Tag Archives: Vela Software

acQuire expands ESG management services with MTS addition

acQuire Technology Solutions says it has completed the acquisition of MTS, a South Africa-based company that specialises in people-centred technology and advisory services to help resource companies meet obligations that cover their social licence to operate.

Insite becomes the third product in acQuire’s suite of information management tools for the natural resources industries. The software-as-a-service solution enables users to streamline collection, validation and management of social sustainability data, according to acQuire. Insite’s reporting capabilities on social performance are as reliable as the reporting from accounting systems.

Alison Atkins, acQuire’s CEO, welcomed the acquisition of MTS as part of a broader growth strategy for the company.

“MTS is an excellent fit for us and our purpose of solving data management challenges with robust software solutions,” she said. “We look forward to growing its excellent product and reputation under our ownership.”

This latest acquisition sees acQuire expand further into ESG management, which has become one of the most important topics in the global natural resources industry. Companies are under scrutiny to meet ESG obligations and are increasingly held to account by regulators, investors and the public.

Being able to measure and track progress helps companies manage their efforts toward social sustainability and sustainable development, acQuire says. Insite gives them a way to prove the impact they are having on the communities where they operate, both positive and negative. It allows for full and transparent reporting to all stakeholders including employees, clients and suppliers, the company added.

“Our success as a global provider of information management solutions, plus being backed by Vela Software, means we can leverage shared services, expertise and partnerships to extend the Insite product into new areas,” Atkins said.

“We see fresh opportunities to deliver social performance technology to more companies across Africa so businesses can future-proof their operations by harnessing the growth potential of their communities, workplaces and supply chains, and make data-led decisions.”

Insite manages and optimises regulatory compliance requirements and processes relating to the implementation and reporting of Social and Labour Plans, Mining Charters, the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment program, Employment Equity and Annual Training Reports for Workplace Skills Plans, mainly for mining companies in South Africa.

Maritha Erasmus, CEO and Founder of MTS, believes the acquisition by acQuire will provide greater opportunities to advance socio-economic inclusion. Both she and Phil Marneweck, CTO and co-founder of MTS, are eager to join the acQuire team.

“A delicate balance is required to create positive and sustainable social impact while mitigating business and environmental risks,” Erasmus said.

“The acquisition by acQuire is a chance to join a like-minded, values-based company. We look forward to expanding on the important work we started at MTS and the social impact we can make using technology.”

acQuire has been operating in Europe, the Middle East and Africa through its South African office since 2008. The MTS addition provides an extra decade of mining industry experience for the region to that office, it said.

Vela adds geostatistics leader Geovariances to mining software mix

Vela Software Group, owner of Datamine, acQuire, Minemax, Centric and Snowden-Optiro, has announced the acquisition of Geovariances, a leader in geostatistics with over 30 years’ experience.

Headquartered in Fontainebleau, France, Geovariances is the developer of Isatis.neo, a leading solution for complex geospatial challenges in mining, oil & gas, nuclear decommissioning, contaminated soil and air & water quality, Vela said.

Dylan Webb, CEO of Datamine, said: “The Geovariances acquisition is a highly complementary addition to Vela’s mining software portfolio. Adding the renowned Isatis.neo application to our natural resources and environmental modelling solutions will deliver even greater value to customers.

“The opportunity to work more closely with the Geovariances team will enable us to deliver the most advanced geostatistics solutions to our customers and constantly incorporate the latest research.”

Geovariances CEO, Jean-Paul Roux, said: “By joining Vela Software, Geovariances will become closer to Vela-owned companies operating in the mining industry, such as Datamine, acQuire, Minemax, Centric and Snowden-Optiro. We are confident that this connection with firms similar to ours will allow us to develop synergies that will benefit our customers. We’ll also benefit from Vela’s presence in 20 countries to provide our clients with more efficient local support.”

acQuire to extend reach of EnviroSys software following SRA deal

acQuire Technology Solutions has added an environmental and monitoring solution to its existing product suite with the acquisition of EnviroSys from SRA Information Technology Pty Ltd.

EnviroSys is an environmental compliance management and monitoring software product used by mining, government, water and energy companies. It is a flexible, comprehensive and accessible product enabling customers to capture, analyse and produce compliant reports on their projects, according to acQuire. The software solution is used mostly in Australia.

EnviroSys is highly complementary to acQuire’s flagship product, GIM Suite, and strengthens acQuire’s competitive edge and position as an industry leader in geoscientific information management solutions for the natural resources industry, the company said.

SRA CEO, Steve Rowe, said: “With EnviroSys’ growing success and continually improving product, it was important for EnviroSys to find a new partner to maximise its growth potential, not only in Australia but globally. We see further opportunities for both companies and will partner on future opportunities and projects.”

acQuire CEO, Alison Atkins, said: “Our success as a global provider of geoscientific information management solutions, plus being backed by Vela Software, means we can leverage shared services, expertise, and partnerships to extend the EnviroSys product into new areas. We see fresh opportunities to deliver the EnviroSys technology to more companies across the globe and create a connected product suite to benefit our existing and future customers.”

Datamine adds mining consultancy expertise to portfolio with Snowden buy

Datamine, a wholly owned subsidiary of Vela Software, has acquired mining consultancy and software business Snowden.

As part of the transaction with Datamine, the Snowden brand will be retained, it said, with the company explaining: “We are dedicated to maintaining consistent high levels of expertise and support that you have come to expect from Snowden.”

Being part of the Datamine group will provide long-term benefits for Snowden, its staff and customers, according to the company. “We will have the opportunity to strengthen and grow our business by leveraging resources including an office network across 20 countries, and deep software expertise.”

Tarrant Elkington, Global Manager, Snowden, said: “Snowden has a proud 33-year history, evolving from a geological consulting company to a diversified advisory consulting, software and training business. This acquisition marks the next step on our growth journey.

“The software expertise and global footprint of Datamine offers tremendous opportunities for the growth of our business and to improve the experience of our clients. For example, we will now be able to offer in-country support to our supervisor clients in South America. And we can easily and cost-effectively expand our consulting business to other countries.

“This is a great day for our business, and our people, and we look forward to exploring the synergies that Datamine offer.”

John Bailey, Executive General Manager at Datamine, said: “We are excited to acquire the Snowden business which aligns closely with our existing offering to the mining industry. Snowden has a strong, expert brand with a wealth of experience and has developed industry-leading products that complement Datamine’s software portfolio.”

Snowden refers to Datamine as the world’s leading provider of technology to seamlessly plan and manage mining operations.

“With operations in 20 countries, Datamine provides solutions spanning exploration, resource modelling, mine planning, operations, logistics and marketing to over 6,000 companies worldwide,” Snowden said.

Supervisor is a complementary solution to Datamine’s existing resource estimation suite, offering a simple intuitive interface and workflow, advanced local and global estimation optimisation functionality and compatibility with all major mine planning software packages.

Reconcilor provides a robust system to identify differences between grade and tonnage estimates, plans and actual mine production. The Reconcilor solution is highly complementary to Datamine’s inventory tracking and metal balancing solutions, with several customers already using the combined systems.