Breaking New Ground in the Mining Sector: Innovating for Results

Published on : 5/6/22

    • Our teams at Sodexo have been supporting the remote mining industry for nearly 50 years, providing holistic, turnkey solutions that cater to all of our clients’ remote lodging needs, from camp design and construction to streamlined services that elevate the lodging guest experience.

    The current scale of our mining operations consists of over 100 remote mining camps for 57 different clients in 6 countries worldwide. In Northern Canada, Sodexo services over 10 mines through exploration, construction and operations stages across mining provinces in Yukon, British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec. Our teams are responsible for the quality of life, comfort and safety of over 14,000 mining employees as they mine over 130,000,000 tons a year in iron, gold, silver and other critical minerals – effectively powering the modern world over.

    Our global scale and history of experience in the sector equips us with a uniquely comprehensive understanding of the mining industry. Using data analytics from a worldwide range of remote camps, we curate insights and implement innovations that help measure our performance, drive efficiencies and eliminate waste across our mining operations.

    To show you how we’re innovating specifically for the mining sector, we’re sharing some of the cutting-edge onsite services and solutions that we’ve recently implemented to enhance our operational efficiencies, create inspired guest experiences and create a ‘home away from home' environment.

    Innovating Behind the Scenes

    The following is a list of innovative technologies we’ve been using to alleviate administrative burden, save costs and increase efficiencies across our mining operations:

    Streamlined Check-in Services

    • Camps and crew software - The implementation of Camps and Crew software at our operations brings us an end-to-end property management solution to help easily manage and simplify crew movements, room occupancies, bookings and turn-overs, and quicker check-ins. The software also ensures the security of crew members’ personal information and the maintenance of accurate billing records.

     

    Optimized Housekeeping Solutions

    • INNfinity tablets - We use INNfinity tablets to connect our front desk and housekeeping teams, allowing both departments to communicate effectively regarding room assignments. The tablets are equipped with live updating of room status, allowing our teams to easily flag rooms for inspections and maintenance holds and signal them as vacant and clean or vacant and dirty – all with a couple of clicks.
    • Automated floor scrubbers and vacuums - Our sites use automated floor scrubbers and vacuums to supplement manual work.  While these technologies increase workforce savings, freeing up time for staff to focus on more time-sensitive, critical cleaning touchpoints, they also establish a sense of security for clients and guests who are able to witness consistent cleaning in motion.
    • QR code access - Many of our operations now use QR codes – housed on our internal systems – for quick, easy access to consistent and continuous employee training, ensuring that teams are always up to date.

     

    Enhanced Maintenance Services

    • Maximo CMMS - We use Maximo CMMS, a Computerized Maintenance Management and ticketing System, to manage every function performed through maintenance. The system provides guests, clients and housekeeping a simple platform from which to communicate maintenance issues and generate work orders. Once a service request is flagged, Maximo CMMS records and generates the work order automatically. From there, our maintenance planners use the system to prioritize orders, manage projects with multiple work orders, assign technicians to tickets and close tickets upon order completion. The system also automates pushing out preventative maintenance checks so that our team's faceless corrective action in the long term.
    • AMA XpertEye - The AMA XpertEye provides our maintenance technicians additional support, as needed, through remote assistance. Maintenance technicians are provided headsets equipped with cameras so that experts can log in remotely, gain visual access to the site and troubleshoot with the technician, all in real-time.
    • IMS - To facilitate and simplify processes for our onsite operators, we are implementing a digital Integrated Management System (IMS) tool in all units across Canada. The system promotes a proactive focus on managing and tracking safety across our operations, providing one single location from which to store and track digital safety forms, frontline training and incident management. IMS helps bring our safety culture maturity to the next level by enabling greater access to data and allowing for better compliance.
    • iOT - In lieu of tedious manual temperature checks, we use iOT, an automated temperature monitoring system, to deliver daily fridge and freezer temperature reports that are easily uploaded into the IMS.

     

    Curating Experiences That Attract and Retain Talent

    Leading with a people-centered approach, our teams consistently work to design solutions that place our guests at the very forefront of our operations. Below is a list of new technologies, systems and offers selectively curated to elevate the guest experience:

    Retail offerings

    • The Corner - The Corner, Sodexo’s elevated internal convenience Retail brand, is aimed at providing retail offerings at our consumers' fingertips and is breaking ground, bringing omnichannel innovation and an elevated consumer experience in the Energy and Resources sector. Our store design, consumer experience model and tailored offerings drive our home away from home feel. Our Sodexo retail team prides itself on understanding each site’s consumer needs through data-driven consumer surveys and makes every interaction an experience to remember.

      This multifaceted retail offer is customized to each environment, bringing custom consumer journeys and including 200-1000+ products in product categories ranging from beverages, snacking, personal care, local offerings, clothing and much more. Our competitive pricing model, based on local market analysis, allows our customers to leave knowing they are getting the utmost value from our product assortment. We work to elevate the onsite retail experience and bring a unique offer that builds loyalty with our clients, guests and partnerships across Canada.

     

    Culinary Innovations

    • Online catering menus - Our digital catering menus simplify and streamline catering management for special events – functions outside our day-to-day food orders.
    • Nextep A La Carte ordering system - The implementation of the Nextep a La Carte ordering system across our mining camp operations allows our guests the freedom to choose a restaurant-style offering from different menu categories that cater to varied guest lifestyles. Guests are able to personalize and place orders at the touch of a button with Nextep, leaving staff free to fulfill complex orders more efficiently.
    • Digital menu boards - Our digital menu boards allow us to update menus daily, on the fly, so that guests know what to expect before they even step into our dining rooms. This feature also allows our clients to easily add relevant information.
    • Leanpath - At Sodexo, reducing carbon emissions starts by reducing food waste. We use Leanpath food waste tracking solutions to measure food waste across our dining operations, allowing us to increase waste awareness and make strategic adjustments towards waste reduction and prevention.
    • From onsite farm to fork! Using ZipGrow farm walls – hydroponic systems mounted on vertical surfaces that recirculate water and nutrients – we are able to offer our guests fresh, leafy greens and herbs onsite that are both healthy and sustainably produced.

     

     

    Guest Services

    • Kiosk check-in/out - Guests are now able to self-check in and check out using our onsite kiosk services. These kiosks allow us to process upwards of 100 guests in about 10-15 minutes, increasing front desk efficiency and decreasing average guest wait times.
    • INNfinity luggage services - Our INNfinity luggage services allow our teams to ensure guest luggage is sorted by flight information and readied in advance of the check-in process, enhancing the guest experience and decreasing onboarding wait times.

     

    Sodexo: One Solution for All Your Needs

    As the mining industry continues to evolve, presenting new solutions and opportunities to fuel efficiency and growth, site management can seem like an increasingly complex endeavour.

    This is why Sodexo operates as a single partner and provider, identifying and implementing innovative services that drive client value. Our teams work to ease the burden of site management, acting as true partners to help our clients save on administrative burden, contract management, invoicing and supplier mark-up.

    We’re ready to handle any challenges or obstacles that arise, powering and supporting your growth through the future of your industry.

    Interested in a partnership with us? Start a conversation today.

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