mounted parallel to the ground which can be replaced in minutes, saving a significant amount of time and effort over the trailer’s life.

Looking down the road

The number on the price tag is important, but it is only the beginning for those looking to optimize their ROI with a smart investment. Trailers travel hundreds of thousands of miles — and a lot can happen between points A and B. To truly understand TCO, owners and operators must have a comprehensive understanding of what their trailer will cost in its lifetime, not just at the moment of purchase. A well-researched trailer investment can provide fast ROI and reliability that goes on for miles. CMJ

Troy Geisler is the vice-president of sales and marketing for Talbert Manufacturing.

Opposite: Load concentration — or the length of the deck that can handle the weight — varies from one manufacturer to the next. CREDIT: TALBERT

By Josh Swank

Tips for improving off-highway haul truck efficiency

For off-highway hauling, the right truck body can greatly boost efficiency and profits for your operation. Volumetric capacity, weight distribution, and the type of materials being hauled can limit the productivity of many standard OEM truck bodies. To get the most out of your fleet, consider the following options:

one

ADD A TAILGATE

While it may seem like a small feature, not having a tailgate typically results in loads that are 10% to 15% below rated capacity. By increasing haul volumes to meet a truck’s rated capacity, tailgates can quickly and easily boost an operation’s profitability. For example, a 100-tonne-capacity truck with a tailgate hauls nearly 15 more tonnes per load than a 100-tonne truck without a tailgate. If a fleet of eight trucks adds 15 tonnes to each of their respective 10 loads per day, additional 1,200 tonnes of material move daily — comparable to adding another truck to the fleet.

two

CONSIDER REAR-EJECT BODIES

Rear-eject bodies can improve off-loading efficiency by pushing materials out with a blade while leaving the truck bed down. By eliminating the need to raise the body, the truck can safely dump materials while in motion and in the presence of over-

head barriers. This versatility increases efficiency without reducing stability by providing a lower centre of gravity and allowing dumping on downhill slopes and conditions with a soft footing. While you can purchase many articulated off-highway trucks with rear-eject bodies, aftermarket solutions can be easily adaptable to any make and model of articulated truck as well as several rigid frame trucks.

three

LOOK FOR 450 BRINELL STEEL

To ensure durability and extend the service life of both the truck and body, consider opting for reinforced bodies made with 450 BHN steel. Because of the steel’s hardness, abrasion resistance, and lack of ductility in both warm and ultra-cold climates, it can increase the life of a truck body by 25% to 30%. For added reinforcement, look for bodies with floor bolsters that run from side to side under the body’s floor, as well as load distribution cones around the “sweet spot” of the centre floor section. The added strength from this floor support structure allows for maximum payload capacity by supporting the full weight of materials without stressing the truck’s chassis.

By boosting haul truck efficiency and extending the service life of off-highway equipment, operations can increase revenue in the short term, as well as over the life of each truck. CMJ

Josh Swank is vice-president of sales and marketing for Philippi-Hagenbuch.

Quarry managers rely on tailgates to increase load volume and jobsite productivity. CREDIT: PHILIPPI-HAGENBUCH

By Tamer Elbokl, PhD

Transportation where no roads are supposed to be

Torsus produces the “world’s toughest heavy-duty off-road buses.” Founded in 2017, the company has a headquarters in the Czech Republic and a factory in Slovakia. Its first offering was the 37-seat Praetorian coach. Described as the world’s toughest heavy-duty off-road 4 x 4 bus, it can travel even further and harder through the most inhospitable terrain. From comfort to safety, Torsus Praetorian can tackle any weather condition anywhere, anytime.

A second model is the nine-seat Terrastorm minibus. There is also a new fully electric vehicle under development. Another model, Praetorian Minesite, has been created as a standard transporter for safe and comfortable carriage of a group of workers to their mine working location, usually out of public roads.

CMJ spoke to Vakhtang Dzhukashvili, co-owner and CEO of Torsus, about the company’s history, present, and future.

CMJ: As a conversation starter, can you please talk to us briefly about the history of Torsus, the vision, and why did you decide to start that kind of a business?

VD: I am proud to lead Torsus, a company dedicated to pioneering the design, development, and manufacture of the world’s toughest off-road buses. Together with my wife, Yuliya, we established the company in 2016, with me serving as CEO and her as chief strategy officer. At the heart of our product line-up

AND CEO OF TORSUS

are two central offerings: the Praetorian and the Terrastorm.

Torsus serves a diverse range of customers in heavy industry, utility, and government service sectors across global markets. Through strategic partnerships with MAN and VW, we leverage key chassis, skeleton, and powertrain technology to ensure that every Torsus bus embodies ultimate durability, reliability, serviceability, comfort, and safety. Above all, toughness is engineered in.

CMJ: Torsus describes its products as the “world’s toughest heavy-duty off-road buses;” can you please give us a brief tour of the current lineup? What are the industries where Torsus products could be in demand?

VD: At Torsus, we specialize in manufacturing off-road heavyduty buses. Our flagship model, the Praetorian, boasts top-ofthe-line suspension and drivetrain systems, enabling it to tackle the most challenging terrains over long distances, and handle heavy loads with ease. Equipped with advanced technologies like differential lockers, this bus is well-engineered to access even the most remote locations, especially in the hands of skilled drivers.

Additionally, we offer the Terrastorm, based on the VW Crafter and MAN TGE platform, in a smaller form factor. This heavy-duty off-road vehicle undergoes extensive modifications

Q & A WITH VAKHTANG DZHUKASHVILI, CO-OWNER

Vakhtang Dzhukashvili

to enhance its suspension, interior, and drivetrain capabilities, ensuring exceptional performance in demanding environments.

Our buses find applications across various industries, particularly in mining for transporting personnel and cargo across rugged terrain, including coal, gold, and iron mining sites. They are also utilized in tourism, providing transportation in mountainous regions and ski resorts, with some even ferrying passengers up the Mount Etna volcano. Adventure tourism is another significant area of use, where our buses enable exploration into remote natural landscapes.

In emergency relief efforts, our vehicles play a crucial role in evacuating vulnerable populations and serving as all-terrain ambulances. Notably, we are witnessing growth in the farming sector, where our buses are increasingly utilized for various agricultural purposes.

CMJ: What are the advantages of using the Praetorian Minesite model in the mining industry?

VD: We conduct industry sector research studies in our unique way, blending sales and marketing. Our sales team does not just push products; they listen to what customers want to achieve and how they want to achieve it. They bring these insights back to our team, asking, “Can we do this?” This communication style was particularly evident in our interactions with mining clients.

Personally, I spent a lot of time discussing their standard processes, identifying their needs and challenges, and figuring out where we could enhance our products. Having our design, R & D, and engineering team in-house allows us to quickly adapt products to meet specific requirements. For instance, if a customer in Chile needs a durable floor, we ensure that our product meets that need, understanding that the same requirement might apply in Australia, so we fit a durable aluminium floor, which is not standard in the bus industry. We capture this knowledge in our product development, offering well-thoughtout options to the market.

Adapting to cold conditions, like those in Canada, is a topic I am passionate about. When we initially focused on delivering vehicles to hot countries like the U.A.E., discussions often centred around air conditioning. However, I realized that insulation is just as crucial. Our multi-layer, multi-component insulation reflects heat back into the car, benefiting both hot and cold climates. Testing our vehicles in extreme conditions, from –35°C to 50°C, revealed the importance of cooling down the interior to a standard 23°C, regardless of external factors. This certification requirement ensures comfort and safety for passengers.

CMJ: How has your company changed with the Covid-19 pandemic, and then with the conflict in Ukraine? What changes have you made to adjust?

VD: The impact of Covid-19 on our production and supply chain has been significant, with even the smallest parts causing disruptions. Motivating employees to return to the office postCovid-19 proved challenging, prompting us to explore various strategies to make office work more appealing.

However, amidst these challenges, Covid-19 has also been a catalyst for positive change. We have enhanced the resilience of our supply chain by bringing more parts production in-house. Additionally, we now operate with a multinational team spread

across different countries, which has proven to be more efficient than our pre-Covid-19 setup. The implementation of vaccination and sanitization measures has resulted in fewer illnesses among our team during the winter months.

Despite the ongoing war in Ukraine, we remain committed to our Terrastorm R&D centre in the country. Rather than withdrawing operations, we have chosen to invest further and support both our employees and the local community. Initially, the uncertainty of the war posed challenges, but we have since stabilized our operations and adapted to a new normal. We have taken steps to ensure the safety of our employees, providing medical supplies and establishing secure living and working environments. Furthermore, we have contributed to humanitarian efforts by supplying emergency vehicles and aiding in the distribution of relief supplies throughout the country.

CMJ: Are you looking at developing autonomous vehicles and BEVs as part of your strategy?

VD: My team are considering electrification for our vehicles, but it is worth noting that our customer use cases rarely involve electric vehicles. While we plan to eventually convert our smaller Terrastorm bus to electric power, this will not happen in the immediate future. As for the Praetorian, we are currently in the investigative phase. Our approach begins with thorough discussions with customers to gain a deep understanding of their needs. From there, we prioritize robust engineering, aiming to deliver a high-quality product. Regarding self-driving technology, I must admit, I have some reservations. While we are exploring the possibilities, the idea of a bus with 36 passengers but no driver makes me apprehensive.

CMJ: In your opinion, how does the future look for Torsus?

VD: My strategy revolves around maintaining technical superiority in our products. My team and I are committed to constantly enhancing our vehicles, ensuring that we remain at the forefront of the market while setting ourselves apart from competitors. Moreover, we are placing renewed emphasis on bolstering our aftersales service to provide comprehensive support to our customers worldwide. Although we have already expanded our sales to all continents, notably absent are vehicles in Canada and the U.S. However, it is a significant part of our plan to establish a presence there. Understanding that certification processes differ in North America compared to Europe, we are actively seeking partnerships to exchange technological insights and assist us in achieving the necessary certifications for the region.

CMJ: Finally, what advice would you give to future founders to help them market their products to the mining industry?

VD: My advice is to prioritize listening to our customers’ needs. By creating a wish list based on their feedback, we can focus on addressing exactly what they require. This approach has been the key to our success story. We consistently engage in discussions with our customers, listening to their input and brainstorming future innovations together. This collaborative process allows us to provide them with a refined product that meets their needs precisely. CMJ

The crucial role

of asset management in mining operations

Asset management means carefully handling and getting value from the things a group or company is responsible for, throughout their entire life. It is super important in mining, where using assets the right way is a big deal because of how much and how intensely they are used.

In mining, we work hard to manage assets well – from getting them and using them to keeping them in good shape and finally stopping to use them. The focus is on making the most out of assets and handling risks, costs, and performance in a smart way. Doing this is crucial to keep operations going smoothly, following the rules, and being efficient.

This article will give a quick look at the best ways to manage assets in the mining industry. It also shares insights into how mining operations are changing and why effective asset management is so important in this field.

Does asset management hold importance? In the world of mining, how well things

like equipment, technology, and the people working – known as assets – are taken care of really matters. Asset management includes keeping everything in good shape, planning for the entire life of equipment, and handling the financial side of mining.

Doing asset management well can also lead to the following:

1. Keeping things safe.

2. Making the most of money spent on equipment.

3. Making better decisions.

4. Figuring out the best costs over the whole lifespan.

5. Managing risks more effectively.

6. Being able to predict things better.

7. Using less energy.

Key elements of mining asset management

1. Taking care of equipment

In mining, it is crucial to take good care of our equipment throughout its life. This involves everything from getting it, setting it up, using it, and making sure it stays in good shape. Pay attention to every

step, even when it is time to stop using the equipment. By keeping an eye on the entire process, mining companies can make sure each piece of equipment works well and serves its purpose from start to finish.

2. Staying safe with risks

Making sure things go smoothly in mining means dealing with unexpected issues. Risk management is like a safety plan for our operations. Take a close look, understand, and prioritize the potential problems that could happen with equipment to be able to come up with smart plans to handle these issues before they become big problems.

3. Keeping things running smoothly

We regularly check and evaluate how our mining assets are doing to make them work even better. This helps us use our assets efficiently and find areas where we can make things even smoother.

MINING OPERATIONS

4. Saving money smartly

Pay close attention to our expenses. Work hard to balance spending and find ways to do things more efficiently when maintaining and taking care of equipment. The goal is to cut unnecessary costs while keeping our assets working great. Managing costs well is a key part of keeping mining operations financially stable and successful.

5. Maintenance management

This involves planning when to check and fix things and focusing on preventing problems before they happen to avoid unexpected breakdowns and keeps maintenance costs and downtime low. Proper maintenance makes sure assets last a long time and work reliably, supporting smooth and effective mining operations.

Benefits of better asset management

1. Improve mine planning

Before a company can start digging, it is important to have a good plan to make sure the work is done as quickly and efficiently as possible. To make things better, you can

1. Get a team of experienced people in mine planning to make operations better. Keep an eye on how much is produced each day, where mining happens, and what minerals are there.

2. Use better sequencing to plan mine sites more effectively.

3. Raise the quality by increasing cut-off grades.

4. Produce more from mines where it is cheaper to do so and make them a priority.

5. Spend less money on mines that will not produce much and will not last long.

2. Improved efficiency

While people can work hard to be as efficient as possible, using technology can cut down on mistakes and do even more.

1. Tools that show how things are going, from digging in the ground to delivering the goods, can help you see the whole process without missing anything.

2. Upgrade your systems with the latest technology to figure out what is driving your business, like how long things take and how fast they are happening.

3. Bring everything together with a dashboard that fits your needs. These dashboards can show how well things are really going.

4. Keep an eye out for new technologies

that can make work easier and find valuable resources.

3. Reduced maintenance cost

When you manage your assets better, one big advantage for mining operations is spending less on maintenance. Taking care of things before they break is a smart way to cut costs – fixing something in an emergency can be three to nine times more expensive than planned fixes. Along with saving money, doing preventive maintenance means less downtime, longer-lasting equipment, less risk of unexpected issues, and gear that works better overall.

4. Workforce planning

Companies aim to make the most of their workforce by planning. This means understanding what they can expect from their employees and making the best use of the talent available. To make the current team more effective, companies can

1. Start different programs to involve employees, like flexible schedules and training to help them grow in their careers.

1. Hire local people and train them for important jobs, especially from Indigenous communities.

2. Teach teams about how the business works in areas like mines, plants, infrastructure, and sustainability.

3. Build a culture that encourages using company resources wisely.

4. Adopt work practices like work clusters and cross-training to save money and use resources smartly.

5. Optimize operations

Making mining operations more efficient is not that hard, but making sure the improvements last is a bit tricky. To keep costs down, companies can try the following:

1. Make processes and methods that make operations better and last a long time.

1. See what other industries are doing and learn from them.

2. Use Six Sigma methods (like shareholder value analysis) to find where operations can be more efficient.

6. Making your working capital better

When it is tough to get money for new things or daily operations, making the most out of what you already have

becomes super important. As mentioned earlier, taking good care of your assets helps a lot in getting more work done and spending less money. This is good news for your mining company’s working capital, which is the money available for daily operations.

People usually think that getting the most out of mining assets means choosing between taking care of them and using them a lot. But here is the trick: when you realize that a big chunk (30% to 50%!) of your total spending goes into maintaining and managing equipment, making any small savings in these costs can make a big difference for your company’s money situation.

7. Improved access to maintenance and spend data

Getting better access to data about maintenance and spending is important. It is like saying you cannot control something if you do not know how it is doing. Many mining companies do not have enough information to make their assets more valuable.

Special solutions for mining assets and maintenance give you detailed information about your equipment. This data helps you make smart decisions, like when to replace old equipment, buy more, or move assets to better places. Big research company McKinsey is positive about the benefits of having maintenance data. They say that by 2025, using data to improve how you take care of equipment could reduce maintenance costs by 5% to 10%.

8. Reduction in business risk

Lowering business risk is important. To handle the risk related to assets, you need a plan to stop or decrease losses if equipment breaks. Using special apps for managing equipment can help. These apps set up standard ways to find, measure, and rank the risks of asset failure. This includes things like how long the asset might be down, following rules, and safety and environmental issues.

A good plan for maintaining assets not only lets you see the risks but also gives you a way to put controls and strategies in place. These controls and strategies help make the impact of risks smaller, reducing their effect on your business.

9. Increased utilization rates

By keeping a close eye on assets and reg-

CONTINUED ON PAGE 38

By Danny Parys

Mining has a Gen-Z problem

If you are interested in the future of Canada’s mining labour force (there are dozens of us!) you will most certainly be familiar with one of the industry’s most notorious statistics: 70% of those between the ages of 15 and 30 would not consider a career in mining. The worst of all industries surveyed, below even oil and gas.

And it gets worse. For mining companies that have been able to attract young people into the industry, retention is a growing challenge. According to a recent Deloitte survey, 46% of Gen-Z, individuals born between 1996 and 2012, that are currently working in the mining and energy sectors say that they plan to leave their jobs within two years. That is a problem.

As the projected demand for minerals continues to increase, Canada’s mining industry is expected to see its labour crisis worsen. With over 20% of mining professionals over the age of 55, a wave of retirements is expected to exasperate an already tight labour market and the Mining Industry Human Resources Council estimates that over 80,000 jobs will go unfilled in the sector by 2030. To cope with such drastic labour shortages, min-

ing companies need to get serious about filling the talent pipeline. That means attracting Gen-Z, colloquially known as “Zoomers,” into the industry quickly. Zoomers will make up 30% of the labour force by 2030, and unfortunately for Canada’s miners, they have an overwhelmingly negative view of the mining sector. When it comes to persuading young people to join the industry, miners are losing the PR battle.

For a majority of Zoomers, a career in the mining industry has likely not even crossed their mind. For those that have considered it, typically an erroneous perception of what working in mining looks like prevails. And it is no surprise. A quick glimpse at the news headlines tend to show the worst that the industry has to offer. It is no wonder than when Gen-Z think of mining, they think of an industry that is old-fashioned, with no regard for environmental or social responsibility. Mentioning mining to Gen-Z is more likely to evoke images of pickaxes and coal covered faces rather than autonomous hauling systems, up to date ESG plans, and critical inputs for the green tech revolution.

Those that do enter the industry tend

to do so because they have family members that have worked in the sector. Take a quick survey of any mining engineer program student body (of which there are fewer every year), and you will find many second and third generation mining professionals. Rare are those that come to the industry without a nudge from friends and family. Relying on the off chance that someone’s uncle will persuade them to pursue a career in mining will not be a winning talent attraction strategy for Canada’s miners.

So, what can be done?

For miners that are serious about attracting Zoomers into their workforce, it will be important for them to understand how Gen-Z differs from past generations. Expelling negative stereotypes will be critical as millions of Zoomers are expected to enter the workforce in the coming years. Gen-Z is projected to be one of the most educated generations, with the majority expected to complete college or university programs. At the same time, Zoomers are expected to contend with a precarious economic future. Unsurprisingly, Gen-Z tend to place a

high value on job security and stability when compared to past generations. Gen-Z are also likely to be one of the most environmentally conscious generations, with 50% of Zoomers saying they want to work in an industry that has a positive impact on climate change. An important statistic for miners to know when they communicate their employee value proposition to students deciding on a career path.

Perhaps one of the most interesting ways Gen-Z may differ from past generations, is regarding how they view worklife balance. As mental health continues to be a growing concern, Zoomers are prioritizing flexible working environments and a strong work-life balance. Miners should take note and look at developing working environments that better reflect Gen-Z’s values. Particularly as studies indicate mine workers struggle with mental health more than the average Canadian worker, a potentially off-putting data point for young people considering a career in mining.

While the content of the message is important when it comes to educating Gen-Z on a career in mining, the mining industry needs to be deliberate regarding

when and where they deploy their message. Deemed “digital natives” because of being the first generation that has grown up with digital technology, it should be no surprise that Zoomers are not opening a morning newspaper to learn about the world. Miners need to meet Gen-Z where they are: online. On average, Gen-Z spend six hours a day on their phone. It should come as no surprise that Gen-Z make up 60% of Tik-Tok’s 1 billion users and that 85% of Gen-Z say social media influences their purchasing decisions. If HR leaders want to educate young people about a career in mining, a strong social media presence will be critical. It might not hurt to brush up on the latest Tik Tok dance moves.

While university career fairs have their place, if the first time a student encounters the mining industry is at a post-secondary level, it may already be too late. By then, many students have already began making careers choices. At the post-secondary level, mining companies are likely to just be competing to attract students that have already considered a career in mining. When it comes to attracting young people into the mining industry, education needs to begin

earlier. Mining companies should instead take a page out of the tech industries play book. In Canada, the information and technology industry expected critical talent shortages and at one point projected over 180,000 jobs to go unfilled. To combat this, the tech industry organized collaborative efforts to educate school age children about a career in tech. By developing after school programs, industry funded coding summer camps, and actively engaging with students with a predilection for math and science, the industry was able to inform students from an early age about the possibility of a career in tech. By the time students graduate high school, it may be too late to educate them about what a career in mining may look like, and negative preconceptions may already be ingrained. Miners therefore need to get into the classroom earlier if they want Gen-Z to consider a career in mining.

As it stands, the talent pipeline for Canada’s mining industry is weak, and lack of new workers is putting the future of the industry at risk. At the same time, Gen-Z, likely to be the most educated generation, are beginning to make up their

CONTINUED ON PAGE 38

DECEMBER 2023/APRIL 2024 VOLUME 5 | ISSUE 2

Executive, Management and Board Changes in Canada’s Mining Sector

TOP MOVES IN THIS ISSUE

MANAGEMENT MOVES ON THE MOVE

Andrew Hall

The new CEO at AMC Consultants is Andrew Hall. His primary expertise covers strategy optimization, feasibility study assessment, technical due diligence, and business improvement in underground and open pit metalliferous mining projects. He has managed numerous feasibility studies and public reports worldwide and performed the role of qualified or competent person for mineral and ore reserves in accordance with the requirements of NI43-101 and JORC. He is also an AusIMM representative on the JORC committee.

Doug Underhill, new chief geologist at C2C Metals, has 50 years of international experience in exploration, development, and analysis. His expertise spans all aspects of the uranium sector. He holds a PhD in geology from McMaster University, an MBA from Colorado State System, an MSc from McGill University, and a BA from the university of Connecticut. He has also advised governments on five continents, including the United States, Australia, and China.

Fraser MacCorquodale brings over 35 years of global gold and copper exploration experience, including leading Newcrest’s global team from 2008 to 2023. He has worked in Australia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, western Canada, the United States, Ecuador, Argentina, and Chile, where he explored and assessed over 300 projects. He was awarded the Colin Spence award for excellence in global mineral exploration from the AME.

To send your management, board and award announcements directly to us for inclusion in the next newsletter, please email your submission to editor@canadianminingjournal.com

» Advanced Gold Exploration named Andrew Ramcharan president.

» ATHA Energy appointed Ryan Gaffney as SVP of business development.

» Atha Energy named Cliff Revering as VP exploration and Karina Tyne as director of corporate affairs.

» Bear Creek Mining named Zoya Shashkova its new CFO.

» Caprock Mining appointed Okunola Joshua Aina its CFO.

» Cordoba Minerals appointed Peter Portka its new VP corporate development.

» Caitlin Glew is the new VP exploration at Core Nickel, a subsidiary of CanAlaska Uranium.

» DFR Gold asked Brian Kiernan to assume the role of CEO and president in addition to his role as chair.

» Eastport Ventures named Robin Birchall its new CEO.

» Element 29 announced Manuel Montoya as chief technical officer.

» EnCore Energy appointed Shona Wilson as CFO.

» First Phosphate said VP business development Jerome Cliché has stepped down but will continue as an advisor to the company.

» Fleet Space Technologies asked former VP metals of BHP, Keenan Jennings, to join it as part of the Experts-InResidence (XIR) program.BHP

» Goldshore Resources said its president, CEO and director Brett A. Richards is transitioning to interim CEO and director.

» Great Eagle Gold named Gary Harbottle as corporate secretary.

» Lithium Americas (Argentina) elected Sam Pigott as president and CEO, effective March 18.

» Lithium Ionic named Mike Westendorf as its VP technical services.

» Lodestar Battery Metals said Ty Magee is the company’s qualified person following the departure of VP exploration Luke van der Meer

» Mandalay Resources appointed Hashim Ahmed its new EVP and CFO.

» Mirasol – President Tim Heenan has been promoted to the role of CEO and given a seat on the board of Mirasol Resources

» Newmont’s new COO, Natascha Viljoen, is transitioning into her new job as former COO Rob Atkinson will hand over his duties by the end of May.

» Nion Nickel named François Vézina the COO for the Dumont nickel project, effective March 4. He was previously with Osisko Development

» Power Metals named Haydn Daxter as CEO.

» Qc copper – Guy Le Bel is the new president of QC Copper.

» Radio Fuels appointed Philip O’Neill as CEO and a director.

» Rathdowney Resources said CEO and chair David Copeland has resigned.

» Sola Gold announced that president and director Javier Cordova Unda has taken a personal leave of absence.

Doug Underhill Fraser MacCorquodale

MANAGEMENT MOVES, continued

» Nelson Karun has joined the technical team of Star Diamond as a diamond specialist.

» Thunder Gold named CFO David Speck as corporate secretary, as well.

» Tombill Mines named Athanasios Pythagoras its new corporate secretary.

» Simon Cmrlec is the new COO of Vizsla Silver

» Fernando Ragone is the new CFO of Wesdome Gold Sandeep Singh joined Western Copper and Gold as CEO.

» Western Uranium and Vanadium promoted Michael Rutter to COO and added Bruce Norquist as GM of mining operations.

» York Harbour Metals filled its CEO slot with Blair Naughty.

BOARD ANNOUNCEMENTS

» Altamira Gold appointed Pieter Le Roux to the board.

» Gonzalo Hernandez Jimenez and German Arce Zapata have joined the board of Aris Mining

» Bell Copper elected William D. Hart to the board.

» Deepak Varshney and James E. Rainbird joined the board of Doubleview Gold.

» EDM Resources named Eugene Chen to the board.

» Forum Energy Metals named Brian Christie to the board.

» FPX Nickel asked Kim Baird to become a director.

» Bob Bass is the new chair and his son Chriss Bass a new director of Getchell Gold.

» G.E.T.T. Gold named Andre Gauthier to its board.

» Great Eagle Gold welcomed

Kate Fehlenberg to its board.

» Great Eagle Gold welcomed Robert Seguin to its board.

» Highlander Silver added Federico Velasquez to the board.

» Dorian Nicol became a director of Honey Badger Silver

» Murray P. Suey is now a board member of Iamgold.

» Kobo Resources named Brian Scott to its board.

» The newest board member at Luca Mining is Peter Damouni.

» North Arrow Minerals named Eira Thomas the new chair of the board.

» Nuclear Fuels named Rich Munson to the board.

» Plata Latina Minerals asked Joseph Longpre to join the board following the resignation

of Margaret Brodie

» Sayona Mining named experienced mining executive Lucas Dow as an independent non-executive director.

» Silver Viper Minerals appointed Taj Singh as chair of the board, succeeding Gary Cope

» Helen Cai joined the board of Silvercorp Metals.

» Slave Lake Zinc added Heath Ellingham to the board.

» Russel Girling is the new board chair at Suncor Energy

» Thesis Gold appointed William (Bill) Lytle as non-executive chair.

» Transition Metals added Jordan Black to its board.

» Vista Gold added Michel (Mike) Sylvestre to its board.

THE CRUCIAL ROLE OF ASSET MANAGEMENT IN MINING OPERATIONS,

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 34

ularly taking care of them, mining operations can use their machinery more effectively across various sites.

Equipment or asset utilization is like measuring how much and how well your mining machines are being used. We figure this out by looking at things like when the machines are turned on or off, how many hours the engines run, and how much fuel they use. Some more advanced ways to measure include using GPS to know where the equipment is or using sensors

to check things like weight. By gathering data on where an asset is, how long its engine runs, and if it has been properly maintained, we can understand how well it is being used. This helps us measure and improve its utilization. CMJ

Lindsey Walker is the marketing manager for NEXGEN, a Sacramento-based industry leader in designing advanced computerized maintenance management systems and asset management software tools.

ZOOMER TROUBLE, CONTINUED FROM PAGE 36

minds about their future careers. If Miners want to attract a new generation to consider a career in mining, they will need to take the time to understand what Gen-Z values, and how to best communicate to them. If they do not, Gen-Z may forget about mining altogether, and Cana-

da’s miners will continue to contend with a dwindling talent pool. CMJ

Danny Parys is a senior consultant at Calross Consulting, a recruitment and HR consulting firm that specializes in the mining and metals sector.

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