Nearly three-quarters of the Latin America’s mobile subscribers – almost 350 million people – use their devices to access the internet, more people than do so in Canada or the US. In fact, mobile devices are the main tool for internet access throughout Latin America. And the growth is expected to continue — the region will account for 10% of all new mobile subscribers globally out to 2025. What does all this mean to companies in the mining industry considering an expansion into this market? It means that their business software solutions need mobile capabilities — robust mobile capabilities — in the form of mobile mining ERP.
Why mobile for mining?
Miners are increasingly being pressured to implement technology that will streamline operations and minimize overhead costs, especially if their plans include multi-site operations or global expansions. While some of the business of mining can and is performed in an office setting with reliance on wired connections, much of the real business of mining takes place in the field—which may be miles away from the office. Empowering field personnel with mobile devices running mining industry ERP allows them to continue to work productively, from anywhere they need to be.
Mobile connectivity provides greater flexibility for mine site personnel as they are able to check on production data, view equipment status, manage site metrics and even view real-time operational KPIs safety all from their mobile or tablet device, without the need to sit at a workstation. With mobile inputs providing current information about the field operations, mine owners gain digital transparency and the ability to interrogate their operations in real-time.
Power on the go
Rather than maintaining paper manuals and documentation at the site, workers can easily use their mobile devices to connect to the applications they need to perform their jobs. With mobile technology, employees can view and update essential site information, wherever and whenever they are working. Furthermore, for mining projects that span multiple locations, mobile access helps to ensure that all operations are communicated and executed according to established workflows. Some of the mobile mining ERP capabilities that enhance field operations include:
- Equipment tracking
- Maintenance planning
- Project costing
- Customer/contact relationship management (CRM)
- Inventory issues and transfers
- Purchase requisitions
- HR tasks, including timesheet entry and leave requests—recruiting too
Benefits of mobile mining ERP
Mobile ERP capabilities empower mining companies with tremendous functionality that adds value on a number of fronts, including:
- Improved collaboration
By providing mobile workers with instant access to relevant information, no matter where they are, mobile mining ERP and CRM enables them to communicate, answer questions and provide data to coworkers throughout the day. - Greater productivity
Since employees can access these mobile mining ERP while on the go, out of office downtime is significantly reduced. Workers have complete access to every business capability they need to complete their tasks, from wherever they may be working.
- Increased accuracy
Because any transaction can be done on the spot in real-time via enterprise mobile mining ERP apps, there is no need to re-type it in later into the office system. This cuts down on the number of errors caused by data entry mistakes, which saves money and time. - Rapid insights
With inputs including equipment usage, inventory issues and project labour costs coming in daily from the field, management has access to the up-to-date information they need to make timely, strategic decisions.
The Latin America market is a hotbed for Canadian miners, however, even if your mining organization’s growth plans do not include this region, mobile capabilities are a vital tool for operations right here at home. As your operations grow, internationally or domestically, make sure your mining organization is ready with the mobile mining software tools that keep it nimble, responsive and efficient.
Caron Mining Solutions is a comprehensive, powerful and easy-to-use mining industry ERP solution, built on Sage ERP software, that addresses the challenges modern mining operations face. Learn more about Caron Mining Solutions here, or by contacting us here.
