The Chilean firm reached an agreement with Bluefield to take control of the joint venture they had owned since 2018, which is dedicated to the management and maintenance of mining assets in the region.
The Chilean mining consulting firm Vantaz Group took a new step to continue increasing its international presence: it reached an agreement with Bluefield, a leading Australian firm in mining asset management, to acquire its interest in the joint venture that both companies had since 2018.
Since its creation, Bluefield Vantaz has been providing consulting, engineering and maintenance optimization services to the mining sector in the Americas (including projects in Chile, Peru, Colombia and Panama, among other countries). After the agreement, the firm will be called Vantaz Asset Management (VAM) "with which we will continue to provide and strengthen the offer of maintenance services to mining fleets, with the seal that has always characterized us: a team of specialized professionals, working hand in hand with our clients and implementing practical solutions with the most modern technology", says the partner and Co CEO of Vantaz Group, Juan Cariamo.
Mauro Mezzano, partner and co-CEO of the consulting firm, adds that this acquisition reflects Vantaz Group's commitment to continue growing in this business segment. "Today the industry has a huge challenge in generating the greatest possible efficiency of its assets. Vantaz Asset Management will strengthen its team and services to help our clients continue to make optimized decisions to obtain the lowest cost per ton, in mines and plants, and bring maintenance into a new era of digitalization and high performance for a modern mining business.
One of the focuses, both partners add, will be to strengthen the service offering for trucks and other autonomous machinery, which implies new technical capabilities. In this way, Vantaz aims to continue to be an integral consultant and leader in mining services in Latin America.
In our country, the first tests of autonomous trucks were carried out in 2006 at Codelco's Radomiro Tomic division. Today, most large mining companies are developing projects in this area and at the end of 2020 the National Geology and Mining Service (Sernageomin) and the National Piloting Center launched the first guide for the implementation of pilots and validation of autonomous equipment at mining sites, which could accelerate the implementation of these initiatives.
And by 2030, a considerable increase in the use of autonomous and semi-autonomous equipment is expected in the sector. According to the report "Impact of Automation and other Technologies in Large Copper Mining", by the end of the decade, 43% of drilling will use this technology; 30% in blasting; 38% in transport (such as trucks); and at least 35% in solvent extraction and electro-extraction.
