Business Leaders Revive Nuevo Leon’s Mining Industry

Because of its geological profile, the state of Nuevo Leon is not considered among Mexico’s most important mining states. However, Monterrey’s location along with the presence of important mining companies, such as precious metal producer Hochschild Mining and base metal national champion Minera Autlán, and various suppliers make it a land of opportunity for companies looking to enter the Mexican mining industry. One such company is Industrial & Mining Solutions (INMSO), which was founded in 2008 by a group of local businessmen. Norberto Zavala, Director of INMSO, explains that the company was born with the mission of building a trustworthy, efficient and socially responsible company providing quality construction services to mining companies all across the country and internationally. The company established a Board of Directors in order to better streamline decision-making and create the basis for INMSO’s growth. “This has given INMSO a very important advantage in relation to other companies in the sector. Many mining contractors in Mexico are family-run businesses where decisions are made unilaterally. In contrast to those companies, having a Board of Directors supports solid, rational decision-making processes within INMSO,” says Zavala.

INMSO’s services comprise the boring, scaling and concrete spraying of ramps under construction, as well as other mining development works. The company offers added value throughout these mine construction stages. INMSO believes that the quality of its services stem from the training of its personnel. “Our employees need to understand why they must spray concrete at certain pressures and with certain amounts of cement. They must quantify the significance of every activity they perform,” says Zavala. “We train all our personnel, starting from the person who prepares the concrete in the cement plant. We explain them their objective and their importance within the company’s goals,” he continues. “As a company, we look for stable, tiered growth, based on the constant development of our human capital.” This comprehensive training allows INMSO’s personnel to successfully use specialized materials and additives that improve the safety and quality of the company’s works. INMSO evaluates the quantity of water in the mine and adds a substance to every vein if the rock  is humid. This additive reacts with water and causes the liquid to filter down and into the ditches. “We customize concrete preparation depending on the degree of humidity in the mine. With the combination of this technique we prevent water from pushing down on the structure and destabilizing it. We safely and efficiently reroute water into the ditches,” Zavala explains. Even when humidity is not a problem, INMSO’s expert personnel inject an epoxy resin into the rock veins and thus contribute to hardening and further containing the mine’s structure. “Thanks to the use of this additive we generate a solid structure at the interior of the rock. This structure might not be visible but it gives our miners greater support and safety,” Zavala asserts.

While INMSO has commercial relations with the main providers of specialized equipment in the sector, the company is currently developing new solutions in order to use equipment at 100% of its capacity. “INMSO is now investing in the development of new solutions to take cement inside the mine, which is a problem we face constantly, as do our competitors,” Zavala asserts. Because a mine’s width and height can vary a lot, INMSO has equipment of many sizes in order to be able to work  in any project. However, efficiency is lost in the process. Therefore, the company is currently testing the adaptation of a regulating pot into simpler equipment.

Zavala’s commitment to the development of the mining industry has also led him, along with other partners, to reopen the Mexican Association of Mining Engineers, Metallurgists and Geologists (AIMMGM) in Nuevo Leon. The institution’s state district in the state is now presided by Zavala, after almost two decades of inactivity. Together with other mining executives, Zavala seeks to reactivate the mining industry in the state and foster the development of the region’s geological cartography, which has not been developed by the Mexican Geological Survey because there has been no pressure on the allocation of the Survey’s budget for this end. Thanks to the reactivation of this district, Monterrey recently held its first Mining Sector Employment Fair in collaboration with the Ministry of Economy and the assistance of the industry’s biggest companies.