Can you give an overview of Orica’s service portfolio in the mining industry in the EMEA region?

Orica is one of the world’s leading mining and infrastructure solutions providers and is present in more than 25 countries across EMEA, including Burkina Faso, Ghana, Mali, Mauritania, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania and Zambia in Africa. In terms of our services, the company goes beyond the conventional drilling and blasting operations to deliver operational efficiencies and downstream benefits for our customers, using digital and automated technologies to create safer and more productive outcomes.

How are mining clients in Africa benefitting from Orica’s solutions?

Africa is a fantastic continent where our technologies are receiving significant traction, especially from global mining companies. Reliable supply is key in Africa, and once we have demonstrated reliability to our customers, they are interested in how they can get more value out of the products and services Orica offers.

Orica’s 4D™ bulk system supports surface and underground blasting operations and can be tailored to suit varying hole conditions for the desired blast outcomes. The 4D system controls the blasting energy to match the geological conditions and also reduce environmental impact. 4D can achieve accurate, automated, and efficient energy control, with improved orebody recovery, reduced overall explosive consumption, and better fume, vibration, and nitrate leaching control. Our patented WebGen™ wireless initiating technology delivers improved safety, operational flexibility and increased ore recovery. This wireless initiating system eliminates the need for down-lines and surface connecting wires as it communicates through rock, air and water to initiate blasts reliably and safely, removing people from dangerous environments.

In August 2023, Orica announced our latest centralized electronic blasting system, the launch of the Omni Remote Blasting System (ORBS™), which is designed to initiate multiple development headings and production blasts concurrently from a remote location, again offering greater productivity, safety, and recovery.

Most recently, we launched our Exel™ Neo technology, the world's first lead-free non-electric detonator range. We are offering a more sustainable product to our customers by removing the lead content, while still maintaining the same consistent and reliable product performance.

What value are customers extracting from your technology?

With sustainability becoming increasingly important, there is an increased demand for solutions that can improve efficiency and safety and also have less environmental impact. For example, our recently launched Cyclo™ technology is an automated oil recycling service that enables treated used oil from mine sites to be used in the manufacturing of quality emulsion for bulk explosives, reducing waste, cost, and risks for customers and minimizing impact to the environment. We also continue to introduce digital tools that help our customers seamlessly connect their physical and digital operations. Increased safety requirements as well as ESG targets are driving the adoption of autonomous technologies worldwide, but also in Africa.

In which areas in Africa do you see the most potential for growth?

Orica is looking not only at certain geographical areas, but also certain commodities that we think will start growing fast in the next year – the future-facing commodities such as lithium, nickel and cobalt will see increased demand due to the cleaner energy transition. Major miners continue to invest in Africa, and we are seeing nickel projects coming online in regions such as Tanzania, Zimbabwe and South Africa. There are also several new lithium projects in West Africa, East Africa and Central Africa. Orica is paying attention to the moves in the African mining industry, and we continue to develop our value position for these miners investing in the continent. We are seeing great growth in the mining industry in West Africa, and we hope to continue supporting this growing market with the value-adding solutions we can offer.

What will be Orica’s main objectives for the next 12 to 24 months?

Orica’s objective is to continue delivering value to all our customers, not only through the technologies we offer but also through the ESG initiatives we have across the continent that embody growth with both our customers as well as with the people and the communities in Africa. We aim to play a part in making mining more sustainable, contribute to the energy transition, and continue developing the talent of our people across the continent. We believe Africa has tremendous potential and will play a major role in the supply of commodities across the globe.