Complex Engineering for a Strategic Industry

Q: Beumer Group is a global leader in intralogistics. What steps are you taking to increase the company’s penetration in Mexico’s mining industry?
A: We are well-integrated in Mexico’s mining industry and continuing to approach other market leaders to solidify our position. However, much of the sector is unaware of our full range of capabilities, so we approach companies that are just beginning new projects and pitch our technology and engineering, illustrating why we are their best choice for collaboration. Timing is a key consideration because mining projects require feasibility studies before the heavy work begins, which can take between six and 12 months.
Today, engineering is much more complex. We have learned to manage data, especially during the exploration phase, so we can evaluate the terrain and implement the most favorable routing for our conveyor belts, which is completed in two days using drones. Once we have evaluated the routing, we start working in the field. Technical visits to exploitation areas also help boost our visibility and we plan to carry out roadshows, which provide a more direct relationship with the customer. We also participate in many relevant trade fairs and exhibitions.
Q: What is the main added value that Beumer offers the industry?
A: Beumer’s main added value is our approach to engineering and the methodology we employ to ensure efficient use of time. We also integrate security components into conveyors that offer advantages to users, including an extended lifespan. Digitalization is also a priority and we have created a new department to focus on this area, providing another added value. Manufacturing bands may seem like an analog process, but Beumer is fully immersed in the digital world.
Q: Which of your products are most attractive to the mining industry and where do you see the potential for wider growth?
A: The most popular products are long distance belts, whether tubular or underground. Logistics is a sector where we expect to expand in the coming years thanks to the enormous growth we are seeing in e-commerce, an area where Mexico is behind other markets by six or eight years, mainly because the Mexican population in general has no confidence in the country’s transportation systems.
Mexico is still a small market for us. After Germany, our second-largest market is the US, followed by Asia, where there has been significant population and economic growth.
Q: One of the characteristics of the Mexican mining sector is its reluctance to change. How does Beumer convince companies it is the best ally for growth?
A: We do this by illustrating how our changes to a company’s logistics improve safety, both for the operators and the community where the mine is installed. Our attention to environmental sustainability is another factor. We are aware of the environmental impact of the routing we design, but we have the capacity to build underground or to construct completely covered belts that eliminate dust or noise emissions. In many countries, these elements are considered pollution. In Mexico, that is not yet the case, but it is already seen as a trend of the future and we can help companies get ahead of that.
Q: Does Beumer expect opportunity or hindrance with the arrival of the AMLO administration?
A: I see the arrival of the new administration as an opportunity for Beumer because the government is focused on improving environmental protection, which plays to Beumer’s strengths. However, the concerning tendency we have identified in the first months of the government is that many of its decisions are not transparent, as we saw with the cancellation of the new airport. Another concern is the lack of legal certainty for investors on issues such as taxes. The changes proposed by the new government affect us indirectly; that is, they directly affect our clients, which then affects us.