Micromine has revealed a new strategy to improve product clarity, deliver end-to-end, integrated digital solutions, and better serve its clients at Momentum 2021, a virtual conference for geo-professionals and mining specialists. Hosted by international mining software developer Micromine, Momentum 2021 was attended by thousands of mining and exploration professionals hoping for an exclusive first look at the latest mining technologies.
Micromine CEO Andrew Birch said the refreshed direction for the business comes as the mining industry continues to evolve in the wake of COVID-19 and increases its focus on new processes and opportunities unlocked by sector-specific innovations. “Looking back, it has been a year of further transformation for the mining industry, with many organisations looking for increased efficiency and stability by accelerating digital initiatives. We believe further integration of digital technology is the key to delivering the next generation of efficiencies in the sector. Our vision is to create an ecosystem that connects experts across the exploration and mining value chain, using both new and existing technology to deliver better outcomes for our clients’ projects, their organizations and, most importantly, for the user.”
Renewed product clarity and integration
Micromine has revealed a range of changes to improve product clarity and better serve its clients. Its eponymous hero product, Micromine, has been split into two distinct offerings: Micromine Origin, focused on the exploration sector; and Micromine Beyond, supporting clients developing and operating mines. Micromine says its suite of products are now clearly designed to fit into integrated solution and become parts of the everyday workflow of its clients.
With Micromine Origin, exploration professionals “will gain access to a first of its kind geology modelling interface, with visualisation, drillhole management, analytical and modelling tools, statistical, and geostatistical functionality needed in a more advanced exploration or resource estimation project.” Micromine Beyond offers targeted but flexible tools for planning, design, and scheduling in both surface and underground mines. “By bringing users, data and technology together, we can help mining organisations build end-to-end digital processes and enable completely new and transformative business models that use data to accelerate smart decision making, maximise business opportunities and meet the challenges of delivering a sustainable future for the global community,” Birch said.
Two recently announced acquisitions in the mine scheduling space – Precision Mining, including the SPRY product, and Alastri Software – round out Micromine’s core product offerings. Both products allow Micromine Beyond clients (those developing and operating mines) to translate their designs into actionable schedules, bridging the gap between mine design tools and operational mine production systems.
Roadmap for 2022: Micromine Nexus
The Micromine Momentum 2021 event also saw the introduction of Micromine’s latest, in-house developed product, Micromine Nexus, which will launch globally in early 2022. This newly developed offering is designed to connect and orchestrate workflow tools, while providing data security across the entire ecosystem. “Nearly every client we talk to struggles to manage multiple people working on the same workflows, models, and geological data sets. Clients have told us they need a centralised storage location with robust version control.”
“Micromine Nexus is the first step in our platform strategy to provide clients with unified data management and sharing capability across the Micromine product suite and ultimately a range of third-party point solutions to make the sharing of data a real possibility, driving significant efficiencies for your mining operation,” Birch said.
The platform acts as a single source of truth for a team, making sure everyone is always working off the latest information. Thanks to the product’s open platform, virtually any file type can be stored, shared, and audit-tracked in one central location. The platform architecture is ready to be defined by administrators without the need for extensive product training or any programming skills. Micromine Nexus’ initial launch will support a public-cloud hosting and on-premise solution.
Birch summarised the impetus for Micromine’s strategic shakeup saying, “We have watched as our clients have embraced the opportunities that technological advancements offer their businesses. But we have also seen the difficulty many organisations have when trying to integrate these tools for more efficient and intelligent operations. It’s this need – delivering better outcomes for your projects – that inspires Micromine to continuously innovate. We deliver against this not only Micromine’s suite of products, but also the way these products fit into an integrated solution that become parts of our clients’ everyday workflow.”