Mapping Strategies for Operators

Q: Why is Mexico is a strategic country for Datamine?

A: Datamine is a well-recognized leader in specialized software for the mining industry. We develop software focused on various areas across the lifecycle of a mine. We have therefore developed different solutions to help customers globally. Mexico is a strategic market for the company due to its position in the global mining industry and in the Americas. Datamine was recently acquired by Constellation Software and our parent company has an extremely focused strategy in the mining market. It is through years of expertise and industry orientation that Datamine is recognized as a leader in software development for the mining industry. We are a strong company that has experienced other downturns, and we have learnt that through helping our customers during these periods we gain trust, confidence, and develop strong relationships. The low price environment is unfortunate, but we have to act accordingly. We focus on improving our clients’ operations by helping them in optimization, and we have a dedicated team of professional consultants in areas like planning and geology that can help with operations optimization.

Q: How has the recent acquisition by Constellation improved Datamine’s position within the mining industry?

A: Constellation, as a global leader in software development, is focusing on building strong leaders in the software market through a strong technical commitment. Therefore, our clients are able to recognize our solutions, and as leaders in the industry we can identify the commitment by recent acquisitions such as Alford Mining Systems (AMS) in February this year, which is well known for developing mining-specific tools like the AMS Stope Optimizer (MSO).

Q: How receptive have Mexican operators been with your services given the fact the market is largely reluctant to adopt new technology?

A: Mining contractors are becoming increasingly interested in acquiring our software because the technology allows them to communicate efficiently with their clients. We prepare our clients through short training courses and we are also working with universities. We understand the importance of creating more awareness and interest in academia in regards to mining in Mexico. In Zacatecas, we have been providing courses to geology and mining engineering students in the local university and teaching them how to use Datamine. Rather than conducting a lecture, we bring product licenses and allow the students to interact with the systems to create a more comprehensive learning experience.

Q: What successful project has Datamine been involved in, and what problems did it solve for the client?

A: We have developed different solutions for our clients across a wide range of targets including resources estimation, mine planning, and geology solutions. The Core Profiler is a solution developed by CSIRO, which is one of our business partners. The Core Profiler is a software-based logging tool that builds a scaled continuous image of drill core from handheld core tray or core split photographs, solving issues like inconsistencies in visual observations between observers or photographic records. We have two solutions that are highly demanded in Mexico, and these are oriented to supporting operations in resource estimation and mine planning. Our products covering these areas are our Studio 5D Planner and the Studio RM suites, which help to facilitate these tasks in an easier and more reliable way. We do not keep client data or have access to their information. The new Datamine Summit technology is a cloud-based tool we have developed to create, store, analyze, and share mining technical data. Data is protected by encryption during transfer, and data centers are physically and electronically secured to the highest standards.