A Canadian mining company wanted to evaluate a ventilation on demand management system for one of its underground mines, so it could make informed choices among its technology options. The mandate was to lead the study and turn it into a structured action plan: overall vision, objectives, critical milestones, human, technology and equipment resources, budget and timeline. Eight internal groups were involved, from engineering to health and safety, including the control room and automation. Every phase was documented so the knowledge could be transferred to the group’s other sites.
The mandate was not to install a VOD system, but to carry out the preliminary technology analysis needed to ensure the project’s success and reduce implementation risk.
An evidence-based investment decision
| Scope | Technology assessment of a ventilation on demand system for an underground mine |
| Timeline | Eight months, in four phases |
| Deliverables | Context overview, documented current state, technology scan report, roadmap and costed recommendations |
| Stakeholders | Engineering, ventilation, control room, optimization, automation, maintenance and electrical, health and safety, management |
| Out of scope | Adjacent solutions (connectivity, collision avoidance, situational awareness), engineering-owned work, equipment installation and approval processes |
The challenge: ventilation is first and foremost a safety matter
The site is driven by a digital vision of its operations. Ventilation on demand supports that vision through process automation, but the primary objective remains providing a safe working environment. Developing the system therefore had to align with this digital vision and with the mine’s operational planning, framed by full project governance responsible for defining requirements and specifications.
The constraint: a system that depends on other initiatives
A ventilation on demand system cannot be installed on its own. It relies on work carried out in parallel (underground connectivity, the sensors already in place, the tracking system) and must comply with applicable ventilation standards. The mandate was to give the client the key information needed to make an informed decision, one that reduces risk and sets the project up to succeed.
The approach: four phases, four deliverables
The mandate unfolded in four phases over eight months. Each phase produced a documented deliverable, self-contained and transferable.
| Step | What it involves | Outputs |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Analysis of the mine plan and digital plan | Structured document review (planning and specifications, standards, technical reports, fleet data), cross-reading of the mine plan against the digital plan, identification of planning constraints. | Overview of the mining and digital context and of the constraints shaping the future system |
| 2. Defining the current state | Interviews and workshops with the eight groups involved, mapping of current practices, inventory of needs and requirements. | Documented current state and a shared understanding across stakeholders |
| 3. Technology watch | Analysis of the components of a ventilation on demand system, assessment of the maturity and limitations of existing and emerging solutions, identification of technology dependencies. | Technology scan report: a consolidated view of the market and of the options genuinely available |
| 4. Scenario analysis and recommendations | Comparative evaluation of the scenarios, estimation of costs, time and resources, definition of milestones. | Roadmap, critical milestones and recommendations costed in terms of budget, time and resources |
The impacts
- A documented investment decision : the scenario analysis and the estimates of cost, time and resources provide an objective basis for making trade-offs, setting priorities or deferring work, rather than committing on the strength of assumptions.
- Lower project risk: rigorously defining the current state, the requirements and the dependencies surfaces the technical constraints early, constraints that would otherwise appear mid-implementation, at a far higher cost.
- A consolidated view of the market: the technology scan documents existing and emerging solutions, their maturity and their limitations, strengthening the client’s position in discussions with suppliers and avoiding premature dependence on a single technology.
- Aligned teams: the interviews and workshops produce a shared understanding of objectives and priorities, and a structured action plan the teams can coordinate around over the medium and long term.
- A reusable asset across the group: the approach, the documentation and the lessons learned are transferable to other sites, which can pick up the methodology and the findings without redoing the analysis.
The mandate leaves the client with an informed investment decision, lower project risk, aligned teams and a reusable methodological asset, whatever implementation timeline is ultimately chosen.