SUDBURY INNOVATION CLUSTER
MINERS GRAPPLE WITH
digital disruption By Janice Leuschen
O
n Feb. 1, mining companies and mining suppliers gathered for the first Beyond Digital Transformation conference in Sudbury, Ont., to discuss the changing technological needs of mines and to network. The conference was hosted by Partners in Achieving Change Excellence (PACE), a change management company. “We decided to do this conference because we’ve been working with quite a few mining companies and were privy to their up and coming innovations and technological roadways,” said Nėha Singh, president and CEO of PACE. “There is a huge inflection of how mining companies are adapting technology right now and we know our supply and services sector have very successful companies. We want to know what the mining companies want.” Representatives from four mining companies – Barrick Gold, Glencore, Vale and Dundee Precious Metals – gave
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MINING JOURNAL
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The new differentiators of mining companies will be in their ability to leverage data and to successfully adopt to technological change. –RICK HOWES, PRESIDENT AND CEO OF DUNDEE PRECIOUS METALS
presentations to the 260 people in attendance at the one-day event. “I think it’s more about answering the question: Why should I need my organization transformed?” said Patrick Marshall, manager, automation projects, innovation, at Barrick Gold. He noted that half the Fortune 500
companies have gone out of business or merged since 2000, saying that their demise came because they didn’t make changes in technology. “What happened that they didn’t identify or respond to changes in technology?” Marshall asked. “We as an industry must be prepared to adapt, because whether we like it or not, disruption might be right around the corner.” A clean slate A new way of mining must be imagined. “If we were to wipe the slate clean and rethink how we build a mine and operate mines – erase all the assumptions, redesign the system – I think we can put together a very different system,” Marshall said. To make these changes, mining companies are looking for partners to work A panel of mining company representatives discuss technology and innovation at the inaugural Beyond Digital Transformation conference in February. CREDIT: REBECCA BOSE
www.canadianminingjournal.com
2018-02-15 3:08 PM