Success in the Comprehensive Services Niche

Q: What is the main value INMSO adds to the mining industry?
A: We specialize in rock support and installation of automated cement plants. Also, we offer anchoring services for civil works within mines. But these services can be found elsewhere in the market. What differentiates INMSO is safety, quality and social responsibility. On this last point, we are known for our strong social commitment. We have been awarded the distinction of SCR. For instance, we have value brigades in our communities, doing educational work that emphasizes the importance of work and family. We also participate in developing infrastructure, such as roads or lighting. In fact, next year, we will launch a foundation to formalize these efforts and make them more effective. Finally, I would like to stress the fact that we have a board of directors, which gives us strength and credibility. Our mission is to provide an integral service to the mining industry.
Q: What programs to develop your workers’ capacities are you implementing?
A: We have a technical school to advance this goal. There is a lack of human capital in Mexico’s industry and it is a priority to remedy this. The objective is to develop a strong base of operators in three years. We will take them from technical school to being certified technicians in our company. These efforts to develop an adequate work force are key to our strategy. We are not just sellers. We are service providers and therefore need the best technicians. Keeping employee turnaround as low as possible is crucial. We have many programs that ensure our personnel are heavily involved in the company. For instance, we identify a small number of workers who have demonstrated technical and leadership excellence. We capacitate them beyond their immediate areas of expertise. We train them to train others. They are then ready to go to the mining units to certify the personnel we already have there. Every four months afterward, they will revisit the mines and update workers. In parallel, we have a group of recent graduates accompany these leaders and learn from them. It is a two-year project. Certainly, we seek to be above the industry’s average in terms of pay. But we also offer other benefits, like sending out little presents to families on Mother’s Day or publishing a magazine that features our workers’ accomplishments.
Q: What is your current strategy for consolidation in the Mexican market?
A: I have a great deal of experience in mining and have learned that what clients appreciate the most is financial certainty. We provide this. We pay our taxes correctly and all our workers are registered with IMSS. As we work with the best in the industry, such as Fresnillo, Peñoles, Leagold and Frisco, our own standards have to be on par with them. They all have two attributes in common: high standards of efficiency and social responsibility. Moreover, we are strengthening our capacity to provide a comprehensive service. The mining industry looks for contractors that can offer many services in one, so as to simplify processes. On this point, we are integrating hauling and rock support.
Furthermore, we are building alliances with top-of-the-line providers. We have some ongoing alliances and are formalizing others with companies such as Epiroc, Normet, SANY, Komatsu, BASF and GCC. We are looking for a commercial alliance, where we can represent a brand and together provide a service to the client. We have had providers that sell us the equipment but do not follow up with service training. We need our workers to be able to service the equipment we sell, and thus we form alliances that guarantee this know-how. Maintenance is fundamental in mining. If there is no capacity for proper maintenance, brands do not consolidate in the market. Our alliance with these companies is aligned with this need; We do not just buy the equipment. We form comprehensive alliances.
This strategy of building partnerships with the best providers and making sure that we have all the necessary knowledge to service and repair their equipment is crucial. It allows us to work closely with clients and learn their needs. We also train our client’s personnel in the use of the equipment we sell.