EY, sector experts set mining on path for the future

The practice of mining and its values has shifted as the world demands more responsible and thoughtful resource extraction and management. 

But to make this transition, mining operations will require multidisciplinary expertise, and they can find this at the new EY Americas Mining and Metals Centre of Excellence, says Theo Yameogo, EY Canada, Mining and Metals leader.   

“The way we see it, there are two sides to how the mining sector is going to do business, now and in the future,” explains Mr. Yameogo. “There’s what they need to do in-house to fix their business, and then there’s what they need to do externally to boost and repair their brand to capture respect from the outside world.”

Launched last year, the Centre of Excellence will usher global mining businesses into a future that includes innovation, digitization and decarbonization through its collaboration with experts throughout the mining, technology and environmental sectors. 

At its crux, the Centre of Excellence is about helping clients solve some of the most difficult problems in the industry by focusing on four key areas: technical expertise; digital transformation; operations management; and decarbonization and ESG (environmental, social, and governance). 

For example, tailing ponds have been something the mining sector has long tried to tackle, “but what if we were able to figure out the best way to monitor tailings with robotic drones, having state-of-the-art alert systems in place? Then those systems could be adopted by industry as a whole,” adds Mr. Yameogo. 

Indeed, drones are becoming an industry standard as they offer the ability to access near-impossible-to-reach underground data. So it only makes sense that Exyn Technologies, a leader in AI-powered drones and robotics, operates with the Centre of Excellence. Here, clients can see the ExynAero drone’s full range of features, says Raffi Jabrayan, vice-president of corporate development for Exyn.

“The ExynAero is fully autonomous, allowing for mapping of any environment – including GPS- and communications - denied, human-inaccessible, industrial environments without a pilot,” he explains. “It captures beyond-line-of-sight, efficient and accurate data without risking operator safety. By being in the Centre of Excellence, these technologies can be effectively introduced to the global mining community.”He adds: “The industry is undergoing an unprecedented technology-enabled transformation and we are excited to be a part of it.”

By 2040, mining is expected to see more targeted, cost-effective and safer exploration as a result of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies as the industry shifts away from large pit mining to more specific and intentional discoveries.

In fact, EY and Business Science Corporation (BSC) are helping others to assist in the transition to the digital mine. BSC enables augmented and automated decision making by applying AI and digital twinning technologies at both the micro process and macro enterprise level, informed by in-depth mining expertise accumulated over the past 22 years.

“Our collaboration with EY allows us to establish client-specific playbooks to ensure that the augmented and automated decision making our technology enables is practically integrated into operations to ensure timely and effective decisions,” says Andreas Cambitsis, senior partner with BSC.

But to help miners make these changes, Mr. Yameogo believes it’s important to have top experts in mining engineering, geosciences, and ESG working alongside business professionals all under one roof, offering integrated solutions to clients’ issues. 

“We’re adding technical expertise to our DNA by bringing in the ecosystem players who are at the forefront of innovation. In turn, this is building a one-stop-shop that delivers mining-specific solutions to address client needs that we wouldn’t be able to do otherwise,” he says.

“In our business, innovation is a short cycle where we test quick, fail fast and do it all again, edging our way up by innovating,” he stresses. “We don’t do anything in a vacuum.”

Clients who access the Centre of Excellence will find the sharp minds and knowledge one would expect, but in addition, there are unique spaces that make this centre unlike anything else.

As part of the Centre of Excellence, EY is collaborating with global mining firm NORCAT to leverage its innovation ecosystem and gain access to the NORCAT Underground Centre – a state-of-the art underground technology innovation and training facility in Sudbury.

“It was important for us to develop the world’s only operating mine designed to enable everyone from startups to large international companies to develop, test, and demonstrate emerging technologies that are poised to transform the global mining industry,” explains Don Duval, chief executive officer at NORCAT.

Mr. Yameogo says he sees the Americas Mining Centre of Excellence as an ecosystem of innovation, knowledge-sharing and technology where today’s mining companies can transform into their next evolution. 

“It’s industry as we’ve only imagined it.”