Transcription
[Music] Hello and welcome. I'm Dom Hail for Australia's Mining Monthly and Mining Magazine and I'm here today with two individuals shaping the future of tailings management.
Firstly, we have Alex Newert, CEO of Canary Systems, which delivers integrated hardware and software solutions that empower mine operators with critical realtime data to make safer, smarter decisions across the entire Tailings storage facility life cycle. And then we have Kim Morrison, chief technical officer at ATC Williams, former global function lead for Tailings at Newmont and a recognized thought leader in the field.
Now today, Alex and Kim will be discussing how advanced monitoring technologies, datadriven strategies, and cross- sector collaboration are shaping the future of safe, sustainable tailings facility management. Kim, Alex, welcome. It's great to have you both here today.
>> Thank you very much. Great to be here, Tom.
>> Thank you, Tom.
>> Alex, first question to you. As a technology solutions provider, what are the challenges to develop, deploy, and maintain the hardware and software systems that are critical for effective tailings storage management?
>> Thank you, Tom. Great question. I'll try to answer it as as uh briefly and succinctly as possible. There's several challenges right now that we see for us as a company and in the marketplace. I would say one of the biggest challenges is that at present the marketplace is very fractured. There's a lot of different vendors, a lot of different providers all vying for this space. There's a lot of different data types being created, a lot of different collection platforms. So trying to bring all that data together and all these different vendors together can be very challenging. I am a student of history. I I see it as akin to the early 1900s in America where uh there were over a hundred different auto manufacturers. And so that created as you can imagine a lot of inconsistencies, differences in standards and and challenges to succeed in the marketplace. And we see that um in the uh marketplace today as well.
There's a lot of data being generated. This is the second challenge that we see. So just the quantities of data that some of these systems produce when you look at uh laser scanning systems, photoggramometry, INSAR, groundbased radars, you can have billions of bytes of data per day. So just kind of getting your arms around all that data can be really challenging.
There's a couple of cultural problems. Kim, I know, will speak to this in more detail. As a as a stakeholder and having worked in the industry and and being kind of on the other side of of the fence, um there's a culture of risk averseness and risk awareness that we're trying to develop. So, that can make it challenging then to to get um our clients to to kind of put money where their mouth is. Everyone wants to operate more safely and and take care of the environment, but the challenge is like putting money to that and and we see a lot of difficulties in the marketplace and with our clients to do that.
And then related the idea of like investment in these systems as a as a long-term um cultural uh shift in thinking. So, so in other words, um, mining in particular, you know, has has a combination of short-term and long-term thinking. There's long-term thinking in terms of developing properties and developing mining at a certain location. Um, but then there's also a lot of short-term thinking about how to maximize profitability and and maximize revenue. So, um, it can be really challenging to get our clients to to think both shortterm and long-term about the value of investing in in uh, managing their tailings facilities more closely.
And then I'll say last, as a technology leader, just keeping up with technology today is hugely challenging. Um it seems like every other week there's a new version of this platform or this software. Um we're, you know, we're working in a space that's just changing so rapidly. So having the resources and planning and organization just to keep up with this pace of change is just super challenging.
>> Well, thank you for that, Alex. Kim, over to you. In your time leading tailings strategy at pneumon, what were the biggest operational and cultural challenges in integrating advanced monitoring technologies across such a large and diverse portfolio?
>> Thank you for that question, Dom. operationally integrating multiple legacy monitoring systems across various sites with different geological conditions, different instrument types and data formats was a massive undertaking. We had to invest significantly in robust data integration platforms and standardization protocols.
Culturally, the shift from traditional, often manual monitoring to a reliance on real time automated data required a profound change in mindset. Overcoming resistance often involved demonstrating the direct value proposition. How timely, accurate data enables proactive management, enhanced safety, and improved operational efficiency. Of course, through implementation at the scale that we went through, we had many lessons that we learned along the way. One of them is that having leadership buyin and a clear vision was absolutely imperative. Without explicit commitment from the top, widespread adoption is absolutely impossible.
Proof of concept and phased implementation was key. We started with targeted pilots and clearly demonstrated our return on investment as well as risk reduction and along the way this helped build internal champions to support the broader roll out of the program. We needed to invest in data literacy and training. We needed to empower our site personnel to understand and use the data and that that was crucial. This wasn't just about training how to use a software platform but fundamental understanding of what the data meant for their daily operations and their facility performance.
Development of robust governance was also critical. Establishing clear roles, responsibilities and protocols for data quality validation and reporting was paramount to maintaining trust in the system. And beyond compliance, it was about value creation, framing advanced monitoring not just as a compliance cost, but as a tool for optimizing performance and enhancing ESG outcomes. That was the key to driving adoption.
And while at Newmont, we chose Canary Systems as our provider. And we chose them for three primary reasons. First, their experience. They've been around longer than any other technology provider in this critical space. Secondly, the Canary platform is agnostic. It does not require the use of proprietary equipment. And finally, this implementation was not going to be their first rodeo. They had experience working with other major mining companies with similar enterprise level implementations.
>> Well, thank you very much for that, Kim. Now, you're a former stakeholder and have the opportunity to represent stakeholders in your current role and Canary is a technology solutions provider. So what would you say are the opportunities and challenges in collaborating to help advance the objectives of the global industry standard for tailings management?
>> So this question goes to the very heart of how the industry will effectively advance the objectives of the GISTM. As you mentioned, my unique position having led GISTM implementation and now as CTO of ATC Williams, a company that serves as engineer of record for many global mining companies. This allows me to bridge the gap between real world operational challenges and technological solutions. The key opportunity in collaborating with providers like Canary Systems lies in translating the nuanced needs of mining companies from the accountable executives strategic oversight to the engineer of records detailed requirements and translating this into truly fitforpurpose monitoring platforms. This direct feedback loop ensures that the solutions are not just technically advanced but genuinely enable the holistic datadriven approach that is demanded for responsible tailings management. It fosters proactive risk management and continuous improvement across diverse global portfolios.
>> Um, Alex, what's your take on the scope and obstacles for collaboration in respect of the GISM?
>> I loved your response, Kim. I I don't have too much to add to that because I agree with with everything that you outlined. I will just say this, you know, we are not a mining company. We don't operate a tailings facility. We're a technology company at our core. We love technology. We love the instrumentation, the electronics, the communications, the software platform that we develop. But fundamentally, we need help from from stakeholders like you, Kim. We need help from the marketplace to really understand what are these standards and how can we adapt our platform to meet the needs of uh the glo the GISTM um initiatives that have developed over the last few years. So I really appreciate your thoughtful answer and this is where we see ourselves as well as as valuable partners to you know to the to stakeholders like Kim that are responsible in some way for you know for managing these high-risk facilities and then can look to us for that technology solution to help them more effectively manage those risks.
Well, look, I want to thank you both very much for your time today and some really fascinating insights. I've been speaking with Alex New, CEO of Canary Systems, and Kim Morrison, CTO at AC Williams. I'm Dom Hail. Thanks for watching.