Increasing
productivity and reducing risks in every blast
Produced by Jassen Pintado Interviewee Diego Vallim, Country Manager, Orica Brasil
Orica Brasil
Mining
Orica delivers avant-garde blast and explosives solutions to the Brazilian market, mainly benefitting the mining industry by increasing its productivity and delivering higher safety standards
O
rica is the
countries, providing jobs for more than
worldwide leader 13,000 employees, of which more than in production
200 are tech specialists, making Orica
and distribution
the number one commercial explosive
of blasting
supplier worldwide.
and initiation
“We are a community of engineers,
systems, besides scientists, technicians, operators, providing other
business specialists and on-site
solutions, from cyanide production
personnel working together to support
for gold extraction to cutting-edge
our clients day in and day out,”
technology in digital solutions and
commented Diego Vallim, Country
other blasting services, contributing
Manager for Orica Brazil.
to a safe, efficient and responsible resource extraction and monitoring. The company dates back to 1874, as a supplier for Australian goldfields.
LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCE IN BRAZIL AND ABROAD
Diego Vallim has been in charge of Orica Brazil since 2021, after joining
After more than 146 years in business, the company in 2016 as Senior Orica has presence in more than 100
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Sourcing Manager for Latin America,
Orica Brasil
Mining
“We are a community of specialists working together to support our clients” - Diego Vallim, Country Manager, Orica Brazil
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Orica Brasil
Mining
being based in Chile. Vallim took
to design safe blasts. Other services
part in a Management Leadership
such as risk-reducing geotechnical
Program and was selected for this
monitoring are provided by the
position afterwards. The acquisition
GroundProbe™ division.
of Peruvian company Exsa by Orica, a $200 million operation, is listed among
in Brazil, mainly for iron and gold
his recent accomplishments.
extraction, as well as for other basic
His education includes an MBA,
metals and quarries, besides offering
among other courses in Brazil and
solutions to construction and oil & gas
abroad. Before joining Orica, Vallim
industries.
also held leadership positions for
The company relies on its
companies in the automotive and
production plants within the country,
mining industries.
where initiation systems and
WIDE VARIETY OF PRODUCTS AND SOLUTIONS IN BRAZIL
supported by a wide supply network
Orica’s presence in Brazil dates back to the 1980s. In Brazil, the
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Orica serves the mining industry
emulsions are produced, and it’s also covering clients in all of the Brazilian territory. “We are known for our safety culture
company currently offers its entire
and for our skills to create value
solutions and product portfolio for
through products and technology, but
blasting, from initiation systems and
mainly for our staff’s capabilities,”
emulsions to high-end technology
Vallim pointed out.
Orica Brasil
Mining
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Orica Brasil
Mining
• Avatel™: A digitized underground INNOVATION ON EVERY FRONT
Being the global leader in blasting and explosives for the mining and construction sectors implies that every new product made available by Orica does not follow any path previously travelled, but rather becomes a trendsetting innovation in the industry, capable of disrupting the way any specialized task has been performed. The most outstanding solutions among the company’s latest development are: • WebGen™: This wireless initiation system avoids the use of down-lines and connecting wires. Its reach gets the signal through rocks, air and water, resulting in safe, reliable blasts without risking any injury to staff, increasing productivity and reducing costs. WebGen™ is SIL3certified (Safety Integrity Level), and is
charging system designed to initiate blasts from a safe cabin, reducing exposure to any harm. Avatel™ was created in collaboration with Epiroc, another leading company in mining machinery. • GroundProbe: This division recently developed RAR (real aperture radar) and SAR (synthetic aperture radar) devices, able to monitor slope stability, the GMS robotic station for prism monitoring, the GML for convergence monitoring in underground mining, and the RGRVelox (reactive geohazard radar) for reactive monitoring and alarming for tailings dam breaches. DISRUPTING MINING WITH DESIGN FOR OUTCOME
The Design For Outcome system offers a comprehensive digital solution
the only commercial explosive with the to gather and manage data, previous highest security grade.
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blast results as well as rock and ore
Mining
Orica Brasil
properties to use with predictive
electronic initiation systems such as
algorithms, delivering possible
I-kon III, the most advanced in its kind,
outcomes and determining the
able to optimize small and large scale
quantity of explosives to use in
blast times, automatically generating
each procedure depending on
blast sequence reprogramming,
expected results.
increasing reliability under severe
Design For Outcome is enhanced when paired with the BlastIQ™ cloudbased platform, which manages the stored data from blasts and perforation, easing integration with
weather conditions and able to reduce blast delays. AN INDUSTRY GIANT WITHIN THE SOUTH AMERICAN GIANT
One of the most important aspects
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Orica Brasil
Mining
for Orica, globally, is its R&D
and safety in blasting, globally,
department, which receives annual
after more than 100 year-experience
investments for more than $50 million,
in different kinds of mining
where more than 60 data analysts
operations worldwide.
come up with the newest solutions with latest-generation technology,
slope monitoring are within our reach,
setting goals such as reducing
thrusting Brazil into the forefront of
personnel exposure to any risk during
the world’s mining industry,” declared
blasts, operational excellence as well
the executive.
as maintaining and improving global sustainability standards. Orica has factories and
PANDEMIC-FUELED EVOLUTION
The restrictions and consequences derived from the COVID19 pandemic
development centers worldwide,
resulted in a testing time for Orica
which brings flexibility and other
Brazil’s resilience and adaptability.
advantages to its supply chain
Many of the duties required to
and logistics, which benefit also
complete essential activities supplied
from partnerships with clients
by the company must be carried on
and suppliers.
site, and these are performed by more
All of these factors enable the
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“The latest solutions in blasting and
than half of the staff. In the same way,
company to guarantee the availability
such unusual conditions allowed for
of the most advanced solutions in
a complete overview of company
Brazil, delivering the best execution
procedures, thus accelerating the
Mining
Orica Brasil
“We are known for our safety culture and for our skills to create value, but mainly for our staff’s capabilities” - Diego Vallim, Country Manager, Orica Brazil
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Orica Brasil
Mining
Incl usion is not a second thought in O r ica B raz i l, as women hold positions from leader ship roles to the fo refront of f ield operations
automation and digitization strategy,
there have been tangible results, but
thrusting new practices such as
still with so much to accomplish. 33%
remote assistance through AR
of leadership positions for Orica in
(augmented reality).
Latin America are held by women, while in graduate programs this grows
EFFORTS TOWARD INCLUSION
Orica focuses on inclusion and diversity strategies, a subject in which
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to 50%. Also, 35% of positions in charge of different squads are held by women. There’s still room to grow in
Mining
Orica Brasil
Te c h n o l o g i e s a n d d a ta i nte g ra t i o n of fe re d by O r ica have d i s r upted the m i n i ng i ndust r y
field positions, though Orica
whose path to reach it requires
Brazil proudly hired the first MMU
effort through resources in the
female driver.
company’s hands. Orica’s purpose is to generate value
THE FUTURE: PLACING A BET ON VALUE
For the foreseeable future, Orica plans to get into a certain scenario
and allow its disruptive solutions to evolve, such as WebGen™ technology, GroundProbe™ radars, and the BlastIQ™ digital platform,
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Orica Brasil
Mining
“The latest solutions in blasting and slope monitoring are within our reach, thrusting Brazil into the forefront of the world’s mining industry” - Diego Vallim, Country Manager, Orica Brazil
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Mining
Orica Brasil
delivering increased safety and productivity through these solutions. Also, strengthening its industrial presence in Brazil and the rest of Latin America to optimize its supply chain in the territory, and capitalizing on what this represents regarding raw material and finished products management, contributing to make Orica become a strategic partner for its clients.
FOUNDED: 1874 (in Australia) INDUSTRY: Mining WEBPAGE: www.orica.com TEL: (+55) 12 214 1300 EMAIL: diego.vallim@orica.com
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www.orica.com TEL: (+55) 12 214 1300 EMAIL: diego.vallim@orica.com