GTS: EPC Groupe’s next step to enabling mineral extraction sustainability

Devised as the next step to enabling mineral extraction sustainability, GTS’s development has been inspired by the challenge to realise change within surface mining, quarrying and underground operations globally, and will officially launch at the INDABA African Mining Conference in Cape Town from 3 – 6 February 2025.

Taking the role of Head of Global Technical Solutions is MD of EPC-UK and current President of The Institute of Quarrying, Ben Williams. With over 30 years of experience within the extractives, surface mining and quarrying industries, Williams brings valuable insight to the team having implemented operational solutions across all mining applications.

In a recent interview, Williams outlined more details about about GTS and what its network of specialists and technologies will deliver:

“Over 25 years ago, EPC Groupe began developing in house blasting software and equipment, recognising that digital tools would, looking to the future, be essential to supporting mineral extraction more sustainably, adding value, heightening safety, and delivering a greater return on investment for customers and stakeholders. Through a revolutionary initiative devised by Dr. Ricardo Chavez, the first version of EPC’s blast design software, Expertir^©, was created and began supporting the change using a powerful digital solution to optimise the energy of explosives and achieve superior blasting results within mining and quarrying operations.

“Expertir continues to be refined and in 2022 EPC Groupe’s dedicated software house, Diogen, was launched to further enhance our computerised capabilities and reactively integrate engineer and customer data to achieve bespoke solutions for each application.

“Critically, GTS has been created by blast engineers, for blast engineers, using the capabilities of a team that is fluent in numerical modelling techniques, backed by the data in our ExplOre™ platform to measure blast impact and results. The technologies bring our Vertex^© software solutions, proven hardware capabilities, and extensive expertise into an EPC Eco-System which, when applied together, empower customers’ projects and deliver value added results through partnership.

“This Eco-System enables us to unlock value through precision. The more accurately we drill, the more desirable the mineral deposit outcome. Added to this, and a crucial differentiator for GTS, is our ownership and implementation of precise blast measuring solutions: our recent acquisition of seismic hardware manufacturer Vibraquipo means we can progress customers’ digitalisation and data management strategies out in the field, with equipment that’s supported by EPC’s Vertex platform.

“These technical capabilities are supported by competent engineering teams, both centrally and through a global structure of service professionals, that encapsulate the EPC Groupe esprit d'équipe working methodology, ensuring that value is added, and costs are reduced using QAQC (quality assurance and quality control). Furthermore, by applying knowledge from proven results, GTS can share its local learnings with EPC partners globally, developing skills and empowering operators on an international scale.

“I’m excited to guide our global technical network and solutions and look forward to sharing further details of GTS’s capabilities at our official launch at INDABA.”

Read the article online at: https://www.globalminingreview.com/mining/17012025/gts-epc-groupes-next-step-to-enabling-mineral-extraction-sustainability/