CLEAN AER PROJECT STACKS SUDBURY'S ECONOMY
January 25, 2012
By Heidi Ulrichsen
One of Sudbury's most recognizable symbols — the superstack — is celebrating its 40th birthday this year.
The 1,250-foot structure was built in 1972 to disperse sulphur dioxide gas from Inco's Copper Cliff Smelter away from the city, preventing the environmental damage which characterized Sudbury at the time.
But the pollutants being pumped out of the stack have been drastically cut back over the years.
Prompted by stricter provincial environmental regulations, Vale, which bought out Inco in 2006, will be reducing sulphur emissions by another 70 per cent in the coming years.
The company plans to spend $2 billion on the project, known as Clean AER (Atmospheric Emissions Reduction).
Construction is expected to start in 2012, peaking in 2013 and early 2014, and is expected to be completed at the end of 2015.
Vale spokesperson Angie Robson said the company expects to formally announce the start of the project in the “very near future.”
“It's going to bring our sulphur dioxide emissions below regulatory limits,” Robson said.
“By the year 2015, the limit for sulphur dioxide emissions will be 66 kilotons per year. We expect that this project is going to bring us to about 45 kilotons per year. That's good news from an environmental standpoint.
“Ten or 20 years ago, if you were to tell people familiar with our operations that we would be at 45 kilotons on an annual basis, they would have said 'No way.' But we're doing it, and I think it's something that's not only something our company can be proud of, but our city as a whole.”
Although emissions are being brought lower and lower, Robson said Vale isn't ready to retire the superstack just yet.
It's possible, though, that one day there won't be any gases coming out of the structure, and it will grace the city's skyline as a monument, she said.
Robson said the Clean AER project is essentially “a complete retrofit” of the converter aisle at the Copper Cliff Smelter.
“What we're going to do is build a second acid plant,” she said.
“We've already got one acid plant. The emissions that go up the stack are going to be captured in this acid plant. It's also going to involve the construction of a new, secondary baghouse. This is essentially like a giant building which is a giant vaccuum cleaner to further capture emissions coming out.”
Sulphur dioxide gas won't be the only thing reduced through the project, Robson said.
Metal-containing dust emissions will also be reduced by 35 to 40 per cent because of the new baghouse, as well as measures such as watering the roads to reduce dust and covering stockpiles.
Vale has asked the Ministry of the Environment for more time to meet new environmental regulations as the Clean AER project is brought on line.
At the end of December, the ministry gave Vale permission to exceed air nickel standards over the next 10 years as it strives to reduce its emissions. The company has also made a similar request regarding sulphur dioxide, but a decision has yet to be made.
In the end, the retrofits mean citizens will be breathing cleaner air, Robson said. “It's something that will benefit all of us,” she said.
Ray Potvin, a member of Clean Air Sudbury, a community group focusing on air quality issues, said his group is in favour of the project.
“We all know in Sudbury that sometimes the emissions can reach the ground level after being emitted from the tall stack,” he said. “There will be fewer of those emissions. There will be less of an impact on the community.”
Beyond the environmental benefits, Robson said there will also be a positive impact on the city's economy.
Vale has already spent about $100 million on research, development and engineering related to the project, she said.
Contractors will be hired to build the Clean AER project, resulting in about 1,300 temporary jobs at the peak of construction, Robson said.
Sudbury mining supply and service companies will be involved in the project, although she said there may be out-of-town contractors working on it as well.
“One of the things we're looking at doing is further quantifying those benefits through an economic impact study,” Robson said.
“When you say you're spending $2 billion on a project, it's hard for anyone to wrap your head around what that means and how big a project
that is. Suffice it to say, this is going to be very meaningful to Sudbury's economy over the next few years.”
Dick DeStefano, the executive director of the Sudbury Area Mining Supply and Service Association, (SAMSSA), which represents local companies which service the mining sector, said the Clean AER project would be great for his members.
However, until Vale formally announces the start of the project, he's cautious about getting his members' hopes up. Company officials have been reticent to provide any concrete details about the project, DeStefano said.
He said he expects Vale will hire a subcontractor to oversee the project.
“Hopefully, that subcontractor will be tendering to the local suppliers, who understand the makeup of refinery and the plant,” DeStefano said.
“$2 billion is a lot of money. I would expect to see some terrific benefits translate into us, as they usually do. I don't want to sound like a kiss-ass, but Vale's been really supportive of the local suppliers in the last two or three years. I would expect the same policy would apply on this major project.”
Once the Clean AER project is built, it will also need to be maintained, something which DeStefano said would translate into ongoing work for his members.
Laurentian University management professor Jean-Charles Cachon said the city's two major mining companies, Vale and Xstrata, generally “spend about 80 per cent of their improvement costs locally.”
“Right off the bat, you can expect that there's a direct spending of about $1.6 billion on a local basis,” he said. “That's a major impact.”
As well, the companies hired to work on this project will receive a boost to their reputation.
He gives the example of BESTECH, a local engineering firm which was hired by Inco in the 1990s to develop pollution monitoring systems.
Because of their work with Inco, and later Vale, they've expanded from a company with two or three employees to one with 60 or 70 employees.
There are a “number of BESTECHs” in Sudbury, or companies who have expanded simply because they're known for their work with large mining companies.
“Anybody developing new systems for Vale becomes a leading-edge company,” hesaid.
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January 23, 2012
This Canadian engineering company is making its mark in the mining industry with a contribution to energy saving and the environment. Alan Swaby talks to co-CEOs Marc Boudreau and Denis Pitre and to the corporate services/sales & marketing manager Pat Dubreuil.
Aficionados of Doctor Who will be familiar with the Tardis concept – a deceptively small exterior encompassing a surprisingly large interior. In engineering terms, the Canadian company BESTECH is not dissimilar.
Started in 1995 by Marc Boudreau and Denis Pitre, the business initially offered electrical engineering services to the various mining operations found in and around the Sudbury region of Ontario. Since then, though, year-on-year growth in the order of 30 percent per annum has been achieved through the addition of more skills and operating divisions. Now you can find civil, structural and mechanical engineers working alongside their electrical counterparts and providing a full blown engineering and project management package.
With revenue in the $20+ million bracket, the business is small by global standards but in Sudbury it is a senior player, so much so that it is attracting more and more work from Vale Canada, the single biggest mining company in the area. “We are very pleased to have Vale on our client list,” says co-CEO Marc Boudreau, “not least because it is a reliable indicator for other potential customers. We are particularly involved with the Coleman nickel mine, not only providing principal engineering services to Vale for the regeneration of the mine but also working closely with the company’s R&D engineers. This relationship has generated some of the most innovative solutions to engineering problems we have been involved with.”
It’s this development of innovative new ideas that has prepared a platform for BESTECH to spring into a completely different league – and a
completely different mix of activities. Over the years, various engineering solutions have been created for specific situations but which have been recognized
by the engineering team as having wider applications. All of them share a common theme of monitoring and controlling conditions, using BESTECH’s long standing
expertise in the use of programmable logic controllers.
“Electrical engineers not familiar with the rigors of mining life,” says sales & marketing manager Pat Dubreuil, “often completely underestimate just how arduous conditions are below ground and just what control equipment has to face. In order to give our systems the reliability needed, their design – wherever possible – is based on the use of a PLC platform.”
Last year BESTECH reorganized its structure to prepare for the promotion of these new innovative products and services. Dubreuil is charged with the development of this side of the business. “Although, in each case,” he says, “we have a packaged concept that can be offered to customers, there is still a lot of individual engineering that has to go into them. They also take us into an area where we haven’t really been before – in that we manufacture these products in-house, something that has taken considerable capital investment on our part to gear up thoroughly with the technology needed for manufacture.”
The most advanced of these products is a system for adding control into what is often the single largest consumer of energy in mining – ventilation. In development for 10 years, the product is known as NRG1 and the recently released third generation has earned the tag ECO thanks to its energy consumption optimization capabilities.
“Hard rock mines in particular,” explains Boudreau, “often spend as much as 60 percent of their energy on running extensive ventilation networks. Without adequate means of control, mines have no option but to run ventilation fans continuously with resulting high levels of waste. They are pushing air around whether or not it is necessary. With NRG1-ECO™ we have shown that annual power consumption can be reduced by 30 to 40 percent compared with a similar sized but uncontrolled system.”
The concept is deceptively simple: conditions in the mine are continuously monitored and the degree of ventilation varied to suit those conditions, allowing ventilation fans to be shut down when not needed rather than being asked to run non stop. However, the exact make up of BESTECH’s controls will vary from mine to mine, depending on the extent of the existing infrastructure and the number of levels that need to be controlled.
If all of this sounds vaguely familiar, it’s true that mines have been attempting to crack this nut for 20 years but until the advent of BESTECH’s solution, there has always been a bit of a “last-mile” shortfall in performance. “One of the special features of NRG1-ECO,” says Pitre, “is our use of open architecture. We use off-the-shelf technology throughout but connect the elements in a way that has not been achieved to date. Furthermore, we can tailor our solution to suit whatever conditions and equipment we find at the mine and can deliver different levels of control.”
Everything that is working in the mine is tagged – equipment and personnel. Then, using a range of proprietary instruments, their location is monitored continuously. As these tagged items move around below ground, ventilation fans in different zones switch on and off to provide ventilation only where it is needed.
Installing NRG1-ECO in a new, greenfield mining development naturally provides the best solution, but the system can be incorporated into existing operations in different ways, depending on what BESTECH’s engineers find. At its most basic level, software can be written around whatever suitable infrastructure exists to make at least some energy savings. Somewhere in the middle, a more elaborate installation based on BESTECH’s ‘black boxes’ will give a new lease of life to old mines by reducing their running costs to a more cost effective level.
The largest installations can cost millions of dollars but in the right hands, they can pay for themselves in about a year. “Under normal circumstances,” says Boudreau, “customers could expect an ROI after three years. But utility companies in North America are doing whatever they can, with government encouragement, to reduce the level of energy consumption. Part of the package we provide is to help customers find the right subsidies and incentives that are on offer which then have a drastic effect on payback time.”
The second product in BESTECH’s line up is also designed to save money but in a somewhat different way. AQM™ (Air Quality Monitoring) is designed to safeguard processing plants which emit contaminants into the atmosphere from crossing the threshold of what is permissible by statuary authority and then being penalized. Those that emit contaminants are obliged by law to monitor the environment and to shut down production should atmospheric conditions threaten to deposit contaminants on residential zones. Systems to do this have existed long before BESTECH introduced AQM, but none of them can match the performance that AQM offers.
“The advantage we have,” explains Dubreuil, “is the ability to collect and make available data in real time with a 99.9 percent accuracy. We have a system installed at the Vale nickel smelter and the plant operators have found it both invaluable and fail proof.”
Every installation will be different, depending on the relationship between the source of contamination, its relationship to residents in the area and the geographical peculiarities of the site. With a good strong flow of wind, contaminants can be dispersed quickly and with very little impact on the surrounding population. However, certain places are more prone to meteorological inversions which bring the smoke plume back down to earth, requiring action on the part of the plant operators.
Predictive models are already used by plants to give an indication of how atmospheric conditions will impact on the plume. AQM provides the supporting evidence of how accurately the model is working.
The Sudbury area network has a ring of 19 monitoring stations that measure emissions such as sulfur dioxide and nitrous oxide. Instead of a PC platform that is susceptible to disruptive power surges, viruses and malware, AQM uses BESTECH’s expertise in PLCs. Plant operators can see in real time how conditions in the atmosphere are shaping up and can adjust the smelter operation accordingly.
“We have decided to market AQM in a different way,” says Dubreuil, “in that we don’t force users into buying an access restricting license. Instead, AQM is web-based and open to as many users as the customer wants. It also means that the authorities can get real time access to the data which makes their supervisory role more effective and timely.”
Another statutory obligation that underground mine owners have is the daily inspection of winding ropes. In order to enable a safer working environment for the miners, BESTECH has brought a technologically advanced solution to the party in the form of RopeInspector™, a remote way of checking the winding rope continuously through the use of cameras and without the need to slow down operations while it’s being done. “With RopeInspector, workers are no longer positioned near moving ropes,” says Boudreau. “Little hands-on work is required with the implementation of RopeInspector, thus eliminating a potential hazardous job. RopeInspector technology also reduces the risk of catastrophic failure. Documentation will be generated, benchmarking conditions, which will enable a supervisor to see the rope deteriorate, hence reducing the risk of danger at the mine site.”
Moreover, daily visual rope inspections with RopeInspector allow mine supervisors to convert inspection time to more productive uses, since the production process is no longer halted to perform the mandated inspections. Production is consequently increased due to the reduction in skip (ore) or hoist (personnel and equipment) down time. “The increase in production opportunities is mouthwatering,” says Dubreuil. “A mine operation’s production value can vary from $1000 to $2000 per minute, so halting production for even 20 to 40 minutes a day can easily amount to lost revenues of $10 million a year. On this basis, RopeInspector pays for itself in just a few weeks.”
Already, this portfolio of products is generating around half of BESTECH’s income and has unlimited potential. For mines and smelting plants in North America, the legal obligations already exist and mines have no option but to comply in one way or another, presenting BESTECH with a steady flow of new business opportunities as new mines are put into production or old ones given a face lift.
The global potential is enormous. With health and safety being a top priority for businesses in the worldwide mining industry, BESTECH products offer effective solutions to address this urgency. “We are offering the global mining industry reliable, high tech and cost effective ways of reducing their operating costs, increasing their productivity and improving overall health and safety,” says Boudreau.
Click here to download BESTECH's Business Excellence Brochure.
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January 23, 2012
By Stan Sudol - The Sudbury Star
Last year, the global population reached seven billion.
More than half of us now live in urban centres and experts estimate that figure will climb to 70% by 2050. China is witnessing the largest rural to urban migration in the history of mankind in its stampede to industrialize and modernize. China also has become the world's second largest economy and currently needs to build the equivalent of two cities the size of Toronto and Sydney, Australia, every year to accommodate this rapid growth. India, Brazil, Russia, Indonesia and other developing countries are following in its footsteps but at a less frenzied pace.
According to a recent study by McKinsey & Company, "up to three billion more middle-class consumers will emerge in the next 20 years compared with 1.8 billion today, driving up demand for a range of different resources."
Notwithstanding the current depressed prices of some metals, most analysts feel that the current mining commodity super-cycle will last for decades. It is estimated that over the next 25 years, we will need to dig out of the ground as many minerals as consumed since the beginning of time.
Prior to 2001, years of low commodity prices led to massive underinvestment in mining projects around the world.
During the dot.com boom/bust between 1995-2000, mining was often considered a sunset industry according many in the Toronto media. This negative and dismissive attitude toward the mining sector influenced politicians who did not understand the strategic value of mineral resources.
Combined with lower grade deposits that are much harder to find and usually located in more politically risky countries, skilled labour shortages, resource nationalism, increasing capital costs and more rigorous but appropriate environmental regulations, is it any wonder that political and military planners are now frequently talking about mineral shortages and its impact on industrial production.
Sudbury is the richest mining district in North America and among the top three hardrock mining regions in the world. Only South Africa's Witwatersrand gold region and the country's legendary Bushveld platinum complex can match the concentration and innovation of underground mining in the Sudbury Basin.
This mining knowledge makes Sudbury the luckiest city in North America.
The region is even more fortunate than Fort McMurray the booming oil sands capital of Alberta because Sudbury has four vibrant and innovative clusters of mining expertise.
Clusters are geographic concentrations of related companies in a specific field. They compete with each other resulting in global innovation and the jobs of the future. Internationally known Harvard professor Michael Porter has travelled around the world and advised many nations about the benefits of industrial clusters.
California's Silicon Valley -- south of San Francisco -- is the most famous high-technology cluster in the world. Houston, Texas has established itself as the leading cluster of oil and gas industries, services, research and educational institutes related to that sector. Sudbury has established itself as one of the world's primary centres of the underground mining innovation and excellence.
Our first cluster is the numerous polymetallic mines that have been producing nickel, copper, PGMs and many others metals for almost 130 years. The Ministry of Northern Development and Mines estimates that roughly $170 million was spent on exploration in the Sudbury Basin last year. A similar amount was spent throughout the entire province ten years ago. Many experts feel we will still be mining in Sudbury for at least another hundred years.
QuadraFNX's Victoria mine, currently under construction will be one of the richest in decades. Xstrata's Nickel Rim South mine started in 2009 and will be in operation for at least 15 years while Vale is working to bring its Totten mine -- slightly delayed and over-budget -- into production near the end of 2013. Vale is also spending $200 million on the Clarabell Mill complex to increase metal recovery and is investing an extraordinary $2 billion on their Copper Cliff smelter to further reduce sulphur emissions.
The Mckinsy & Company study states that the world must start "mobilizing for a resource revolution" and the "the race is on to boost resource supplies, overhaul their management, and change the game with new technologies." Sudbury's mining supply and services sector -- our second cluster -- is part of that "resource revolution" collectively using their innovative skills and technology to help keep the local miners among the most skilled, innovative and competitive globally.
There are more jobs in supply and services hardrock mining cluster -- the largest in Canada and possibly North America -- than in the region's mines. The sector employs about 13,800 people with an economic value estimated at $4 billion in 2011.
Throughout Northern Ontario, the sector employs about 23,000 and produced roughly $6.5 billion of economic activity last year. Dick DeStefano deserves the credit for establishing the local industry organization -- Sudbury Area Mining Supply and Service Association (SAMSSA) -- and getting a ground-breaking study done that confirmed this cluster's economic impact.
Companies like Fuller Industrial that export their specialty pipe products to mine projects in Madagascar and Mongolia, MTI Technologies, which sell their underground equipment globally and BESTECH, an engineering, automation and software development company are largely independently owned with an entrepreneurial innovative mind-set. These and many other supply and service companies are putting Sudbury on the global mining map.
Third, Sudbury supports the largest cluster of post-secondary mining education in Canada that will only grow with the recent announcement of Laurentian's International School of Mines initiative. This is attracting enormous interest from the corporate sector as the recent $10-million donation to the University's Engineering School by Stan Bharti, chairman and CEO of Forbes & Manhattan Inc., a leading private bank with a global focus on the resource-based sectors.
According to the Mining Industry Human Resources Council, half of the current mining workforce is eligible for retirement by 2021 and between 75,280 and 141,540 people will need to be hired by then depending on the strength of the economy. The expertise of mining graduates from Sudbury's colleges and university will be in demand around the world.
The final cluster is the mining research that is being done at Laurentian, CEMI, Vale, Xstrata and other locations. The Laurentian geology department's Mineral Exploration Research Centre represents the largest concentration of geoscientists conducting ore deposit-related research in North America.
The affiliated Centre of Excellence in Mining Innovation (CEMI) focuses its research in mine process engineering, deep mining and environmental reclamation. In 2009, Rio Tinto, the third largest global miner, donated $10 million to further enhance CEMI's research capabilities and establish a new global centre for underground mine construction.
Xstrata's Technology Centre in Falconbridge and Vale's expertise in underground mining research are helping establish Sudbury as Canada's Silicon Valley of hardrock mining. We are in the biggest commodity super-cycle in the history of mankind.
From the perspective of a resource-starved world, Sudbury is lucky indeed.
Stan Sudol is a Toronto-based communications consultant and columnist who blogs at www.republicofmining.com.
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January 3, 2012
BESTECH recently welcomed its 100th employee to the team, which is a significant milestone for the Northern Ontario engineering firm. Demonstrating that BESTECH does not plan to slow down any time soon, company representatives anticipate an additional 30% growth in employees for 2012.
Their hundredth employee is a true testament to BESTECH’s impressive growth since its inception in 1995. From its early days as a startup, BESTECH Co-CEOs Marc Boudreau and Denis Pitre operated the business out of a modest single office space on Lorne Street, which has magnified to 14,000 square feet, and the firm now comprises a total of four locations in three cities: Sudbury, Timmins and Toronto. These developments occurred as a result of continued expansion servicing various sectors.
BESTECH’s achievement of the 100-employee milestone would not have been realized without its supportive clients who fuel its growth, excellent employees who make BESTECH a great place to work, and visionary and supportive management that keeps the entire organization on track and leads the firm in the right direction.
The 100 employee count is a clear indication that BESTECH has reached a critical mass of talented professionals able to execute both large and small projects. “We are proud of our people as they possess vast knowledge and offer a wide range of capabilities”, said Denis Pitre, Co-CEO of BESTECH. “Taking into account our strong personnel and our ability to offer all services under one roof, we are able to satisfy both the engineering and product development sectors to a great extent.”
The multi-disciplinary firm continues to grow due to its successful development and implementation of an integrated project management
approach, engineering design standards, and its ongoing communication with new and existing clients. BESTECH is currently seeking Engineers, Designers,
Project Managers and Automation Specialists in mechanical, electrical and civil/structural disciplines to further complement its workforce.
“We presently have an exceptional team of professionals and we need to continue to have the resources and systems in place to provide innovative and cost effective solutions for our increasing client base” said Marc Boudreau, Co-CEO of BESTECH. “It is our belief that our employees are the key to our continued success.”
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BESTECH ACQUIRES ROPEINSPECTOR TECHNOLOGY
January 2, 2012
Computer visioning system identifies wire rope defects with hoist travelling at full speed
By Norm Tollinsky - Sudbury Mining Solutions Journal
Bestech, an engineering, automation and software development company, has acquired the rights to a ground-breaking wire rope inspection system developed by SEER Technology and the St. John’s, Newfoundland-based Centre for Cold Ocean Resource Engineering.
RopeInspector technology eliminates the need to slow hoists down to a crawl for 20 to 30 minutes a day to allow for manual inspection of the rope. Three systems are currently installed: one at Xstrata Copper’s Kidd Mine in Timmins and two in Australia at Newcrest Mining’s Telfer Mine and BHP Billiton’s Leinster operation.
The acquisition of RopeInspector by Sudbury-based Bestech brings the technology back to where it was conceived by Inco personnel and its development funded through the CAMIRO-managed Deep Mining Research Consortium.
SEER Technology didn’t have the resources to effectively market the solution, said Bestech sales and marketing manager Pat Dubreuil. “They figured that word of mouth would suffice, but in the mining industry, you still have to knock on the door and make your pitch. Mines don’t adopt technology on a whim.”
The automated, computer visioning system performs a 360 degree daily visual inspection of a rope with the hoist travelling at up to 20
metres a second. It automatically identifies rope defects, including fraying, necking and birdcaging, and transfers images of the suspected defects to rope
monitoring and reporting systems, where they can be viewed and assessed by the mine’s rope inspector in the comfort of his office.
Normally, explained Dubreuil, ropes have to be slowed to two or three metres a second for inspection with the human eye, detracting from the hoist’s productivity.
“We just finished doing a business case for a potash mine in Saskatchewan,” he said. “Their skipping capacity is worth about $1,700 per minute and they’re down 20 minutes a day.”
That’s 140 minutes a week times $1,700, or $238,000 worth of potential increased production every week.
The three mines using RopeInspector “love it,” said Dubreuil. “It pays for itself in under a month. The return on investment is incredible, so we want to make sure that the rest of the world knows about it.”
The RopeInspector technology still relies on mine personnel to review the suspected defects and decide whether they merit a manual inspection.
The system tells the operator the location of the defects, so “He can call the hoistman and say ‘bring the rope back up to this point. I need to take a look at it,’” said Dubreuil.
In addition to viewing images of suspected defects identified by the system, the operator can also do a full rope visual inspection offline.
“Everything is tracked and logged, so when the Ministry of Labour comes in, all the records are there.”
Bestech will be upgrading the system installed at Xstrata Copper’s Kidd Mine, making some software modifications and equipping it with new light panels and cameras for improved performance.
Additional enhancements to the technology are also planned to reduce the number of false positives and allow for lay length calculations.
Labour ministry officials in both Canada and Australia have taken note of the technology and have indicated that they have “no issues” with its use.
The system is considered to be safer given the fact that manual inspection at two or three metres per second is a monotonous task easily compromised if the inspector blinks or is distracted for any reason.
Bestech has assumed responsibility for sales, service and further development of the technology and plans to aggressively market it to its existing customer base.
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COLEMAN MINE VOD SYSTEM HAILED AS SUCCESS
January 2, 2012
BESTECH'S NRG1-ECO system generates enery savings
By Norm Tollinsky - Sudbury Mining Solutions Journal
The successful deployment of a ventilation-on-demand system at Vale’s Coleman Mine in Sudbury is generating energy savings of up to 40 per cent and turning heads in the mining industry.
The NRG1-ECO system developed by Bestech, an engineering, automation and software development company in Sudbury, is installed on five levels of the mine’s 153 Orebody and running on automatic, modulating fans and air volumes as RFID-equipped personnel and equipment enter and exit zones in the mine.
“The next installation will be done at Goldcorp’s Hoyle Pond Mine in Timmins,” said Bestech sales and marketing manager Pat Dubreuil. “We’ll be working on 28 levels.”
A go-slow approach was adopted for the pilot at Coleman, but now that the technology is proven, Vale plans to extend the system to other working areas of the mine.
A competing system from Quebecbased Simsmart Technologies has been selected for Vale’s new Totten Mine east of Sudbury, but management has declined to comment on how the two technologies compare or if they plan to standardize on one or the other.
Xstrata Nickel has also split its VOD business between the two companies, with Simsmart technology installed at its Nickel Rim Mine and Bestech’s NRG1-ECO system slated for Fraser Mine.
The two ventilation-on-demand technologies are fundamentally different, according to Dubreuil.
The NRG1-ECO system relies on a network of sensors throughout the mine to measure airflow, temperature and gas levels to confirm air volume and quality.
“NRG1-ECO sends down a set point and says you need to have this fan producing so much air in this area because there are two people and three scoops in there,” said Dubreuil. “The system controls the amount of electricity going to that fan, providing the right amount of hertz to get it to spin and provide the desired airflow.”
At the same time, however, the system is also getting feedback from the sensors, so if the environmental conditions change, a signal is sent down to adjust the airflow.
With amendments to Regulation 854 updating diesel exhaust exposure limits and air volume requirements set to take effect in Ontario January 1, 2012, “you need to have a system that is structured like the NRG1-ECO system,” he added.
Scheduling
Collecting ambient air quality data can also be used to fine tune scheduled ventilation settings for vacating blast gas. The predictive modeling software may dictate settings that should clear the air in 15 minutes, but once the event has taken place, data from the underground sensors might indicate that it took 20 minutes, said Dubreuil. “That allows you to tweak the system, so next time you’ll start your fan five minutes earlier or ramp up the RPMs a little more. From a theoretical perspective, you couldn’t do that.”
Ambient air quality measuring can be installed to emulate Bestech’s NRG1- ECO system, but “the difference is that our system was developed from the ground up with all these components. They’re not added on after the fact.”
NRG1-ECO operates in three different modes. “One would be if you want to operate it manually,” explained Cheryl Allen, Vale Canada’s principal engineer for ventilation. “Another is if you want to schedule your ventilation for an event. If you are going to blast at a certain time, for example, you can schedule how you want your fans to turn on or off.
“We also have the option to run it full. That’s where we use the RFID tagging on the equipment and personnel. The system recognizes us and knows that we need so much air, so the fan will stay on until we’re out of the area. It also knows that this is a Toyota with a certain size engine that needs a certain amount of air.
“The other thing we can do is while we’re not using the air on one level, we can use more of it on another level, so it gives us flexibility. We don’t always use it to save energy. Sometimes, we use it because we need to redistribute the air more efficiently.”
NRG1-ECO was also designed to operate in a failsafe mode using default settings programmed by mine personnel.
“If we lose communication for some reason, say the fiber is cut, or something happens, the miners won’t be worried about getting the air they want,” said Dubreuil.
With electricity prices rising and mines going deeper, ventilation-on-demand is sure to take off, predicts Allen. “There’s a lot of interest in it. A lot of companies are looking to Coleman as an example and are interested in the outcomes.”
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BESTECH AWARDED MOST IMPROVED INDUSTRIAL ORGANIZATION BY UNITED WAY
December 19, 2011
Left to Right: Boubacar Sambo (Information & Business Systems Coordinator), Emily Mackwood (Resource Development Manager, United Way) and Katherine Cockburn (Resource Development Assistant, United Way)
BESTECH was the recipient of the Most Improved Award in the Industrial category by the United Way/Centraide Sudbury and/et District at the United Way fundraising wrap-up Thursday morning at Science North. The charitable organization bestowed a number of awards at the event, including seven Most Improved Awards. These annual awards are presented to organizations whose United Way/Centraide workplace campaigns demonstrated strong commitment to the community by having the largest percentage increase in their particular industry sector.
BESTECH owners and staff are highly engaged in enriching the Sudbury community through volunteerism and various sponsorships and donations to charitable organizations, such as the United Way/Centraide. BESTECH proudly supports the United Way’s vision and mission and as a result, the firm has developed an annual internal fundraising campaign to help the charitable organization reach their target. This year, the 100 employee workforce at BESTECH was successful in raising a total of $6,481, which is a 45% increase from 2010.
“BESTECH employees are extremely dedicated and involved in the Sudbury community” said Pat Dubreuil, Corporate Services, Sales & Marketing Manager at BESTECH. “It is clear that they realize the rewarding impact of community involvement both internally and externally. Our caring and hardworking personnel make us all proud to be part of the BESTECH team.”
The total 2011 United Way 14-week campaign raised an amazing $1.94 million, which will result with 54 social service programs benefiting from the community’s enormous generosity. The 2011 campaign surpassed its $1.75-million goal by 11%, representing an 18% increase over the $1.65 million raised in 2010.
“We value the support of the BESTECH staff and management and look forward to many years of valued partnership in creating a better
community for us all to live, to work, and to raise a family”, said Emily Mackwood, Resource Development Manager at United Way/Centraide Sudbury and/et
District.
A representative from the United Way/Centraide will be delivering the award at BESTECH’s Lorne Street office on Monday, December 19. This
accomplishment will be marked in conjunction with the recognition of a 10th anniversary for BESTECH’s longest employee, Information & Business Systems
Coordinator, Boubacar Sambo, who will be receiving the United Way/Centraide award on behalf of the company. Originally from Africa, Boubacar is a passionate
supporter of Sudbury community initiatives, actively involved in numerous charitable activities through donation, promotion or volunteerism.
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BESTECH LEADS ENGINEERING DESIGN FOR XSTRATA NICKEL’S FRASER MORGAN PROJECT
December 13, 2011
BESTECH has reached another major milestone with the assignment of the complete detailed engineering design of Xstrata Nickel’s Fraser Morgan project. This undertaking leverages BESTECH’s “one-stop-shop” multi-disciplinary team of engineers and specialists. BESTECH will be completing the electrical, instrumentation, mechanical, and civil/structural design, and the automation and commissioning of the following systems for the development of two new zones at the existing Fraser mine:
• Leaky Feeder • Mine Dewatering • PLC and HMI Control • ION Power Meters • Central Blasting • Zone Infrastructure |
• Backfill • Fibre Network • Power Distribution • Analog Phone System • Ore/Waste Handling System
|
• Microseismic • U/G Process Water • VOIP • U/G Compressed Air • Ventilation
|
Xstrata Nickel’s previously announced US$119 million Fraser Morgan project will unlock 6,000 tonnes of nickel and 2,000 tonnes of copper per year while extending the life of mine of the Fraser Complex by five years to 2025. BESTECH officially commenced the three year project on October 11, 2011.
“BESTECH is very excited to be the lead engineering firm involved in this project”, said Jo-Anne Boucher, General Manager at BESTECH. “With
our 100-employee workforce, we feel that we are well positioned to take on similar projects of this caliber in the near future. I am confident that our highly
skilled team, our customer-focused approach and our ability to provide quality engineering services will shine throughout the development of Fraser Morgan
project, further strengthening our already stellar reputation.”
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BESTECH - THE FIRST CHOICE IN INDUSTRIAL AUTOMATION
December 8, 2011
Global Renewables Online & Canadian Industry Online
On time, on budget, and on spec.
For BESTECH, these are not just words; they are a mandate that has driven strategic development since 1995.
BESTECH was created to address the industrial market’s needs for a system integration and industrial automation group of professionals. That group of professionals has helped the company to grow to be a recognized leader in the industrial automation market, and based on BESTECH’s advanced line of products and commitment to service, the company should see the same success for many years to come.
BESTECH runs ten successful divisions today: engineering, automation, information systems and technology, electrical and instrumentation construction, environmental monitoring, product development, technical support, power, corporate, and sales and marketing. With over 100 employees on staff showing expert leadership in each division, the company aims to help clients achieve their productivity goals. Increasing productivity with innovative technologies, says President and CEO Marc Boudreau, is one of the reasons that clients continue to choose BESTECH year after year. The key ingredient to this continued success: the specialized skills of engineers, technologists, programmers, and support staff working to serve clients.
Continuous improvement: a must for BESTECH
“Continuous improvement starts with ensuring that we have the right people,” Boudreau comments. BESTECH employees have advanced education and in-house training, and have an impeccable understanding of the company’s policies and procedures. Whether working alone to serve a client or with a team, the company’s staff “understand the role that they play and are very clear on what’s expected,” Boudreau says.
Staff members are always striving for success—whether that means learning through success or failure. “Learning isn’t always performing 100 per cent, but rather trying 100 per cent. There might be mistakes sometimes, but our employees know they can’t be scared to get out of their comfort zones—that’s how they’ll grow,” Boudreau continues.
The company itself has always sought to branch out into unfamiliar territory in order to stay innovative. In fact, BESTECH recently reached an incredible goal that originally wasn’t part of the plan—but exemplifies their uniqueness in the industrial sector.
“We are very proud to announce that we have received our ISO9001 2008 certification,” Boudreau beams. There is reason to celebrate: it is
not commonplace that a service company receives such a certification. “This is really unique.” The certification recognizes the exceptional quality control
that goes into BESTECH’s work. “We insist that quality is the lead factor in everything we do,” Boudreau adds. How the team performs ultimately contributes to
the measurement of quality for BESTECH.
“Clearly, customer satisfaction is number one. It all comes down to being on time, on budget, and on spec—this message is delivered to all
our employees. We need to continually be aware of everything we’re doing, and make sure that we are committed to this motto. It’s easy to say, but harder to
achieve,” Boudreau explains.
“People understand that message, and are engaged in the role they play in achieving that goal. It is all with the purpose of better
ensuring client satisfaction and quality control: meeting and exceeding their expectations.”
The BESTECH formula includes continually adjusting processes in order to improve them. Like any successful team, BESTECH employees are
motivated to optimize processes so that the entire team will benefit. “We want employees to learn from the team. They need to be thinking that no matter what
they’re doing, there is a process behind that activity. We simply ask them to question how a process can be better,” Boudreau explains. “If you understand the
importance of process then your team is going to trust you.”
Innovation, for BESTECH, is the “secret recipe”, and there is no better example than the company’s progress in their product suite, a group
of automation products that is second to none.
Product innovation
AQM™ is BESTECH’s complete hardware and software solution for environmental monitoring. The system encompasses the entire information management life cycle, from capture to reporting and archiving. AQM™ systems ensure consistent collection and storage of environmental data, which ultimately drives productivity upward and costs downward for BESTECH clients. BESTECH has made changes to the AQM™ architecture of late, making it “more open, so our clients can get connected to our systems more easily,” says Boudreau. Sharing information is critical with environmental monitoring. “We want our clients to be able to change their processes so that they can change the impact they have on the environment. We have opened up the back end of our system and also added capabilities in our software that evaluate variable parameters,” he explains.
The company has made the biggest strides recently with their NRG1-ECO™ system. “We have developed systems and put tools in our clients’
hand that enable them to be more capable of managing their energy in a much better way. The intent of the technology is to give them the tools and knowledge
so they can understand their energy consumption profiles,” Boudreau outlines.
The Ventilation-On-Demand module, part of the NRG1-ECO™ system, helps clients manage the use of ventilation in underground operations. The difference for clients is all in the numbers. “We are helping clients save 40 per cent on their energy bill, which equals to about $1-2 million in savings a year,” he comments. In conjunction with development partners, the company has seen millions invested in the advancement of the NRG1-ECO™ system.
One of BESTECH’s newer products, RopeInspector™, advances monitoring of conveyance (elevator) ropes in mines, which saves money and time for clients of BESTECH. This technology returns the lost production downtime required for the mandatory daily visual rope inspection, which is worth approximately $30-40,000 per day. “Multiply that figure by 365 days, and you see where the value is in this product,” Boudreau says.
Partners in innovation
BESTECH continues to work with research and intelligence firms to advance research and development, and innovate continuously. “One of the things I’m proud
of is our ability to utilize the assets of other teams—they succeed, and we succeed. Partnerships are fantastic, and it’s important we work together,”
Boudreau insists.
“We keep developing more products, and advancing the ones we have in order to help clients save energy, increase productivity and safety and achieve immediate return on investment,” Boudreau says. “We want to help our clients either do more with the existing resources they have or do the same with fewer resources. We sell technology to improve productivity.”
And that—improving productivity for loyal and new clients—is the end goal for a Sudbury company that never stops innovating.
| AQM™ |
|
NRG1-ECO™ | RopeInspector™ | |
|
• Innovative mine-wide energy management solution |
• Automates regulated visual rope inspection by providing 360° coverage at full hoisting speed |
AIR QUALITY MONITORING SYSTEM
AQM™ is a complete hardware and software solution for BESTECH clients’ environmental monitoring needs. The system monitors the level of particulates in the ambient air on a 24/7 based system and delivers data using a default web browser.
The application of best of breed hardware ensures consistent collection and storage of environmental data at any given number of stations, while the telemetry system consistently transmits the information to a centralized server. Standard data processing algorithms process the information and store it in a long-term, auditable data warehouse. The processed data can then be accessed through the web-interface or via direct connection with the database.
Maintenance software tools for field technicians form part of the high availability architecture that ensures environmental data is there when needed.
BESTECH’s Complete AQM™ Service Package:
BESTECH will manage the total operation and maintenance of air quality systems. This includes instrument calibrations, on-going sites visits and maintenance, assisting with regulatory audits and regular reporting.
NRG1-ECO™: ENERGY CONSUMPTION OPTIMIZATION
The mining industry currently is overburdened with almost 60 per cent of their energy costs being associated with ventilation. Typically, underground mines are ventilated continuously, based on peak demand and requirements. This can result in a considerable amount of air being needlessly cooled, heated and pushed around by fans. “With the right ventilation controls, a hard rock mine's annual power requirements and costs could be reduced by 30 to 40 per cent compared to a constant air delivery system," says Stephen Hardcastle, a Senior Research Scientist with the CANMET-MMSL, part of Natural Resources Canada who specializes in ventilation research.
Changing the way metal mines are ventilated could dramatically increase energy efficiency and spell big financial savings for mining companies world-wide. Deeper mines, higher energy costs, increased mobility and large diesel-powered vehicles are all pointing to the need for more energy-efficient ventilation systems.
Few areas in a mine need to be constantly ventilated as each employs a discontinuous process. Ventilation-On-Demand is an effective method to reduce the redundant use of air flow operating at peak capacity. Ventilation-on-Demand is a departure from traditional ventilation thinking and it operates on the variability associated with production requirements in the mine. Until now, there has not been one complete system that could intuitively interact with the mine design, control, ventilation maintenance, energy management, air quality and ventilation modelling in one streamlined operation.
The solution BESTECH is demonstrating, NRG1-ECO™ (Energy Consumption Optimization) is highly advanced, completely unique to the mining industry and is built
upon the success of original NRG-1 software systems. BESTECH’s experts have been providing Ventilation-On-Demand solutions to mines for the past seven years
with impressive results. This new innovative hardware and software system will dramatically reduce a mine’s energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions
while increasing its productivity, profitability and air quality.
NRG1-ECO™’s human interface is a user-friendly web-based solution that will offer manual control, time-of-day scheduling, event-based control, asset
monitoring and control as well as environmental monitoring and control. It uses sensors to monitor the location of miners, equipment and air quality and
adjusts the ventilation accordingly. Vehicles can be tagged and tracked in the mine, engine performance can be logged and payload information can be gathered.
Ventilation can be controlled in a fail-safe manner according to the simultaneous processing of incoming data including the vehicle type and location, the
location of the miners and the mining activity.
NRG1-ECO™ evaluates and reacts when the mine’s ventilation system is required to work at peak capacity; and when there is no activity, works at reduced ventilation levels to increase efficiency. NRG1-ECO™ is configurable to each mine’s unique requirements and offers an open Industrial-Plug-and-Play interface to allow system integration with other existing or new processes. The system offers the option of built-in communication redundancy ensuring operational robustness and complete reliability in case of an interruption in communication. Intelligent Zone Controllers are key components to the field installed NRG1-ECO™ equipment. They integrate key control parameters, such as user configurable schedules, real-time environmental data and current activity-based control information. The Intelligent Zone Controller™ (IZC) increases the systems responsiveness as data can be analyzed and processed internally and does not have to be transmitted to the surface before a decision to respond is made. Communication failures do not compromise the system’s performance as it is designed to reliably handle environmental extremes in temperature, dust, moisture, and vibration present in the mining environment. Many types of environmental monitoring sensors can be integrated into the system to monitor temperature, humidity, Carbon Monoxide (CO),Carbon dioxide (CO2), Nitrogen Monoxide (NO) or Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) and react to ventilation requirements immediately.
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OMA MEMBER PROFILE: BESTECH - HIGH TECH WITH HIGH COMMUNITY COMMITMENT
December 7, 2011
Sudbury-based BESTECH is a young company that combines providing high-tech services with a high level of commitment to the community. BESTECH, which started in 1995, specializes in engineering, automation, software development and environmental monitoring. It was created to address the need for system integration and industrial automation in the mining sector.
The company has 10 divisions, which reflect the type of work it carries out on behalf of clients. The divisions are engineering, automation, information technology/information services, electrical and instrumentation construction, environmental monitoring, product development, technical support, power, corporate and sales and marketing.
BESTECH has been involved in ventilation on demand projects at mines and energy management projects as well as environmental innovations. It produces products which monitor and minimize human impact on the environment.
Some of the products BESTECH offers to meet the demands of efficiency and cost savings would include: NRG1-ECO, a mine-wide energy management solution: RopeInspector, a system that automates regulated visual hoist rope inspection; AQM, a web-based ambient air quality monitoring system, and: PORTAULS, a process analysis software.
In 2008, BESTECH was named Sudbury's company of the year and it has earned innovation awards from the Sudbury Chamber of Commerce and Northern Ontario Business. The company has branched out from its start with the mining sector and now also serves clients in the pulp and paper, forestry, oil and gas, manufacturing sectors as well as municipal and commercial industries.
Recently, two BESTECH employees - Amy Fortier, Marketing Coordinator, and Trang Tran, Manager Research & Development and Commercialization - were named among Sudbury's Top 40 Under 40 for 2011 by Northern Ontario Business. This honour acknowledges their leadership and contribution to the community.
An earlier OMA e-news item noted BESTECH's $3,500 donation to support CPR training in Sudbury area high schools. Recently, the company has also contributed to the local arts scene through funding of the production of the play "Waiting for Godot" by Samuel Beckett at the Sudbury Theatre Centre.
The company and its employees support local groups through donations, volunteering and becoming part of the organizations. Some of the
local groups supported by BESTECH include Big Brothers - Big Sisters, Special Olympics, Sudburnia Soccer, Sudbury Food Bank and the United Way
The President of BESTECH Marc Boudreau volunteers and serves as Chairman of the Board of the mining research organization MIRARCO and as
President of the Sudbury Area Mining Supply and Service Association. The company has launched a careers website www.bestechcareers.com as a tool to recruit
the skilled workers it needs. Currently, this website features 16 job opportunities in automation, IT services and engineering based in Sudbury and Timmins.
BESTECH joined the OMA in October 2010 and it is active in the Association's activities and initiatives. More information on the company
can be found at www.bestech.com. This article is the fourteenth in a series of profiles of OMA member companies and their contributions to the vitality of
Ontario's society and economy.
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SAMSSA MEETING ELECTS NEW BOARD FOR TWO-YEAR TERM
December 6, 2011
By Northern Life Business Star
The Sudbury Area Mining Supply and Services Association (SAMSSA) honoured two of its own luminaries and welcomed a new board of directors during its annual general meeting on Friday.
Bruce Diplock of Dixon Electric and Mark Andrews of Carriere Industrial Supply Ltd. (CIS), who have dedicated a combined 70-plus years to the industry, were inducted into SAMSSA's Hall of Fame before a crowd of more than 100 at the morning event held at Sudbury's Howard Johnson Plaza Hotel.
SAMSSA executive director Dick DeStefano said it's important to have success stories from the industry to acknowledge the hard work being done every day.
“It's a recognition of those who have contributed to the success of this industry, have identified with it, have created real jobs and real wealth,” DeStefano said. “I thank the two honourees for accepting.”
Diplock, a graduate of Humber College, has been in the industry for more than 40 years, 27 of which have been with Dixon Electric. During his tenure with the Sudbury-based company, he has built the staff from nine to more than 50, expanded from one branch to four across the North, and has grown it to an integrated electrical solutions company.
During that time, charity work has been a strong focus for Diplock, who has been involved with the Walk for Juvenile Diabetes and the building of schools in Haiti and Ethiopia, among other causes.
“It's quite an honour to be here under these circumstances and accept an award of this nature,” said a humble Diplock. “No person really gets to this point of time in their life without a lot of other people that they've been with along the way. There are so many people that influence you in business and vice versa.”
Andrews, who recently retired after a 33-year career at CIS, which provides wear solutions for the mining industry, started working for his
family's Yamaha motorcycle and snowmobile business in Kenora before moving on to Noranda's Mattabi Mines.
His career in sales at CIS began in 1979 in Cobalt, and he has since assisted in enhancing sales, as well as developing and implementing
unique value-added products and services, including Linerwear, CIS's inventory and wear liner management system, and the concept of cost-per-ton buckets for
the mining industry.
Despite his recent retirement, Andrews is keeping his toe in the industry, recently forming Wearwise Consulting, and he has been recognized
as a founding patron of SAMSSA.
“I appreciate the honour, everybody,” Andrews said. “It's been a great career—almost 40 years of working. I'm looking forward to my
retirement.”
SAMSSA ended the year on a positive note financially, although it was noted that expenses will go up in 2012 as the organization looks to
overhaul its web presence with a more accessible, comprehensive website, a process that is currently underway.
Outgoing president Marc Boudreau of BESTECH finished up his two-year term, passing the torch to incoming president Kirk Petroski, president
and CEO of Symboticware.
Petroski joins returning board members vice-president Tom Palangio, of WipWare in North Bay; secretary André Ruest, general manager of B
&D Manufacturing in Sudbury; and treasurer Mike Mayhew, director of global business services, mining at Stantec in Sudbury. Also joining the board is
David Rector, of Rector Machine Works in Sault Ste. Marie.
The new board will be in place for two years.
The meeting ended with a presentation from Liberty Mines president and CEO Chris Stewart, who spoke of the company's efforts to relaunch its nickel-exploration operations in Timmins.
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BESTECH EMPLOYEES NAMED SUDBURY'S TOP 40 UNDER FORTY
November 18, 2011
BESTECH is proud to announce that two of their employees were named among Sudbury’s top 40 Under Forty for 2011 at Northern Ontario Business’ 40 Under Forty Awards Gala held last night at the Caruso Club. Amy Fortier, Marketing Coordinator at BESTECH and Trang Tran, Manager, Research & Development and Commercialization at BESTECH, were acknowledged for their leadership and outstanding contribution to the growth, development and commitment to the community.
The 40 Under Forty Awards Gala is an event held every two years to recognize inspiring young leaders under the age of forty who have planted their roots in the Sudbury & Manitoulin area and have organized their futures there. With the numerous nominations received, Amy Fortier and Trang Tran outshined the competition due to their accomplishments at BESTECH and their dedication to the Greater Sudbury community.
 |
Hired in 2008 as the first marketing employee at BESTECH, Amy was presented with many challenges and learning curves in an unfamiliar industry: her background consisted of marketing cosmetics and pharmaceutical products. However, with Amy’s enthusiasm and determination, she tackled these challenges head on and developed many new marketing materials and organized numerous promotional events, which enabled BESTECH to grow its presence and client base internationally.
Trang joined BESTECH in 2005 and over the course of six years, she has operated at various levels within the organization and has brought invaluable contributions at the executive level. Trang played a significant role in the development of BESTECH’s innovative products which are gaining international recognition. Trang’s perseverance and business acumen have proven to be key assets to her employer and have contributed to the successful advancement of her career, all while nurturing her family.
“BESTECH is proud to boast two of this year’s 40 Under Forty recipients,” said Andre Dumais, Manager, Corporate Services at BESTECH. “We have an exceptional team of young, dedicated and talented employees who contribute to the company’s success and their achievements deserve to be recognized. It is our belief that our employees help make us who we are. This brings us up to four employees in the 40 Under Forty alumni who call BESTECH home.” |
Photos provided by Northern Ontario Business |
Northern Ontario Business selected a panel of four local judges with various backgrounds in business and community service who assessed
candidates on the following:
- Accomplishments;
- Level of Expertise; and
- Community/Charitable Activities.
For full details on the 40 Under Forty recipients please click here.
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BESTECH LAUNCHES CAREERS WEBSITE
November 14, 2011
BESTECH has developed a Careers Website, www.bestechcareers.com, highlighting available and future employment opportunities with the firm as well as the numerous benefits offered to employees. The increased demand for BESTECH services and products, in addition to Greater Sudbury’s low employment rate, have encouraged the firm to become more aggressive with its recruitment strategies.
“The strength of the mining industry is causing the employment market to be very competitive”, said Krista Fellbaum, Recruiter at BESTECH. “It was necessary to properly communicate the endless opportunities with respect to both professional and personal development that are offered at BESTECH in hope of attracting qualified employees.”
In addition to currently available positions and the many advantages to working at BESTECH, the website lists testimonials from existing employees, discusses opportunities for student and coop placements as well as new graduates, allows resume submission for future opportunities, and provides detailed information about the Sudbury and Timmins communities for relocation purposes.
BESTECH is currently looking to fill various positions, including Engineers, Automation Specialists, Software Developers and Designers/Draftspersons. The firm encourages application submissions from recent Engineering or Computer Science graduates eager to enter the workforce, retired engineers seeking short-term projects, and experienced professionals looking to enrich their careers and gain better work-life balance.
An award-winning company, BESTECH prides itself on providing a dynamic work environment, competitive salaries, a comprehensive health benefits package, a company registered retirement savings plan, a company gym, opportunity for growth, training and a flexible work schedule. Additionally, the company will soon be implementing an Employee Share Ownership Plan. The firm’s main office is located in Sudbury, with a second site in Timmins and its sales team stationed in Toronto.
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BESTECH SPONSORS STC PRODUCTION AND HOSTS EMPLOYEE & CLIENT APPRECIATION EVENT
November 8, 2011
To demonstrate their immense appreciation for the local arts as well as their employees and clients, BESTECH has sponsored a Sudbury Theatre Centre (STC) production and will be hosting a Wine & Cheese prior to tomorrow’s show for employees and clients. BESTECH has contributed considerable funds to help bring the highly acclaimed “Waiting for Godot” by Samuel Beckett to the community based not-forprofit Sudbury Theatre Centre. Additionally, BESTECH decided to treat their employees and clients to a night out with tickets to a show and a pre-show Wine & Cheese gala.
“Our company continues to surpass desired targets and we know these achievements would not be possible without our hardworking staff and our supportive clients”, said Pat Dubreuil, Sales & Marketing Manager at BESTECH. “We wanted to do something hospitable to show our appreciation, while giving back to the community at the same time.”
BESTECH supports many organizations through sponsorships and employee events throughout the year, which help contribute to the strong culture that exists at BESTECH. The firm is currently undergoing an aggressive recruitment campaign in order to fill vacancies for their demanding markets and to further complement their team of professionals.
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BESTECH DONATES FUNDS TO IMPROVE HEALTH AND SAFETY
November 1, 2011
In order to educate high school students about CPR training and in turn reduce the number of lives lost in the community due to cardiac arrest, BESTECH has donated $3,500 to the ACT High School CPR and Defibrillator Program. This donation will cover the cost of training mannequins, teacher training, materials and a defibrillator in one local high school. The ACT Foundation is currently working with Sudbury area secondary schools to help institute the lifesaving defibrillator program as an enhancement to the CPR program they established in schools in 2006. BESTECH is now challenging other local mining industry players to support this initiative so that more Sudbury high schools can implement this worthwhile training.
“Schools and teachers are keen to add the defibrillation training to the CPR program, but the missing link is the start-up training equipment and resources schools need for teachers to train students”, said Sandra Clarke, Executive Director of the ACT Foundation. “Our goal is to find the funding in the Sudbury area by November 30th, 2011, allowing us to set up the program this coming school year. Schools will also receive a defibrillator for onsite cardiac arrest emergencies.”
After raising funds from community partners for program start-up resources, ACT then guides schools in establishing a long-term, self-sustaining program, which consists of teachers delivering the Heartsaver CPR and defibrillation course as part of the regular curriculum. Teachers are trained as CPR Instructors and prepare students to respond to a wide range of emergencies, such as asthmatic emergencies, drowning, choking, diabetic emergencies, and epileptic seizures.
With BESTECH’s partnership, the ACT Foundation will be one step closer to their goal of establishing lifesaving CPR and defibrillation programs in every Canadian high school to enable youth with the ability to save lives. As a leader in the mining industry, BESTECH understands the importance of health and safety training and strongly encourages opportunities for today’s youth to graduate with the skills and knowledge to save lives. “Research indicates that more lives are saved from cardiac arrest due to proper execution of early CPR and defibrillation”, said Marc Boudreau, President & CEO of BESTECH. “Everyone knows someone who has been affected by cardiac arrest in one form or another and the opportunity to facilitate training in order to save lives in this situation is invaluable.”
Many lives have been saved due to students participating in the ACT High School CPR and Defibrillator Program. Sudbury area mining supply and service companies are encouraged to get involved in hope of saving more.
For more information about the ACT High School CPR program, please visit www.actfoundation.ca.
About ACT Foundation
The ACT Foundation is a national charitable organization dedicated to establishing CPR as a mandatory program in every Canadian high school. To date, the
ACT Foundation has set up the ACT High School CPR Program in more than 1,600 schools nation-wide, empowering more than 1.8 million youth to save lives. The
program is built on ACT’s award-winning community-based model of partnerships and support. ACT’s health partners who are committed to bringing the program to
all high schools across Canada include AstraZeneca Canada, Pfizer Canada and Sanofi.
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NEW BOARD PRESIDENTS JOIN COLLÈGE BORÉAL
October 26, 2011
By NOB staff
A host of new faces have joined Collège Boréal in Sudbury.
Martin Michaud has been appointed president of the college's board of directors, while Lisa Bonin has been appointed as president of the board of directors for La Fondation du Collège Boréal, which provides students with grants and scholarships.
Michaud, who serves as vice-president of external services for BESTECH, replaces outgoing president Philippe Boissonneault. Michaud has more than 30 years of experience with businesses in Northern Ontario in the capacities of manager and vice-president, and he has served on many boards of directors as president and vice-president. Michaud is beginning his second term with the board of directors of Collège Boréal.
Joining Michaud are new board members André Dutrisac, Michelle Lamy, France Picotte, Stéphan Plante and Mélanie Poitras. Outgoing members include Langis Dion, Rosaire Lavoie and Richard Joly.
Lisa Bonin, new president of the board of directors for La Fondation du Collège Boréal, will replace outgoing president Stéphan Plante. A well-known businesswoman in the community, Bonin founded Eventful Times, a corporate event planning company with a provincewide reputation. Her vast network and her familiarity with many public and private charitable organizations led her to the position of vice-chair of the 2007 Sudbury and District United Way campaign, which raised more than $2 million.
Joining Bonin are new board members Philippe Boissonneault, Dan Legrand and Mélanie Poitras. Outgoing members include Désiré Matenga and Denis Thériault.
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BESTECH A FINALIST IN THE 2011 DESJARDINS ENTREPRENEUR AWARDS
October 14, 2011
BESTECH is proud to announce their qualification as a finalist for the Desjardins Sustainable Development Award at the 2011 Desjardins Entrepreneur Awards. The Desjardins Entrepreneur Awards is an annual event that acknowledges and honours businesses and entrepreneurs in Quebec and Ontario who are deemed outstanding contributors to the community. Out of the 400,000 Desjardins clients, 143 nominations were received for nine different award categories where 35 finalists were selected in the end. This prestigious event was held at the Château Frontenac in Quebec City on October 12, 2011.
According to Desjardins, the Desjardins Sustainable Development Award is bestowed to enterprises that exhibit effective management, sound operations and socially responsible leadership. Businesses must display sound financial performance and their commitment to sustainable development by contributing to the well-being of the community or environment.
In order to qualify for the Sustainable Development Award, eligible businesses are assessed based on the following standards:
- Vision and leadership
- Sustainable development opportunities
- Financial management
- Human resources management
- Number of jobs created in Canada
- Community involvement (community, environment, sustainable development)
BESTECH representatives were delighted to attend this event despite falling short of the prize. “It was an honour for BESTECH to be recognized amongst the number of businesses eligible for this award throughout Quebec and Ontario,” said Andre Dumais, Manager, Corporate Services at BESTECH. “BESTECH is definitely on the right track if we are making the cut for such an esteemed award.”
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BESTECH MAJOR SPONSOR FOR 2011 CANADIAN NATIONAL SPANIEL FIELD TRIAL CHAMPIONSHIP
October 11, 2011
Demonstrating their continued support to the community and their commitment to fostering local events, BESTECH was a Platinum Level Sponsor for the 2011 Canadian National Spaniel Field Trial Championship presented by the Sudbury and District Kennel Club. BESTECH contributed funds to help realize the 45th annual event, where Spaniel dogs compete against one another to determine which dog had the best training and hunting abilities for this year’s championship. Based in Sudbury, Ontario, BESTECH is a prominent Canadian firm which specializes in the areas of engineering, automation, software development and environmental monitoring.
The prestigious event, which consisted of a Field Trial designed to evaluate and compare performances of competing Spaniels to stimulate hunting situations as closely as possible, was held on Saturday, October 8, 2011 over 25,000 acres of open fields located in Burwash, Ontario, twenty minutes south of Sudbury. A banquet followed on Saturday evening at Laurentian University for all participants and major sponsors.
A total of 80 entries were received, where dogs must have qualified to take part, with participants and spectators from coast to coast from both Canada and the United States. An estimated 300 people overall attended the Sudbury area for the five-day event, providing a significant boost to the tourism sector in the local economy.
“This is the largest Spaniel gathering in Canada every year”, says Edgar Lajambe, Gunning Captain for the Championship and Senior Project Manager at BESTECH. “Having trained dogs for 29 years for hunting and trialing purposes, the Canadian National Spaniel Field Trial Championship is a way to measure success for trainers. Additionally, this unique occasion provides opportunities to meet many interesting people due to the widespread participation from various high profile Canadians and Americans.”
The Canadian National Spaniel Field Trial Championship is held in a different location in Canada every year.
About the Sudbury and District Kennel Club
The Sudbury and District Kennel Club (SDKC) was founded in February of 1951 “to promote and encourage the breeding of better dogs, to stimulate interest in
the welfare and humane treatment of all dogs, and sponsor shows, field trials and obedience training classes.” Today, the SDKC is a volunteer, non-profit
organization of over 100 members that is affiliated with the Canadian Kennel Club and adheres to an extensive constitution. This year, the Club is celebrating
their 60th anniversary.
For more information about this event, please visit click here.
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SPIRITED BESTECH RAISES $1,500 FOR EASTER SEALS
September 27, 2011
On Saturday, September 17th, BESTECH joined eight other teams outside Cousin Vinny’s Restaurant in Hanmer for the Easter Seals Power Play ball hockey tournament to raise money for Easter Seals Ontario. Based in Sudbury, Ontario, BESTECH is a prominent Canadian firm in the areas of engineering, automation, software development and environmental monitoring.
Top: Al Gagnon, Bernie Lafrenière, Mike Bouillon and Alain Richard
Bottom: Justin Charbonneau and Amy Fortier
The four-on-four ball hockey tournament raised $15,528.55 for children participating in the Easter Seals program in Sudbury. BESTECH finished second in the Top Fundraiser prize category with a total of $1,537 for the charity. Additionally, the BESTECH team was presented with the Team Spirit Award.
“This is the 5th year that BESTECH has participated in the Easter Seals Power Play,” said Amy Fortier, BESTECH’s Team Captain and Marketing Coordinator. “For us, it’s not about winning the tournament; it’s about helping raise money for the Easter Seals’ kids in Sudbury and for creating awareness for the charity, while having fun.”
For more information about Easter Seals, please visit www.easterseals.org.
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BESTECH'S R&D GROUP MOVES TO NORCAT
June 22, 2011
In a bid to consolidate its research and development (R&D) activities and achieve greater efficiencies in bringing new products to market, BESTECH will be moving its Products Business Group – currently spread out over two locations – to the Northern Centre for Advanced Technology Inc. (NORCAT).
One of Canada’s leading firms in engineering, automation, software development and environmental monitoring, Sudbury-based BESTECH has been experiencing significant growth over the past few years, and is in need of expanded R&D space. Flagship software products include NRG1-ECO, an energy management solution used for Ventilation-on-Demand and other energy optimization applications.
“We are a knowledge-based company with a significant proportion of our workforce, nearly 25%, actively engaged in R&D,” said Ian Chegwidden, Vice-President, Products. “Having this key group of engineers, designers, technologists and software developers working out of NORCAT and interacting and engaging with other innovative enterprises will not only benefit our company, but also contribute to our region’s recognition as the global leader for mining innovation.”
Founded in 1995, BESTECH continues to serve new global clients. The company anticipates that the sale and implementation of products to be developed over the coming years – from current and future R&D investments – will enable it to maintain, and surpass, its 20% annual growth rate.
BESTECH will occupy 7,500 square feet of space at NORCAT, divided nearly equally between office and lab facilities. The move will affect 25 employees. BESTECH’s main office, comprised of administration, sales and marketing, software and engineering services, will continue to be located on Lorne Street.
“We value our strong ties to academia, as well as with government and business agencies,” said Marc Boudreau, BESTECH President and CEO. “This move is perfectly aligned with NORCAT’s mandate to support innovation in the business community, and will further strengthen our collaborations with the research and innovation community.”
“NORCAT is very pleased to welcome BESTECH to our facility,” said Darryl Lake, CEO of the Sudbury-based innovation centre. “They are an ideal fit to our mission and will enhance our role as a Regional Innovation Centre and member of the Ontario Network of Excellence (ONE). Their proven track record will lead to globally competitive products, and increased local employment.”
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CEMI CONCLUDES VENTILATION-ON-DEMAND STUDY
June 8, 2011
Sudbury Mining Solutions Journal
By Norm Tollinsky
Sudbury hailed as centre of expertise for VOD technology
Recent deployments of ventilation-ondemand (VOD) systems at two mines and lessons learned from an $8.5 million study are positioning Sudbury as a centre of expertise for this increasingly important technology.
Vale has commissioned a VOD system from Sudbury-based BESTECH for the 153 Orebody at Coleman Mine while Xstrata has outfitted its Nickel Rim South Mine with a system supplied by Simsmart Technologies of Brossard, Quebec. Executives at both mining companies were confident that VOD would save them money and hoped they could get the technology right, but had a lot of unanswered questions.
The two companies engaged the Sudbury-based Centre for Excellence in Mining Innovation (CEMI) in the fall of 2009 to focus on three broad areas of research.
They tasked CEMI with developing a rigorous and objective business case for VOD, asked what steps would have to be taken to ventilate based on quality as opposed to quantity of air called for and sought help with better understanding the role of the different sensors on which a VOD system relies.
“The future is very bright for ventilation-on- demand,” said CEMI R&D program director Glenn Lyle. “The ability for a mine to be able to effectively and efficiently move air from one area of a mine to another will be a tremendous benefit in terms of energy savings because you don’t have to ventilate to the same levels all the time.”
Another equally important benefit is the ability to increase production by putting the air where it’s needed.
“Most mines tend to be more ventilation constrained than production constrained,” said Lyle. “If you had ventilation available, you could likely achieve higher production rates.”
In the final analysis, he said, VOD decreases the energy intensity of mining, allowing mining companies “to get more tonnes out of the ground for a lower energy investment.”
Challenges
Optimizing the benefits of VOD involves both technical and cultural challenges.
“There are a lot of technologies that need to fit together, and as we have seen during the course of the last year, they don’t always come out of the box and immediately connect up,” said Lyle. “There has been a lot of success in getting all the pieces to work together, but it doesn’t happen automatically.”
The CEMI team is particularly excited about new tool developed by Objectivity, a Sudbury-based decision support company contracted to manage the demonstration projects at the two mines.
The box sits between a simulator and a ventilation solver and calculates the demand for ventilation based on the number and location of equipment in a mine at a given time, explained Lyle. This information is then fed into the ventilation solver to determine the airflows required on the various mine levels.
“We think this is going to be a very useful tool that will give mining companies a much better idea of how and where to spend their money if they’re looking to upgrade their ventilation systems. We’re very excited about it and see it as something we intend to build on in the future.
“Most of the justification for ventilationon-on-demand to date has been done on the basis of Excel spreadsheets. Instead of tweaking your Excel spreadsheet 100 times, you can run through a multitude of simulations, put them through the rules engine that Objectivity developed and come up with a suite of (best case options).”
The tool will give mining companies the confidence they require to ensure they are investing in the right place and that the VOD system they are acquiring will meet their objectives.
The tool will help mining companies make decisions about moving forward with VOD systems, said Andrew Dasys, president of Objectivity.
“We don’t have anything to gain by telling a company the numbers are better or worse, and we can tie it back to the production plan, which I think is incredibly important. We can give a mining company ranges of what is achievable and what types of technologies are required to get to those levels of achievement.”
Quality vs. quantity
Ventilating to quality criteria, one area of study undertaken by CEMI, will first require legislative changes in Ontario, where mining regulations currently prescribe a minimum ventilation rate of 100 cubic feet per minute of air per brake horsepower of operating diesel equipment.
Other jurisdictions are moving toward ventilation requirements based on quality in recognition of the cleaner burning diesel engines in increasingly greater use and it’s inevitable that Ontario will move in the same direction, but the challenge, said Dasys, is “how you measure quality correctly.”
That, in turn, raises a series of issues about sensors.
“If you’re going to have VOD, you need to have a good, reliable sensor network because as you’re moving quantities of air throughout a mine, you want to know that what you expect to happen is actually happening,” said Lyle.
“VOD relies heavily on feedback from sensors installed underground, so there has been a fair number of learnings about making sure the sensors are in the right location, that they’re properly calibrated and properly maintained.”
Centre of expertise
The VOD work being done in Sudbury can be leveraged for the benefit of the global mining industry, said Lyle.
“We see a nucleus of expertise developing here and we believe this expertise can be marketed to the rest of the world.”
Detailed findings from CEMI’s research were to be shared at a workshop attended by representatives of several mining companies in May. The plan for the balance of 2011 is to continue collecting data from the two Sudbury mine sites and begin scoping a follow-up study to probe VOD issues requiring further research.
“We want to get other partners involved because everyone in the mining industry recognizes that whether you’re at Vale, Xstrata, Barrick or Goldcorp, a lot of the issues are the same,” said Lyle. “If we can work together and solve these issues in a collaborative effort, it will be a lot more cost effective and we’ll end up with a better product.”
The $8.5 million study was made possible by a $4.25 million contribution from the federal government’s Community Adjustment Fund and a matching amount funded by Vale and Xstrata Nickel.
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EXPORT ASSISTANCE PROGRAM IN FULL SWING
June 7, 2011
Sudbury Mining Solutions Journal
By Norm Tollinsky
Nine Northern Ontario companies are taking part in the in the first wave of the Ontario government’s strategic planning program for the mining supply and service sector. The senior management team from each of the companies spent two days through April and May with marketing guru Jon Baird to develop a strategic plan.
A study of the Northern Ontario mining supply and services sector last year estimated that the 500 companies in the sector account for 23,000 jobs and generate annual sales of $5.6 billion, but it also revealed several shortcomings and opportunities for improvement.
“The Doyletech study showed that many mining supply companies in Northern Ontario depend heavily on one or two clients,” said Baird, managing director of the Canadian Association of Mining Equipment and Services for Export (CAMESE). “It also showed that 19 per cent of the jobs in the sector are supported by exports and that very few of the companies have strategic business or marketing plans.
“The purpose of the export assistance program is to get these companies up to a level where they can pursue opportunities across Canada and around the world.”
The one-on-one strategic consultation program will accommodate up to 10 companies in two waves per year over a three-year span for a potential total of 60 companies, said project manager Scott Rennie of the Ontario North Economic Development Corporation (ONE-DC), which is delivering the program on behalf of the Ontario Ministry of Northern Development, Mines and Forestry.
The strategic planning exercise examines the company’s capabilities and opportunities, articulates a vision and identifies goals relating to marketing, product mix, quality and human resources, said Baird.
There are two additional components of the export assistance program delivered by ONE-DC. The first is a series of marketing-related workshops. The other is a mentoring program that links each participant with a sales and marketing veteran knowledgeable about the export market the company is targeting.
Three days of marketing workshops bring senior sales and marketing personnel from the participating companies together to learn how to create, project and maintain a corporate image. Other subjects will include selling and sales management, advertising, online marketing and selecting, motivating and managing foreign sales agents.
Sales and marketing veterans interested in serving as mentors could be retired executives with experience in particular export markets or currently employed marketers with non-competing companies.
“We’re casting a wide net,” said Rennie. “If there are people out there who think they can help, we’d love to chat with them.”
Applications are already being accepted for the second intake of up to 10 companies scheduled for the August-September timeframe.
Companies participating in the first wave of the program include the Trident Group of Timmins, Temiskaming Industrial Mining Equipment of New Liskeard, Miller Technology and Nordic Mine Technology of North Bay and five Sudbury-based companies: Synergy Controls, Walden Equipment, Rock-Tech Sales & Service, Symboticware Inc. and BESTECH.
In addition to the three-prong export assistance program delivered by ONE-DC, the Ministry of Northern Development, Mines and Forestry is beefing up its presence on the trade show circuit and offsetting export marketing costs incurred by mining suppliers.
The Ministry is enhancing its participation in four Latin American mining shows this year, including Exponor 2011 in Antofagasta, Chile, June 13 to 17; Extemin 2011 in Arequipa, Peru, September 12 to 16; Exposibram 2011 in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, September 26 to 30; and Expominera 2011 in Acapulco, Mexico, October 26 to 29.
A pavilion at each show will accommodate up to 10 companies from the Northern Ontario mining supply and service cluster, said Paul Bradette, the Ministry’s strategic sector co-ordinator for mining supply and services.
The Northern Ontario Mining Supply and Services Export Marketing Assistance Program will reimburse 50 per cent of eligible export marketing costs up to a maximum of $10,000 per year. Eligible costs include trade show booth rentals, translation services, travel, product testing to meet foreign standards and certification and marketing and promotional materials. Application forms can be downloaded from www.investnorthernontario.com.
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ENGINEERING BUILDS BRIDGE FROM CLASSROOM TO CAREER
February 28, 2011
By Ron Grech
The local chapter of the Professional Engineers of Ontario is hosting a series of events beginning later this month in hopes of encouraging youth to consider a career in that field.
The events include a bridge-building competition involving several elementary schools in Timmins as well as a software designing competition being held in conjunction with Science Timmins.
"There are a lot of students who are really good at science and math but don't know what they want to do with it," explained Serge Robert, a structural engineer with J.L. Richards in Timmins who is also chairman of the PEO's Porcupine-Kapuskasing chapter. "Engineering is about applying that knowledge to problem solving."
Anuj Agarwal, regional manager of BESTECH firm in Timmins, said the association wants to encourage young people to enter the profession because it is an evolving field that always benefits from graduates with fresh training and ideas.
"Every day new research is done, every day new technology is found," Agarwal said. "Engineering is on the move all the time so we need a new generation of engineers who understand the new technology."
He said the "main attraction into this field is that you can create new things" and often that interest germinates from childhood.
"If you are interested in building things, if you play a lot with building blocks, if you help your parents doing their home renovations and you enjoy it" that child may be inclined to continue a path towards engineering.
Agarwal, whose training is in electrical engineering, said there are at least 26 different engineering disciplines including structural and mechanical as well as some industry-specific streams geared towards mining or forestry.
He said companies generally will hire engineers who have disciplines that are oriented towards the needs of the local market.
For example, BESTECH's Timmins branch has focused largely on serving the mining and industrial sectors.
Agarwal explained in mining, engineering is not limited to designing shafts.
"There are various applications. Say for example, there is a machine there and they want to modify that machine to increase the production. It means it has to have more capacity. So if it is a small machine, maybe a different motor or another change is required. Now, is the structure good enough to support that new capacity or new load that we added to that machine? So when it comes to structure, a structural engineer would review it. The electrical engineer would review the electrical side of that project ... The mechanical engineer would look into it and see if the input shaft or the input chute is good enough to take whatever capacity we want or if not, he will change that or redesign it to meet the requirements."
Throughout the week of Feb. 26 to March 6, PEO chapters across the province are staging events that promote the engineering profession.
Robert said there will be bridge-building competitions held at Pinecrest Public School, W. Earle Miller and École publique Lionel-Gauthier during that \week.
The students will design miniature bridges using Popsicle sticks and local engineering representatives will be on hand to test the strength of the structures and record their capacity.
"Last year, we just did it at one school and this year we expanded it to three schools," said Robert.
On March 2, the local PEO will be participating in the Science Timmins software design competition that is geared toward high school students. That event is taking place at the Timmins Public Library.
"Those two events will lead up to our dinner on March 3 at the Dante Club," said Robert. "Our guest speaker will be Greg Miazga (civil engineer) from Detour Gold and he'll be there talking about that project … We usually invite the winners from the software and bridge building competitions so we can present them with a certificate."
Towards the end of March, he added, the local PEO chapter will set up a booth in the Timmins Square where they will invite youngsters to paper airplanes and show how different designs work more effectively than others.
"It is geared towards the kids," said Robert, "but it gives more exposure to the profession."
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INTEGRATED, EFFICIENT SOLUTION
Mines adopting energy management system
February 28, 2011
By Alexandra Lopez-Pacheco
The mining industry in Canada has more than its fair share of challenges today — from stringent environmental and regulatory pressures to an urgent need to improve operational costs, productivity and safety, all while having to mine deeper than ever before.
Guy Faubert (BESTECH electrician) and Paul Huffels (BESTECH safety supervisor) installing a rack-mounted IZC at Vale’s Coleman Mine. The Intelligent Zone Controller is the brains of the underground network and one of the components of the NRG1-ECO system.
Aware of these challenges, BESTECH, a provider of engineering, automation, software development and environmental monitoring services, developed NRG1-ECO (energy consumption optimization), a multi-faceted approach, which helps mining companies manage their processes, safety, equipment and energy usage more efficiently.
NRG1-ECO combines hardware and software to manage the many pieces of automated equipment in a mine. “It’s a complete energy management system and can be applied to processes such as compressors, pumps and any other systems in a mine that could benefit from a reduction in energy consumption,” says Trang Tran, BESTECH’s manager of software products development.
Typically a mine’s ventilation system operates continously at peak capacity. NRG1-ECO’s VOD (ventilation-on-demand) module enables the mine to instantly control the ventilation system’s air flow to where and when it is needed. This allows a mine to reduce its ventilation costs by as much as 30 per cent — which represents significant savings given that ventilation costs make up almost 50 per cent of a mine’s energy costs.
A collaborative effort
When BESTECH was developing the technology, it formed a consortium of industry experts and organizations to establish best practices and standards. The consortium members include organizations such as the Centre for Mining Excellence (CEMI) as well as mining giants Vale and Xstrata Nickel. This year, the technology was installed at Vale’s Coleman Mine and Xstrata Nickel’s Fraser Mine, both in Sudbury.
“We worked together with BESTECH on what was needed in the industry and they’ve completed the development of a ventilation management tool for us,” says Cheryl Allen, chief engineer, ventilation, Vale mines mill technical services, Canadian operation. “BESTECH designed a system that can be tailored to suit the needs of each mine.”
Part of the company’s goal was to create a technology with as open an IT architecture as possible, so that it could integrate with technology already in use at any mine.
In addition, the company offers mines assistance with energy-efficiency grants and rebate applications for both the initial site assessments and commissioning of NRG1-ECO. “We work with our clients to provide all the necessary system training for NRG1-ECO stakeholders at a mine,” says Dan Dumais, BESTECH energy specialist.“A comprehensive education and employee awareness system is also available to ensure the sustained use of NRG1-ECO in their mine.”
Control and versatility
NRG1-ECO includes five control strategies. “The programming parameters for the control systems are based on the needs of each mine site and designed according to their specifications,” says Tran. “Each mine site has its own protocol and our team customizes their system to reflect that.”
One of the first controls that mines utilize is time-of-day scheduling where windows of opportunities exist between shift changes, holidays and other regular set times to control devices. Ventilation technicians preset the execution of batches, based on the mine’s planned activities per day, week or month. It can also control the devices by scheduling an automatic reduction that allows the system to reduce energy consumption.
“The second control strategy is the real-time control. This allows mine personnel to turn devices on and off in real time, either through a web-based user interface or through human machine interface screens that sit in the control room,” says Tran.
An event-based control allows the site operators to configure the system to automatically react to a fire or high carbon monoxide level, for example. When the system detects an incident, it knows the actions that need to take place. Those events often relate to safety, and can also include details such as a vent door being left open by mistake.
A environmental monitoring control includes instruments underground that measure different environmental parameters, such as high levels of carbon or nitrogen oxide and the temperature and airflow in a certain area. “Based on real-time data collected, the system can control or reissue air flow requirements for the current real-time environmental needs,” says Tran.
Finally, the system integrates with industry tagging systems and monitors and adjusts air flow in real time and responds to incoming sensor data as well as the location of tagged mine personnel and equipment. It then adjusts ventilation to meet their needs,” says Tran.
The Intelligent Zone Controller (IZC) is the brains of the underground network. It increases the system responsiveness as data can be analyzed and processed internally and does not have to be transmitted to surface for decisionmaking. In the case of an interruption in communication with the controls above ground, the IZC can execute commands to the devices to operate in fail-safe mode.
Better information, better decisions
NRG1-ECO also stores all the data it processes for its real-time monitoring. The system provides mine intelligence regarding device performance, adherence to established systems and processes, and offers analysis of a mine’s key performance indicators. “If you are monitoring your processes then you can make informed decisions,” says Allen. “With the NRG1-ECO system, you have better monitoring and control and that allows you to make decisions, helps your management make better decisions, and it helps the people working day-to-day with the systems understand their environment. If you’re continually measuring, you should also be able to be continuously improving what you’re doing.”
BESTECH’s new technology is attracting the attention of other mining giants, including North America’s fastest growing senior gold
producer, Goldcorp Inc. “We looked at two different systems,” says Imola Götz, chief engineer, Hoyle Pond Mine, Goldcorp.“It seemed BESTECH was offering a
complete package from ground up. We’re hoping to go ahead with NRG1-ECO in a two-staged approach: first, have the system up and running on two levels in the
Hoyle Pond Mine in Timmins, and if that proves to be satisfactory, then we will expand it to the rest of the mine.”
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TAKING A BREATH OF FRESH NORTHERN AIR
February 15, 2011
ASK AN EarthCare Expert
Q. Recently, I read that the air quality in Sudbury is generally better than in many southern Ontario cities. Does this mean that smelter emissions are now less of a threat to Sudbury’s air quality than residential activities like transportation?
A. In the latest “Clearing the Air” report (June 2009), Clean Air Sudbury compared Greater Sudbury’s air quality from 1998 to 2007 to other cities in Ontario. In general, our air quality is better than Hamilton, Toronto and Windsor and comparable to other northern cities, such as North Bay, Sault Ste. Marie and Thunder Bay. According to the Ministry of the Environment’s (MOE) Air Quality Index station on Ramsey Lake Road, from 1998 to 2007, Greater Sudbury’s air quality was rated as very good to good 94 per cent of the time, moderate 5.6 per cent of the time and poor 0.2 per cent of the time. It was never rated as very poor.
The main air pollutants of concern in Greater Sudbury include sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, ground-level ozone, particulate matter and metals (such as nickel, copper and lead). Sudbury’s smelters have reduced their emissions of sulphur dioxide by more than 93 per cent since 1960. Metal concentrations in local air also decreased between 1998 and 2007 due to reduction measures implemented by Sudbury smelters.
Implementing technology such as BESTECH’s Air Quality Monitoring (AQM) is helping local mining companies continue to improve how they manage emissions. AQM is an ambient air monitoring solution used by the mines as a tool for monitoring their environmental impact on the surrounding communities, so that they can manage their production accordingly. BESTECH’s AQM technology provides real-time data on emissions in the community and provides local industries and the MOE access to this data. As the MOE sets more stringent provincial air regulations, local smelters are expected to further reduce air emissions. Vale recently announced billions of dollars in investments for a major overhaul of equipment and processes to improve emission levels.
However, while mining-sector emissions in Sudbury decline, emissions from transportation sources within the city are expected to have a growing impact on our overall air quality. Environment Canada has estimated that within Greater Sudbury, 70 per cent of nitrogen oxide emissions, 64 per cent of carbon monoxide emissions, 32 per cent of volatile organic compound emissions and eight per cent of fine particulate emissions currently come from transportation.
Unfortunately, Greater Sudbury’s network of fixed monitoring stations is not set up to measure the effects of transportation emissions on our local air quality. As a result, there is currently little or no information on air pollutant concentrations from transportation at street level and in high traffic areas of the city.
Clean Air Sudbury is actively working to fill this data gap. Short-term sampling at five major intersections in Greater Sudbury during the summer of 2009 indicated that concentrations of fine particulates (microscopic dust particles), at times, were substantially higher than concentrations measured at the regional air quality index station. This suggests that transportation emissions may have a greater effect on our local street level air quality than we realize. Clean Air Sudbury is working towards securing adequate funding to support a city-wide mobile air quality analysis to measure the effects of transportation emissions at street level.
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CANADIAN SHIELD ENERGY SOLUTIONS INC. MERGES WITH BESTECH
Two Companies Delivering Energy Management Results to the Industrial SectorJanuary 3, 2011
Canadian Shield Energy Solutions Inc announced today that the company will merge with BESTECH, one of Canada’s leading engineering and automation firms specializing in software development and energy management. CSE Company President, Dan Dumais commented, “We believe this merger is an excellent opportunity for both companies to deliver high impact energy management solutions to our clients.”
Marc Boudreau (BESTECH, President & CEO) and Dan Dumais (CSE Company President)
CSE provides energy management consulting for large industrial load clients in North America. The company assists its customers in effectively reducing its energy consumption and increasing its energy efficiency. CSE clients include Xstrata Nickel, Tembec and Navita Systems Inc. BESTECH recently introduced an innovative mine-wide energy management solution to the industrial sector earlier this year, called NRG1-ECO (Energy Consumption Optimization). Vale’s Coleman Mine and Xstrata’s Fraser mine have recently commissioned the NRG1-ECO’s Ventilation-On-Demand control strategy in Sudbury. NRG1-ECO is a hardware and software solution that significantly reduces energy consumption associated with ventilation, dewatering and compressed air.
Dumais will join BESTECH’s team to manage NRG1-ECO project implementations and commissioning. He will also assist BESTECH’s industrial clients in accessing the various energy funding programs and in minimizing energy costs by participating in various market programs. Marc Boudreau, BESTECH’s CEO, stated that, “CSE’s merger with BESTECH offers great value to our customers; the combination of BESTECH’s long history of developing innovative energy management solutions and CSE’s ten years of specialized energy consulting will maximize our clients’ energy saving results.
About Canadian Shield Energy
CSE Solutions is an energy consulting firm based in Sudbury, Ontario with a focus on helping industrial clients increase energy efficiency reduce energy consumption and minimize energy costs. CSE Solutions’ extensive knowledge of the North American natural gas and electricity markets has delivered energy savings for clients in the mining, forestry and cement industries.
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MIRARCO'S NEW BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND RENEWED FOCUS
Mining Innovation Rehabilitation & Applied Research Corporation (MIRARCO)December 23, 2010
MIRARCO’S Annual General Meeting introduces a new Board of Directors and a renewed focus on the organization’s vision.
The Mining Innovation Rehabilitation & Applied Research Corporation held their Annual General Meeting in November and announced the board’s new slate of directors and highlighted the year’s accomplishments, challenges and renewed focus on realizing the organization’s vision.
MIRARCO is the premier research delivery agency serving the Canadian mining industry. The vision of the organization is to be the partner of choice in delivering high quality research and innovative solutions for the global mining industry. MIRARCO strives for this by developing the people and the tools to design the underground mines and mine waste facilities of the future that conserve environmental integrity and preserve sustainable communities.
MIRARCO Chairman Marc Boudreau, MIRARCO’s interim CEO Douglas Morrison and Dominique Giroux, President of Laurentian University
MIRARCO has several noteworthy accomplishments to its credit this year despite the challenges that 2010 brought with it. The organization hosted the 13th Mine Ventilation Symposium in June of this year in Sudbury and hosted over 500 international ventilation experts coming together to share ventilation intelligence in the mining industry.
Douglas Morrison stepped in as MIRARCO’s acting CEO and President with the departure of Dr. Stephen Hall. “Since April 2010, the senior management team at MIRARCO has been focused on stabilizing and re-structuring the organization and taking steps to rejuvenate the pipeline of funding that will help the corporation succeed in the future,” comments Morrison.
The MIRARCO management team re-organized the three Divisions of organization into five groups. These groups will cover Geohazard Assessment and Risk Mitigation; Mine Ventilation and Production Optimization; Environmental Monitoring and Rehabilitation; Energy, Renewables and Carbon Management; and, Climate Adaptation and Sustainable Communities.
The next order of business was to welcome in a new board of directors with Marc Boudreau, CEO of BESTECH as the new MIRARCO chairman. “I am honored to have been selected by the MIRARCO Board of Directors to represent the organization,” comments Boudreau. BESTECH is one of Canada’s leading firms specializing in innovation in respect to engineering, software development and energy management. Boudreau says he joined MIRARCO three years ago because of the synergies he saw with the two organizations. “Our company was developing innovative technology and we saw MIRARCO as a valuable resource to the industry,” states Boudreau.
“MIRARCO is very pleased to have Marc Boudreau join us as Chair. We are eager to learn from a new perspective and under Marc’s guidance we may be guided slightly to a more entrepreneurial outlook,” comments Douglas Morrison, MIRARCO’s interim CEO.
MIRARCO is well-known for being a resource of world-class experts in science, technology, research and as a portal to Government funding for innovative research. The organization has been very successful in leveraging the investments from mining companies with government dollars to maximize the impact of its research.
“Essentially a cooperative alliance with MIRARCO can achieve more for the mining industry,” comments Boudreau. The relationship is mutually beneficial for MIRARCO and for industry looking to commercialize their innovations. Industry’s mandate is to commercialize innovation and research and MIRARCO’s roll is to mobilize the research and assist in the development of these innovations,” states Boudreau. Innovative research is turned into a product used by industry to improve productivity, profitability and safety and assists each stakeholder in achieving their mandate.
“I’m pleased to be on the board as I want to influence this win-win partnership and alliance between MIRARCO and the mining industry and ensure that it happens in the community because it benefits everyone.”
Boudreau hopes to better understand how MIRARCO operates and understand its strengths so the board can help everyone involved close the loop between research and commercialization for the good of research, industry and the end users.
MIRARCO’s new slate of Board members for 2011-2012
Chairperson- Marc Boudreau, President and Chief Executive Officer, BESTECH
Richard Allan, Vice President and Chief Executive Officer, Brigus Gold Mine
Secretary, Treasurer- Sean Maloney, Director of GRC and Vice President of Operations, MIRARCO
Floyd Laughren, Board of Governors, Laurentian University
Patrice Sawyer, Vice President of Research and Graduate Studies, Laurentian University
Mike Dutton, DABT Director Environmental and Health Science, Vale
Vice Chairperson - Charles Graham, Managing Director, CAMIRO
Allan Moss, General Manager, Technology and Innovation, Copper Products Rio Tinto, U.K.
Vasu Appanna, Dean of Science and Engineering,Laurentian University
Elizabeth Gardiner, Vice President, Technical Affairs, The Mining Association of Canada
Philip Thwaites, Manager, Process Control Group & EIT Program, Xstrata Process Support
Jim Marchbank, Chief Executive Officer, Science North
“I believe MIRARCO is in a critical phase in its growth and will continue to succeed given the vision, mission and level of talent and experience of its greatest strength, the people who work within the organization,” comments Boudreau.
About MIRARCO
MIRARCO— Mining Innovation, Rehabilitation and Applied Research Corporation, founded in 1998, is a not-for-profit applied research and
technical service company formed through collaboration between Laurentian University and the private and public sectors. MIRARCO is located in Sudbury,
Ontario, Canada, and serves as an innovation bridge between researchers and industry.
Visit www.mirarco.org for more information.
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BESTECH JOINS THE ONTARIO MINING ASSOCIATION December 14, 2010
BESTECH officially joined the Ontario Mining Association as a member last month at the organization's Board of Directors' meeting.
“The mining sector is a critical part of our community's economy and the Ontario Mining Association is an important advocate for the mineral extraction industry,” comments Andre Dumais, Manager Corporate Services for BESTECH. “It is only a natural extension for BESTECH to participate in this formidable group at the OMA,” adds Dumais.
The OMA was founded in 1920 and is celebrating its 90th anniversary this year. The OMA represents the mining industry in the province and it now has 70 members involved in various aspects of the environmentally responsible exploration, production and processing of mineral resources in Ontario. |
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BESTECH was founded in 1995 as a group dedicated to system integration and industrial automation. BESTECH is one of Canada's leading firms specializing in engineering, automation, software development and environmental monitoring. BESTECH has garnered international recognition for its innovative mine-wide energy management solution called NRG1-ECO. The company has been involved in Ventilation-On-Demand projects and is currently commissioning NRG1-ECO at Vale’s Coleman Mine and the Xstrata Nickel’s Fraser Mine.
BESTECH is welcomed by the OMA along with three other companies including: Claude Resources, a Saskatoon-based gold exploration and production company. Rubicon Minerals, a Vancouver-based mining company which is active in the Red Lake gold camp and Aggreko Canada, a Netherlands-based portable power generator and construction company, which has offices in Ontario and Alberta.
To learn more about the Ontario Mining Association, or BESTECH.
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PATENT #266877 RE-EXAMINATION FINDINGS September 30, 2010
The Canadian Intellectual Property Office (C.I.P.O.) has responded to the request for re-examination in respect of the Canadian patent #2668777.
The Board found all claims 1 to 19 to be novel, that is, to disclose new subject matter not previously disclosed in the prior art.
The Board found claims 1 to 5 to be obvious in light of the prior art submitted.
The Board found claims 16 to 19 to be obvious in light of the prior art submitted.
The Board found claims 6 to 15 to be both novel and inventive and so these claims will stand.
To view full report, click here.
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END OF USW-VALE STRIKE EXPECTED TO BOOST LOCAL ECONOMY July 13, 2010
Greater Sudbury's economy will get a big cash injection when almost 3,000 Vale employees go back to work, but there are two unknowns that
will come to bear in the equation, says the executive director of the Sudbury Area Mining Supply and Service Association.
"If you go from $200 a week to $1,200 a week, that's more than four-and-a-half times what will go into our economy," said Dick DeStefano, offering his
personal thoughts on the end of the almost one year-old strike Friday.
"But my big concern, on behalf of the miners, is the debt load. It's going to be interesting to see."
DeStefano estimates that anywhere from 250 to 400 miners could take the enriched early retirement offer package which, while helping to cushion any possible
layoffs (113 positions have been declare excess), will also see the group shift from a high-paying mining job to a pension of $30,000 until retirement at age
65.
"I would think we are probably going to see a defined workforce of about 2,300 direct mining jobs," he said. "You are going to find out in two months what the
exact number of employees will be."
All striking employees will be getting a $2,000 bonus whether they return to work or retire.
Millions of dollars in salaries that would have been spent in the local economy were lost in the strike that last almost a year.
Now that the strike is over, DeStefano said his association's membership is hoping Vale goes on a big spending spree as it moves back to full production.
"Everybody is very positive," he said. "The feeling is there will be a surge in replenishment of mine supplies for the first three months to Christmas, then probably a levelling off."
DeStefano added that while the average hourly wage for Vale employees is about $31/hour, that doesn't include things such as performance and production bonuses. That's why annual incomes can end up being $75,000-80,000, even hitting as high as $100,000.
Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce chairman Andre Dumais said the ending of the Vale strike will boost the city's economy.
"Definitely," he said. "It will be fairly significant, going back to high-paying wages."
Dumais added that maintenance and other projects at Vale that have been put on hold due to the labour dispute can now move forward, putting other people to work as well.
"I don't have any specific numbers to work with, but all projects will be moving forward presumably," he said.
As well, people who do contract and consulting work will also be able to land work opportunities with the mining company, said the chamber chairman.
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NEW CHAMBER OFFICERS July 3, 2010
The Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce has a new slate of officers for 2010/2011. Andre Dumais, manager of
corporate services with BESTECH, is the new chair of the board. Julie Denomme, president and executive coach of Lasting Leadership,
is first vice-chair. Mark Weiman, a partner with Collins Barrows, is second vice-chair. Mike Gribbons, president of Synergy Controls Inc., was named treasurer.
Debbi Nicholson, president and chief executive officer of the chamber, is an ex-official member of the chamber's executive committee.
The chamber has a strong executive council and board with a wealth of business experience, said Nicholson.
"The chamber is well-positioned as Greater Sudbury's voice of business and we look forward to working on behalf of our members in helping to create an atmosphere
that fosters economic growth," Nicholson said in a written statement.
The chamber's chair and board of directors will be sworn in July 5 by Judge William Fitzgerald.
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BESTECH HELPS MINERS MEET EMISSION REGULATIONS June 16, 2010
Sudbury Mining Solutions Journal
Sudbury-based BESTECH's Air Quality Monitoring System was recently purchased by the Iron Ore Company of Canada and will be commissioned in June
at its Labrador City operations.
"We will be providing a turnkey AQM solution," BESTECH's technical support division manager Pat Dubreuil said.
The AQM System has had a track record of monitoring SO2 emissions for Vale Inco and Xstrata Nickel since 2005. It is the largest SO2 monitoring network operating in
Canada with 17 active monitoring sites, two meteorological stations and one SO2 mobile unit operating in Sudbury.
BESTECH's role is a third-party collector, monitor and reporter of company emissions data. The fixed stations collect ambient SO2 concentration data, solar
radiation, surface and air temperatures at various elevations and the speed and direction of the wind. This information is delivered consistently through a
Web-based platform to the Ministry of Environment and the mining companies.
Vale Inco's environment air manager, Frank Javor, said that using BESTECH as an independent third-party provides a higher degree of assurance to all stakeholders.
The AQM System provides Xstrata Nickel's smelting operations with real-time data, which allows the company to react and adjust production levels, ensuring
legislative emission compliance. Data from the AQM System is fed directly into Xstrata's smelter SO2 modelling systems. This allows the company to accurately
predict its emission levels.
"The ability to rely on the real-time data and know that it's accurate, reliable and that we can increase or reduce output at different times of the day's production is very valuable," said Xstrata's environment superintendent Marc Butler.
A solid-state PLC collection solution makes the system durable to power interruptions and fluctuations. It also has multi-level security access and several data redundancy levels to provide 98 per cent data collection and retrieval 24/7.
It can channel data through cable Ethernet, wireless, dial up or RFH networks managed by BESTECH servers. All data is archived using three types of recording media. If a company exceeds an emission level, the AQM System can alert stakeholders instantly via email, telephone or Short Message Service (texting).
In addition to mine smelter sites, municipalities operating waste disposal facilities are interested in the AQM System, which can also track data collection for waste water meter flows, piezometer fluctuations and land and geophysics data.
This system also plays a role with another BESTECH energy management system that helps collect and report air quality data within mines for ventilation-on-demand, another energy-saving product that is being developed for mines to reduce operating costs.
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SUDBURY BUSINESSMAN TAKES HOME AWARD June 15, 2010
By Sudbury Northern Life Staff
Adam Tonnos, sales manager at the Sudbury-based BESTECH, has been recognized on the national stage, having been awarded the Canadian Institute of
Mining, Metallurgy, and Petroleum (CIM)'s prestigious Past Presidents' Memorial Medal.
Given out at the CIM's annual conference and exhibition in Vancouver in early May, the award recognizes someone under 45 years of age whose accomplishments set an
outstanding example to young CIM members and youth interested in a career in the minerals industry.
Tonnos joined CIM in 2003, becoming the organization's youngest member. He has since participated in a number of boards and committees at the local and national
levels.
He now serves as chair of the CIM Sudbury Branch, and is assisting with the organization of the Maintenance Engineering and Mine Operators' (MEMO) October 2010
Conference in the city.
Past recipients of the Past Presidents' Memorial Medial include Eira Thomas, executive chairman and director of Stornoway Diamond Corporation, and Anne Marie Toutant,
vice-president of Suncor Energy.
CIM is made up of 11,000 members from across Canada, spread across industry, government and academia and dedicated to the discovery, production, use and economics of
minerals, metals and petroleum.
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VENTILATION-ON-DEMAND PATENT SPARKS CONTRAVERSY June 14, 2010
By Norm Tollinsky
Sudbury Mining Solutions Journal
The patent awarded to Simsmart Technologies for its Optimized Mine Ventilation on Demand (OMVOD) technology has caused an uproar in the mining community in advance of an international symposium on mine ventilation in Sudbury June 13 to 18.
Simsmart, a company based in Brossard, Quebec, has sold its ventilation-on-demand (VOD) system to Xstrata's Nickel Rim South Mine and to Vale Inco's Totten Mine, according to Mark Anderson, Simsmart's director of mining, but other developers of VOD systems are up in arms, fearing the patent, if not successfully challenged, could preclude them from marketing their technology.
Another ventilation-on-demand developer, Sudbury-based BESTECH, is in the process of commissioning its NRG1-ECO system at two mines in the Sudbury area: Vale Inco's Coleman Mine and Xstrata Nickel's Fraser Mine.
"Both companies have technologies that provide value for our clients in terms of reducing their operating costs and improving health and safety, but we do it differently," said Bestech president and CEO Marc Boudreau. "BESTECH didn't invent ventilation-on-demand and neither did Simsmart. The concept of ventilation-on-demand has been around for 15 years. A lot of companies have developed various versions of it."
Boliden and LKAB, two Swedish mining companies, have ventilation-on-demand systems operating in their mines, as do some Finnish and Norwegian mines, said Cheryl Allen, Vale Inco's chief ventilation engineer.
Simsmart president Michel Massé has publicly stated that the patent doesn't cover the general concept of VOD, "but rather a method and system that optimize the air demand calculation and distribution at a minimum operating cost."
Boudreau insists it goes too far, notwithstanding Massé's reassurance, and has filed a request for re-examination of the patent with the Canadian Intellectual Property Office.
"The mining ventilation community is not accepting it," he said. "It's not just BESTECH. I understand they have a sophisticated ventilation simulation-modelling tool. If they want a patent, maybe they can patent that. I don't know."
BESTECH has been developing VOD systems long before Simsmart even realized there was an application for its technology in the underground mining industry. It released the first version of NRG-1 in 2003 and has released several enhancements to the product since then.
Energy Management
"NRG-1 is an energy management system," explained Boudreau. "It controls any energy-consuming device - not just ventilation. That's one of the big differences between our technology and Simsmart's technology. They have a system that models ventilation systems and they attempt to control ventilation systems with their model, whereas we have a system that controls any type of asset, including pumps, compressors and material handling systems."
The first release of NRG-1 was a scheduler. Version 2, however, allowed for ventilation control in real-time and dynamically by event, such as a loader entering a zone or a deficiency in air quality.
BESTECH's newest version, called NRG1-ECO, includes "a whole architecture underground with hardware and a very elegant 3-D interface," said Boudreau.
The deployment of NRG1-ECO at Coleman and Fraser mines is part of a $4.5 million proof of concept project called the Mines Emission Reduction Initiative (MERI) funded by Vale Inco, Xstrata Nickel, the Centre for Excellence in Mining and the Sustainable Development Technology Corporation (SDTC), a foundation created by the Canadian government to support the development and demonstration of clean technologies.
The $1.4 million allocation by the SDTC was awarded in 2006 to Quebec-based Green Canal Holdings, a developer of energy-efficient technologies, but it had a hard time putting together a consortium of technology partners and mining companies as required. It first attempted to work with Delta Remote Control Systems of Norway, then connected with Simsmart, which until then had focused primarily on training, simulation and tracking systems for the naval military sector and the U.S. Navy in particular.
Xstrata came to the table at that point, following which Simsmart opted to terminate its relationship with Green Canal and work directly with Xstrata in Sudbury. Left with $1.4 million in approved funding, but no partners, Green Canal connected with BESTECH, which had no trouble establishing a consortium and getting commitments of several million dollars for a proof of concept deployment of NRG1-ECO.
BESTECH's technology has been installed on one level at both Fraser and Coleman. At Vale Inco's Coleman Mine, however, the plan is to extend the system to five other levels "once we get it up and running and they're happy with it," said Boudreau.
$8.5 million CAF study
A concurrent $8.5 million CEMI-led ventilation-on-demand study funded to the tune of $4.25 million by the federal government's Community Adjustment Fund (CAF) with matching dollars from industry, "will install, test and measure the efficacy of novel ventilation-on-demand technologies to decrease energy costs and increase productivity," according to CEMI's 2009 annual report.
Solution team members for the CAF study include BESTECH, Vale Inco, Xstrata Nickel, CANMET/Natural Resources Canada and the Canadian Mining Innovation Council.
Approved in August 2009 as part of a two-year, $1 billion economic stimulus initiative to address the short-term needs of Canadian communities impacted by the global recession, the CAF project will study the impact of mobile equipment emissions and ventilation-on-demand on underground air quality. One objective, said Boudreau, is to set the stage for a re-examination of provincial government regulations that dictate ventilation requirements.
Currently, the regulations are based on engine size, whether the vehicles are running or not and regardless of the type of fuel or diesel particulate emissions released.
"We're hoping to get to a quality of air model that will hopefully be able to reduce the amount of ventilation that's required," said Boudreau. "To have a chance of changing those regulations, we need to have a much broader base of information from the mine, correlated to what's in the zones and to the activities in the zone. We also want to know how quickly the ventilation changes the air quality when it comes on."
The growing interest in ventilation-on-demand by the mining industry isn't surprising, considering that between 40 and 60 per cent of an underground mine's energy costs are related to ventilation.
Savings
At Xstrata's Nickel Rim South Mine, according to Simsmart's Andersen, "energy savings from ventilation-on-demand will be about 59 per cent, or $2.5 million per year, so we're looking at paybacks of not much more than a year or a year and a half."
At Xstrata Copper's Kidd Mine in Timmins, he added, "the ventilation energy bill is $20 million a year."
With ventilation-on-demand technology, said Andersen, Xstrata "can redirect air that's available to where it's required as opposed to mass ventilating a mine." Furthermore, as a mine goes deeper and wider, it may not be necessary to spend money to boost ventilation capacity.
Both the BESTECH and Simsmart systems are designed to control ventilation automatically by tracking personnel and the location and operating status of underground mobile equipment using RFID tags and tag readers.
Neither system, however, has been fully deployed and tested, and claims related to energy savings have yet to be validated.
If Simsmart's patent stands, there are concerns that costs will go up and development of the technology will suffer.
"This isn't about BESTECH or Simsmart or any other manufacturer of ventilation-on-demand type technology," said Boudreau. "It's the mining industry
that has to win here. They have to have the flexibility to select a solution that's best for them."
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NATIONAL CANADIAN INSTITUTE OF MINING MEMORIAL MEDAL AWARDED TO BESTECH SALES MANAGER June 3, 2010
The Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM), held their annual Conference and Exhibition in Vancouver, BC. in May of this year. CIM is the leading technical society of professionals associated with the Canadian minerals and materials industry and includes a membership of 11,000 proactive thinkers and innovators from industry, government and academia who are dedicated to the discovery, production, utilization and economics of minerals, metals and petroleum. Every year CIM awards the industry’s most notable with its prestigious Medals of Honor.
CIM’s prestigious Past Presidents’ Memorial Medal was awarded to BESTECH’s Sales Manager Adam Tonnos this year. The Past Presidents’ Memorial Medal is presented to a member under 45 years of age, who, by his or her accomplishments has set an outstanding example to young members of the Institute and to young men and women contemplating a career in the minerals industry. Past recipients of this award include Eira Thomas, the Executive Chairman and a Director of Stornoway Diamond Corporation and Anne Marie Toutant, Vice President of Suncor Energy.
“I am honored to be acknowledged for work with CIM and I am proud that the industry shows its appreciation for people willing to contribute to enhancing the mining, metals and oil industries through volunteering,” said Adam Tonnos.
CIM Past Presidents William E. Stanley (right) and Michael J. Allan (left) presenting the CIM Award to BESTECH Sales Manager Adam Tonnos (middle). Photographer: Normand Huberdeau
“BESTECH is very proud of Adam’s accomplishments and his recognition with CIM. Adam exemplifies the BESTECH culture of excellence, continuous improvement, and community involvement,” says Marc Boudreau, CEO of BESTECH a leader in engineering, automation, information technology / information services and environmental monitoring firm in Sudbury.
Adam joined the CIM in 2003. At that time, he was the organization’s youngest member. John Sagman, Senior Project Manager, Vale Inco Ltd, indicates, “The sourcing of 10 CIM members to authorize the nomination form was very quick since all of us recognized his dedication to the CIM and the mining industry. When Adam initially joined the Executive Committee he immediately became involved in all aspects of the local CIM from Accounting to the Social Committee and then with the Maintenance Engineering and Operators Conference. Throughout this process he constantly encouraged young men and women to pursue the benefits of being involved with the CIM at both a local and national level. It is great to see some of these young men and women now volunteering their time on our various committees.”
Adam has recently taken on the role of Chair of the CIM Sudbury Branch and has participated at the local and national levels. He is active in leading the social media committee and is presently assisting in the organizing of the Maintenance Engineering and Mine Operators’(MEMO) October 2010 Conference in Sudbury.
For more information on Adam Tonnos’ award please click here,or for the complete 2010 CIM award winners list, please click here.
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CIM VANCOUVER - PRACTICAL VENTILATION CONTROL IMPLEMENTATION PRESENTATION May 7, 2010
BESTECH would like to invite you to visit us at our booth #1401 at the 2010 CIM Conference and Exhibition in Vancouver, BC from May 9th to May 12th.
Speak with our experts on how you can save your mine millions of dollars with our latest mine-wide energy management solution: NRG1-ECO. Attend our presentation on Practical Ventilation Control Implementation on Wednesday, May 12th in Room 118.
Think you might miss our Practical Ventilation Control Implementation presentation? Click here and we will send you a video of the presentation.
Click here to get more information on NRG1-ECO.
Located in Sudbury, Ontario, BESTECH was created to address the need for a group dedicated to system integration and industrial automation. The company has established a solid reputation in the world of engineering, information technology / information services and environmental monitoring. Its philosophy revolves around delivering QUALITY services and INNOVATIVE products - on time, on budget and on spec.
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A CONSORTIUM, NEW CONSTRUCTION AND AN EXPANSION IN MEXICO: BESTECH CONTINUES TO GROW March 29, 2010
From its headquarters on Lorne Street, BESTECH provides world-class products, services and ongoing support in order to meet the needs of individual clients from a diverse range of industries.
Leading the way to energy savings
Bringing its fresh and innovative approach to industry concerns, BESTECH is currently leading an international consortium to develop new technologies
designed to make the most efficient use of energy consumption.
This group, comprised of Vale Inco, Xstrata Nickel and the Centre for Excellence in Mining Innovation (CEMI), along with BESTECH, has developed new
innovative technologies that are being assessed at two local mine sites to demonstrate its conceptual ideas, according to André Dumais, Manager,
Corporate Services. The project is funded by Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC), an arm’s-length, not-for-profit corporation created by the
Government of Canada.
Dumais says since ventilation can be up to 60% of a mine’s energy consumption, it’s the group’s targeted system.
Through a process called “Ventilation-On-Demand (VOD),” tracking systems, environmental monitoring systems, ventilation modeling, and sophisticated
computer programming are used to determine what areas of a mine should receive ventilation based on requirements and demand.
This project, up and running by the spring, is targeted to end September 2010. The idea is to analyze our successes for six months, in order to collect
enough data to demonstrate what energy savings can be gained through the installation of the VOD system.
Offering end-to-end solutions for clients
Dumais is confident that the customers will benefit ten- fold by having one solution provider and reducing the communication and work flow challenges that occur with multiple contractors. The option to provide this service came as a result of the recession from last year and a demand from our existing clients. Now, communication barriers are eliminated, since the person who designed the system is working two cubicles away from the person who’s installing it. |
Electrial Shop: (left to right) Paul Horlings, Jim Pilon, Guy Faubert, Glen Dagenais, Doug Sarvas and Justin Charbonneau. |
“The idea is that we can offer an end-to-end solution to our clients,” he says, adding this capability also provides a savings for the client.
Traditionally in this type of business, you would hire one firm to do the design and engineering. That project ends and a couple of weeks are spent
putting together a scope of work, and they go out to tender for construction. They stop that project and go out to tender again for the installation.
Nine people have been hired for the new service, according to Dumais, including highly experienced electricians, electrical apprentices, superintendents,
and foremen.
A reason to celebrate
February marked the first anniversary of the opening of BESTECH’s third office, located in Timmins. Currently managed by the firm’s Sudbury group, a local
manager is being hired to focus on that office.
Dumais says BESTECH has a lot of opportunities for growth and expansion of its workforce. Therefore, the company is looking into other geographical
markets.
Untapped resources in Mexico
“We are currently developing a business plan to open an office in Mexico to service a brilliant, yet under-serviced market,” says Dumais.
The firm`s market research shows a big demand for its types of expertise in the Latin-American country, and Dumais says clients are very open to them
coming in.
“BESTECH has already secured some very substantial contracts.”
This new office will use both local and Sudbury talent. For instance, project managers and project leaders from Sudbury would be seconded to the Mexico
office for a few weeks at a time to develop the expertise needed there.
Additionally, BESTECH will hire engineers, developers and programmers from Mexico, since the country graduates about 900,000 engineers and technicians each
year, according to Dumais.
A Recognized Leader in Economic Development
Honouring individuals, this award is shared by Marc Boudreau, CEO and president, and Denis Pitre, vice president - two local engineers who founded BESTECH in 1995.
This award comes on the heels of another recent win: the Best Place to Work for Young Professionals Award, in November 2009, from the local Young Professionals Association.
In summing up this latest award, Dumais says, "In |
Holding Community Builders Award for Ecomonic Development: Marc Boudreau (President & CEO) and Amy Fortier (Marketing Coordinator). |
a nutshell, it went from two guys with a vision, to now supporting 80 local families.”
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OUTLOOK: CHAMBER'S MANDATE TO SERVE LOCAL BUSINESSES March 29, 2010
Andre Dumais is first vice-chairman of the Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce.
1. Has the chamber membership fallen over the last 18 months because of the recession?
"It hasn't actually...We have hit all of our targets for new client acquisition. As a matter of fact, at the beginning, when the recession first hit, the board of directors approved an increase in our KPI -- Key Performance Indicator -- based on our retention rate. We expected a decrease in our retention rate. As a matter of fact, although it has gone down a little, it has not gone down as drastically as we expected. It's 5%. We have a little over a thousand members right now."
2. Does the chamber have any big plans or projects on the go in 2010?
"The major plan we have for 2010 is our renewing of our strategic plan. The development of our new strategic plan should be getting underway in the coming months. The plan will take us over the next three to five years."
3. It started July 13. How deep an impact do you think the Vale Inco/Local 6500 strike has had an impact on the city's business community?
"The impact of the strike really depends on the nature of the industry. Obviously, it has had an impact on the local (mining) service and supply sector, but the impact on the retail, commercial sector has been relatively minimal. Now, the feedback we are getting is that people are still doing rather well. Whether that is in proportion to what they expected the strike to have an impact on, or whether it's an absolute, by all accounts commerce and industry are still moving forward at a good pace."
4. Several thousand jobs have been lost in the local mining and mining supply and services sector over the past 18 months. How can the city make up that lost income and spending?
"Attracting new businesses is always something that is a mandate of the chamber and should be a mandate of the city's development corporation, but I don't think that I'm convinced that there has been significant loss in spending. There have probably been a few exceptions of people who work specifically for the mining sector, and, even at that, most employers involved in the service and supply sector are doing okay unless their primary client is Vale Inco. I think it's important to note that. A lot of these job losses are as a result of people who have had all of their eggs in one basket. Once that basket starts to improve again, I think it will start to replenish ... Quite frankly, it's given us an opportunity to streamline. It's really encouraged a lot of companies like ours, in particular, to expand, to look outside, and stop the reliance on the city. There are a lot of companies that are taking their business international. SAMSSA (the Sudbury Area Mining Supply and Service Association) has done a great job in encouraging people to do that."
5. Will the city finally land some kind of large manufacturing plant?
"I would love to think so, but I don't know of any that are in the works or anything that is coming down the pipe from anywhere. The chamber would be more than happy to work with the city on it. We have struck a task force, a Red Tape task force, at the chamber to help work with the city to identify some of the areas where there might be some red tape, some obstacles to discourage new businesses from coming to town. We're hoping to work with the city to streamline some of those processes."
6. Is Greater Sudbury destined to become another Elliot Lake: a city of retirees?
"Absolutely not. Sudbury has diversified well beyond mining. The Vale Inco strike has dragged on for eight months and you don't see a lot of businesses looking to close. As for getting older, I don't think so. I think that the efforts that have been done by the city and a lot of our employers are repatriating and encouraging people to stick around. I look at our workforce (at BESTECH) and our average age is probably well under 30. At least in my organizaton, it's not very old. I don't think so."
7. Will the development of the new SmartCentre in the south end, which includes the new Walmart, impact on the New Sudbury area? The downtown?
"I'm not an expert in retail, but my first instinct is that the SmartCentre in the south end should not impact on New Sudbury. If anything, it's going to ease some of the traffic through the centre of the core of the city. Now, the people in the south end are going to start having options rather than having to go to New Sudbury. The population in New Sudbury is more than sufficient to sustain the shopping that's out there. As for the downtown, it's very niche, very specific boutique, they cater to a special group of people. That's been their business plan for a number of years - different types of restaurants, different types of stores. I don't think they are in direct competition."
8. Do you think the proposed Northern Ontario School of Architecture will become a reality in 2010? Where could it be located?
"2010, I think, might be a little ambitious to actually have bricks and mortar. I know that the university has a plan for temporary locations, sort of get the classes running before they start the development. I think it's a couple of years before we actually start to welcome it. I have seen a couple of different options. It's my personal opinion, not that of the chamber, if it's going to be a school of architecture, it really should reflect an architectural theme of some sort. It should be something that is recognizable and distinct in the city. It wouldn't work in an office building with square walls."
9. Will the downtown rail lands finally be transformed into something else?
"I think it's inevitable and it will happen, but I don't see it happening in the short term. That land is still too precious to the rail companies. It would be a great opportunity for a bridge from the downtown to the rest of the city."
10. Has the opening of that first 20-kilometre section of four-laned Highway 69 South made a difference yet on the city's business sector?
"I can't say that it's had an effect on the business sector yet. Having driven it personally, it's obviously safer and it shaves a few minutes off the trip. But, until the whole thing is complete, I don't think we will see an impact on business."
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Adapting to challenges, developing new products, and finding new markets have been the keys to BESTECH’s success
By: Sudbury Northern Life Staff
Editor’s Note: BESTECH was the recipient of a Community Builders Award of Excellence for Economic Development. The award was presented at a gala event Feb. 18, hosted by Laurentian Media, parent company of Northern Life. To read more inspiring stories about this year’s winners, go to www.cbawards.ca.
“We expect 100 per cent growth over the next five years,” Boudreau, president and CEO of the company, said. BESTECH specializes in
industrial automation, engineering, information technology / information services, power systems and environmental monitoring.
Only a year ago, Boudreau and Pitre, vice-president and chief technical officer, were making difficult decisions about how to survive the worst downturn in
the economy since the Depression. It was the first major curveball they had to dodge since they quit their jobs at Falconbridge Ltd. in 1995 to start their
own industrial automation company.
Adapting to challenges, developing new products, and finding new markets have been the keys to the success of BESTECH. Its strength is the numerous
services (10 divisions) it offers for clients in diverse industries, such as mining, pulp and paper, forestry, oil and gas, automotive, manufacturing,
insurance, and the public sector.
Boudreau and Pitre’s goals in 2009 “were to keep the team together, diversify to create new business, and come out of the recession even
stronger than before ... BESTECH has received several new large contracts, expanded to new markets, and new employees are being hired to meet client
demand,” Amy Fortier, marketing co-ordinator, said.
BESTECH employs 70 people: engineers, software designers, automation specialists, project managers and support staff. Boudreau and Pitre credit their
“amazing staff and managers” for their success.
In 2009, BESTECH opened a branch office in Timmins, and there is a sales office in Toronto. The doors will soon open to its new Electrical Construction
Shop in Sudbury, and plans are in the works to open an office in Mexico. BESTECH’s flagship office is located on Lorne Street.
BESTECH has won numerous awards including The Best Place to Work Award, 2009 (Young Professionals Association); Company of the Year, 2008 (Greater
Sudbury Chamber of Commerce Business Excellence Awards ); Innovation Award, 2000 (Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce Business Excellence Awards); and
The Innovation Award, 2000 (Northern Ontario Business Awards).
Boudreau is the current president of the Sudbury Area Mining Supply and Service Association (SAMSSA) and a director with MIRARCO. Pitre is the president
of the Sudbury Sprinters Speed Skating Club. Community involvement is something they encourage among their employees. BESTECH won the 2005 Make It Real
Award for community involvement. Employees participate in the Easter Seals street hockey for tournament, and they support organizations such as the
Arthritis Society, the Canadian Cancer Society Relay for Life, United Way Centraide Sudbury, and the Sudbury Food Bank.
Boudreau and Pitre, both 44, grew up on the same street in Hanmer and have been friends since before kindergarten. They kept in touch in high school, but
“it’s a fluke that we ended up in the same place, at the same time, doing the same thing,” Pitre said. “We never talked about being engineers....we took
the same courses and everything without talking to each other.”
Pitre didn’t expect to come back to Sudbury when he graduated from engineering, but soon found himself working at Falconbridge with his best friend. They
talked about starting their own consulting business for several years before taking the leap shortly before their 30th birthdays.
They say they don’t always agree, but they’ve never had an argument. “We have a culture based in trust,” Boudreau said. Pitre adds: “We don’t sweat the
small stuff.”
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HONOURING OUR COMMUNITY BUILDERSMarch 2, 2010
By: Sudbury Northern Life Staff
Denis Pitre (Vice President & CTO) and Marc Boudreau (President & CEO)
Winners of this year’s Community Builders Awards expressed amazement and emotion at being recognized for their service to
their community.
“I was really surprised,” Oryst Sawchuk said. “I want to thank Narasim Katary for initiating this nomination.”
Sawchuk, who won the arts award, is a local artist, sculptor, and architect. He participates in many community committees and organizations. His award was
sponsored by GijimaAst.
Marc Boudreau and Denis Pitre accepted the economic development award for Bestech, a member of the local mining supply and service
cluster of industries (SAMSSA).
“We contribute to helping to diversify the economy of this city. That makes it sustainable,” Boudreau said upon accepting the award. He is president of the
company.
Boudreau is also current president of SAMSSA, and is a director with MIRARCO, a research organization associated with Laurentian University. Ontrak Control
Systems sponsored the award.
Retired teacher Anna Maria Barsanti was presented with the education award.
“I am humbled,” Barsanti said. She was noted by the judges for her taking-to-heart the credo that it takes a whole village to raise a child. Jean Hanson,
director of the Rainbow District School Board applauded her dedication to teaching over her career. Vale Inco was the sponsor of her award.
Winner of the environmental award was the Cooperative Freshwater Ecology Unit. They are a group of local researchers, affiliated with Laurentian
University, who for 20 years have been researching the ability of local lakes to bounce back after being subject to pollution.
Accepting the award were scientists Dr. John Gunn, Bill Keller and Tom Johnston. The award was sponsored by Sandvik.
“The natural resources of this community, our lakes, are as important to this community as are the nickel resources,” Gunn said.
Léo Therrien was recipient of the health care award. He is executive director of the Maison Vale Inco Hospice, which houses the terminally ill.
“(The hospice) is all about kindness and compassion,” Therrien noted. McQueen’s Furniture was the sponsor of the award.
Chris Gore, Greater Sudbury manager of community partnerships, accepted the sport and recreation Community Builders Award, sponsored by Akfit Fitness
Super Store. He has been responsible for championing Adanac Ski Hill, Rainbow Routes Association’s trail building efforts, the revitalization of the
Laurentian track and the James Jerome Sports Complex. He noted the contribution of his family, including his mother, who was present for his success.
Candice Kirkbride won the young leader award, sponsored by Fortin Foundation.
When she was 15, she was hit by an impaired driver and suffered brain damage as a result. Despite this severe injury she has bounced back and gives talks
to local schools about the perils of drinking and driving.
“I am so grateful,” she said.
Businessman Risto Laamanen, who died six months ago, was given the hall of fame award. His children accepted the award, sponsored by Mining Technologies
International.
“He was such a humble person,” Kris, his son, said. “I once asked him how he could find the time to participate in so many committees apart from his
business. He said he did it because it was important.”
For more information about the Community Builder Awards and the winners in each category, go to www.cbawards.ca.
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ACTION BASE SELECTED AS A FINALIST FOR STRATEGICRISK AWARDS 2010 February 23, 2010
ActionBase, a pioneer in Human Process Management Solutions (HPMS), today announced its product, Audit.Tracker, was named as a finalist for the StrategicRISK Awards 2010 in the Risk Management Product of the Year category. The award winners will be announced on April 22, 2010, in London, to recognize and reward risk management achievement across Europe.
BESTECH would like to congratulate their partner ActionBase in this prestigious nomination.
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COMMUNITY BUILDERS HONOURED AT AWARDS CELEBRATIONFebruary 22, 2010
By Bill Bradley
The winners for this year's Community Builder Awards are, (front row, from left) Candice Kirkbride, Sara Laamanen, Karli Laamanen, Melissa Laamanen, Kris Laamanen and Chris Gore. (Back row, from left) Anna Maria Barsanti, Dr. John Gunn, Léo Therrien, Denis Pitre, Oryst Sawchuck, Bill Keller, Marc Boudreau and Tom Johnston. Photo By Marg Seregelyi.
On Feb. 18, hundreds of community members gathered at the Radisson Hotel to honour those who go above and beyond to help Greater Sudbury's communities.
The annual Community Builder Awards are about building Greater Sudbury, a theme shared not only by award sponsors Laurentian Media, parent company of Northern Life, but others who spoke at the event.
“Our motto in this city is 'Let Us Build Together,'” Mayor John Rodriguez said, in his opening speech.
He said those who win these awards each year are "those who steer by the stars in the darkest nights.
“Over the past seven years the Community Builders Awards have been the mechanism for recognizing those who have created positive change in our community.”
Awards in seven categories are presented during the Community Builders ceremony: arts, economic development, environment, education, health care, sports and recreation, young leader and hall of fame. Winners in each category are selected by a panel of judges. This year the judges were Dana Jennings, David Courtemanche, David Robinson, Doug Nadorozny, Dr. Mike Staffen, Norm Lavallee, Paddy O'Sullivan and Stephen Monet.
Rodriguez gave credit to the president of Laurentian Media the creator of the awards, Michael Atkins. "Michael Atkins is the ultimate community builder.”
Winners of the awards this year are Oryst Sawchuk (arts), Bestech (economic development), Cooperative Freshwater Ecology Unit (environment), Anna Maria Barsanti (education), Leo Thérrien (health care), Chris Gore (sports and recreation), Candice Kirkbride (young leader), and Risto Laamanen (hall of fame).
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BESTECH CELEBRATES FIRST ANNIVERSARY IN TIMMINS February 16, 2010
February, 2010 marked a significant milestone in BESTECH’s history, as they celebrated their first anniversary in Timmins.
BESTECH, a Northern-Ontario firm specializing in numerous industrial services and innovative products opened the office to provide superior service to their Timmins clients. “We have a history of strong relationships with a number of Timmins companies and saw an opportunity to further meet the needs of our clients,” explains Andre Dumais, Manager of Corporate Services for BESTECH.
Recent closure announcements have not deterred BESTECH from its commitment to the community. “There are enormous opportunities in Timmins. Gold mines are still booming and exploration efforts are ongoing. The renewed interest in nickel is also encouraging,” said Dumais.
The Timmins office focuses on building and developing relationships with clients in the area. BESTECH has recently hired a new office manager and plans on growing the Timmins team. “Timmins is ideally suited to our diversified approach of supporting clients” continued Dumais, “We have made significant in-roads in industries other than mining. We are developing strong relationships with the post-secondary institutions.” BESTECH’s software development services are applicable to a large number of sectors.
The BESTECH team is stronger than ever, proudly celebrating their continued success and look forward to the future of new opportunities and further expansion.
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BESTECH PRESIDENT AND CEO APPOINTED AS NEW SAMSSA PRESIDENT December 23, 2009
SAMSSA members gathered at the Howard Johnson Hotel on December 9th, 2009 for the annual general meeting where Marc Boudreau, BESTECH’s President and CEO was appointed as the association’s new President.
Formally in the role of Treasurer, Marc Boudreau will be replacing former President Jeff Fuller of Fuller Industrial for a two year term. Boudreau is happy about his new role and extremely excited to put his ideas and plans into place.
Marc Boudreau, SAMSSA's New President
As new President, Boudreau plans on developing and leveraging working relationships between members. He believes Northern Ontario has a multitude of strengths that are valuable in the global delivery of members’ services and products.
“First, the use of “Sudbury” in our association’s name is a strategy that is meant to leverage the global recognition of the name and is not meant to exclude other great Northern Ontario centers. Secondly, as suppliers, we are an integral part of the value chain that helps our industrial clients succeed in their business objectives. We need to proactively work with clients that have a global reach in order to succeed in our mandate of expanding to worldwide markets. Thirdly, we need to work with all levels of government and take advantage of their business development programs and initiatives. Lastly, we must also understand the role we play in bringing to market the great research and intellectual property that is developed within our colleges, universities, and centers of excellence,” says Boudreau. His personal goal is to help support members by leveraging these strengths. Assisting SAMSSA members and furthering his understanding, Boudreau has also joined MIRARCO ’s (Laurentian University) board of directors and is actively working with CEMI to execute key projects and marketing activities.
SAMSSA’s mission is to “provide the most innovative and highest quality mining supply/products/services for domestic and worldwide markets.” For more information on SAMSSA and its activities, please go to www.samssa.ca.
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BESTECH EMPLOYEES REWARDED FOR THEIR DEDICATION December 8, 2009
During the bi-annual staff meeting on November 26, 2009, five BESTECH employees were rewarded for their dedication, hard-work and loyalty to BESTECH.
André Dumais, Mark Peters, Gilles Valade, Terry Jansen and Edgar Lajambe.
André Dumais (Manager, Corporate Services), Mark Peters (Electrical, P.Eng.), Gilles Valade (Computer, P.Eng.), Terry Jansen (Engineering Supervisor, P.Eng.) and Edgar Lajambe (Project Manager & Senior Electrical Specialist) were each presented with BESTECH’s Five Year Award recognizing their continued devotion to the company.
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BESTECH EMPLOYEES DONATE TO THE SUDBURY FOOD BANK December 1, 2009
BESTECH employees once again demonstrated their dedication to the community by presenting a cheque for $725.00 to the Sudbury Food Bank during the bi-annual BESTECH staff meeting on November 26, 2009.
Employees raised the money through weekly BBQs during the summer months and a competitive hockey pool. All profits from these employee organized events were donated to this year’s charity of choice: the Sudbury Food Bank.
Daniel Xilon (Sudbury Food Bank), Paul Huffels (BESTECH) & Bernie Lafreniere (BESTECH)
Bank. Mr. Xilon accepted the cheque and made a presentation to employees on how they can help get involved with the Sudbury Food Bank. Non-perishable food items were also collected by staff and donated to the Sudbury Food Bank.
For more information on the Sudbury Food Bank, please visit their website at www.sudburyfoodbank.ca.
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BESTECH WINS YPA'S BEST PLACE TO WORK AWARDNovember 17, 2009
On November 13, 2009, BESTECH was recognized for its outstanding commitment and dedication to young professionals by winning Sudbury’s Young Professionals Association’s Best Place to Work Award.
André Dumais, Manager of Corporate Services and Amy Fortier, Marketing Coordinator and also a YPA member, accepted the award sponsored by the Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce at the YPA Award Gala at the Howard Johnson Hotel.
André Dumais (BESTECH), Jonathan Laderoute (Chamber of Commerce) & Amy Fortier (BESTECH)
With more than half of BESTECH employees under the age of 35, BESTECH is definitely an attractive employer for young professionals. “We are thrilled to be recognized as the YPA’s 2009 Best Place to Work,” said Amy Fortier. “BESTECH is truly a great place to work. We have an excellent team environment, competitive salaries, strong community involvement, multiple opportunities for professional and personal development and advancement, numerous events and benefits, including a company gym… who wouldn’t want to work here!"
The Young Professionals Association (YPA) of Sudbury is an organization for young professionals between the ages of 20 to 35 years looking to network and build relationships with their peers. For more information please visit www.ypasudbury.ca.
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POWER PLAY EXCEEDS FUNDRAISING GOALOctober 19, 2009
BESTECH is proud to announce that this year’s Easter Seals Power Play was a true success by exceeding this year’s goal and raising $20,735.00 for Easter Seals Kids!
On September 19th, 2009, 16 teams faced-off in a 4-on-4 ball hockey tournament in the Don Cherry’s parking lot. As the main sponsor, BESTECH supported the event not only financially but also by donating prizes and entering a team of their own.
BESTECH Power Play Team.
Left to Right: Paul Huffels, Mark Peters, Tilak Wickramasinghe, Andrew Schinkel, Edgar Lajambe & Bernie Lafreniere.
The BESTECH employee hockey team enjoyed a great day of hockey and raised a total of $1,243.00. Edgar Lajambe, a long time employee with BESTECH was this year’s 2nd top fundraiser with a total of $653.00.
The money raised in the Power Play will help support Easter Seals Kids in the Sudbury community.
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ACTIONBASE - BESTECH, REMOVING INFORMATION OVERLOADOctober 2, 2009
BESTECH, is continually trying to position itself in order to meet the changing needs of its client base. One of the needs right now is trying to manage emails and document notes that swamp most email or Microsoft Office users. Those notes, documents and emails are usually part of processes that require follow up and tracking. A partnership has been formed with ActionBase who offers a Human Process Management solution to meet this challenge and we are proud to be representing ActionBase in North and South America. The ActionBase solution integrates with the applications you are already accustomed to using such as MS Outlook and MS Word. It lets you assign tasks, track progress of your processes and report on overall statistics without having the overhead of another stand alone application. There are specific solutions for several human processes such as Audit.Tracker, Decision.Tracker and Action.Tracker that will empower you to fast track an already streamlined integration process to have you up and running with ActionBase in less than 1 week. Stop searching through endless emails and document versions for that task you had delegated or committed to doing. Let BESTECH and ActionBase be your gateway to a new level of productivity and effectiveness. Call BESTECH today at 1-877-675-7720 x 208, we look forward to working with you.
About BESTECH
BESTECH is an engineering and technology company providing a unique combination of services and products to help our clients operate in cost- and time-effective
ways. We service clients in North and South America and have channel partners throughout Latin America. BESTECH is headquartered in Ontario, Canada.
About ActionBase
ActionBase is a leading provider of Human Process Management Solutions that enable businesses – over 150 Fortune 100 to Fortune 500 organizations worldwide – to
manage their business critical processes. The company supports an ad-hoc and dynamic working environment by providing full visibility and control over unstructured processes that were previously managed via plain documents and
e-mail correspondence. ActionBase works with global IT leaders including BG group, Orange, Texas Instruments and Amdocs, and specializes in complex industries such
as Oil and Gas, Utility and Telecom. The company is headquartered in Israel with offices in the United States and United Kingdom. For more information, please visit www.actionbase.com.
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FULL SPEED AHEAD AT TOTTEN MINESeptember 1, 2009
By Norm Tollinsky
Sudbury Mining Solutions Journal
Vale Inco operations in the Sudbury Basin were idled all summer – first by a production shutdown that was to last from June 1 to July 27, and then by a strike that began July 12th – but 35 kilometres west of Sudbury, the company is moving full speed ahead on its $450 million Totten Mine development project.
Totten, Vale Inco’s first new mine in the Sudbury Basin in 35 years, is on schedule for completion by the second quarter of 2011.
Inco sank two shafts at Totten Mine beginning in 1966, but never did any level development and mothballed the property because of low nickel prices in 1972, said John Sagman, project manager.
The company contracted AMEC’s Vancouver office to build a water treatment plant, pumped out 105 million gallons of water from the mine, demolished all of the surface infrastructure and installed a new hoist and headframe.
“AMEC is known around the world for their expertise with respect to designing water treatment plants,” said Sagman. “It’s a very efficient, state-of-the-art system.”
Once the mine is operational, 95 per cent of the treated water will be recycled for use underground. AMEC’s Sudbury office designed the earthworks.
A new 16.5-foot double drum Davey-Markham hoist has the capacity to lift 3,900 tonnes per 10.5-hour shift. One drum has a 17-tonne skip, the other a 15-tonne skip with an underslung cage.
Raises
Cementation Canada Inc., one of the principal contractors on site, was contracted to rehabilitate the shaft and sink two fresh air raises. An 18-foot diameter raise from 1850 Level to surface is the largest diameter raise bore hole in the Sudbury mining camp, and an eight-foot diameter raise descending 2,750 feet from the 1250 Level is the longest raise bore hole in the company’s history, said Sagman.
Both raises were constructed using the self-steering MICON Rotary-Vertical Drilling System (RVDS) that minimizes deviation in very long drill holes.
“When you’re drilling a long hole, it can wander 150 feet by the time it gets down to the bottom,” said Sagman. “With this technology, you might get eight inches of deviation. You can have $1 million worth of rods in the ground, and if you break them, that’s a lot of money, so you want the hole to be as vertical as possible. One hundred and fifty feet of deviation puts tremendous stress on your rods. The threads can snap on you pretty quick if they’re at a bad angle.”
The RVDS technology has been used before in Canada, but not by Vale Inco, said Sagman.
Lateral development
Cementation will wrap up the shaft rehabilitation work and loading pocket construction by October, at which time lateral development work will commence. Approximately 36,000 feet of lateral development is scheduled to be completed by May 2011.
Another major supplier, ABB, is providing a minewide, standardized power and automation solution, including a 69kV surface substation, switchgear and PLC systems.
According to Sagman, several new technologies are being considered for Totten Mine, including ventilation on demand, a rail-veyor material handling system and a cutting-edge through-the-earth voice and data communication system developed by the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico. Distributed in Sudbury by KPI Industrial, the so-called Vital Alert two-way radio technology has been successfully tested in underground coal mines, but never deployed in hard rock mining operations.
Sagman is planning to test the system at Totten Mine before the end of the year and has engaged Bestech, a Sudbury based system integration and industrial automation company, to study the potential use of the Vital Alert system for other communication applications, including asset tracking and ventilation on demand.
The 2,200-tonne per day operation will create 150 jobs and has a projected mine life of 20 years.
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BESTECH - PROUD 2009 EASTER SEALS POWER PLAY PRESENTING SPONSOR August 18, 2009
SUDBURY, ON – BESTECH is proud to be the presenting sponsor of the 10th Annual Power Play for Easter Seals Kids on Saturday, September 19, 2009 at Don Cherry’s. As the presenting sponsor BESTECH will take on many of the costs associated with such an amazing event. Amy Fortier, Marketing Coordinator for BESTECH and Easter Seals volunteer says, “We invite and are encouraging companies to put together a team and come out for a great day of fun and support Easter Seals Kids.”
With a minimum pledge of $100/person your company will be showcased as a contributer to the community and the lives of Easter Seals Kids.
It’s a fun day with fast action ball hockey and great prizes. Register your team today! Don’t have a team to register? Why not sponsor a rink board for $250.00 or donate a prize(s)?
This 4-on-4 ball hockey tournament is open to anyone 18 years or older who wants to play hard for children with physical disabilities. Teams of six come dressed in team themed costumes to enjoy a complimentary lunch, dinner, great fundraising prizes, skills contests and a great day of ball hockey all in support of Easter Seals Kids. As presenting sponsor of Power Play, BESTECH invites you to join us as we support over 130 children in the community who require financial assistance for mobility and communication devices.
To register your team of six, please call Easter Seals at 566-8858 or email Lisa Lounsbury at llounsbury@easterseals.org and visit www.easterseals.org for more information.
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BESTECH IN SUDBURY, NOT ASSOCIATED WITH "BESTECH ACADEMY"July 16, 2009
SUDBURY, ON – BESTECH, a company specializing in industrial services would like to clarify that they are in no way associated or have any affiliation with the unregistered college named “Bestech Academy” and the news releases that have been recently reported.
“We are in no way associated with the Stoney Creek and St. Catharines Bestech Academy. BESTECH has an excellent reputation; we provide innovative services in engineering, automation, environmental monitoring and information technology / information services. We are also heavily involved with the Sudbury community through charitable organizations and event sponsorships,” said Amy Fortier, Marketing Coordinator for BESTECH.
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BESTECH LAUNCHES NEW WEBSITEJune 29, 2009
BESTECH, Northern Ontario’s leader in industrial services and products, launched a new client-focused website with an easier navigation interface.
The website was re-designed with a cleaner and more modern appearance. The fresh new look showcases BESTECH’s latest innovative services including Business Process Management, Electrical/Instrumentation Construction, Electrical Safety and Power Systems.
BESTECH is continuing to offer the great products (NRG-1, PORTAULS® and AQM) and services they are known for, such as: Automation, Engineering, Environmental, EPCM, Fire Investigations, Six Sigma and Software Development.
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SCIENCE NORTH LAUNCHES EXHIBITJune 3, 2009
By John Lappa
Greater Sudbury residents had a couple of reasons to celebrate National Clean Air Day on Wednesday.
The first was the launch of a new exhibit at Science North that lets visitors view up-to-the-minute air = quality information from 17 different sulphur dioxide monitoring stations across Greater Sudbury.
One of the stations is on top of the science centre.
The second was the release of Clearing the Air, a report on air quality trends in Sudbury from 1998 to 2007. The report was done by Clean Air Sudbury.
"The major finding overall is that we have improved our air quality considerably. We actually have much to celebrate in Sudbury for that," said Laura Mucklow, co-ordinator at Clean Air Sudbury.
"We still have some exceedances of the one-hour criteria for sulphur dioxide. They are fairly infrequent and our analysis showed that it was 0.03 % of the time, but still, there is room for improvement there."
The annual average sulphur dioxide concentrations were about 5.5 parts per billion in 1998. That number had dropped to about 2.5 by 2007.
The report also answers the question: Is Sudbury's air quality better or worse than air quality in southern Ontario. "What this shows is our air quality is better than it is in Toronto, Windsor, Hamilton and other large cities in southern Ontario," Mucklow said. The report is a collection of information from air monitoring stations throughout the city.
"We took that information and then we summarized it into graphs and tables and tried to make it more understandable for the public," Mucklow said. "We want to do these reports because this information is collected and it just goes into these databases and nobody ever sees it." |
Pat Dubreuil, Manager of Technical Support poses in front of BESTECH, Vale Inco and Xstrata's Sulfur Dioxide Monitoring Station located at Science North, Sudbury, ON. |
One of the organization's mandates is to collect this data and put it in a form that can be distributed to the public.
"Air quality contributes to our quality of life," Mucklow added.
The Science North exhibit is centred around one of the sulphur dioxide monitoring stations. It has been at Science North for a number of years.
"It was in a closed-in glass room. It just wasn't very dynamic," said Amy Henson, staff scientist at Science North.
"We've totally renovated the space and built an exhibit to explain the science."
Vale Inco and Xstrata Nickel sponsored the exhibit, along with Bestech. Bestech helps the two mining companies monitor sulphur dioxide levels.
"Bestech built us a great computer interface that allows visitors to interact with all the different stations around the city," Henson said.
It also has weather information.
"People can co-relate what is going on with the weather, as well as what is going on in terms of emissions," Henson said.
Frank Javor, manager environment -air at Vale Inco, was at the launch of the exhibit on Wednesday morning.
"We were very glad to be able to participate in turning this SO2 monitoring station, which has actually been here at Science North for decades, into an exhibit," he said.
He explained how Vale Inco has reduced its emissions from about two million tonnes a year in the 1970s to being under 150,000 tonnes per year.
"Our target is to get down to 66,000 tonnes per year by 2015," Javor said.
When Vale Inco is operating, the company has an elaborate emission reduction program.
The program operator looks at metrological forecasts and weather data from Environment Canada.
"He actually flies a weather balloon, then runs dispersion models that will determine at what emission rate we will get into ground level concentration issues," Javor explained.
"He runs this model and actually establishes a cutback limit in the smelter in the nickel refinery and then operates the day controlling the smelting vessels to be below that limit."
The company also has high-tech video cameras to look at the Superstack's plume.
"We also have a mobile monitoring vehicle with an SO2 monitor in it that roams chasing the plume where there isn't a (monitoring) station," Javor said.
To obtain a copy of the Clean Air Sudbury report, visit www.cleanairsudbury.ca.
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BESTECH DIVERSIFIES ITS CUSTOMER BASEJune 1, 2009
By Adelle Larmour
Sudbury Mining Solutions Journal
Bestech, a Sudbury-based systems integration, engineering and industrial automation company, is responding to the current economic downturn by diversifying its client base and establishing a branch office in Timmins.
“We’ve been working in Timmins for a number of years,” said Andre Dumais, Bestech’s manager of corporate
services. However, one of the comments received from a new client was that they preferred to work with local
people, “so we took it to heart.”
Originally an electrical engineering and automation firm, Bestech has expanded its scope to include civil
and mechanical engineering. By 2005, the company’s portfolio of services grew to include systems
integration, information technology / information services and environmental monitoring.
With this wide array of services, a decision was made in early January to establish a local presence in
Timmins. By February 17, the company had secured an 800-square foot office space in the downtown core.
Currently, two permanent staff work in Timmins, although there are often four people present at any given
time.
Although the company had to lay off nine employees last fall, it still stands strong with a workforce of 62.
Two engineers were transferred to Timmins, which reduced travel expenses.
“We’re on an equal footing with competition in Timmins and now we can let our name and brand stand for itself,” said Dumais.
The Timmins office is focussed primarily on the mining sector. However, the branch also offers a full
spectrum of services.
“Timmins is a great market,” Dumais said. “We’ve been aggressive about approaching municipalities. Our services lend themselves very well to water treatment, displacement and effluent.”
During the past four years, Bestech experienced 30 per cent growth annually by diversifying to include
information technology / information services, environmental monitoring and consulting services. On the information technology side
of the business, many of its clients are from sectors other than resourcebased industries, creating a more
diverse market and less reliance on mining.
“We’re getting involved with school boards, municipalities, and the provincial and federal government,”
Dumais said, explaining there is a lot of opportunity when dealing with information systems. Running at 100
per cent capacity, the company is currently hiring computer programmers.
Bestech is also expanding into power engineering and electrical construction. The intent is to consolidate
services for the client.
The company has always designed electrical panels, but is now converting part of its Sudbury office space
into a shop to construct them as well.
“We can improve quality control because the engineer who designs the panel and constructor who builds it
work under the same roof,” said Dumais. “If any questions come up, we can go straight to the engineer or
constructor.”
The addition of a veteran electrical engineer last August with expertise in high voltage power engineering
has opened doors for larger projects like electrical substations and power lines.
Bestech also provides consulting services to help companies comply with the new electrical safety standard –
CSA-Z462 - to be deployed nationally in 2011.
“Our ultimate strategy is to be in the best competitive position when things turn around,” Dumais said. “We
want to be there ready to take on that work when the markets improve and capital projects come on line.”
While the company has installations of its software in other countries and distributors throughout South
America, it sees opportunities for continued expansion into international markets.
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BESTECH DIVERSIFIES FOR MARKET SHARE
Despite the tough economic climate Sudbury-based Bestech forges aheadMay, 2009
By James Neeley
In these uncertain economic times, a financial planner is probably preaching
diversification and one Sudbury-based company is using that principle to not only weather the storm but expand
in spite of it.
Over the past five-to-seven years, Bestech has worked hard to diversify their once exclusively engineering
and automation business, said Andre Dumais, manager of corporate services for Bestech.
“That diversification has paid major dividends for us.”
When the downturn hit, Bestech lost a lot of mining work, he said, “but we are now selling our services in different markets like the federal and provincial governments, insurance companies, municipalities and schools.”
The Sudbury-based company was founded in 1995 as an engineering, and
industrial automation group. But in 1999 Bestech developed their own software division, Dumais said.
As the company continued to grow from 24 employees in 2004 to the 69 people today, “the goal was to diversify our services,” he said. “Let’s do the work while times are good,” Dumais said.
“We knew it wasn’t going to last and we needed to start marketing
ourselves better,” adding that was when they hired a marketing coordinator and recruiter.
In spite of the downturn, Bestech has expanded into Timmins Feb. 17. |
Paul Horlings a senior electrical specialist (front) at Bestech and Glen Dagenais, a principal engineer (back) pose while going over the design of a Bestech electrical panel in their shop on Lorne Street. |
In their flagship office on Lorne Street, renovations are taking place.
“A lot of the work our engineers do is designing electrical panels for industry,” Dumais said. “We know our
clients are looking for cost efficiencies and we said, ‘Where can we provide them with cost savings?’”
What they came up with is the development of a new electrical panel shop at the Lorne Street office.
“Now the engineers can design the electrical panels and have them built inhouse,” Dumais said.
Another now surging division developed from the diversification efforts is the environmental group.
“Right now the software and environmental teams are going full bore. And this has allowed us to maintain the
engineering division,” he said.
This is not to say Bestech hasn’t been affected by the economic downturn.
The company has laid off nine employees trimming their overall staff from 78 to 69, Dumais said.
“Some of the cuts were administrative ... we also had some casualties in the engineering division, five or
six positions.
“We were gearing up for growth, but when things got tough we had to scale back,” he said, “but we are still
hiring in our other divisions.”
“One thing this economic crisis has made us do is diversify within our client base,” Dumais said. "Because
of this diversification “absolutely, undeniably we will come out of this economic downturn stronger.”
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BESTECH OPENS NEW TIMMINS OFFICEApril 25, 2009
BESTECH has opened the doors to a new office in Timmins. With a history of strong relationships with a number of Timmins-based firms, the new office will enable BESTECH to better serve existing and potential clients in the area.
As part of a strategy to provide services to a wider and more diverse market, BESTECH had identified Timmins as a region with the potential for further growth. Existing clients in the area have expressed an increasing demand for BESTECH to provide services and offerings in the region. It is also expected that as the new location develops, there will be additional jobs brought to the community.
“We are very excited at the opportunity to expand our operations in Timmins” said Marc Boudreau, President and CEO of BESTECH. “We have been exploring ways to increase our presence in Timmins for several years now, and we feel that this new office is the best way to meet the needs of our clients and BESTECH.”
BESTECH, a trusted team of professionals offering services in engineering, automation, information technology / information services and environmental monitoring, will be settling into their new location in the Timmins downtown core.
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BESTECH SUPPORTS THEATRE CAMBRIAN April 22, 2009
Love, Magic, Dancing, Infidelities, Laughs and Rock & Roll Encompass Theatre Cambrian’s 25th Anniversary
Sudbury, ON – Theatre Cambrian announced today its plans for the Theatre’s 2009-2010, 25th Anniversary Season. “So far, 2008-2009 has been a very productive season for the Theatre,” stated Mark Mannisto, executive director of the organization. “With the introduction of the company’s children’s theatre company, Kids’ Curtain, and their production of the Dr. Seuss musical, Seussical, Theatre Cambrian expanded its season to eight productions, the most in Theatre Cambrian’s history.” The success of our current season would not have been possible if it were not for our corporate sponsors: Bestech, Xstrata Nickel and Vale INCO; our media sponsors: The Northern Life, CTV, The Amazing Persona and The Sudbury Star, and, most definitely, our government partners: the Ministry of Culture, Human Resources Development Canada, Service Canada, and the City of Greater Sudbury.
For more information please click here.
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BESTECH ANNOUNCES SUPPORT FOR EASTER SEALS KIDSOctober 20, 2008
Sudbury, ON – On Saturday September 27th at Don Cherry’s, the site of the 2008 Power Play event, Andre Dumais of Bestech announced that Bestech will be the 2009 Presenting Sponsor for the annual signature event, Power Play for Easter Seals Kids. Power Play is a 4 on 4 ball hockey tournament, where teams of six players come dressed in team themed costumes, to play a fun sport and raise funds to help support children and youth with physical disabilities. Every year approximately 20 teams participate in this high-spirited event raising an amazing $20,000 each year. Bestech will be presenting the 9th Annual Power Play for Easter Seals Kids in September 2009 at a new location.
Lisa Lounsbury, Development Manager of Easter Seals says, “We are thrilled to have this tremendous support from such a compassionate company and are looking forward to an exciting and revitalized event for 2009”
Proceeds raised from this event will help support Easter Seals Kids in the community. Easter Seals of Ontario began in 1922 as a vision to create a better life for children with physical disabilities. Today, Easter Seals continues to offer programs and services to help these children achieve a greater level of acceptance and independence. Families rely on Easter Seals to help purchase expensive equipment needed for mobility and communication, send kids to camp and other recreational programs, and provide access to information and resources.
For media inquiries, contact:
Lisa Lounsbury, District Manager
Easter Seals Ontario
llounsbury@easterseals.org
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BESTECH HELPS RAISE OVER $36,000 FOR THE SUDBURY FOOD BANK June 23, 2008
Bestech was proud to present the “Bestech Choice Vehicle Award” to Jim McDonald,
owner of a 2004 yellow corvette C5 coupe.
Bestech was among the sponsors for the 2008 Cruisin’ for Food. The event was hosted by the Sudbury Corvette Club and raised over $36,000; an increase of over $10,000 from last year’s event. All proceeds raised from the event went to the Sudbury Food Bank, helping families in need.
Crusin’ for Food is Northern Ontario’s largest car show displaying over 400 cars and bikes, attracting over 3,000 spectators.
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CAMBRIAN COLLEGE ANNOUNCED A CONTRIBUTION OF CUSTOMIZED MINING SOFTWARE FROM BESTECH THIS WEEKMay 1, 2008
It will be used to enhance the educational experience for students in the mining, automation, and instrumentation programs.
The NRG-1 software is a web-based control system that is currently used by the mining industry for underground mine and plant ventilation control, stated a Cambrian news release. The software provides optimum control of assets and helps reduce energy costs, increase revenue and enhance safety.
"Cambrian College takes great pride in its 40-year track record of successful partnerships with business and industry," said Cambrian President Sylvia Barnard in the release. "Our goal is to continue to provide skilled, workforce-ready graduates for a global economy. We are very pleased to add BESTECH to our growing list of industry partners, and I would like to thank BESTECH for sharing our vision and investing in Cambrian students, in the college system, and in the future of our economy."
"Supporting Cambrian College's learning environment with industry-standard software is a key component of our community investment," said Denis Pitre, Vice-President and COO of BESTECH in the news release. "Students in the mining, instrumentation and automation programs will work with NRG-1 as part of their studies. They will also test and challenge the software, ensuring a better product for BESTECH customers." The partnership will also involve corporate training and research opportunities.
About BESTECH:
Founded in 1995, the company has established itself as a leader in innovative technologies dedicated to
system integration and industrial automation, according to the release. Recognized leaders in the field, the
company has worked extensively in the mining, pulp and paper, forestry, oil and gas, automotive,
manufacturing and municipal sectors. BESTECH was the recipient of Northern Ontario Business and Greater
Sudbury Chamber of Commerce Award for Innovation in 2000, and was recently recognized as the 2008 Bell
Business Excellence Award for Company
of the Year.
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BESTECH NAMED GREATER SUDBURY'S COMPANY OF THE YEARMay 15, 2008
BESTECH was awarded with the prestigious Company of the Year award at the
2008 Bell Business Excellence Awards on May 13th, 2008.
Presented by Bell and the Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce, these annual awards recognize the achievements
of community businesses and entrepreneurs.
The Company of the Year award is awarded each year to an organization " that has demonstrated significant business achievement and sustainable financial performance, outstanding growth and success and has a significant impact on the area's econo ".
BESTECH's President & CEO, Marc Boudreau, was thrilled to receive the award. "We are extremely honoured and excited to be recognized as 2008's Company of the Year," said Boudreau, who founded BESTECH in 1995.
"This award represents a significant milestone for BESTECH, and we would like to sincerely thank all of our employees for their contributions over the years, as well as the sponsors, judges and the Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce for recognizing us".
Founded in 1995, BESTECH is a trusted team of industry professionals delivering services in electrical and mechanical engineering, automation, environmental monitoring and software, as well as software product development.
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BESTECH PRESENTS AT 12TH US/NORTH AMERICAN MINE VENTILATION SYMPOSIUM IN RENO, NEVADA June, 2008
BESTECH's international presence continues to grow, as representatives are playing a prominent role at the 12th US/North American Mine Ventilation Symposium in Reno, Nevada.
As an innovator in the industry, BESTECH introduced and exhibited their products and services. NRG-1, advanced web-based energy management software was described, detailed (in more than three technical papers) and presented at the conference by such organizations as Vale Inco and Barrick.
The Mine Ventilation Symposium is an excellent opportunity for industry leaders to showcase their company, exchange valuable information and create long lasting business relationships.
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CORE OF MINING VENTILATION-ON-DEMAND TECHNOLOGIES
October 20, 2007
At 7:00am Pacific Time on Friday October 19th 2007, Barrick Goldstrike's Underground Division handed over control of their auxiliary mine ventilation system to BESTECH's NRG-1 software application.
"This is the core for all of our ventilation-on-demand technologies and I expect NRG-1 to be used way beyond ventilation here at Goldstrike Underground." explained Anton Meyer, Senior Engineer for Barrick Goldstrike underground operations in Nevada. NRG-1 successfully controlled 165 fans during the first official "running of modes".
The expert collaboration between Barrick and BESTECH in preparation for and during the installation led to the seamless integration with their existing automation infrastructure. Peter Bauer and Sarah Paajanen provided on-going support from Sudbury with rapid fix deployments and a positive let's-make-this-a-success attitude throughout.
Paul Horlings and Adam Tonnos were at the Meikle mine site, located an hour outside of Elko, and bunked down for the week in the server room. Planning sessions for the day's work ahead were held every morning and a review of the results to cap of the day kept the installation running smooth.
Mr. Meyer will be presenting the results of the installation and his excitement about the product during a Barrick North America technical conference being held the week of October 22nd in Salt Lake City, Utah. Employees from Barrick's global operations assemble annually to share their experiences with new technologies and processes.
The success of this installation illustrates what team work can accomplish
when we-employees, our company and our clients-are driving toward a common goal. We wish to thank all those
Contact: Adam Tonnos - Manager of Sales
adam_tonnos@bestech.com
Toll Free: 1-877-675-7720 x 211
_____________________________________________________________________________________CANADIAN CURLING CHAMPION GLEN HOWARD AT BESTECH EVENT
The champion was in Sudbury to attend a local event sponsored by BESTECH and Tim Horton's. Glen was showing his support to a local curling team.
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BESTECH OPENS DOOR TO GLOBAL MARKET
September 9, 2006
From the Sudbury Mining Solutions Journal (Sept 06)
Sudbury-based Bestech, an industrial automation and information technology / information services
company, has partnered with OSIsoft, Inc. of San Leandro, California, to fuel sales of its asset utilization
and energy management applications.
Integration of Bestech's products with OSIsoft's PI System and Real-time Performance Management Platform
allows mining companies already using OSIsoft solutions to leverage their existing IT investments.
The partnership with OSIsoft is a "milestone and a validation of our software products" said Adam
Tonnos, Bestech product development manager. "Building on top of a platform that's recognized globally
will help us introduce our products to a larger market.
"
Bestech's Portauls product is designed to analyze and report on the utilization of production assets to
optimize performance. A hoisting module, for example, installed at Falconbridge's Craig, Fraser and Thayer
Lindsley mines in Sudbury, helps mine management identify opportunities to reduce cycle times and maximize
hoisting capacity.
Citing an example from one mine, Tonnos claims that shaving a mere second off the skipping cycle time could
free up 150,000 seconds, or 41.7 hours annually. Taking advantage of the additional availability would permit
another 833 skips per year and close to $2 million worth of additional production.
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OSISOFT PARTNERSHIP WITH BESTECH INTRODUCED TO THE MINING INDUSTRYJune, 2006
Helping the mining industry achieve superior Operational performance.
San Leandro, CA - An August 9th webinar will introduce the
OEM partnership of OSIsoft, the leader in performance management software, and BESTECH, an industry leader in
mining asset management software. The event showcases BHP Billiton's use of the OSIsoft PI System for Six
Sigma integration into their processes, as well as BESTECH's PORTAULS® process optimization software
leveraging the OSIsoft Real-time Performance Management (RtPM) platform and its application to a mature Six
Sigma organization.
The strategic OEM partnership between OSIsoft and BESTECH is being widely welcomed by experts responsible for
Six Sigma and IT development in the metals and mining industry. "BESTECH has been and will continue to be
a partner of choice in our commitment to the Six Sigma business methodology. This side-by-side working
relationship has enabled value creation through our mutual development and use of OSIsoft technologies. We
look forward to many more successful endeavors with them, "commented Paul Roos, Six Sigma Master Black
Belt for Business Performance at the Falconbridge Canadian Copper & Recycling Business Unit. BESTECH has
two web-based software applications developed specifically to serve the mining industry:
NRG-1, an application proven to be a cost effective means for achieving energy management
that continuously improves the bottom line. This application schedules and executes operation of energy
intensive assets such as mine ventilation fans, compressors and dewatering pumps.
PORTAULS®, a modular application capable of analyzing industrial systems to automatically
identify opportunities to improve a clients process. These systems include a hoisting module, a generic asset
management module for flexibility and an energy management module.
The mining industry can now harness the power of the OSIsoft PI system in two out-of-the-box applications
tailor made to meet their needs in an ever changing industrial environment. The partners have the strength and
experience in software, automation and mining to help clients in their quest to realize substantial operating
efficiencies and lower operating costs whether it is through individual site projects or corporate wide
continuous improvement initiatives. Real time knowledge creation focused on improving processes is a win-win
approach for all parties involved.
Adam Tonnos, Manager of Product Development at BESTECH, said, "The OSIsoft PI System was a perfect fit
for our new software packages. OSIsoft's data archiving, presentation and calculation engines combined with
our knowledge of the mining industry's processes makes our joint offering an unbeatable combination."
"The metals, materials and mining industries are characterized by remote site operations, large capital
investments, ever tightening environmental regulations and large numbers of plants with diverse information,
" noted Bernard Morneau, Executive Vice President of OSIsoft. "Driven by stringent quality demands,
globalization and the pressure to improve margins, the complexity of the industry's operating environment
requires electronic information management tools.
This underscores the need for a unified real-time and historical database with a rich toolset for information
visualization, analysis and connectivity, which is what the PI System brings to this partnership."
Attendance at the joint August 9th webinar requires advance registration at www.osisoft.com.
About BESTECH
Founded in 1995, BESTECH was created to address the mining industry's need for a group dedicated to system
integration and industrial automation. By developing a very specialized skill set, BESTECH quickly gained
recognition as a leader in this domain. After several strong and successful years the company has grown into a
dynamic team of engineers, technologists, six sigma professionals, programmers and support staff. For more
About OSIsoft
OSIsoft, Inc. (www.osisoft.com) delivers performance management software to the world's leading process manufacturing, metals and mining, life sciences, and utility companies-anywhere real-time operational metrics fuel performance. With more than 10,000 installations worldwide, OSIsoft's real-time data platform crosses IT and process boundaries to incorporate and display operational information. Providing comprehensive visibility into operations, the OSIsoft platform unlocks the potential for timely analysis and the ability to make critical, informed and profitable decisions. Founded in 1980, OSIsoft is headquartered in San Leandro, CA, with operations worldwide and is privately-held.
