Nexa Resources, one of the five largest zinc mining companies in the world and part of Brazilian conglomerate Votorantim SA, is expanding its operations in entrepreneurship and innovation through an international partnership with the Israeli company IBI-Tech. Coupled with a model to foster open innovation, the partnership will allow the exchange of Israeli technologies, solutions, products and services capable of responding to the main challenges of Nexa’s operations in Brazil and Peru. Furthermore, it will connect Israeli startups and entrepreneurs to the mining industry in these two countries.
According to Tito Martins, CEO of Nexa Resources, the idea is to further develop Nexa’s global innovation network, with the opportunity to access the renowned Israeli innovation ecosystem. “Israel is a benchmark in innovation and has built one of the most important hubs in the world by investing in technology and generating new businesses. With this partnership, we will identify solutions that help us building the mining of the future, based on ESG aspects,” he says.
Another positive factor regarding the partnership is that Nexa’s open innovation platform, Mining Lab, is now more visible. Since 2016, the platform aims to foster the development of new technologies for the challenges of the mining industry, in conjunction with startups from several other industries. In these six years, over 1,400 entrepreneurs enrolled, with 47 selected projects and 26 contracts signed with entrepreneurs interested in accelerating and implementing their projects.
The platform currently continues developing and testing several projects. A good example is that of the Brazilian company ZEG, from the Capitale group, engaged in renewable energy. ZEG has created an innovative and patented solution that transforms solid waste into steam. This initiative seeks to reduce the use of fossil fuels through a technology that has replaced up to 65% of the volume of natural gas used in Nexa’s zinc smelter plant in Juiz de Fora (MG).
The partnership with Meantrix, another Brazilian startup, stood out for developing the use of software artificial intelligence, capable of evaluating large databases to improve and further support the company’s decision-making processes.
Another fully implemented initiative in Nexa’s underground operations is the Canadian RockMass project, which has developed hardware with a system for surveying and processing more reliable geotechnical data on the inclination and orientation of pre-existing faults in rocks.
