Business Enquirer Edition 101 August 2021

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August 2021

Healthcare Heroes Celonic AG Ingraining a growth mindset

GlaxoSmithKline

THE RACE TO VACCINATE A PLANET

In depth report with vaccine and global health president Roger Connor Also featuring: Nestlé + Gold Fields + Glencore + IBEDC + Ambatovy + more

W W W. B U S E N Q . C O M

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Contributors MEDIA Jamie Waite Partner & Creative Director jamie.waite@busenq.com Liam OHara Partner & Chief Financial Officer liam.ohara@busenq.com Malvern Kandemwa Partner & Chief Operations Officer malvern.kandemwa@busenq.com Glen Newton Senior Project Director glen.newton@busenq.com Gary Smith Senior Project Director gary.smith@busenq.com Stephen Owen Senior Project Director stephen.owen@busenq.com Liv Culling Project Director liv.culling@busenq.com Greg Finch Project Director greg.Finch@busenq.com Chiara Salter Project Director chiara.salter@busenq.com Sam Patrick Project Director sam.patrick@busenq.com

WEBSITE Matt Hardwick Online Website Manager matt.hardwick@busenq.com

PRODUCTION Talitha Minnis Head of Production talitha.minnis@busenq.com Sarah Sprason Production Manager sarah.sprason@busenq.com Tanya Rudd Head of Finance tanya.rudd@busenq.com Thomas Fyre Lead Designer thomas.fyre@busenq.com Hannah Watkins Junior Designer hannah.watkins@busenq.com Adam Fulwood Head of Video & Content Creation adam.fulwood@busenq.com

EDITOR & JOURNALISTS Jay Benmehidi Senior Editor jay.benmehidi@busenq.com Carol Gibson Lead Editor carol.gibson@busenq.com Rebecca Matthews Senior Journalist rebecca.matthews@busenq.com

HR Susan Tumelty HR Partnered company info@hrdept.co.uk

LEGAL Chloe Bird Birketts LLP Norwich

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Contents 08 Dubai Expo 2021

12 The Neuroscience of Decisions

22 Celonic AG Creating A Growth Mindset

18 Top 5: Indonesian Tech Startups

36 GlaxoSmithKline - The Race To Vaccinate A Planet

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Contents 46 IBEDC Bringing Light To A Nation

66 Alphamin Resources Building The Future

56 Nestlé A Century of Good Food, Good Life

74 Gold Fields Australia Setting The Gold Standard

84 Ambatovy Madagascar’s Industrial Marvel

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Contents 92 Codelco A Giant In Its Field

104 Gold Fields Ghana 27 Years of Excellence

114 Glencore Modernising Copper Mining

124 Gold Fields Salares Norte The Future Is Golden

132 Redpath Mining Delivering Multispectrum Mining Excellence

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A word from our editor...

Here in the UK, as well as across Europe and the US too, no doubt, it almost feels as if, dare I say it, life has returned to normal: masks are no longer compulsory at work, in shops, in schools, and universities. As we go to watch the football and the rugby, see live music, pop out to the cinema, and pubs, bars, and restaurants, memories of the dark days of social distancing and endless lockdowns are fading into the distance.

This is an illusion, of course. Most of us fortunate enough to be living in parts of the world where the link between infection and death has all-but been broken, for the vaccinated, at least, know we are still only a new variant away from being right back at square one again. Much as those of you who are reading this from the ASEAN region, or Australia and New Zealand know all too well as you see the world around you grind to a halt once more.

We long for the authorities to give us the all-clear and say, ‘pandemic over,’ but in reality the crisis is anything but over. However, the good news is that we are likely now closer to the end of the crisis than the beginning, and this is all thanks to the incredible work of the pharma and bio-therapeutics sectors.

This topic has been a source of much interest and debate in the office here at Business Enquirer, and in this issue we have worked with a pair of the industry’s standard bearers, GlaxoSmithKline and Celonic AG, to delve further into what’s happening inside the pharma world. Through speaking to brilliant leaders like Roger Connor and Vikalp Mohan, we can bring to you the inside story of how the industry is continuing to protect our lives and freedoms, and how it is operating at the frontier of innovation to stay one step ahead of COVID-19.

This edition of Business Enquirer also features companies from the mining, manufacturing and utilities sectors – essential areas of business that have played an invaluable role in keeping the engines of industry and commerce firing in a turbulent world. We are delighted to have worked with companies like IBEDC, Redpath Mining, Gold Fields, Nestlé, and Glencore in this issue, and hope that you will enjoy the individual stories of their success as much as we have.

Through the tireless efforts of their brilliant scientists, technicians, and leadership teams, all of whom have worked night and day to design, develop, manufacture, and distribute the cutting-edge new vaccines and bio-solutions that are succeeding in bringing COVID-19 to heel, at unprecedented speed, no less, pharma has carried the hopes of millions over the past 18-months.

Their success in putting safe, efficacious vaccines in patient’s arms means we can now see the light at the end of the tunnel.

They are the unlikely heroes of our time.

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Expo 2021: Dubai

It’s going down in Dubai

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Expo 2021: Dubai

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ositioned as a nexus between East and West, Dubai is a futuristic and thriving hub for global trade that is unmatched by measure of glamour, prestige, and a reputation for extraordinary conspicuous wealth.

In the space of less than a half-century, the emirate has grown to become a hyper-connected nerve centre for trillions of dollars of business, and a magnet for investment into the Middle East, Europe, Africa, India, Asia and beyond, owing to its strategic global location, business-friendly policies, and future-forward infrastructure.

Against the glittering backdrop Dubai’s hyper-futuristic skyline, the Emirati city state will finally host the hotly anticipated Expo Dubai 2021 from 1st October to 31st March 2022.

The showpiece, which was originally scheduled to take place last year, was one of many to be postponed or cancelled in the wake of the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. However, following the success to-date of global vaccination campaigns, the show is back on and what a show it will be.

Much as we’d expect of what has been billed the Greatest Show on Earth, the mega event will be a grand spectacle of innovation, commerce, and culture over its duration. Expo 2021, which will be themed around ‘Connecting minds, Cre-

ating the future’, has been billed as the most future-forward global expo yet. And for good reason: in keeping with the Expo’s focus on the themes of sustainability, mobility and opportunity, there will be countless awe-inspiring, tech-centric pavilions to expand our minds and stimulate the senses.

A great many organisations and Expo partners will use their pavilions to showcase new technologies and new ideas, music, art, and education opportunities to visitors, and, for the first time in history, participating countries will be joining them. Dubai is no stranger to jaw-dropping architectural genius, but even by Dubai’s standards some of the national pavilions that have been unveiled so far have raised the bar as far as wow-factor is concerned – prepare to be mesmerised by flying cars, vertical farms, living rainforests, augmented reality and all manner of immersive cultural experiences that celebrate what makes each country unique.

From a bird’s eye view, the Expo venue – which stretches over an incredible area of 4.38sq.km, equivalent to 613 football pitches - resembles three flower petals, with each petal representing a thematic district centred around sustainability, mobility and opportunity. What’s more, it even has own metro station for the anticipated 25-million visitors to Dubai.

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Expo 2021: Dubai Even for a leading global business hub such as Dubai, such huge inflows of people will stretch the city’s infrastructure to its limits, an eventuality that has not been overlooked by Expo 2021’s planners. Since being awarded the event in 2013, Dubai’s leadership has set about expanding and improving Dubai’s tourist infrastructure, which has resulted in the construction of new hotels, roads, and motorways leading to the exhibition, including overpasses and interchanges. Additionally, alongside the newly constructed metro, new railway and urban tram lines are ready to carry guests, as are new fleets of green taxis and buses.

The great expos and world fairs from history, such as the Great Exhibition of London in 1851 – an international showcase held in the Crystal Palace, to more recent events such as Expo 2010 Shanghai, acted as a platform for celebration of the achievements and progress of their time and unite in the face of global challenges.

So far, up to 50 construction projects have been completed at a cost of over US$3billion, a stimulus which has provided a much-needed boost to the city’s economy and created in excess of 200,000 new jobs. So extensive have Dubai’s infrastructure been, the city’s worldclass transport network rivals even those of the world’s greatest cities, London, New York, Tokyo, and Singapore.

The success of this grand latter-day world fair will prove to be transformational for Dubai, and indeed the wider region. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and the wave of lockdowns that followed, interest from national governments and the business community in Expo 2021 has increased even more over the past year, and inflows of investment capital have increased correspondingly. More than this, however, a successful Expo 2021 will send a signal to the world that Dubai has truly arrived at the global top table.

Suffice to say, Dubai has thrown the kitchen sink at the showpiece to ensure its success after what has been a difficult year and going by the success of its forebears, Expo 2021 has much to live up to – as organisers know full-well, they are truly standing on the shoulders of giants.

For 170 years, World Expo events like the one that will be held in Dubai have inspired greatness and helped shape the world in which we live. They provide us with a glimpse of what the world of the future might be and the innovations that will take us there; they show us how every individual has the power to make a difference and bring about positive change, connecting and captivating millions of people from around the world.

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Any anxiety felt by Dubai’s leadership ahead of the showcase is understandable ahead. An expectant world is quietly watching as the first flagship event of the MEASA region takes shape.

Vast amounts of money are at stake, as is Dubai’s reputation.

In-line with its theme of ‘Connecting minds, Creating the future,’ and its mission to foster creativity, innovation, and sustainability on a global scale, Expo 2021 Dubai will act as a grand platform, both economically and geopolitically.

Doors to the markets of many countries will be opened, new partnerships and relationships will be built, and new thinking will be inspired by an event that will go down in history as one of the great expositions of our time.

Expo 2021: Dubai

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Neuroscience

The Neuroscience of Decision Making – Why Capable Leaders Make Poor Decisions 12

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Neuroscience Decisions, decisions, decisions.

From small, innocuous everyday decisions of little consequence to the immensely important ones that affect people’s lives, careers and well-being, life is an unending merry-go-round of decision making.

The average person makes thousands, if not tens of thousands of decisions daily and the choices we make will largely determine the happiness and success we achieve in our personal and professional worlds. Decisions matter, and they especially matter in a leadership context where a right or wrong call can make or break a business.

To err is human Mistakes are inevitable, of course – as the old saying goes, to err is human. Even the most gifted, intelligent and responsible leaders, for all their experience and access to the best, most up-to-date information, make terrible decisions at times. But there are mistakes and there are mistakes, as history has shown us.

As an example, who could forget the spectacular fall from grace of the former mobile phone giant, Motorola? Between 2006 and 2009, as its rivals of the day and a resurgent Apple invested heavily in the future, Motorola’s then-executives unwisely chose not to enter the smart phone race and instead focused on aesthetics and style rather than function and innovation - a decision that cost the company its market leader status and almost everything else.

Another is Rupert Murdoch’s hopeless mismanagement of Myspace, which he ingloriously sold in 2011 for US$35 million just three years after he wrote MySpace Tom a cheque for US$580 million. And then there’s the record label that rejected the Beatles because, “guitar bands are on the way out.” These examples of bad decision-induced disasters are only the tip of the iceberg, it should be added.

Poor decisions of such epic scale are rare, granted, and yet they are a cautionary tale for us all because the triggers that led business leaders to make them are the same triggers that can lead any of us as executives to make flawed decisions in our own organisations. The question is what are these triggers? Why do these triggers make competent and capable, if not outright brilliant leaders, for all their business acumen, make terrible decisions and terrible mistakes?

How can we learn from such calamities to avoid repeating the same mistakes?

Neuroscience: the key to understanding our brains and behavioural triggers The answers to these questions, it has emerged, can be found by delving deep into the field of neuroscience – an emerging frontier discipline that, even at this early stage, has restored mobility to paralysed patients, opened up new fields of research in the ongoing fight against Alzheimer’s, and increasingly helped us to understand our brains and why they make us think and behave the way we do.

But before we get onto the subject of neuroscience, however, first let’s recap on this most mysterious of organs. It is telling that, even in an unfathomably vast cosmos filled with mind-bogglingly complex structures, our brains are quite credibly regarded to be amongst the most complex structures in the observable universe.

Made up of billions upon billions of neurons, dendrites, and axons, as well as the trillions of synapses through which electrical pulses fire, the human brain has long been a riddle wrapped inside an enigma.

Through neuroscience and its study of the brain and its structure, functions, and the many diseases that affect it, scientists are increasingly unlocking its secrets. What we have learned so far has already proven invaluable in helping us to become better leaders, and it has certainly

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Neuroscience gone some way to explaining what is happening in the brain when we make decisions and why we make them – this is the good news. The bad news is that, from what we have learned, the process of hacking our behavioural processes to make better decisions means we are fighting an uphill battle against a very unwilling brain.

What’s happening in your brain during the decision making process

and superhighways we’re used to using.

Naturally, our brains dislike this change. When we feel that nagging feeling of anxiety, worry or fear, it’s our brain saying, ‘no we’ve got a problem here, this does not match up with the patterns in this part of my brain.’

Here’s how the brain works, in layman’s terms: each neuron has an axon which is connected to a cluster of neurons, and on the other end a dendrite. Each dendrite connects to the axon of an adjacent neuron, and then there’s a gap – this is where the synapse happens. An electrical pulse comes to your brain, it fires through the axon into the nucleus into the dendrite, then jumps the gap; a synapse, and carries on into the next neuron – these continuous, synchronised pulses produce brain waves, which govern our thoughts, feelings, and mood.

As this happens repeatedly with repeated behaviour, the neurons that fire together wire together. The more we’re repeating behaviours and actions, the more neurons are firing and wiring together, which quite literally creates tracks in the brain. If we repeat behaviours to the extent that they become reinforced habits, these small tracks will grow to become vast superhighways in the brain – a path of least resistance electrical pulses want to flow through. And as one might imagine, this can play havoc with our ability to think clearly and subjectively in a professional setting.

Pattern recognition You know that nagging feeling of worry or anxiety we feel when we’re trying to make a choice about a difficult situation or make a decision? It’s because in doing so we’re overthinking and being forced to use the cognitive part of the brain to overcome the brain’s reflexive and instinctive desire to use those prebuilt pathways

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Our brains use pattern recognition to assess what’s happening around us, and will then subsequently react to or ignore information, events and situations depending on our familiarity with what has been presented to the brain. As it does this, the brain will also search for any emotional tags - emotional information attached to our

Neuroscience experiences and thoughts from past memories.

In short, pattern recognition means we make assumptions based on previous experiences and judgments, in the same way a chess master analyse a chess board and pick the best move available in as little as five seconds by drawing on pat-

terns he or she has seen before. The downside to this is that pattern recognition can also lead to boxed in thinking that only allows us to see the world through blinkers. Certainly, it can breed complacency - when faced with what appears to be a familiar situation, the brains can mislead us into thinking we understand something we don’t.

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Neuroscience Negative distortion Another instinctive neurological trigger that acts as the bane of effective decision making is negative distortion.

Quite simply, we are more sensitive to negative experiences than to positive ones. This is why bad news sells and good news doesn’t, and it’s why a hostile face on the street will draw our attention more than a friendly one.

From an evolutionary standpoint, negative distortion, whilst it can be something of a flaw in the modern world, was a hugely beneficial attribute during prehistory. Unlike today, we had to be drilled to make quick decisions in case of danger – there was simply no time for the careful, time-consuming business of deliberating when are ancestors were in fear of attack. The weighing of perceptions and information was a luxury sacrificed in favour of speed and economy. Neuroscience has shown us that this ancient trigger remains. If we feel threatened, a red alert gets activated in our brain and the threat warning system is triggered, which in turn causes a fight or flight reaction.

Unfortunately, whilst there is a red alert system in the form of negative distortion, there is no know green alert system reward system. As we all have found to our delight and detriment in the past, the brain craves reward and will be flooded with chemical messengers like dopamine when we feel joy or happiness.

Evidence has shown that this craving for reward, combined with our penchant for negative distortion – which can manifest itself in any number of ways in the workplace – is another leading cause of errors in judgement.

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Striving to safeguard against our own biases Now more than ever before we understand how the brain works. We can anticipate the triggers that lead to flawed decision making and the circumstances in which errors of judgment may occur, and work to guard against them.

Not that this is easy. At the bottom of it all, we are fighting a rearguard action at all times against a brain that is utilising evolutionary programming gained over countless millennia to do what it believes is best. It simply isn’t possible to make optimal decisions at every turn in the face of such determined opposition, but our growing understanding of the brain means that business leaders can at the very least safeguard against their own biases, and in turn lessen the frequency and seriousness of mistakes when they do happen.

Neuroscience

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Top 5

Digital Dragons in the Indonesian Tech Startup Space – The Top-5 to Watch

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outheast Asia’s dynamic startup space has hit a purple patch in recent years, and it speaks volumes that this trend has continued despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The startup economies of the ASEAN nations are on fire, but undoubtedly the standout performer in the region continues to be Indonesia.

As home to one of the most exciting and rapidly growing startup ecosystems anywhere in East Asia, not to mention a growing number of unicorns, Indonesia is finally beginning to make the world sit-up and take notice. And rightly so – Indonesia is not only the biggest and fastest-growing internet economy in its neighbourhood but a tour de force on the global stage which, according to many economists, will break into the global GDP top-10 list by 2030.

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The meteoric growth of Indonesia’s startup scene can be linked to its young, tech-savvy population. With a median age of only 29 and over 60% of the country being under 40, adoption of new tech and online services is at an alltime high. Of Indonesia’s 270 million plus population, close to 200 million are online – a large increase compared to only five years ago owing to the growing penetration of the digital economy in the country By all intents and purposes, Indonesia’s digital economy is in its infancy, but the rising number of tech startups in the country – estimated to be in excess of 4,000 this year – is driving the growth of the e-commerce, fintech, and market research space.

Here are five of the hottest startups to watch:

Indonesian Startups

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OVO Founder(s): Karaniya Dharmasaputra OVO is a leading name in the Indonesian startup space, owing to the success of its payment and finance solutions platform, which is accepted in more than 300 cities across the archipelago. OVO is used on 115 million mobile devices across Indonesia, granting its customers access to payments, transfers, cash-in/out, rewards, asset management and investments. Its rewards function, which allows customers to earn points on purchases from numerous retail, hospitality and leisure outlets across the country, is also hugely popular.

To date, OVO has raised a significant amount of startup capital, which speaks volumes of how highly regarded the company is across Indonesia’s startup ecosystem. Since it was founded four years ago, OVO has disclosed that it has raised a total of US$123 million in investment.

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Top 5

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Waresix Founder(s): Andree Susanto From its headquarters in Jakarta, Waresix operates an exciting digital logistics platform that helps businesses to manage their freight, warehouses, and goods delivery services. Waresix has shown capitalised on Indonesia’s booming e-commerce market, to the extent it recently announced that 30,000 trucks and 375 warehouses were now using its platform, serving high-profile customers such as Unilever, Indofood, and JDID across 96 cities.

Unsurprisingly, the company has secured strong funding to the tune of US$129 million from a number of investors. Waresix has also shown ambition in the acquisition market, activity which has not gone unnoticed by the business community at large.

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Payfazz Founder(s): Hendra Kwik, Jefriyanto Guang, Ricky Winata Payfazz is a financial platform which operates the largest branchless banking agent network in Indonesia. Since its launch in 2017, Payfazz has grown rapidly and, today, the company claims to operate the largest branchless banking agent network in Indonesia, through which it can offer banking services to around 180 million unbanked people in rural areas. According to the company, it has more than 700,000 registered agents across the country and serves over 80 million end users.

Now that the company has secured an e-money licence from the Bank of Indonesia, Payfazz has ambitious plans going forward as it seeks to grow and develop the platform further. With the e-money license, Payfazz users will now be able to maintain accounts with the company and use the balance to pay offline and online merchants – features similar to those offered by other local fintech firms like GoPay and Ovo. Unsurprisingly, the company has managed to secure US$74.1 million from investors.

Indonesian Startups

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Warung Pintar Founder(s): Agung Bezharie, Harya Putra, Sofian Hadiwijaya Warung Pintar, which translates to smart ‘kiosk’ in Bahasa Indonesian, develops digitally enabled, prefabricated roadside kiosks that are managed by microentrepreneurs or ‘partners,’ as the company calls them. Warung Pintar’s 21st century iterations of the traditional mom-and-pop street kiosks have transformed the market, and unsurprisingly it has already made a number of key acquisitions that have further consolidated its grip on the market – as of July 2021, Warung Pintar announced it has 106,000+ active monthly users, a number the startup aims to increase to one million by the end of 2022.

Warung Pintar has managed to secure more than US$35 million from a number of high-profile investors, following its success.

Halodoc Founder(s): Jonathan Sudharta Halodoc is an innovative digital platform that enables users to undergo remote online consultations with more than 20,000 doctors. Through Halodoc, customers can order lab tests and medications from over 4,000 pharmacies across Indonesia.

Last year, the company launched an appointment service capable of connecting patients to more than 2,000 providers across 180 Indonesian cities. Following the outbreak of COVID-19, the service was later expanded to include bookings for coronavirus tests and vaccinations. So successful has Halodoc been, in fact, that Indonesia’s Ministry of Health recently tapped into the startup’s capabilities to augment its own national COVID-19 vaccine campaign.

The company has gained a great deal of investor of interest, most notably from the Melinda Gates Foundation, Prudential, and Allianz X. In total, the company has managed to amass US$180 Million in startup since it was founded five years ago.

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Healthcare Feature

Crea a gro mind 22

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Celonic AG

ating owth dset Business Enquirer Magazine · Issue 101

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PROJECT DIRECTED BY

WRITTEN BY

Jamie Waite

Jay Benmehidi

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Healthcare Feature

I

t is difficult to believe that only 18-months ago the world as we knew it changed. Since its emergence and subsequent spread to every corner of the globe, COVID-19 has proven to be the great tragedy of our times, killing millions, extinguishing freedoms, and causing unparalleled economic havoc in the process.

However, thanks to the collective efforts of the scientific community, the COVID-19 pandemic whilst by no means over - has to some extent been brought to heel.

As politicians huffed and puffed, using flagdraped populism to dress up efforts to develop COVID-19 vaccines as a latter-day arms race, scientists have rolled their eyes and quietly gone about the business of finding and developing the solutions the world so desperately needs, unseen and to some extent unappreciated.

And develop them they have, at an extraordinary pace, no less. The unprecedented lightening-speed at which scientists have succeeded in developing high efficacy bio-therapeutics and vaccines is without parallel in human history.

Industry insiders like Vikalp Mohan, Chief Operating Officer at the Swiss bio-solutions provider, Celonic AG, understand better than most the arduous process of not only developing innovative bio-therapeutics, but then getting them in patient’s arms.

“No-one would have anticipated receiving authorisation and administering vaccines to patients within a year of the outbreak of the pandemic. It is unprecedented, and it has been possible because of concerted global efforts between biopharmaceutical innovators, bio-solutions providers and regulatory bodies.

Celonic AG develop life-saving medical technologies

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Celonic AG The onset of the pandemic has facilitated transformational advancements in the development of modalities, such as cell & gene therapy and mRNA. Whilst these potential modalities have been in existence for more than two decades, it is remarkable how their potential has been realised in so short a timeframe to enable the development and production of a breadth of vaccines and therapeutics, which tune your body’s immune system to defend against a new novel virus. It’s fascinating. COVID-19 has transformed the drug development landscape in life sciences, for good.”

Undoubtedly, the pandemic has provided a powerful reminder to the world of the importance of the life sciences sector, and how the industry is a defacto guarantor of global health, security, and the economy.

Through the efforts of companies like Celonic AG, which is developing and producing multiple vaccines programs and bio-therapeutics for industry players, and of course the Pfizers, AstraZenecas, and Modernas of the world, the link between infection, serious illness and death is on the way to being severely weakened. Of course, there is the risk that new variants might emerge, and with billions still unvaccinated, it is far too early to claim we are out of the woods just yet, but the light can finally be seen at the end of what has been a long 18-month tunnel.

But back to the topic at hand - who are Celonic? From its headquarters in Basel, an area known to be one of the world’s most productive life sciences hubs, Celonic is a pioneering developer and manufacturer of innovative bio-therapeutic solutions. Through its work in fields like traditional biologics, monoclonal antibodies, and fusion proteins to newer, advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMP) such as mRNA and other cell-gene therapies, Celonic and its talented workforce operate at the frontier of biotherapeutics development to enable its partners to bring innovative medicines to the patients.

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Healthcare Feature

For Vikalp, who has enjoyed a globetrotting 20+ year professional journey that has taken him from KPMG in the US to INSEAD in Fontainebleau, and then Syngenta and now Celonic in Switzerland, his time in life sciences so far has been the cherry on the cake of what has been a captivating career to date:

tial biotherapeutic - at that time the therapeutic has just indicated a promise of a potential benefit.

Our deeply science-rooted team works with our partners in transforming the potential into an end solution for patients.”

“Bio-solutions development is a fascinating world and it’s a privilege to be part of the industry,” enthused Vikalp Mohan. He continued: “In a nutshell it enables the biotherapeutics of the future. There are so many unmet medical needs - if you look at oncology, if you look at neurodegenerative disorders, even infectious diseases, the world has so many unmet challenges in terms of medical conditions and finding cures for the aging population.

In terms of what we do at Celonic, our collaboration with biotech and pharmaceutical partners typically starts at the discovery stage of a poten-

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Healthcare Feature

Working together to solve the inconceivable At Cytiva, we’ve had decades of experience accelerating the path of discovery to market.

We help get therapies to patients faster by optimizing efficiencies and reducing risk.

Together, we can accelerate brave science.

Cytiva and the Drop logo are trademarks of Life Sciences IP Holdings Corporation or an affiliate. ©2021 Cytiva For local office contact information, visit cytiva.com/contact CY22946-13Jul21-AD

Cytiva_GEN_FullPage-CY22946-13Jul21-AD.indd 2

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7/12/21 5:10 AM

Celonic AG Cytiva

Continuous innovation

Many people around the globe are enhancing their health thanks to cutting-edge science and advanced medicines – vaccines, oncology drugs, and more. To help ensure these therapies are developed, manufactured, and delivered to patients, we must gain efficiencies in biopharmaceutical research and manufacturing workflows.

Our customers undertake activities from fundamental research to developing innovative vaccines, biologic drugs, and novel cell and gene therapies. The high stakes associated with producing a life-saving drug can weigh on a manufacturer. Every decision can make or break a project, and, unfortunately, many are made long before anyone knows if the drug will make it to market.

We listen intently to our customers and develop solutions that will advance their work — by simplifying processes and improving speed, capacity, and quality in workflows across all key therapy types.

We need to access expertise. Our industry must be flexible and adapt to our constantly shifting world. The advent of COVID-19, which transformed the industry’s focus in a matter of months, is a stark example of rapid and far-reaching change, especially demonstrated in the success of mRNA vaccines. Biopharma’s approach to responding to such pandemics lies in finding smarter approaches to drug discovery and development.

At Cytiva, we promote rapid progress in the industry through reliable supply of high-quality tools and enabling services that allow our customers to go faster and smarter to clinic and to market. Adaptation, innovation, and collaboration are essential characteristics of all companies in life sciences. We work with our customers to support these goals, whether in-house or at a CDMO. Sustainability – our imperative We intend to reduce our environmental footprint even as demand for our offering grows.

Ensuring resilience in the biopharma supply chain The reliable supply of medicines to patients depends on robust supply chains for both equipment and raw materials.

Recently, Cytiva and Pall Corporation (both part of the Danaher Corporation, NYSE: DHR) announced that they’re investing 1.5 billion USD over two years to meet growing demand for biotechnology solutions. This major investment is expanding manufacturing capacity for life sciences products at 13 sites.

New sites are opening in US and UK to support regional needs. Overall, the companies plan to hire 2000 full-time associates in two years.

This investment follows five strategic acquisitions the companies made this year and supplements Cytiva’s continuing capacity investments estimated at 500 million USD through 2022.

Emmanuel Ligner, Danaher Group Executive, says: “Our customers tell us they need access to manufacturing agility, a robust global supply chain, and more regional options. This investment further fuels our expansion program so we can rapidly meet the current and future needs of our customers and ultimately, their patients.”

Visit www.cytiva.com for more information.

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Celonic AG The process of fine-tuning potential therapeutics into an efficacious and safe end product that is ready for patient administration can be a long and difficult one. Can this molecule really be effective? Will it have any toxic effects? Can it be stable? Can it be produced economically?

These are all questions that must be answered, and the incredibly complex, meticulous nature of life sciences research means there is little margin for error.

To ensure that Celonic continues to develop and manufacture best-in-class, and first-in-class drugs, Vikalp’s team work closely and often with the company’s long-standing key supply partners, who for many years have stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Celonic – partners like Cytiva, Securecell, and Corning, all of whom have made an integral contribution to Celonic’s success over its journey.

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On Celonic’s partnership with Securecell, Vikalp stated: “The concept of bio-processing Industry 4.0 is shaped on acceleration of digital transformation – of processes, equipment, production, controls, systems, software etc – interconnected via IoT (Internet of Things).

The data-driven, intelligent decision making, in real-time, is the future of the bioprocess development and manufacturing. Celonic and Securecell have a shared vision on harnessing the benefits of automation in process development. Our collaboration on automated sampling and close-loop control Numera system has affirmed the potential of advancing innovation in integrated bio-process development.”

Cytiva, a global provider of technologies and services that helps advance and accelerate the development and manufacture of therapeutics,

Healthcare Feature has also worked closely in alignment with Vikalp and his team. Bringing speed, efficiency, and capacity to research and manufacturing workflows, Cytiva has been an important enabler of Celonic’s ability to deliver transformative medicines to patients.

ly over the last five years. To be a true enabler, team Celonic leverages and promotes customer-centric, solution-oriented services, and strives to continuously upgrade our learning mindset of what’s coming next, optimising our platform processes and analytics.

People are the most significant investment that we make as an organisation

When we go out and attract talent, we do promise our talent pool that they will be working on the frontier of bio-innovation.”

And then, of course, there’s Celonic’s scientists and researchers - individuals whom he describes as the sharpest, most astute minds he has come across. In this industry, it’s all about people; having great talent, keeping them engaged and hungry as they go about their work, and ensuring that they have the opportunity to keep learning.

For Vikalp, working alongside such men and women who are changing the world is a source of great inspiration, and yet another fascinating part of the job in this most fascinating of industries:

Like any smart organisation, Celonic prioritises the wellness and continued development of its people. Granted, Vikalp’s staff are a highly qualified, high-value asset in a business context, but even the most brilliant minds have room to grow.

Vikalp takes special pride in the conscious efforts the organisation has put into embracing a Growth Mind set - A continuously learning frame of mind that thrives on challenges to deliver outstanding solutions for all stakeholders.

With this in mind, investment into training and upskilling staff is a foremost part of Celonic’s strategy to maintain its standing as an industry pioneer, as is encouraging participation in the latest academic conferences and congresses.

“People are the most significant investment that we make as an organisation. There is a talent war, it is extremely challenging! These are young and experienced minds; what I have seen is you have to work together towards a common purpose.

Everyone, including myself, has a strong belief in our corporate purpose and it drives us to continually deliver our best. Our purpose is simple, yet profoundly grounded: we truly want to be the enabler of the biotherapeutics of tomorrow. The modalities landscape of bio-therapeutics is becoming ever more complex with seemingly every passing day. Beyond the complex biologics – fusion proteins, bispecific, ADCs – the pipeline of cell & gene therapies has progressed substantial-

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Healthcare Feature This commitment to investing in people works well on all levels - the more up to speed, the more ahead of the curve Celonic’s team are, the better they utilise and integrate their creativity into finding solutions. Investment into other key assets such as its cutting-edge facilities is also central to Celonic’s efforts to maintain its industry standing, as evidenced by the company’s recent €60+ million capital expenditure into its Heidelberg facility – a fortuitously timed move on the part of Celonic that greatly enhanced its bio-therapeutics manufacturing capability just as COVID-19 had started to emerge.

After a year that has been, to say the least, challenging for the world but most exciting for life sciences, from a technical standpoint, Celonic along with its peers are looking at a new landscape that is very different from what they anticipated only a year ago. With this in mind, the question is what next for the company?

“The industry is witnessing massive expansion and considerable consolidation,” explained Vikalp. “There has been huge capital inflow and there are more players coming in. The industry is growing and we want to stay ahead of the pack. If someone is looking at Celonic, we are actively striving to be known as the true technology partner of choice.

And technology for us is central, we do invest considerably in this area. Out of the investments we are making, we have announced ATMP investment in the life science park in Stein with projected capacity to employ more than 250 professionals, and we have already committed Capex into our Heidelberg for around €65 million.”

To consolidate and take its operations to the next level, Celonic aims to pursue organic and inorganic growth by making measured moves to expand its bio-solutions portfolio into new marketplaces further afield.

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“We want to serve our end community of patients as well as our collaborating partners across the globe. The question is how can we accelerate what we are doing? And in a true sense, what is Celonic’s platform, what could Celonic offer to add value to biotech players? There’s a huge focus on data-driven decision making, quality systems and the time-to-market element. That’s part of our strategy – how does the Celonic platform continue to help our collaborators bring the future of the innovations to the patients faster?

This requires a global footprint, beyond our physical presence at present. We may be actively considering a potential expansion into the US at appropriate time.

The next element goes more into looking at our internal platforms, and where we want to focus on advanced therapeutics or ATMP cell and gene therapies. How do we build our capabilities and capacities to serve the novel modalities? Celonic is quite advanced in team capabilities and capacities to serve our cell & gene therapy partners. We are a strong believer in collaborative development principles and would continue to engage with likeminded partners, in both technology as well as the program delivery space.”

Celonic continues to serve its customers well, and can offer a broad range of value differentiation when compared to competitors. Vikalp concluded, stating: “Staying true to our purpose of being an enabler, we are working on multiple R&D and delivery projects to shape-up products and platforms of the future. Looking on the road ahead we are highly excited on the leading role team Celonic will continue to play in addressing unmet medical needs in collaboration with our partners.”

Celonic AG

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A legacy of progress through unprecedent times John M. Tobin is vice president and general manager of Corning Life Sciences.

Corning is vital to progress – in the industries we serve and in the world we share. We invent life-changing technologies using materials science. Our scientific and manufacturing expertise, boundless curiosity, and commitment to purposeful invention make us integral to the way the world interacts, works, learns, and lives. Our sustained investment in research, development, and invention means we’re always ready to solve the toughest challenges alongside our customers.

Early last year, I stood on stage in front of a group of Corning executives speaking about how 2020 promised to be a smooth year for our organization. The life sciences market was growing steadily. Our customers were innovating and developing life-changing and lifesaving treatments and therapies faster than ever before.

We were ready to support them and grow alongside them.

Corning has been a trusted supplier to the global health care and pharmaceutical industries since the introduction of PYREX® glass in 1915, with brands found in more than 100,000 laboratories worldwide. Last year, we were ready to continue our journey as an industry leader, but we all know what happened next.

Like most companies, it took us a little while to understand both the challenges that the pandemic would present to our business and the opportunities for us to help.

The global pandemic changed everything—but it didn’t change our customers’ commitment to making scientific breakthroughs at breakneck speeds.

As scientists and researchers raced to address the pandemic, many were using Corning Life Sciences’ products in their basic research to understand the virus.

Almost overnight, we couldn’t produce enough laboratory consumables to meet the growing demand.

While the virus spread, new tools were developed for

testing and analysis. Corning began to provide critical products to the developers of PCR and serological test kits. As our customers rushed to develop effective, safe vaccines, they began to use more of our bioproduction products to support the culturing, scale-up, and production of these vaccines.

In addition, our sister business, Corning Pharmaceutical Technologies, had recently introduced Corning Valor® Glass, a revolutionary packaging solution purpose-built for the pharmaceutical industry. This new technology helps to enhance the storage and delivery of drugs like the COVID-19 vaccine, provides more reliable access to medicines essential to public health, and optimizes manufacturing efficiency.

The result of the pandemic was an unprecedented increase in global demand for our life science and pharmaceutical products – as much as 200% to 1000%.

Our commitment to our customers and the industry has never been stronger, and so our response to this increase in demand must also be unprecedented. Corning has made a commitment to invest more than $500 million in manufacturing capacity expansion between 2020 and 2021, including government co-investments to support domestic manufacturing of critical supply chain components. This represents the largest capacity expansion in our history in the life sciences industry.

Celonic AG

While we invest in meeting today’s demand, we are also preparing for a future driven by incredible advancements in life science.

This isn’t the first time Corning has helped to enable unprecedented life science progress. Our products and innovations were critical in fighting the Spanish flu, the discovery of penicillin during World War II, and developing a polio vaccine in the 1950s.

We have always invested in scientific excellence, helping scientists to make medical breakthroughs that can help us live longer, healthier lives. It is as an extension of this legacy that we remain fully committed to serving the scientific community as it continues its essential work during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

use products, and closed system solutions for more efficient scale-up and downstream bioprocess, such as our industry-leading Corning® HYPERStack® vessels.

Corning’s technologies can translate to new efficiencies and improved results for scientists around the world who are taking research into reality.

The life science industry continues to grow in unprecedented and, sometimes, unexpected ways.

If we’ve learned anything over the last 18 months, it’s that we can’t always predict the next challenge. What we can predict is that Corning will remain steadfastly committed to progress and our customers’ success through it all.

Our products allow our customers to not just change but save lives.

One of the best parts of my job is the inspiring stories that I get to hear on a regular basis from our customers. Scientists use our products to discover new treatments for cancers, Alzheimer’s disease, nervous system diseases, and cystic fibrosis. They’re improving early assessment of drug toxicity and growing advanced cell structures outside of the body that allow for the study of diseases that currently have no cure.

These stories have instilled an organizational passion for developing products and technologies that transform the way researchers work. That includes optimized surfaces for cell culture and assays, singlewww.corning.com/lifesciences

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Healthcare Feature

The r to vacc a pla 36

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GlaxoSmithKline

race cinate anet Business Enquirer Magazine · Issue 101

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PROJECT DIRECTED BY

WRITTEN BY

Jamie Waite

Jay Benmehidi

Roger Connor, President of GSK’s Global Vaccines division

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Healthcare Feature In our post-COVID brave new world, the leading brands of Big Pharma, an industry that has been subject to no little mistrust over the years, are the rock stars of our time. The pharma sector has carried the hopes and dreams of billions over a difficult year of lockdowns, tragedy and frustration, and its success in rolling-out safe, high efficacy vaccines has won the sector the kind of adoration it could only have dreamed of in early-2020.

Leading the world’s foremost vaccines business is a labour of love COVID-19 has fired the starting gun in a race between the world’s pharma giants to develop, manufacture and distribute the high-efficacy vaccines needed to protect a planet.

For a President of GlaxoSmithKline’s Global Vaccines division, like Roger Connor, the stakes couldn’t be higher. Not that he would have it any other way – despite the scale of the task at hand, for Roger, his role at GSK is very much a labour of love:

“As President of GSK Global Vaccines, I have the enormous privilege to lead a global organisation whose products help protect people from disease at all stages of their life – from birth to older age. It’s an incredible science-led business with amazing people who work on the discovery, development and manufacture of vaccines every day.”

What I love about my role is that I learn something new every day – be that about the science, the technology and the manufacturing (the engineer in me is still there) or working with our external partners, governments and multilateral organisations or talking to our employees and learning from them – and doing all this in the knowledge that the work we do makes such a difference to people’s lives worldwide.

GSK employees, working on the production of antibiotics

As the world’s biggest vaccines manufacturer, in GSK we make hundreds of millions of doses in a typical year...

Covid-19 is going to require billions.

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Healthcare Feature Research of chemical compounds at GSK laboratory

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GlaxoSmithKline A two-decade journey of success in pharmaceuticals Roger’s broad and varied professional journey in the pharmaceutical industry stretches back more than two decades. An industry lifer who has very much come up through the ranks at GSK, prior to being appointed President of GSK Global Vaccines in 2018. Roger held a number of leadership roles in various areas of the business, including finance, corporate strategy and manufacturing, as well as GSK’s global pharmaceutical and consumer healthcare manufacturing organisation from 2013 to 2018.

GlaxoSmithKline is one of the world’s truly elite brands, not only in its home industry but in business as a whole In this role he managed 75 sites across more than 30 countries, and was accountable for the leadership of 33,000 employees. His academic credentials are, much like that of his professional career, impressive: Roger holds a degree in Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering from Queen’s University, Belfast and a Master’s in Manufacturing Leadership from Cambridge University.

GSK employees, working on the production of medicine

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GlaxoSmithKline GlaxoSmithKline: a top-five pharma giant of unparalleled capability GlaxoSmithKline is one of the world’s truly elite brands, not only in its home industry but in business as a whole. Recognised the world over as one of the top pharmaceutical developers and manufacturers in the world, GlaxoSmithKline operates offices in more than 100 countries around the globally. In 2018, it was ranked the fifth-largest pharmaceutical company in the world by measure of its US$43 billion revenue.

From its global headquarters in Brentford, the UK, GlaxoSmithKline oversees an enterprise of astonishing reach and capability.

GSK have a number of international partners who have been central to the company’s work in producing life changing products and medicines, such as Cytiva, who have been integral to their success, as well as Securecell who have also proven to be an invaluable partner.

The list of goes on but relationships with such important key partners have been a cornerstone of GSK’s success over the years.

A world-class global vaccines pioneer with a footprint spanning 160 countries As President of GSK Global Vaccines, the world’s leading vaccines company by revenue, Roger Connor presides over a near US$7 billion enterprise that delivers vaccines to over 160 countries.

As the numbers suggest, it is a truly expansive and substantial business. GSK’s vaccines arm has a broad portfolio of more than 40 vaccines to date, with 14 more candidate vaccines currently in development. Naturally, such a worldclass enterprise has an equally large and worldclass workforce to match. The team is made up of over 17,000 employees across 11 countries all of whom are working to deliver the 2 million plus doses that are needed every day to help protect people all around the world. For Roger,

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GSK’s ability to protect the lives of countless millions is a source of great pride and motivation. In his words, GSK wants to get “as many doses to people as we can”.

“As the world’s biggest vaccines manufacturer, in GSK we make hundreds of millions of doses in a typical year,” he said. “Covid-19 is going to require billions.”

Machine for drug production, GSK Brazil

Healthcare Feature GSK employee during the prodution process of a drug

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Healthcare Feature Giving the world what it needs most: a solution The campaign to vaccinate has been an incredibly difficult and complex one, not only for Roger at GSK but surely every senior leadership executive working anywhere in pharma.

For all the industry’s incredible achievements over the past year, during which it has pioneered effective, cutting-edge new vaccines at all-but impossible speed, is difficult to emphasise the gravity of the challenge that companies like GSK still face.

Whilst some countries are tentatively opening the shutters, the global economy largely remains paralysed. The world hasn’t experienced an event such as the COVID-19 pandemic in over a century and the health of an entire planet is at stake. Roger, like his peers, are grappling with a unique, wholly unpredictable situation that has the potential to throw a curve ball at any moment. All this must be navigated, and Roger must ensure that GSK delivers what the world needs it to deliver: a solution.

GSK employees working on the production of vaccines in Brazil

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GlaxoSmithKline Retaking its place at the front of the race to vaccinate

this is not a mistake it will make again. Certainly, GSK will not be.

It is no secret that for all GSK’s substantial resources and expertise, the company has, at least initially, ceded ground in the vaccine arms race, however there should be no question of Roger’s and GSK’s intent to make up lost ground – the recent release positive of positive clinical trial data from its GSK-Sanofi COVID-19 vaccine, which will soon propel GSK back into the leading pack of vaccine developers, is certainly a statement of intent in this regard.

With this objective in mind, the company has already started a vast and far-reaching restructuring program, which will see the pharma giant link its biopharma and vaccines arms together.

For Roger, GSK’s vaccines business is a crown jewel that has been undervalued to some extent, and by boosting the division to enhance its pandemic preparedness plans, he can ensure that, when disaster strikes again, GSK is at the vanguard of efforts to find a solution:

And then there’s the company’s partnership with Novavax, which has also borne fruit. As part of a new deal with the UK government, the pharma giant has been tasked with manufacturing up to 60 million doses of a new Novavax coronavirus vaccine at its Barnard Castle facility in the north-east of England – work which is already underway.

“We’ve got one of the widest range of technology platforms of any vaccine company,” he said.

To prepare for the next pandemic, “you need to have fill-finish, you need to have bulk, you need to have technology choice, you need to have an R&D engine that connects very well to academia, to government monitoring of virus evolution, and GSK brings all of those things.”

“We were approached by the UK’s vaccines taskforce who we’ve been working with for a while and they said could we help with Novovax to bring the vaccine through,” he said.

Presently, the 60 million vaccine deal is exclusive to the UK only, but GSK has cast it’s net wide and is also involved in manufacturing vaccines with companies based in other countries including Belgium and Canada.

“This pandemic is on such a scale it’s going to need multiple vaccines so we have always been talking to many different players around the world to try and create what we think of as a global response,” he said.

Preparing for the pandemic of the future Going forward, GSK, much like the rest of the world, is preparing for the next pandemic, which whether it comes in a decade or another century, is coming. When COVID-19 struck in early 2020, the world was collectively caught flat-footed but

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Energy Feature

Bringin TO A R NAT 46

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IBEDC

ng Light RISING TION Business Enquirer Magazine · Issue 101

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PROJECT DIRECTED BY

WRITTEN BY

Jamie Waite

Jay Benmehidi

I

n little more than a decade, Nigeria has emerged to become the shining star of the African economy and a potential economic superpower of the future – a grand claim indeed, but as figures suggest it is a claim with merit.

Such promise has not gone unnoticed by the wider economic community, and FDI flows into Nigeria have increased markedly in recent years which has further fuelled GDP growth and the country’s growing prosperity. Obstacles remain that could yet derail the country’s growth and development ambition, however, not least of these being the troubled state of Nigeria’s energy sector which continues to be hampered by inadequate supply and an array of other challenges: “The industry is certainly improving, but there is still a long way to go,” explained Engr. John Ayodele, Chief Operating Officer of Ibadan Elec48

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tricity Distribution Company (IBEDC). “Most of the power we receive comes from GENCOs (power generation companies) and embedded generation is picking up, but it has now reached a level where you can’t substitute. So we have a lot of deficits in energy supply, and because of certain problems electricity can sometimes drop below 50% of what we should normally receive.”

This situation has presented quite the headache for IBEDC, one of 11 electricity distribution companies (DISCOs) in Nigeria. Supplying electricity is no easy task even under the most favourable conditions, but for Ayodele and his 2,500-strong workforce the unenviable task of distributing energy supplies to a power-hungry nation that needs more electricity than is currently available can at times feel overwhelming.

However, under the watchful gaze of Ayodele, an industry veteran of 42-years who has been, to say the least, rigorous in his efforts to transform

Energy Feature the company into a better, more streamlined service provider, IBEDC has managed to achieve real results against difficult odds and, despite the ongoing supply deficit, bring light, warmth, and hope to a growing number of homes within its franchise (Oyo ,Ogun ,Osun ,Kwara, parts of Kogi, Ekiti, and Niger States) When asked how such progress has been made, Ayodele’s answer is simple: modernisation and reformation, a process which began following the company’s inception in 2013 when it soon became clear improvements needed to be made: “At the beginning, we quickly found we had inherited totally dilapidated infrastructure - substations, the old systems, etc. All of it. There was a lot of work to do, and the first question we asked was how do we start modernising the system? And if we can’t modernise parts of it, how can we least make it functional?

So the first thing we started doing was to improve our infrastructure. Because without infrastructure and electricity there is no way to build a sustainable economy – I haven’t seen any country anywhere in the world that is improving without electricity.”

The works that IBEDC has thus far taken to upgrade and improve obsolete infrastructure has certainly borne fruit, to the extent that hundreds of thousands more Ibadan residents are grid-connected, including residences in some of the most remote areas of the province.

But this has only been one piece of Ayodele’s strategic jigsaw: wholesale modernisation of IBEDC’s capability has required the company to not only upgrade substations, build power lines and install transformers in difficult-to-reach villages but also completely change its processes and level-up the company’s means of assessing how much electricity it is supplying, and to whom.

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Energy Feature Not that this is an easy task. Since the successful privatisation of the state-owned Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN)in 2013, the task of powering the country has fallen to 15 GENCOs and 11 DISCOs, each of which are responsible for a swathe of territory encompassing a number of states. IBEDC, which distributes electricity to Oyo, Ogun, Kwara and Osun states fully – an area known as the civil servant states, owing to their largely residential and commercial customer make-up, is one of the largest DISCOs in Nigeria by measure of customers served.

Today, IBEDC has more than two million customers on its database and rising and yet there are a great many more customers who are as of yet unregistered, and for those that are registered the company has incomplete information.

This has proven to be quite the administration nightmare.

To remedy the situation, IBEDC is continuing to implement initiatives that have reformed and digitalised customer billing and, even more importantly, overseeing the installation of electricity meters at newly geotagged and registered properties – a herculean task that has faced some resistance from a change-averse segments of its customer base.

“One of the major problems still facing our industry is metering. A lot of customers are not metered. Of course, the rate at which people are developing and building infrastructure, houses, and so forth, the old state-owned PHCN did not have the facility to do that. And since we took over, we have spent at the very least US$20 million dollars rectifying this.

We have raised our metering penetration from 300,000 to over 750,000 but we still need an additional 1,263,000 meters to cope, and that will require a further US$30-40 million dollar, maybe about US$75 million investment for us to achieve.

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Energy Feature What is happening now is that the government is also intervening through the World Bank to obtain a US$500 million arrangement, specifically to target metering. I think between now and over the next two years, I would say that any customer should have a meter in their home.

Without meters there is no business because some people keep shutting out power and doing all sorts of connections, and we have to keep them on estimated billing, which has no real scientific basis. It’s always creating a problem between consumers and the distribution companies, whether the estimated deal is higher or lower than what they expect.”

The difficulty of overseeing such a vast undertaking and ensuring its success is as difficult as one might imagine, but with the support of its committed and performance-driven workforce, many of whom have been with IBEDC since the beginning, and a loyal base of supply partners who have facilitated the company’s growth over the years, IBEDC has made real progress. These partner companies, such as Covenant Plus and Momas Engineering, for example, have stood shoulder-to-shoulder with IBEDC, helping it to achieve its growth plans and continue on its journey as it strives to evolve into a modern, first-rate utility provider.

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Energy Feature As far as what the future holds for IBEDC, Ayodele is quietly confident. Efforts to continue improving energy distribution capability through further investment in metering and billing will continue, as will efforts to improve customer satisfaction with IBEDC’s service offering. Ayodele concluded: “Over the next 18 months, our focus is service delivery. We have completed a lot of work on our assets, we have completed a lot of work on the infrastructure, we have done a lot of work on building, we have done a lot of work, which is still ongoing with metering.

But now how do we focus on our customers to engage them and make sure they are happy with us? We give them the power supply they need at the time they need it. Because most power consumption in Nigeria is for domestic use. People want to come back from work and they can put on their lights and not have to sleep in darkness, power their appliances, etc.

So that is our primary assignment for the next two years. Customer focus. In all areas where we can improve supply to customers, that will be our focus for the next two years.”

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IBEDC

The first thing we started doing was to improve our infrastructure. Because without infrastructure and electricity there is no way to build a sustainable economy – I haven’t seen any country anywhere in the world that is improving without electricity.

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Mining Feature

BUILD THE FU 56

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Alphamin Resources

DING UTURE Business Enquirer Magazine · Issue 101

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PROJECT DIRECTED BY

WRITTEN BY

Malvern Kandemwa

Jay Benmehidi

O

ur knack of overlooking the unassuming and yet hugely important things in life is undoubtedly one of humanity’s design flaws. As a point in case, let’s look at our relationship with tin for a moment - a metal around which civilisation has been built, not to mention the global economy of today.

Without tin, the key material used to smelt Bronze, there would have been no Bronze Age and, later in Enlightenment era Europe, no tinplate – no tinned foods or drinks and therefore no means of preserving them, in other words.

Today, tin is the top technology metal. Owing to its broad range of uses in manufacturing, con-

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struction, and transportation, not to mention its use as the key material in solder - an alloy used to bond components and electronic circuitry in everything from children’s toys to commercial aircraft – the silvery yellow metal is arguably even more important today than ever before.

Tin built the past and it built the present, and it will also build the future. In the forthcoming Fourth Industrial Revolution, which has already begun, tin will be needed to build electric vehicles, which will make up more than half of all vehicles on the road by the middle of the century, as well as the clean energy tech needed to consign fossil fuel energy sources the dustbin.

Mining Feature Already in short supply, demand for tin is about to surge in a manner that will launch the price of tin into the stratosphere. Tin miners will become the beneficiaries of a latter-day gold rush that will sweep the world.

Against this backdrop, the decision by Alphamin Resources to acquire three exploration licenses in the dense jungle of North Kivu province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, covering a total of 1,270km2, now appears a shrewd one.

The TSX/Alt-listed miner is regarded to be one of the most exciting names in global mining for good reason. In similar fashion to many companies that have gone on to great things, Alphamin began life as something of an audacious gamble when, in 2011, its owners acquired the Bisie tin project, a hugely promising yet isolated orebody located in the deepest depths of the DRC’s untamed mountainous eastlands of North Kivu province.

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Make no mistake about it, at the time of Alphamin’s acquisition of the site in 2011, the Bisie tin project, in spite of its impressive, proven reserves of resource, was a risky move on the part of Alphamin. Fortunately, however, it was a risk that paid off. Tin prices are at an all-time high as of July 2021 and, driven by the greening and electrification of economies globally, prices are only heading one way in the medium-term: up.

ore mined, making the project an astonishingly low-cost venture that more than compensates for the difficulty in developing and building the mine in the first place: And difficult it was. Located deep as it is in an undeveloped area of North Kivu, construction of Mpama North was a complex and arduous undertaking. Building a mine is no small task in itself, but the logistics of first building a 30km access road to connect the Bisie project, which was previously only accessible by helicopter or a one-day jungle walk, to the outside world was a major challenge. But difficult as the project build was, construction of Mpama North and its associated infrastructure was completed between 2017 and 2019, on time and on budget.

The success of the project is testament to the hard work and enterprise of the men and women who made the insurmountable achievable, the results of which can be seen at Bisie today.

The underground mine is both safe and efficient, the site is now easily accessible, and Alphamin’s state-of-the-art processing plant consistently achieves output of up to 10,000 tonnes of contained tin per annum, amounting to roughly 3% of the world’s mined tin supply. Over the course of its 12-year lifespan, Bisie is projected to produce 152,300 tons of high-grade tin and will operate in the lowest cost quartile of all tin producers:

Fast-forwarding to today, Bisie is home to Alphamin’s Mpama North mine, a truly world-class operation which has drawn great interest from the mining world due to the uncommonly high tin grade of its resource. Whereas the average global head feed grade of tin mines is rarely higher than 1%, Mpama North has a grading in excess of 4% - equal to 40kg of tin per ton of Maritz Smith, CEO, Alphamin Resources

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Alphamin Resources

Demand for tin continues to rise whilst stockpiles and supply remain low, and a perfect bullish storm is forming on the horizon as a result.

“The processing plant was carefully designed to be as simple as possible. This was achieved using primarily gravity separation, with a small float at the end to eliminate impurities in the final concentrate. This simplicity allows us to keep our costs and power consumption modest, while obtaining good recoveries of around 72%.

At present our all-in sustaining costs are between US$10,000 and US$12,000 per tonne, within the lowest quartile of the global cost curve.

These are planned to be lowered further as the tin concentrate production process is further refined and more volume is added.”

Clearly these are heady times for Alphamin and operations are going from strength to strength, however Mpama North is just the beginning of its’ leadership team’s plan – it is a ‘starter project’ that very much represents the beginning, not the end of Alphamin’s plans.

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Alphamin Resources “We find ourselves in a very strong position,” Maritz Smith, CEO of Alphamin, announced. “We are clearly in the right commodity. We don’t see any Greenfields tin mines coming on stream in the next seven to 10 years and the world’s third largest tin producer Myanmar in Asia is suffering after a recent coup overthrew the government. Over and above this, the mines in this region have depleted their low-hanging open pit fruit reserves and must explore their lower grade underground potential to sustain their businesses in the longer run.”

Demand for tin continues to rise whilst stockpiles and supply remain low, and a perfect bullish storm is forming on the horizon as a result.

What this means for tin prices, which have already surged by more than 50% since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, is obvious, and Alphamin is perfectly placed to enjoy the financial benefits of expanding its mining footprint to satisfy the world’s increasingly voracious appetite for the metal.

In-line with this goal, the next stage in Alphamin’s strategy going forward is to develop the Mpama South deposit, which can be found 750m adjacent to the Mpama North mine: “Our work thus far indicates that this deposit is similar to Mpama North. It dips in the same direction and is showing similar structural images and visual minerology.” Additionally, Alphamin is looking to confirm the presence of an entirely new ore body that geologists believe are to be found further along the Mpama Ridge, and so far two potential areas have already been revealed, Marouge and the ‘V’, located roughly 10km from Mpama North.

It is an unlikely and yet undeniable truth that the fourth industrial revolution and the DRC are inextricably linked. The world desperately needs the DRC’s tin and vast amounts of it to realise its ambitious green economy ambitions, whilst the mineral-rich DRC urgently needs the world’s custom to develop its economy and realise its huge potential, so as to give its people the better future they deserve.

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Even so early in life, Alphamin Resources will be an important piece of the jigsaw going forward, and as the company continues to expand in size and scale, it will have a role to play in the great change that is to come.

Mining Feature

Clearly these are heady times for Alphamin and operations are going from strength to strength, however Mpama North is just the beginning of its’ leadership team’s plan – it is a ‘starter project’ that very much represents the beginning, not the end of Alphamin’s plans.

Epiroc Machinery deployed on Alphamin’s site

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Manufacturing Feature

A CENTU GOOD GOOD 64

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Nestlé

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PROJECT DIRECTED BY

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Jamie Waite

Jay Benmehidi

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Manufacturing Feature When a German pharmacist by the name of Henri Nestlé first developed Farine Lactée in 1867, a pioneering milk-based baby food designed to help combat malnutrition and infant mortality, it set in motion an unlikely journey that would one day lead to the emergence of one of the greatest names in modern business.

With a footprint spanning 179 countries, a workforce of over 279,000 staff, and a 2000-strong portfolio of household brands - 29 of which generate sales of over US$1 billion apiece - Nestlé is today the world’s largest FMCG company with a reach that extends to every corner of the globe.

The Nestlé story is a fascinating one that spans more than 150 years and, as is often the case with such stories, it is one that starts from humble beginnings. The formation of the Nestlé Company by Henri Nestlé and Daniel Peter, the inventor of milk chocolate, in the 1870s was unheralded at the time, but over the century that followed the company would grow to become the leading confectioner in Europe and beyond - the rest, as they say, is history.

Of the many countries in which the Swiss multinational has a presence, few can match the long-standing union that exists between the South American nation of Peru and Nestlé – a century-long partnership stretching back to the early 20th century.

Special grease formulation tanks of Grupo Palmas, Nestlé’s main palm oil supplier

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Manufacturing Feature The Nestlé Peru story first began when in 1919 it was established initially as an import and product marketing division for condensed milk, evaporated milk, milk flour, chocolates and other products. However, great demand for its products quickly saw the company expand its presence in Peru, and only 20-years later Nestlé cemented its presence in the country following the setup of manufacturing plants for several of its product lines in Chiclayo, Cajamarca and Lima – facilities that remain essential to its modern-day operations: “On September 20, 1940, Nestlé officially became present in Peru. Nestlé’s rapid positioning in the country led to the opening of its first factory in Chiclayo (Perulac), a plant that began operations with the manufacture of dairy products.

In 1946, Nestlé chose Cajamarca as the ideal area for the development of a dairy district, installing a fresh milk plant whose first collection capacity was 1,000 liters per day. Currently the Cajamarca Plant can collect up to 300,000 liters of fresh milk per day.

Not long after this, the renowned Lima Factory was inaugurated to produce dehydrated broths, tomato-based products, mustard and other products from the Maggi and Libby’s range of goods.

These expansions in the country consolidated Nestlé’s as one of the leading food companies in Peru.”

Today, Nestlé Peru is a leading provider of a range of products, such as dairy products, coffee, culinary, beverages, cereals, sweets, ice cream and animal feed, and a hugely important engine of wealth creation for the Peruvian economy. As the leading FMCG operator in the country, currently, approximately 99.5% of urban households in the country consume at least one of the 70+ brands that are positioned in the Peruvian market, which includes popular and much-loved product lines such as Sublime chocolate, Chocolate Triangulo and Morochas cookies, amongst others.

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Research & Development team of Grupo Palmas testing chocolate for cookies and ice cream toppings

Nestlé

Not that Nestlé Peru only caters to the confectionary demands of more sweet-toothed Peruvians – far from it. Nutrition and wellness are the cornerstone on which the company was founded and the principle of continues to be the foundation that has made Nestlé Peru the leading operator in the Peruvian food sector.

In the Quality area, tailor-made products are developed for customers The integrated operation of Grupo Palmas, from the field to the industry, ensures the quality and timely delivery of its products

“Nestlé is the leading company in nutrition, health and wellness, appreciated and perceived as the company with the best reputation in Peru and as one of the most socially responsible. The success achieved in Peru is due not only to the support of being the first food company in the world, but also to a local strategy to conquer new consumer segments, accompanied by the constant innovation of its brands.

We develop all the power of food to improve the quality of life, today and for future generations.

Our employees are deeply committed to Nestlé’s purpose of improving the quality of life and contributing to a healthier future. The company’s performance is driven by its Nutrition, Health and Wellness strategy.”

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(Campoverde, Ucayali region) Palm producer who is part of the Grupo Palmas Sustainable Supply Chain Program.

www.palmas.com.pe +51 2154230 palmasinforma@palmas.com.pe

Av. Circunvalación del Golf Los Incas 134, Torre 1 – Piso 17, Santiago de Surco, Lima.

GRUPO PALMAS: INTEGRATING PRODUCTION WITH INDUSTRY

With more than 40 years of experience, Grupo Palmas is the largest palm oil producer in Peru. It has 26,000 hectares of land for production and 4 industrial operations located in the Peruvian Amazon and Lima. It is part of the Grupo Romero, one of the main business conglomerates in the country.

INTEGRATED PRODUCTION

Their integrated operation from the field to the industry and knowledge of oils and fats, allows the company to co-develop innovative solutions together with its customers that meet nutritional quality standards for their products.

SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT

In line with the “No Peat, No Deforestation, No Exploitation (NDPE)” trend, Grupo Palmas is committed to sustainability as a factor of differentiation and competitive advantage. The organisation has strict commitments to deforestation-free production, respect for forests, people and communities, as expressed in its Sustainability Policy.

The organisation is also a member of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) and the Earthworm Foundation (EF), the main organisations that ensure a sustainable supply chain and responsible production.

SUPPLY CHAINS

As part of its growth strategy, Grupo Palmas develops sustainable value chains in the regions of San Martin and Loreto which includes more than 600 palm farmers in its supply chain. For this, implements a Sustainable Supply Chain Programme that aims to help independent producers achieve maximum productivity through training, technical assistance and access to quality agricultural inputs CONTACT:

Website: www.palmas.com.pe Telephone: +51 2154230 Address: Av. Circunvalación del Golf Los Incas 134, Torre 1 – Piso 17, Santiago de Surco, Lima.

E-mail: palmasinforma@palmas.com.pe

Industrial complex with a modern palm oil extractor of Grupo Palmas

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Nestlé Suffice to say business is booming for the company, and as the undisputed industry leader in the Peruvian FMCG space, on paper at least, there is seemingly nothing left for the company to achieve from a business standpoint. As a responsible business committed to sustainability, however, Nestlé Perú’s senior leadership team would undoubtedly disagree.

As an organisation with access to the astonishing resources and capability of its colossal parent company, preserving the rich biodiversity of the Peruvian Amazon and protecting the indigenous peoples who live there has been a key strategic goal of Nestlé Perú in recent years.

In-line with this objective, Nestlé Peru’s commitment to no-deforestation initiatives have been a central goal to which the company has demonstrated great commitment in recent years.

Together we are working on projects that value the environment, communities and our workers

tect the environment. In Peru, Grupo Palmas has been working for more than 40 years to achieve both objectives. We are committed to the responsible development of 100% traceable palm oil and have a range of high-quality products that position us as one of the leading companies in the sector in Latin America.

Our strategic alliance with Nestlé has been key to transforming the way palm is made in Peru and the world. Together, we are working on projects that value the environment, communities, and our workers.”

Going forward, Nestlé Perú will continue to do what it does best: provide delicious, nutritious food and beverages for its customers, ensure the wellness of its loyal and dedicated workers, and continue striving to use its standing to make the world a better place then it found it. In keeping with Nestlé’s Good food, Good life policy, it would be safe to assume that the company will continue to be a positive force in Peru for many years to come.

Alongside its key business partner and supplier, Grupo Palmas, Nestlé Perú is an avid supporter of the Earthworm Foundation, Nestlé started engaging with the company to find a way forward together. In 2017, Grupo Palmas became the first Peruvian company to publicly commit to no-deforestation and, as such, it froze all development plans on its Manati concession. This was also the beginning of a broader sustainability journey. With the support of Nestlé, Earthworm and NORAD, Grupo Palmas also developed one of the first indicative HCS/HCV studies in Peru.

This covered the Tocache landscape, where Grupo Palmas had been sourcing from smallholders.

On this, Grupo Palmas explained: “Today, global food companies seek two objectives: to provide healthy products to their consumers and to pro-

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The integrated operation of Grupo Palmas from the field to the industrial plant, ensures the quality and timely delivery of its products.

Manufacturing Feature

We develop all the power of food to improve the quality of life, today and for future generations. Our employees are deeply committed to Nestlé’s purpose of improving the quality of life and contributing to a healthier future. The company’s performance is driven by its Nutrition, Health and Wellness strategy.”

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Mining Feature

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Gold Fields Australia

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PROJECT DIRECTED BY

WRITTEN BY

Malvern Kandemwa

Jay Benmehidi

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midst the arid, unforgiving barrenness of the Kargoolie desert in June 1983, three hopeful Irish prospectors, Patrick ‘Paddy’ Hannan, Thomas Flannagan and Daniel O’Shea, discovered to their good fortune what would later come to be known as Kargoolie’s Golden Mile – a deposit possessing the highest known concentration of gold in the world. The rest, as they say, is history – the three gentlemen became fabulously rich, whilst the subsequent gold rush that followed rescued an Australian economy mired in depression.

Many years have now passed since such pioneering times when hard and hungry men would brave the ferocious heat and harshness of the outback to find their fortune, and yet the spirit of the gold rush lives on in these lands.

The world-renowned gold fields of the Golden Mile and the wider Yilgarn Craton, which makes up a substantial portion of the West Australian landmass, hold an estimated 30% of the world’s total known gold reserves, making the area the

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hottest real estate in gold mining. Naturally, a who’s who of the world’s leading big-ticket miners are active in the area, amongst them the global gold producing heavyweight, Gold Fields – a name that requires little introduction in the gold mining space.

Since it first staked a claim in the region through its acquisition of the Agnew and St. Ives mines in 2001, Gold Fields Australia (GFA) has steadily expanded its footprint in Western Australia to the extent that, today, the division owns a portfolio of world-class gold projects across the region. It is telling that GFA is the most lucrative division within Gold Fields, with in excess of 40% of the company’s total annual gold production coming from the mineral rich earth of Yilgarn – an understandable point of pride for GFA’s leadership team: “Our four Australian mines – Agnew, St Ives, Granny Smith and Gruyere – are located in the Eastern Goldfields region of Western Australia

Mining Feature where over 1,600 staff are employed on a residential and fly-in, fly-out basis,” a GFA representative explained.

She continued: “Our presence has expanded exponentially in Australia since acquiring the St Ives and Agnew gold mines in 2001. This was further bolstered by the acquisition of the Granny Smith and Lawlers gold mines from Barrick Gold in October 2013. Known as the Yilgarn South Assets, the mines provide an additional 452,000 ounces of annual production, 2.6 million reserve ounces and 1.9 million resource ounces, meaning Gold Fields’ largest regional Australian production centre accounts for 40 percent of total production.”

Suffice to say, business is booming as the company continues to grow in terms of capability and gold output, which in turn brings us to the million dollar question: what is the secret to GFA’s success? How as GFA, much like its parent company, managed to rise to the top and stay there in an industry so capricious as mining.

GROW WITH US Perth office, Australia T: +61 (8) 9317 4844 E: au.sales@growthsteel.com www.growthsteel.com

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Mining Feature The strong, albeit unorthodox values and ethos of Gold Fields Australia is certainly a key driver that has underpinned its success. Much like any other top-tier company that is operating at the peak of its powers, a formidable commitment to achieving business excellence runs root-and-branch through Gold Fields Australia but not purely by measure of revenue. Rather, the company strives to achieve excellence through achieving the highest levels of operational efficiency and effectiveness; through being a business committed to employee wellness and going about its operations sustainably, and through its efforts to build close relationships with local communities and act as a net positive influence in the regions where its mines operate: “Aiming to be the best gold miner in the world overrides our desire to be the biggest. Instead, our vision is to be the global leader in sustainable gold mining.

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By thinking smarter, operating more efficiently and adopting a mind-set of ‘working like an owner’, regardless of rank within the organisation, is how we aim to get there.

Our sustainability vision means that we operate through a set of values that encompass who we are, what we do and how we work. This is evident through our responsibility to environmentally-aware work practices, a commitment to safety as a way of life, or through practicing respect and integrity by ensuring local communities are better-off from our presence in their regions.”

Another crucial element in Gold Fields Australia’s success over the past two decades has been its strong commitment to innovation and technology adoption, a key area of strategy that has proven crucial in providing the gains needed to really move the needle.

Gold Fields Australia Even before the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic last year, miners were upping the ante in the race to innovate as they sought to gain an edge in an ever more challenging marketplace.

Mining, like so many other industries, is undergoing a technological revolution that is turning its long-held reputation for change-averse conservatism on its head.

By thinking smarter, operating more efficiently and adopting a mind-set of ‘working like an owner’, regardless of rank within the organistation, is how we aim to get there.

Increasingly, the integration of clean tech, such as solar and wind energy, as well as smart tech that utilises the industrial internet of things, AI, and big data analytics into mining operations is having a profound and transformational effect on the sector. The increasing emergence of such ‘smart’ mines which are more productive, efficient, clean, and safe then their labour-intensive predecessors, is a game changer. Whilst smart digital mines are not yet a ubiquitous feature on the mining landscape globally, in world-class mining jurisdictions like Australia they are an increasingly common sight.

Gold Fields, as a leading global gold producer with a mining heritage stretching back more than 140-years, understands the relationship between innovation, success and achieving longevity better than most, and it will therefore come as little surprise that GFA has stood out as an early adopter of new and cutting-edge tech.

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Gold Fields Australia At its Agnew mine, which has been something of a test bed for new technologies, the construction of a line of colossal wind turbines near Leinster, around 870kms north-east of Perth, represents one of Australia’s most exciting hybrid renewable energy projects: “The five 110m-high turbines with 140m-wide rotor spans are the first used for large-scale power generation at an Australian mine, and are now the dominant source of power at the mine.

Alongside over 10,000 solar panels, a battery, and a gas and diesel power plant, they form the five energy technologies incorporated into power producer EDL’s Agnew hybrid renewable microgrid, making it an unparalleled power generation system.

The project’s innovative approach to addressing the limitations of different generating technologies and achieving balance between fuel efficiency, economics, reliability and flexibility has garnered national and international recognition.

In 2020, the Agnew microgrid took top honours at the Australian Engineering Excellence Awards, the Asian Power Awards and the Global Energy Awards.

The microgrid is the result of a collaboration between EDL and Gold Fields to power the Agnew mine, which produces more than 220,000 ounces of gold annually. It attracted Federal Government backing through the Australian Renewable Energy Agency, which contributed more than 10% of the $112m cost, an important step according to EDL Chief Executive Officer James Harman, in helping’ prove-up’ the trailblazing technology.

Part of that technology is the ‘brain’ driving the energy supply, an advanced control system integrating five power sources and optimising renewable energy into the microgrid at an average of 50-60%, recently achieving a record 82% renewable energy over a day. The ‘brain’ also ensures 99.99% reliability by reacting swiftly to changes in load and eliminating unplanned outages.”

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Mining Feature GFA’s Granny Smith mine, a site with close to 4,000 different locations which has over 100 employees underground at any one time, is an enormous and complex project which, at present, is more than 1.2 km deep, has also reaped the benefits of innovation, following the implementation of a five-year modernisation scheme that began in 2018.

In-line with this program’s objectives, the underground mine, which is located 740 km northeast of Perth, a number of projects centred around data-driven solutions have been completed which will enhance Granny Smith’s cost-efficiency, productivity, and worker safety.

Granny Smith is under constant development and further works are presently underway, most notably the implementation of both Mobilaris Onboard and Mobilaris Situational Awareness: “Mobilaris Onboard, working as a machine navigator underground, creates traffic awareness and a safe and effective traffic flow, according to the company. Based on real-time data, Mobilaris Situational Awareness enables transparency and awareness. The information makes it possible to control the operations and resources, and people can quickly act upon what is happening and make smart decisions faster,” a Mobilaris spokesman said.

During the research process, Gold Fields discovered that Mobilaris Onboard addresses specific safety issues. By sharing positional data and navigation in 3D, drivers can avoid traffic congestion and find shelter during emergencies: “We have installed tablets in all our heavy vehicles. With Onboard’s traffic awareness feature, we can minimise the vehicle-vehicle interaction and the vehicle-personnel interaction. The application also tells us where to find the three nearest refuge chambers to our location. So, if there is an emergency, we can get the quickest path to safety.”

Mobilaris Onboard, working as a machine navigator underground, creates traffic awareness and a safe and effective traffic flow...

Mobilaris Onboard systems are installed on Gold Fields’ fleet of heavy vehicles.

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Mining Feature All in all, the future looks bright for GFA, whose leadership team is understandably looking to the future with no little amount of optimism.

The company is seeking to maintain its current trajectory of modernising its portfolio of mines and optimising its operations over the duration of 2021 leading into 2022.

Despite the challenges that COVID-19 continues to present to mining and the wider global business community, Australian miners are well positioned to weather them – Gold Fields Australia, as a leader in its field, will no doubt continue ‘being the best, if not the biggest.’

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Gold Fields Australia

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Mining Feature

MADAGA INDUS MAR 84

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Ambatovy

ASCAR’S STRIAL RVEL Business Enquirer Magazine · Issue 101

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PROJECT DIRECTED BY

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Malvern Kandemwa

Jay Benmehidi

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ying just 300 miles off the eastern coastline of South Africa, the island republic of Madagascar is a hidden gem that is better known for its rich biodiversity and paradise beaches than for its industrial potential.

There is more to this place than meets the eye, however. Whilst it might not be common knowledge, Madagascar, blessed as it is with extraordinarily resource riches, is a sleeping giant that could very well join the global list of elite mining nations.

For the most part, the island’s large mineral and metal reserves are as of yet untapped, but

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the success of one of the world’s largest mining operations, Ambatovy, gives some indication of Madagascar’s huge potential as a future mining hub, and the prosperity the industry can create for the people and communities of what is one of the world’s poorest nations: “Ambatovy - a Joint Venture between Sumitomo Corporation of Japan, South Korean giant, Kores, and former co-partner, the Canadian mining giant, Sherritt International - is hugely important for Madagascar in economic terms.

It provides up to 9,000 stable, permanent jobs at the mine, and at the refining plant on the coast

Mining Feature at Toamasina to which the lateritic ore is piped in slurry form from the highland mining site east of the capital, Antananarivo. The business accounts for almost one-third of the country’s export receipts, is forecast to have a productive life of at least 29 years and has so far spent US$3.3bn locally on goods and services.”

for good reason. The colossal nickel-cobalt project, which set investors back a cool US$8bn to develop - the largest ever foreign investment in Madagascar, and one of the biggest in sub-Saharan Africa and the Indian Ocean region - is arguably the world’s largest lateritic nickel project in terms of its size and scale.

Located in the highlands of the Alaotra Mangoro region, 80km east of Madagascar’s capital, Antananarivo, today, Ambatovy’s mine is a bustling hive of industry and activity, with thousands of staff and fleets of trucks adding to the hubbub of heavy equipment and machinery.

Looking at the site today, it is hard to imagine that, back in 2007, there were no roads or infrastructure, let alone facilities of any kind. What a difference five-years can make – between 2007 and 2012, when the mine first became operational, Ambatovy transformed untamed rainforest into a latter-day industrial marvel.

The numbers speak for themselves: the combined Ambatovy and Analamay deposits, from which the mine draws resource, contain approximately 1.42Mt of nickel and 120,000t of cobalt over an area of about 1,600 ha, whilst the mine itself is capable of producing up to 60,000 tons of refined nickel, 5,600 tons of refined cobalt and 210,000 tons of ammonium sulphate - a by-product of the refining process mainly used as a fertiliser - per annum over the duration of its mine life.

Since the mine first entered commercial production in 2014, Ambatovy has been a topic of much discussion within the mining world, and

The potential output capacity of Ambatovy is impressive, and is testament to the no-expense spared approach the company’s Joint Venture partners and investors took to building a worldclass mining operation.

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Mining Feature Comprised of the open pit mine itself, as well as an ore slurry preparation plant, metals refinery, and of course the extensive 220 km-long pipeline that is used to transport ore to an advanced processing plant situated close to port, Ambatovy has the capability to not only extract vast quantities of unrefined ore from the deposit’s vast reserves of mineral, but also refine it inhouse. And then there’s the key supporting energy, water and steam generation infrastructure to factor in, not to mention tailings disposal and port facilities – all of which needed to be built from the ground up.

“Infrastructure in the region has benefited greatly from the Ambatovy project. Large scale infrastructure work undertaken and completed during construction includes the rehabilitation of the national road between Ambatovy and the Port of Toamasina, and the construction of a railway line –­in partnership with public transport utility MADARAIL – from the plant to the seaport to transport bulk import and export materials.”

It is clear beyond all doubt that the Ambatovy Joint Venture has the potential to make nickel one of Madagascar’s most valuable exports and spark real and lasting growth of the nation’s economy, and yet the company’s leadership has long recognised that to add real value to the lives of Madagascar’s people it would have to do more than create jobs and build roads.

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Ambatovy A GUARDIAN FOR YOUR FINANCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL DECISIONS

New Digital Tool for a Holistic Asset Performance Management Approach Looking into the future’s new reality, it is clear that the focus on asset reliability and durability will continue to grow, with the strengthening of environmental, social and governance (ESG) requirements being an integral part of sound asset management.

Norda Stelo Asset Performance Management Software and Services Suite / Data collection tools designed by an engineering team / AI driven by asset integrity experts / Unparalleled data quality / Informed decisions taking into account both financial considerations and environmental or regulatory issues APM DESIGNED BY AN

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Norda Stelo recognizes the importance of both big and smart data to help with diagnostic and predictive analysis. Our asset performance management (APM) platform combines human knowledge and experience in asset integrity as well as the comprehension of its aging process with powerful AI algorithms. It generates maximum data and converts it into valuable information through its analytical tools to support asset managers in making decisions that will meet both financial and ESG considerations.

Our digital APM tool delivers dynamic monitoring of the assets’ condition over time. Risk levels, residual service life and CAPEX predictions are continually updated as operating parameters change, maintenance practices evolve, or new inspection data become available. All of this becomes possible with our unique approach to data gathering through tailored inspection protocols enhanced by state-of-the-art technology: Digital inspection forms, 3D scans, drones, and a team of experts specialized in asset integrity and aging assessment.

With access to continually updated, in-depth information, managers and engineers can make decisions that meet their financial expectations today and become the responsible corporate citizen of tomorrow by enhancing the service life of their assets.

Let our digital platform and engineering expertise help you make the right decisions and see why Brown is the new greenTM.

Format : 88 mm X 263 mm Couleur : CMYK Langue : EN Version : VF

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Ambatovy The ‘resource curse’ has claimed many victims over the years, especially in Africa, where fragile states that are struggling to stand in place economically, socially, and environmentally, have been overwhelmed and corrupted by large and sudden influxes of resource wealth that has failed to trickle down to the communities who need it.

Ambatovy’s leadership has sought to break this cycle and ensure that the presence of its mine acts as a net positive force in Madagascar. To this end, the company’s participation in the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) has played a growing role in helping local stakeholders ensure greater government accountability on how payments received from mining companies are used.

Additionally, Ambatovy has made, and continues to invest heavily into civic projects that have created social and economic benefits, skills improvement opportunities, and improved the livelihoods of the thousands of workers who built and work in Ambatovy, not to mention their 65,000 to 75,000 family members.

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“Ambatovy also set up a US$25 million Social Investment Fund to finance 17 projects including the rehabilitation of two generators for Toamasina, roads to technical schools, the development of an industrial protection unit, fire trucks for local communities, and decommissioning an abandoned ammonia tank in Toamasina. In addition, new market stalls valued at about US$6 million were built in Toamasina and in the surrounding cities of Moramanga, Brickaville.”

Looking to the future, there are no significant expansion projects are further investments planned by the company for Ambatovy. Whilst the company had a strong balance sheet and sound financials, mining operations at the project were hobbled by the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020 and the site has only recently re-commenced commercial production this May. Whilst this has proven challenging, it has proven to be a temporary blip in output rather than a more serious ongoing issue. Ambatovy remains a world-leading nickel producer, and there is little on the horizon that is likely to trouble the company further. Demand for nickel is growing across the global economy, and Ambatovy will be at the vanguard of the drive to supply the world with the resource it needs. These are buoyant times indeed.

Mining Feature

Infrastructure in the region has benefited greatly from the Ambatovy project. Large scale infrastructure work undertaken and completed during construction includes the rehabilitation of the national road between Ambatovy and the Port of Toamasina, and the construction of a railway line –­in partnership with public transport utility MADARAIL – from the plant to the seaport to transport bulk import and export materials.

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PROJECT DIRECTED BY

WRITTEN BY

Gary Smith

Jack Parker

C

orporación Nacional del Cobre de Chile, more commonly known by its acronym, CODELCO, began life in 1976 following a law, passed five years previously, that allowed the government to nationalise the copper industry, transferring all copper deposits and production to the Chilean state.

After decades of strong growth and expansion, CODELCO is today recognised as the biggest copper producting company, to the extent that its vast copper reserves – established to be 20% of the planet’s total reserves – yielded 11% of all copper produced last year. In addition to this, CODELCO is also a well-regarded producer of gold and silver, which is also an important area of business CODELCO operates out of its headquarters in the country’s capital city of Santiago, one of the largest cities in the Americas. Their mining operations span half the country from Rodomiro

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Tomic, an open pit mine situated 3000 meters above sea level in the Andes mountains, in Chile’s Antofagasta region, to El Teniente, known also as the Lieutenant which is home to the world’s largest underground deposit of copper - around 15.2 million tonnes of fine copper as well as reserves - close to the city of Rancagua in the Machali region.

CODELCO’s near 18,000 employees are spread across four primary departments; each responsible for a separate aspect of the company’s operations (Research, exploration, acquisition and development), and seven mining divisions extending across the country, located mainly in the northern lands of the Atacama Desert and Andes mountain range.

Although CODELCO is engaged in several mining operations outside of Chile, it is on home turf where they have achieved real success and where the vast bulk of their assets and capital are located.

Mining Feature Mining in Chile: It is a well-established fact that the mining industry has long played Atlas to the Chilean economy, accounting for an estimated 10% of the country’s entire GDP. Certainly, the sector has been the driving force behind much of the country’s recent growth and development.

While, to the untrained eye, gold and silver might be seen as the most desirable metals, it is in copper that Chile have found their own ‘gold mine’. Copper is a source of wealth from which they have both generated billions of USD in revenue and built a reputation as one of the foremost exporters of copper to the rest of the world – almost 50% of all Chilean exports.

Due to this abundance of mineral riches, Chile has become a hot zone for foreign mining companies, but as a result of its monopoly over copper extraction and processing, CODELCO has ensured that the revenue from copper mining stays firmly within its borders, to the benefit of the Chilean people.

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Mining Feature Current operations:

Sustainable profitability:

CODELCO currently operate a total of seven mining divisions (Andina, Chuquicamata, The Lieutenant, Gabriela Mistral, Minister Hales, Radomiro Tomic and Saviour) as well as a largescale refinery and smelter.

While searching for solutions to reduce dust and spillage at the transfer points of conveyor belts, Codelco came across an innovative solution from Germany. The AirScrape from ScrapeTec stood out due to its special way of working as a conveyor seal skirting on the chute. It works without contact and with a new suction principle that keeps the bulk material on the belt and reduces dust generation to zero.

Through the output of its array of mining assets, the company produces a vast amount of unrefined and fine copper to the tune of millions of tonnes per annum. In the first six months of 2021, CODELCO produced around 796 million tonnes of copper, a 7% increase on the same period of last year (744 million tonnes). In the same period their available surplus rose to US$3.675 million, an increase of 10% from the first six months of 2020. CODELCO anticipates that this growth will continue going forward as to the company further expands its operations over the coming years.

At Codelco, the advantages were quickly recognized. Up to now, conveyor belt seals have been replaced at short intervals in many plants due to wear. The performance of conventional conveyor seal skirting lasts for a maximum of 2 days under load. In addition, every exchange also means process downtime at the same time.

These downtime costs, maintenance costs and cleaning costs to avoid or remove dust and spills are eliminated with the use of the AirScrape. The belts are also protected by the contact-free operation of this chute seal and new investments for belts and seals are reduced.

In addition to the economic efficiency through the use of the AirScrape, you can also see sustainability at Codelco. For example, the greater cleanliness and freedom from dust of the operating facilities now ensure the health and safety of employees. This also increases the motivation of those who normally struggle with dust and dirt. They recognize this as an appreciation of their employer - soft skills that such a large company like Codelco also appreciates.

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Remote Avalanche Control Systems

Codelco

Wyssen Avalanche Tower The most effective, reliable and time-efficient way to trigger avalanches remotely

Wyssen Chile SpA +56 9 9874 4414 or +56 9 5843 2997 chile@wyssen.com www.wyssen.com

Codelco

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Mining Feature Looking to the future: A famous bon mot asserts that “Nothing wilts faster than a laurel that has been rested upon”; a sentiment that CODELCO has certainly chosen to integrate into their ideology.

As a company, CODELCO is looking to the future and planning how to expand their operations, with several of these projects already under way.

Perhaps the most ambitious of their undertakings is the underground mine currently under construction at the site of the open pit Chuquicamata mine, located 2,850m above sea level, several hundred kilometres from Antofagasta and around 1,200 km North of their headquarters in Santiago.

The Chuquicamata mine is, at present, the largest mine by excavated volume anywhere in the world. It has been in production since 1915 and last year was responsible for 400,000 metric tonnes of fine copper production. Over recent years the mine has seen a decrease in its profitability and so it was proposed that, in order to access the wealth of minerals beneath the pit, the company would initiate works that would see the mine transformed from a traditional, open pit mine into one of the most substantial underground operations anywhere in the world.

Due to its size, construction of the mine has been split into 3 separate stages; The project began its ‘initial exploitation’ phase in 2019 with the construction of the infrastructure necessary to begin operations. The second (Infrastructure 1) and third (Development of mining works) phases were authorised in 2020.

Wyssen Avalanche Control AG The Wyssen company has been building remote avalanche control systems since 1999. In 2009, the company Wyssen Avalanche Control AG was founded, which took over this business unit .

Within 5 years, Wyssen became the market leader in Switzerland, Austria and in Norway. Meanwhile, Wyssen Towers protect ski resorts, roads and mines in Canada, USA and Chile too.

The company sets the state-of-the-art technology and services in the branch, thanks to its innovative solutions. Examples for this are the new operating software WAC.3® for Avalanche Towers or the variety of avalanche detection systems, which are indisputably regarded today as state-of-the-art.

By 2021, the company Wyssen Avalanche Control will have installed over 550 Wyssen avalanche towers worldwide. www.wyssen.com

Safety through innovation

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NEVER SHOVEL AGAIN!

CENTURY-OLD PROBLEM OF TRANSFER POINTS FINALLY SOLVED. Dust and material spill cover the transfer points with heaps of material and impair conveyor operation. Transfer points must be cleaned regularly and due to the dust development, work is possible under difficult conditions only. Our sealing systems solve both problems simultaneously. Immediately after installation, material spill and dust are no longer an issue.

No more cleaning of transfer points will be required from this moment on. The AirScrape and TailScrape belt/tail skirtings are contact free and consequently do not require any maintenance.

DUST- AND MAINTENANCE-FREE SKIRTING

DUST PROTECTION FILTER TUNNEL

DUST AND MAINTENANCE-FREE REAR SKIRTING

MADE IN GERMANY

CONVEYOR BELT TRACKING ASSISTANT

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ALL INFOS

www.scrapetec-trading.com

Phone +49 2842 9 32 92 94 info@scrapetec-trading.com

ScrapeTec Trading GmbH Rheinberger Str. 157 D-47475 Kamp-Lintfort

Codelco Proud to be aboard The German company ScrapeTec Trading GmbH has been on the market with its innovation AirScrape for 4 years. Wherever bulk goods are moved. This patented, special conveyor belt side seal for transfer points works according to a unique suction principle, the Venturi effect: the seal hovers a few millimeters above the belt without any contact.

The running speed of the conveyor belt creates a vacuum which sucks in the air from outside the seal and thus guarantees that no fine material or dust can get loose. This is also supported by the special lamellas of the conveyor skirting, which at the same time always guide the bulk material to the middle of the belt. According to the manufacturer, this eliminates the development of dust at the transfer points of the conveyor belts and reduces dirt from spills to zero.

This year ScrapeTec GmbH was proud to announce that it is now on Codelco’s supplier list. The first shipment of AirScrape conveyor skirtings went to the Codelco mine in Chuquicamata. That was just the first step. There is a plan according to which all Coldeco mines at the transfer points of the conveyor systems are to be retrofitted with the AirScrape over the next few years. Because the sum of the advantages of this contactless conveyor seal skirting completely convinced the decision-makers: no contact, no friction, no wear, no maintenance, no more dust and no more spills - the tenor is “unbeatable”.

ScrapeTec Trading GmbH is based in Kamp-Lintfort, a former mining town in Germany. Company founder and owner Wilfried Dünnwald is a former engineer in hard coal mining and developed the AirScrape. Thanks to his experience with underground loads, he

was looking for a solution that would switch off the extreme dust and dirt development at transfer points, reduce maintenance and repair costs and thus ensure greater profitability. At the same time, the working conditions for employees in this area should be greatly improved in terms of health and safety. In Codelco, ScrapeTec found a customer who shares exactly these goals. During the test phase of an AirCrape installation, the engineers at Codelco were able to convince themselves of the mode of action and the advantages. This ultimately led to the listing as a supplier.

Solutions around the transfer points - ScrapeTec has meanwhile expanded its product range. The TailScrape complements the AirScrape as a conveyor belt seal skirting in the same way at the rear of the transfer.

The DustScrape also offers additional open dust protection in the settling area. And the PrimeTracker stabilizes and centers the run of the conveyor.

“We are proud to be able to support Codelco as one of the largest mine operators in South America with our solutions,” says ScrapeTec sales manager and co-owner Thorsten Koth, who also looks after Codelco personally.

“Four years ago we would not have thought that we would someday play a role in mining worldwide. Many customers are discovering more and more the relevance of preventing dust development and spillage on conveyor systems - in Europe, Africa, Australia, North America and now also here in South America.

We look forward to the coming challenges with Codelco. “

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Codelco Project manager Andrés Avendaño stated that the 3 stage plan was necessary as, “It is a highly complex and long lasting project”. He also said that due to the complexity it would be “a challenge to execute the engineering, construction and commissioning of this project while maintaining strategic continuity almost 20 years from its first conceptualisation.”

One of the biggest challenges facing the project is the difficulty associated with making the change from open pit to underground mining.

Not only in terms of the construction but also with regard to retraining workers who have only experienced open pit mining. Underground mining is not as common in Chile as open pit and many of those who are now running the underground operation had to be retrained in order to prepare them for the unique challenges presented by operating underground.

The project is expected to create around 2,200 jobs once fully operational it is anticipated that it will achieve daily production of 140,000 tonnes per day by 2026, resulting in a fine copper output of 320,000 tonnes yearly with an estimated worth of US$2.5 billion.

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While The Chuquicamata mine expansion is currently the most ambitious project currently under way, CODELCO is busily engaged in other major undertakings such as the New Andean Transfer System.

Aiming to replace the current primary crushing and ore transportation system for the Andina copper mine, located 80km north-east of CODELCO’s headquarters in Santiago. The primary goal of the project is to replace the current system of ore transfer which has been affected by recent expansions to the mine.

Investment in such works on the part of CODELCO are a clear demonstration of CODELCO’s unwavering dedication to the expansion and development of Chile’s copper mining capability, as the company strives to generate further wealth and economic advantages for Chile and its people.

Mining Feature

The Chuquicamata mine is, at present, the largest mine by excavated volume anywhere in the world. It has been in production since 1915 and last year was responsible for 400,000 metric tonnes of fine copper production.

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Gold Fields Ghana

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PROJECT DIRECTED BY

WRITTEN BY

Malvern Kandemwa

Jay Benmehidi

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Mining Feature

T

he story of Gold Fields, a global leader in the gold mining space with a prestigious mining heritage, is a story of success that stretches back over 125-years. Gold Fields has come a long way since it was first formed in Johannesburg in 1897, as is reflected by its industry standing today, but whilst its success is impressive, the manner in which the company has achieved it is more impressive still.

Time bestows a wisdom that can only be earned through experience, and this is as true in business as in any other area of life. Many businesses aspire to be the biggest, prioritising revenue and growth through the implementation of strategies that bring short-term financial reward, and yet are ultimately unsustainable in the longterm – this is where Gold Fields differs from its peers.

Whilst the company is a true industry heavyweight with a global footprint spanning three continents, employing over 17,000 staff across five countries, Gold Fields’ success is a product of its vision and values – rather than be the biggest, it instead strives to be the best. The best by measure of the sustainability of its operations, the best by measure of ethical good practice, the best by being an innovative thought leader that sets trends, not follows them.

Naturally, this ethos of doing things better, not bigger, extends to the company’s regional subsidiaries, such as Gold Fields Ghana (GFG).

Gold Fields Ghana has been active in West Africa for nearly three decades, and today operates the Tarkwa and Damang mines, in addition to the impressive Asanko mine – a project it jointly oversees in partnership with Galiano Gold as part of a JV agreement.

Gold Fields’ presence in Ghana has proven to be a partnership that has benefitted both company and country on many levels. Thanks to the astute governance of Ghana’s political leadership, which has succeeded in driving down rates

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Mining Feature of poverty in the country from 53% in 1991 to below 12% as of 2020, today, Ghana is an industrialised, business friendly mining jurisdiction, to the extent the country has taken South Africa’s crown as the leading nation for gold mining on the continent: “Through our experience in the country, we have come to understand the culture, the business environment, and the people too, and it is worthwhile to mention that Ghana’s democracy is mature and very politically stable. West Africa represents 34% to 37% of the overall production of Gold Fields, so it is a very important region for the Group.”

The lion’s share of GFG’s gold mining output comes from the company’s world-class Tarkwa project, its first and largest mine. Located in the western region of Ghana, approximately 300km by road from the capital, Accra, the substantial open pit gold mine, which is very much a high-volume, low-grade operation, uses

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well-defined selective surface mining methods to optimise the extraction of resource from its four open pits – Pepe-Mantraim, Teberebie, Akontansi, and Kottraverchy.

Once extracted, ore is processed by a conventional CIL plant, which utilises two gyratory crushers that feed coarse ore and auxiliary stockpiles. Apron feeders supply the feed from both stockpiles via conveyors to the SAG mill, which then feeds the ball mill. Gold is recovered from solution by electro-winning before being smelted in an induction furnace. Presently, the plant’s capacity is 13.7Mtpa, which facilitates annual gold production of up to 500koz: “Tarkwa continues to be the Group’s flagship mine, and it has maintained a steady production at more than 500,000 oz/year. Because it is a lowgrade resource, we need to mine large volumes and our experience has helped us maximise mining recovery.

Gold Fields Ghana Over the years, I believe we did not give Tarkwa a fair chance for exploration, and so we have now changed our strategy and launched an aggressive exploration program. Through this exploration agenda, we were able last year to replace the annual depletion of mineral reserves for the first time in 15 years. The mine has another 15 years of life left – at the present level of reserves – and a processing capacity of about 14 million tons/ year.”

as we have already increased our reserves through exploration. Gold Fields started the reinvestment plan in 2017, and we are ahead of our production targets and we have also reduced our cost base.

Currently, Gold Fields is planning another round of studies to further push towards the eastern side of the existing pits, which will extend the life of mine beyond five years.”

Not that all of Gold Fields Ghana’s energies have been focused on Tarkwa, of course – far from it. At the company’s Damang mine, a hugely promising and large open pit mine, the successful completion of works intended to increase Damang’s mine life have breathed new life into the site:

Tarkwa continues to be the Group’s flagship mine, and it has maintained a steady production at more than 500,000 oz/year.

“Damang is a high-grade mine compared to Tarkwa and has a current life of mine of about five years, but we believe this can be further extended,

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Engineering Environmental Geosciences

adding value. delivering results

Geotechnical

Materials Testing

Environmental

Knight Piésold Ghana Limited was Incorporated in 1996 and since that time has provided specialist Engineering, Environmental and Materials Testing services to the Mining sector within Ghana and neighboring West Africa countries.

The Knight Piésold group, of which Knight Piésold Ghana is part, is an international company of consulting Engineers and Environmental scientists providing services to public and private sector clients in the Water, Power, Mining and Environmental fields.

We work closely with our clients, understanding unique project characteristics within the context of today’s global business environment. With a commitment to quality, safety and technical excellence, Knight Piésold specializes in creating customized solutions at every stage of a project life cycle, while delivering sustainable, bottom-line results. We have led numerous award-winning projects to completion and have fostered many long-term client relationships that hold strong today.

OUR EXPERTISE Engineering: Civil Engineering; Geotechnical Engineering; Water Resources Engineering; Structural Engineering.

Environmental: Baseline Studies; Water Quality Studies; Environmental Management Plans and Monitoring; Environmental and Social Impact Studies; Closure and Reclamation; Environmental Auditing; Water Quality Studies; Social Studies and Community Engagement.

Geosciences: Hydrology; Hydrogeology; Geochemistry Management and Testing: Construction Supervision and QA/QC; Soils and Materials Testing; Geographic Information System; Data Management; Project Management.

CONTACT DETAILS Knight Piésold Ghana Ltd. House No.20 2nd Close Airport Residential Area P.O Box C4122 Cantonments Accra

Tel: +233 30 702 1155 +233 244 343 116 Email: accra@knightpiesold.com anketiah@knightpiesold.com

www.knightpiesold.com

Mining Feature

The heavy investment that has been committed into expanding the life span of both projects is not only a sound strategic move on the part of GFG but a statement of intent on the part of a company which clearly isn’t resting on its laurels.

Gold Fields’ future in Ghana would be secure through ownership of these two mines alone, but the acquisition of a stake in the Asanko mine has shown the mining world that the company is serious about realising its goal to grow its current portfolio further by considering opportunities in the M&A space, exploration, productivity improvements and cost optimisation.

“What informed our decision to enter into a JV agreement with Asanko is the huge upside potential for exploration, which Gold Fields can tap into thanks to our depth of expertise. This mine is operated by Galiano Gold, but we work closely with them in joint management committees.”

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Mining Feature Going forward to the final third of 2021, Gold Fields Ghana – fresh after completing what has been a gruelling period of seemingly continual mine upgrades in recent times, and the recent investment in Asanko – currently has no further significant projects planned in the near-future.

Should an excellent opportunity arise, it is a virtually a given that GFG will seize it, but in the meantime the company will continue to do what it does best: operate a world-class mining operation that creates value for stakeholders, supports its hardworking and dedicated workforce, and continue being a force for good in Ghana by supporting and investing in the communities in which it operates: “A big focus for Gold Fields in Ghana is to develop the region. We manage and fund the Gold Fields Ghana Foundation, which supports local communities in education, health, water and sanitation, infrastructure, and agriculture. Through the Foundation, we run legacy projects, such as building the road between Tarkwa and Damang, and modernising the Tarkwa soccer stadium. In the future, we plan to upgrade government hospitals within our communities and, with the help of our mining peers, we hope to build the first airport in Tarkwa.”

The company will continue to do what it does best: operate a world-class mining operation that creates value for stakeholders, supports its hardworking and dedicated workforce, and continue being a force for good in Ghana by supporting and investing in the communities in which it operates.

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Mining Feature

Compania Miner

Moder copper

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Glencore

ra Lomas Bayas:

rnising mining

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PROJECT DIRECTED BY

WRITTEN BY

Gary Smith

Jay Benmehidi

H

idden away beneath the dry earth of Chile’s Atacama Desert there is treasure waiting to be found by those with the know-how and dogged determination to find it.

Situated within the Andes and the eastern portion of the Ring of Fire—a geological fault line encircling the Pacific Ocean that contains large and varied deposits of all kinds – the Atacama is as renowned for its mineral wealth as for the breath-taking natural beauty of its foothills, deep canyons and salt flats, Rich as it is with gold, silver, iron, lithium and most notably, copper, the province has drawn a lot of investment interest from the big beasts of the mining world, amongst them the Swiss mining giant, Glencore – owner of the Collahuasi and Compañía Minera Lomas Bayas projects.

Located in the Cristobal mountains, 120km north-east of Antofagasta, the Lomas Bayas site

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is one of a number of world-class copper projects that are to be found in Chile’s stark and splendid northern wilderness. Comprised of the primary mine site, Lomas Bayas I, and the adjacent Fortuna de Cobre open pit, known as Lomas II, which lies 3km from the original mine and infrastructure, the project’s operations are expansive if not vast, producing approximately 75,000 tons of copper per annum and employing up to 460 people at peak production.

The presence of deposits such as that of Lomas Bayas in a copper-porphyry rich environment like the Atacama is to be expected, however certain geological quirks have combined to create an orebody that is somewhat out of the ordinary: “Lomas Bayas’ copper reserves are hosted by upper cretaceous volcanic-arc rocks and associated back-arc sediments, which are intruded by an upper cretaceous-paleocene composite granodi-

Mining Feature orite batholith – a geological cocktail which has created an orebody that is oxidised with zones of mixed oxide-sulphide, resulting in copper mineralisation that occurs in an irregular concentric zone around a low-grade centre.

Due to this, Lomas Bayas I proven reserves totalled 72.7mt grading 0.36% copper and 0.21% soluble copper, whilst measured resources added up to 98mt at 0.22% copper and 0.15% soluble copper. Inferred resources were 2.6mt at 0.23% copper and 0.12% soluble copper. At Lomas II, there is a proven reserve base of 256mt at 0.3% copper and 0.22% soluble copper, with measured resources stood at 273mt at 0.31% copper and 0.22% soluble copper.”

Owing to the area’s unique geology, Lomas Bayas holds the curious distinction of being one of the world’s lowest grade mining operations – certainly below the 0.62% global average copper ore grade.

Such low-grade deposits might at first glance appear less profitable and undesirable, but this is a misconception; projects such as Lomas Bayas are hugely important sources of copper in a world where mines with higher ore grades are becoming exhausted and demand for copper is outstripping supply.

Copper has long been a vital metal that man has harnessed since prehistory, and it continues to be an indispensable ingredient of the global economy, today. As an example of the importance of the copper value chain to the modern world, consider this: one ton of copper can be used to manufacture 40 cars, build 400 computers, power 60,000 mobile phones or supply electricity to 30 homes. No matter where we are or what we do, copper materials are all around us to the extent it helps form the backbone of the modern world, and our reliance on it is set to grow substantially as the world increasingly transitions to a new EV and renewables-centric green economy.

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Glencore Against this backdrop of rising demand, falling copper production – a dilemma made worse by the COVID-19 outbreak – is threatening to create a significant copper supply gap by the mid-2020s of up to 5.9million mt. Granted, new projects are already being developed to plug the hole, but it is clear to the smart miners that copper prices are set to soar in the short to medium-term – for Glencore, regardless of its grade, ownership of Lomas Bayas means the company is sitting on top of a metaphorical gold mine.

Naturally, the strategic value of Lomas Bayas means that Glencore is continuing to invest in new technologies and equipment at the site, in-line with its objectives to reduce operational costs and increase productivity, as well as expand further on safety and sustainability schemes.

As such, Lomas Bayas’ leadership team recently implemented its new Ultra Class Project; an initiative centred around updating the mine’s loading and transportation process through the acquisition of a new fleet of Komatsu 930E-5 304 T class haul trucks which are set to be used alongside its existing Komatsu P&H 4100XPC shovels.

Following the delivery of the first two new high-tonnage trucks, numbers 58 and 59 in the fleet, which arrived at the mine in 2020, a further 25 trucks are due to arrive onsite by the end of 2021: “The arrival of this new fleet implies a profound change in the safety and productivity of the operation. Going from small-scale equipment to about KMS 930E-5, which has a nominal capacity of 304 t, is a challenge and an excellent opportunity for Lomas Bayas and Glencore,” explains Marcelo Zuniga, Mine Operations Superintendent at Lomas Bayas, who points out that the goal of 262,000 t/d movement is being achieved through good mining practices on the part of all Lomas Bayas operators.

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A strategic partner for mining Comprehensive solutions for the operation of electric power systems. serviciosmineria@saesa.cl - www.gruposaesa.cl/stn 610 Manuel Orella, Suite 1603 - Floor 16, Antofagasta STN.indd 17

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16-06-21 08:33

Mining Feature Measuring 9.6 m wide from mirror to mirror, the truck’s greater size than those currently in use is projected to have a transformative effect on the sites transport and loading capability.

Already, site upgrades, such as new 38 m wide ramps 38 m have been made to accommodate the larger dimensions and characteristics of this new equipment so as to ensure the new trucks can be deployed seamlessly.

Zuniga further on the impact the new fleet will have at Lomas Bayas, stating: “The integration and change of the transport fleet intrinsically brings a different way of mining in Compañía Minera Lomas Bayas. The arrival of the 930E-5

trucks has started an operational transformation, which includes Komatsu 4100 shovels, with 77 cubic yard buckets and trucks with the capacity to transport up to 313 t on average.

How have we prepared for this challenge? The process begins with training oriented in good practices and operational standards according to the new technologies that these teams bring. Our goal is to work based on the sustainability of the business, always prioritising safety and also productivity. With this innovation, we will undoubtedly contribute to better performance, to the fulfilment of the goals set at the Mine Operations level, of our company and of all of Glencore.”

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Mining Feature In addition to the deployment of the new Komatsu truck fleet, the utilisation of a new cutting-edge fatigue management technology, Caterpillar’s Smartband, is also set to help bring Lomas Bayas’ operational efficiency and safety to the next level. The Cat Smartband, an actigraphy watch powered by Fatigue Science technology, will help users understand the connection between operator sleep, fatigue and accident risk on and off the job site: “Smartband is a proactive device that prevents fatigue events that is optimally complemented by the current DSS fatigue event detection system installed in the CAEX [haulage] fleet and Mine Operations tanker trucks,” said Mining Manager, Felipe Bunout.

“Our Superintendents of Mine Operations, in conjunction with our Dispatch and Technology teams, have developed a pilot program with a group of operators in training from the Mujeres a la Carga program. With this Caterpillar technology, in the form of a wristwatch that is equipped with an accelerometer, plus a telephone application, our operators will know how much they slept and what was the quality of their rest. In this way, they will be able to quantitatively determine whether or not they are in a position to operate.”

The adoption of such exciting technologies is but one example of the winds of change that are sweeping through modern mining. Lomas Bayas has a bright future ahead which will see the project continue to maintain its standing as a world-class copper producing site for some time, and continue to deliver on its social, environmental, and economic commitments to the many who benefit from its continued success and enormous capacity for wealth generation.

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Glencore

Lomas Bayas has a bright future ahead which will see the project continue to maintain its standing as a world-class copper producing site

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Gold Fields Chile

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WRITTEN BY

Malvern Kandemwa

Jack Parker

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Mining Feature

S

outh America has long been a magnet for global mining companies due to its rich mineral wealth, most notably in gold, silver and copper, and the continent now hosts some of the largest mineral production companies in the world. In countries such as Chile and Peru, where the mining industry accounts for around 10% of total GDP up to 60% of exports, mining is the top export sector, and it continues to grow thanks to investment, both foreign and domestic, into the development of new projects.

Following on from the previous success of the Cerro Corona mine, in operation in Peru since 2012, Gold Fields Ltd. has since returned to South America, this time selecting Chile as it’s area of operation. The new open pit mine, Salares Norte, is situated in the mineral rich region of Diego de Almagro, roughly 330km from the major city of Copiapo, between 3,900 and 4,700 meters above sea level, and sits above an epithermal gold and silver deposit. The mine is currently under development and is expected to be fully operational by 2023.

Originally discovered in 2011 as part of an extensive programme of exploration into the Northern end of the Maricunga metallogenic belt, a metallogenic unit containing at least 14 zones of both gold and silver mineralisation, Gold Fields began formal construction of its mining infrastructure in early 2021. So long as construction work is completed on-time and on-budget, it is anticipated that Salares Norte will be fully operational by the end of 2022, and ready to produce first gold for 2023.

The mine will initially focus on two separate deposits (The Brecha Principal and Agua Amarga) which will eventually meet to form one pit.

The pandemic presented an unprecedented challenge to businesses in nearly every industry around the world, and mining sector was no exception. With so many people employed, ensuring the health and safety of employees was difficult, however Gold Fields’ prompt response to the COVID-19 pandemic meant that, despite initial setbacks, construction of the mine was able to continue safely and on schedule.

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Mining Feature Company CEO Nick Holland stated: “The early actions taken in response to the pandemic and our peoples’ commitment enabled us to navigate the challenges of this unprecedented and highly complex situation and remain on track with the production schedule.”

duce its ecological footprint, such as filtered tailings to optimise water use and reduce waste, and also solar energy to greatly reduce reliance on fossil fuels to keep the site operational.

Pre-stripping of the mine and construction of the processing plant began in January of this year and, to date, development of the site is approximately 15% complete, now that the mining camp, which offers housing for around 1,800 people, has been built. In addition to this, much of the supporting infrastructure has been completed, as well as access roads into the site.

Salares Norte is located on a Northern section of the Maricunga metallogenic belt which contains reserves of around 420 metric tonnes of gold and 14,000 metric tonnes of silver. The mine is expected to produce around 450,000 ounces of gold per year for the first seven years and a total of 3.7 million ounces over its initial life span of 11 years. The estimated capital expenditure is set to exceed US$880 million, a number that pales when compared with the mines potential output US$7bn in gold.

Salares Norte aims to be as sustainable as possible and will rely on technologies that re-

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Production Forecasts

Gold Fields Chile Facilitating diversity and safety

The backbone of any Gold Fields endeavour is their workforce, and as a company they strive to create a culture of collaboration wherein they hire a diverse team of qualified, able people who are assessed on both their performance and their dedication to upholding the values of the company.

These values include a promise of meaningful communication between all levels of the company and setting in place a culture of fairness and flexibility. Gold Fields invests heavily in their employees, as is evidenced by the US$1,211 spent on per person on training in 2020. The company strives to treat all employees with respect and focuses heavily on ensuring that the health & safety of every member in the workforce is prioritised, as evidenced by the company’s unbending commitment to creating a zero fatality workspace.

The construction period of the Salares Norte project is expected to create around 2,700 jobs during its peak, emphasising Gold Fields dedication to giving back to the communities in which they operate. Gold Fields attribute much of their success to their policy of hiring people from the catchment areas of their mines, ensuring that local communities receive the greatest benefits of production. In addition to the 2,700 employed during the construction phase, the mine will employ around 900 full-time employees and contractors once it has entered full commercial operations.

The construction period of the Salares Norte project is expected to create around 2,700 jobs during its peak

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Mining Feature The project is expected to bring many benefits to the region to the surrounding area, and will stimulate real economic growth for surrounding communities. Project Director for the Salares Norte mine, Max Combes stated: “A project like Salares Norte generates a very valuable production chain in the industry along with important economic opportunities in the region.”

With careful planning and foresight, based on the idea that you must give back as much as you take, that the company has created a blueprint on how to flourish in the industry and also act responsibly by ensuring that local communities who are most at risk of exploitation play a lead role.

With construction under way, the future for Salares Norte looks golden indeed.

The Sustainable Future of the Industry

Gold Fields is showing the industry how it’s done, insofar as going about sustainable mining is concerned.

Gold Fields are rightfully regarded as the global leader in sustainable gold mining. The company’s commitment to ethical operation is a welcome example of how to do business the right way in the industry.

Gold Fields understands that many of the communities that they operate alongside have a rich cultural heritage and have sought to ensure that sacred and significant sites of indigenous communities are identified and adequately protected as a priority before any construction can be allowed to begin.

Construction is underway at the Salares Norte site Salares Norte project location in Chile’s Atacama desert

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Redpath Mining

DELIVERING MULTISPECTRUM MINING EXCELLENCE Business Enquirer Magazine · Issue 101

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PROJECT DIRECTED BY

WRITTEN BY

Malvern Kandemwa

Jay Benmehidi

A

fter three long and prosperous decades, the outbreak of COVID-19 and the subsequent shuttering of the Australian economy finally brought the curtain down on the Australian miracle late last year – a record-breaking period of growth that spearheaded Australia’s emergence as one of the world’s richest nations by measure of PPP. However, whilst Australia’s incredible win streak has ended, the key driver that first enabled it – the country’s robust mining sector – has helped power a blistering recovery that has

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seen Australian GDP recently return to pre-pandemic levels.

It is telling that the mining sector, which accounts for approximately 15% of GDP and supports 1.1 million jobs, remains the bastion of the country’s economic strength. Naturally, the business of extracting, processing and exporting commodities such as iron ore, gold and uranium is a lucrative one, and this lure has drawn in a who’s who of the world’s mining elite – a group which global mining giant, Redpath Mining, stands proudly amongst.

Mining Feature Redpath Mining is a brand which for more than half a century has been synonymous with mining excellence. Since it was first established

by Jim Redpath in North Bay, Ontario, in 1962, Redpath has grown from humble beginnings into what it is today – a global powerhouse with interests and operations spanning six continents and an expansive portfolio of successfully completed projects. But whilst the Redpath Mining Group of today is unrecognisable to its predecessor, J.S. Redpath Ltd, in terms of scale and resources, its ethos and mission remain the same: to offer a high level of service to the mining industry which exceeds current standards and client expectations.

Redpath Mining Australia is something of a microcosm of the wider group, not least by measure of its success to date. From its headquarters in Brisbane and subsidiary branch in Perth, Redpath’s Australian division oversees operations across the length and breadth of the continent and the highly lucrative Asia-Pacific theatre, where it is increasingly becoming the go-to mining services partner for challenging, highly complex projects.

“Redpath Australia are a leading underground mining services contractor with offices in Brisbane and Perth. We provide safe, economical and innovative solutions. Our professional and innovative employees, supported by effective business systems and processes, underpin our business success,” a spokesman for the company explained.

They continued: “We strive to be the safest company to work for in our industry – our commitment is that all our employees return home unharmed every day. We establish long-term, stable relationships with our clients, providing a level of service exceeding industry standards, and are viewed as a continuing partner in their underground operations.

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Mining Feature

”We provide a supportive and rewarding work environment that attracts and retains employees who are valued and developed within our organisation”

We provide a supportive and rewarding work environment that attracts and retains employees who are valued and developed within our organisation. We aim to be the preferred contractor to mine owners and operators that seek to engage a contractor with similar values and is supportive of a strong safety culture.”

Built upon foundations of peerless expertise, adaptability and exceptional workmanship, Redpath Australia leads the industry through the

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utilisation of cutting-edge innovations and its ability to complete full-spectrum turn-key mining services in-house. The company’s multi-disciplined engineering and technical services team, who are very much regarded as the cornerstone of the company’s success, are trained and developed so as to instil the knowledge and skills needed to design, manage and construct all aspects of underground mine infrastructure, including shaft sinking – an area of business for which Redpath is renowned.

Redpath Mining Penske Australia Penske Australia proudly supports Redpath Australia’s operations across underground mining sites nationally.

Penske’s extensive branch network and field service teams back Redpath with tailored service and parts support, working closely with Redpath ensuring engines and transmissions are maintained to industryleading standards with premium service and genuine parts delivering optimal performance of Redpath’s critical assets. penske.com.au

From planning and design to project build to close, when the lights are turned on and the keys handed over, Redpath Australia has the equipment and the people to build all surface infrastructure and the underground mine in its entirety, as well as the provide the full spectrum of accompanying services, on time and on budget. It is little wonder that the company has completed some of the most complex and high-profile contracts in Australia, such as works to upgrade Glencore’s Lady Loretta project in Queensland in 2018, and the company’s recent appointment as the go-to mining contractor for Silverlake Resources’ Yalgoo Goldfield projects in Western Australia.

This is testament to Redpath Australia’s all-encompassing can-do culture, which is not only ingrained root and branch within the company’s Australian and Asia-Pacific operations but within the entire Group. This combination of grit and hard work has allowed Redpath to take on and

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Redpath Mining successfully complete projects in some of the most extreme conditions and remote locations on earth, such as the jungles of South America, the Gobi Desert of Mongolia and the high Arctic.

It’s all about finding ways to do things better, to learn, and empowering your staff, Redpath Australia believes: “A culture of continuous improvement is a cornerstone of what makes Redpath Australia differentiate itself from our competitors.

This culture needs to be embraced at all levels, especially by our diverse workforce that live and breathe the physical work we deliver and offer us the most valuable ideas for improvement.

This course has changed the way our key supervisors/management approach their work each day, creating passion for challenging the way we do things, and chasing the inefficiencies out of our business through very simple processes. The course was a perfect balance of theory, practical implementation and seeing real-life implementations.”

It is no coincidence that Redpath Australia has not merely survived but thrived over the decades in an industry so cyclical as mining, and having weathered the initial COVID-19 storm, there is real optimism within the company with regards to what the future holds.

As the world tentatively gets back onto its feet again, Australia has long since returned to economic rude health. For Redpath Australia as with many other miners on the continent, the effects of what is happening across the rest of the world, which continues to grapple with the coronavirus pandemic, will continue to create ripples, but overall the industry has now largely adjusted to the new normal.

Thanks to its rich industry experience, strong balance sheet, and ongoing efforts to maintain its innovative edge over competitors, Redpath Australia is perfectly poised to carry on doing what it does best over the medium to long-term: provide sustainable, solution-driven service excellence to clients across the region.

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Mining Feature

A culture of continuous improvement is a cornerstone of what makes Redpath Australia differentiate itself from our competitors. This culture needs to be embraced at all levels, especially by our diverse workforce that live and breathe the physical work we deliver and offer us the most valuable ideas for improvement.

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(Campoverde, Ucayali region) Palm producer who is part of the Grupo Palmas Sustainable Supply Chain Program.

www.palmas.com.pe +51 2154230 palmasinforma@palmas.com.pe

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