GOLDCORP INC .
world and the second largest in Mexico .
“ Peñasquito is by far the biggest open pit in Goldcorp ’ s portfolio ,” Kahl says . “ It accounts for 30-40 % of all of Goldcorp ’ s production in terms of total metal output and it provides about 33 % of the company ’ s total revenue .
“ We also have a lot of personnel and contractors on site ,” he adds . “ Therefore , we ’ re not just seeing how digitisation can increase our productivity , we ’ re also using technology to enhance safety and the more human elements of mining .”
Across the mining sector , fluctuating metal prices can wreak havoc on a company ’ s bottom line ; as a polymetallic mine , Peñasquito circumvents this issue .
Producing gold , silver , lead and zinc , Goldcorp can adapt its strategy and focus on the most in-demand metal on the market .
A MULTI-METAL STRATEGY This also involves adapting its strategy and Kahl says this is where digitisation can be critical .
“ Depending on the market price for metals , we can either be focused on gold or zinc but this involves different strategies ,” Kahl explains .
“ Digitisation can really help us determine what metal we should focus on and what operating model we need use . There are so many different technologies we can use – devices , apps , cloud technologies , next-generation analytics , robotics , smart sensors , virtual reality and artificial
14 June 2018