AdN Consulting is a certified Dassault Systèmes GEOVIA partner in Mexico, providing a range of technology solutions across 11 industries. AdN Consulting offers solutions in the areas of geology, mine planning, project management, process control and document management; as well as connectivity solutions for underground and open pit pines.
We talk to Juan Ramón Bonell Marti, Director at AdN Consulting, about the mining industry challenges and solutions, as well as their take on GEOVIA software best practices.
What are the biggest issues and challenges in the Mexican mining industry today?
We’ve been working in the mining industry for more than eight years now, first starting as connectivity and information system solution providers. Now, we distribute GEOVIA products such as Surpac, GEMS, Whittle and MineSched throughout Mexico.
Throughout this time, we’ve closely watched the evolution of the local mining industry and it’s apparent that there are many pressures on the viability of mining operations in Mexico such as:
- Price instability in the metals market, particularly in precious metals. These prices have an upward tendency but this tendency is yet to be clearly defined, and with our recent political news, the future is still uncertain.
- Shift in the fiscal burden to mining companies in the current administration means that many miners have had to evaluate and reduce their investments in exploration.
- Presence of organized crime in some areas, which incurs further but necessary investments in people and equipment protection.
- The exchange rate between the US Dollar and the Mexican Peso is a two-edged sword. The cost to purchase mining supplies has increased by a reasonable amount due to importation from the United States, but on the other hand, this has also increased the selling price of the finished mining products. This is beneficial for the already operational mines but for those in exploration or construction stages, this situation increases their need for cash.
How do you think technology can help address these challenges?
In general, the mining industry is not at the forefront of the implementation of new technologies and lags behind other industries. However, the benefits already seen from the use of information systems to support the industry include savings and efficiencies that directly impact operational costs. 
On one hand, software tools currently available can interpret geological information and enable improved judgement of the size and characteristics of mineral deposits. This in turn allows us to create bigger and better models for more precise resource quantification.
The availability of activity scheduling tools also allows optimized usage of involved resources during the exploitation phase, avoiding unnecessary investments and using scarce resources to their fullest.
In particular, being able to have information on mineral deposits and their structure in a computer system as tridimensional information, allows the exploration of multiple solutions to the problem of how to exploit it and determining the best possible answer.
Finally, the implementation of computer systems for project management, document control for environmental compliance and tools for collaborative work, result in efficiencies that translate in improvements to the cost structure and with that, reduced pressure on the viability of the mining operation.
Do you have any tips to share?
Many of our customers request automated command sequences or macros from us, and we think it is a very useful tip particularly for the execution of repetitive tasks in Surpac. This enables Surpac users to save time spent on this type of task so that they can focus on other more strategic activities.
For more information on AdN Consulting, visit the website.
Or, to read more news and updates on the global mining sector, check out our Industry News or Innovation section.
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