While some of us must begrudgingly admit we have been working on ESG (Environmental Social and Governance) in all its forms for longer than we want to admit, until recently seeing any real progress has been far too slow. With climate change concerns now taking centre stage, by most accounts ESG has finally become “mainstream”. Ultimately, it will become just another term for doing good business.

According to a study by the Institut de la statistique du Québec, supported by data from Statistics Canada, there are more than 250,000 vacant positions throughout Quebec. The job market is increasingly under pressure. Since 2018, the demand for qualified workers is constantly increasing while the pool of resources is shrinking. A real scourge for the Quebec economy, the lack of personnel is a major barrier to the growth of SMEs in Quebec, particularly in the manufacturing sector, which represents 12.6% of Quebec’s GDP.

Asset management has long relied on capital expenditures (CAPEX) and operating costs (OPEX) to ensure the satisfactory production capacity of a piece of equipment. While this accounting exercise remains an indispensable part of the equation, the life cycle of a physical asset is no longer…

In a previous article [1], we sought to discern a winning strategy for Québec to develop its local green hydrogen sector. Let’s briefly summarize its main conclusions: hydrogen is complementary to bioenergy, electrification and to strategies of energy sobriety and efficiency that must characterize the…

Industry assets are at the heart of organizations’ production activities. The durability of both infrastructure and industrial assets (buildings, bridges, various networks, tanks, conveyors, crushers, lifting facilities, tailings ponds, etc.) is of paramount importance.

Managers must maintain the overall health of their asset inventory. Extending the life of assets allows to postpone direct investments in the most important ones. The financial pressure naturally decreases over time, thanks to the extension of their lifespan.

The asset management stream of the mining sector’s digital transformation is well under way and very necessary. Whether we consider the issues of productivity, safety, the environment or competitiveness on global markets, several reasons motivate the search for sustainable asset lifecycle management solutions. Fortunately, the accessibility of modern technology performance tools now facilitates their adoption and the achievement of measurable and therefore useful results. This article provides an overview of what digitization represents in an effective asset durability management approach at a mining company.

Turntables have existed since the 1830s, but nowadays they must adapt to brand-new requirements, which we will address in this article. We will also try to answer the question of how to transform them without generating exorbitant costs, while minimizing shutdown times?

From November 23 to 25, 2021, was held the 42nd edition of the Québec Mines + Energy Conference organized by the Ministère de l’Énergie et des Ressources naturelles du Québec (MERN). Several conferences featured important players in the Quebec and international energy sector. On the menu: energy transition, decarbonation, electrification, bioenergy and hydrogen. Many participants were intrigued by the comments and analyses on the latter, as hydrogen is on everyone’s lips these days.

After fighting the Covid-19 pandemic for almost two years, Canadians have recently turned their attention back to the environment as their primary concern. While prior to the pandemic one in five Canadians considered the environmental issue to be their primary concern, today 17.1% are again of that opinion.

According to a study published in the Harvard Business Review, 70% of digital transformation initiatives do not achieve the expected results. Companies that have gone through transformation know how difficult such an initiative can be. We anticipate the upheavals caused by change, employee complaints and the exorbitant costs to be incurred. However, the digitization of certain operations is now essential, and the gains from a digital shift are numerous. At Norda Stelo, we believe that the success of a digital transformation lies in five key factors and that, by creating an environment bringing together these winning conditions, your digital transformation will be a success.