In July 2020, just 3 months after the COVID-19 pandemic, business consulting leader McKinsey, in an article on its website, felt it was important enough to address “What can we know about past times of crisis about the effect on the COVID-19 pandemic on the mining sector, and what can we expect in the future? »
There was no way of knowing at that time what surprise the pandemic would create on a global scale and what situations of express demand would be known in the mining sector. The news combined with many classes learned, stumbles overcome and inventions implemented.
Canada has been a prime exploration target during the pandemic with exploration investments of more than $2 billion in 2021, representing a year-on-year increase of 35%. minerals such as copper, lithium and cobalt have resulted in significant drilling activity.
With this drilling activity, the need arose for continuous and accurate testing that can be problematic when operating in a remote location. This is especially evident in Newfoundland, which is a region of North America that has experienced a gold rush for the past 8 years. . SGS, one of the world’s largest testing, inspection and certification companies, has started to operate strongly in combination with a cutting-edge initiative with Matador Mining on its Cape Ray project.
In April 2021, SGS and the company set out to build a Mobile Sample Preparation Unit (MSPU) in one of the most remote spaces on the island to meet on-site testing needs. The concept was that if it were imaginable to identify an MSPU in Port-Aux-Basques, Newfoundland, a fishing village of about 3,000 more people on the southwestern tip of the island, then the viability of the MSPU in extreme weather situations would be a reality.
“SGS prides itself on innovation and visitor responses, and the MSPU is the best example of this,” said Carlos Cordoba, Vice President of Natural Resources at SGS NAM. “The truth of the two-and-a-half-hour journey from the site to the nearest regional airport in Deer Lake that connected it to the rest of Canada, one of the motivating points for finding a way to optimize the site’s testing processes and needs.
A year later, the MSPU provides an example of what is possible for exploration companies around the world. Instead of having to send 100,000 patterns ranging from 3 to 5kg across the country to the SGS Centre of Excellence in Burnaby, British Columbia, for analysis, only 250g are shipped according to the pattern while the remaining fabrics remain on the customer’s site.
Needless to say, this is smart news on the sustainability front with major relief on the carbon footprint and discounts on CO2 emissions. Custom truck-mounted creations allow each MSPU to identify an example of a unique procedure for each task. while minimizing the overall environmental impact found as the task progresses throughout the life cycle.
With unprecedented pressure from investors and stakeholders, tangible and timely moves and responsibilities that are not straightforward for corporate social responsibility and sustainability, this is perceived as a step forward.
The truth is that the world will have to turn to the mining industry to move to a green economy. The mining industry has also identified the importance of this transformation. Twenty-one of the 30 largest metallurgical and mining corporations across market capitalization have set a net greenhouse fuel emissions target at 0 or already claim to be carbon neutral.
Now, with the mobility, precision and versatility shown in the MSPU, it’s imaginable to work with companies in much more remote situations. Once the exploration plan, pattern volumes, and investment are in place, using an MSPU makes sense. The MSPU has a smaller footprint and can be moved to the end of a task compared to a brick-and-mortar lab that takes longer to build and is, for all intents and purposes, a permanent footprint.
Instead of building a permanent facility, the cellular unit operates autonomously and prepares all samples on site with the secondary advantage of allowing SGS to exercise and employ an on-site MSPU premises. When paints are finished on site, the MSPU can be trucked to its next consumer and location.
There are also benefits to the local at an MSPU site where workers get skills education that can offer them a path to explore new career characteristics in the mining sector. While this is a physically difficult box with the use of sprayers and crushers That has been governed by men, the automation and expansion of the company means there are now more women in the mix, added Leslie Clark, manager of laboratory operations at the sgs site in North America who oversees the MSPU in Port aux Basques.
The SGS laboratory provides Matador with the reliable preparation facilities they want and is helping to reduce overall analytical response times, infrequently from 1/2 to 1/3, based on existing industry response times for analytical results. The MSPU service isolates them from the variability in response times caused by pattern preparation queues that can expand the peak box season in physical laboratories. This allows clients to make vital decisions, advance their task in an accelerated time frame, and provide feedback to investors for financing.
Until recently, the norm was to deal with consumers who already had infrastructure and were well established. The customization that comes with an MSPU means that many more consumers and conditions can be served. Each MSPU is built with a secure capability that is based on the point of interest or business in a region of a consumer or consumer organization. Today’s most productive business practices can now allow an MSPU to be shared among consumers. The capacity is custom designed according to the needs of the stakeholders of each site.
Recently, there has been a shortage of drillers and, as a result, corporations have been incentivized to drill year-round without the overall slowdown of the winter months. This means that the preparation of the skipper will also have to take a position at the same time to meet the needs of a project. The benefits of MPUs are undeniable. They can be deployed anywhere in North America and beyond for any project, from a new site to progression or production, and can be used year-round.
“Currently, we have 3 MPUs in Canada and many more around the world. My forecast is that we will have several more across the continent through the next checkout season, and more will be ordered this year,” said Cindy Collins, Director of Sales and Business. Development, Geochemistry, Natural Resources from SGS”. And for context, since 2004, we’ve had 35 MPUs in places like Papua New Guinea, Peru, Congo, West Africa, Mexico, and Kazakhstan. It is exciting and encouraging to be a part of this growth, and I come forward to proceed to share its many benefits and uses.
If the quality of service for an MSPU that is in Kazakhstan is the same as in Newfoundland and Labrador is the question, the short answer is yes. The MSPU is built and operated according to the same criteria and operating procedures that SGS uses in its laboratories. worldwide, regardless of their location. It is vital to note that MPUs are built with the same quality and protection criteria as those required in all SGS advertising laboratories.
Everything indicates the kind of quality that consumers demand and expect from laboratory services from SGS. In recent years, analytical effects across the industry have experienced significant delays, forcing corporations to wait months for their effects due to many points leading to delays. in analytical testing facilities. In a state-of-the-art shift, by combining SGS MSPU and Field Analysis and Testing Services (FAST), it is conceivable not only to reduce the time it takes to obtain hardware data, but also to have it immediately. This allows a pre-selection of samples sent to the laboratory for further qualitative testing and temporarily guides activities in the field.
In short, MPUs speed up the process of preparing patterns, leading to rapid analytical delays for corporations to make vital decisions. Having their knowledge faster allows consumers to continue or even replace drilling program methods based on real-time information.
You can see more about SGS paintings with Matador Mining in https://youtu. be/c-7elBWaFs8
You can find out more about SGSPUs here in https://youtu. be/W-0oU1LNUhY
P. J. Kwong is well known to figure skating enthusiasts around the world. It has been the inner voice of sound in domestic and foreign events, adding five Winter Olympics and 3 Summer Olympics. She has worked for CBC Sports as a writer, commentator and social media. figure skating journalist. You can find out more here https://pjkwong. com/
Teddy Katz is founder, journalist, podcaster and lead storyteller at Think Redefined Inc. with 20 years of experience as a CBC journalist and as Head of Communications. https://www. thinkredefined. com/about
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