By Shannon Katary
March 1, 2020 Issue of the Sudbury Mining Solutions Journal
As Maestro Digital Mine continues to expand into global mining markets, it is important to understand the market; partner with associations that assist with market research and B2B meetings (such as SAMSSA, Northern Ontario Export Program led by the GSDC and MSTA); and then align the right team to support the distribution chain.
Maestro is well on its way to bringing Canadian built and designed digital solutions to the Latin American marketplace in 2020 and beyond. Maestro Digital Mine is a manufacturer of Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) measurement and control instrumentation for the optimization of underground mine ventilation and digital networks for the last mile of communication. Their products are made exclusively for the underground mine automation, technology (IT) and ventilation sectors.
To date, Maestro has successful launched their products in over 130 mines, in over 20 countries around the world. This Sudbury based company prides itself on their brand promise, “we leave no one stranded” which is proving to serve them well as they grow into new markets and strengthen existing customer relations. Their leadership team will not go ahead with a new development project unless they can offer a 50% CAPEX reduction over the current methodology and/or reduce the integration time by 50%. This is a big hurdle to climb in their evaluation of new products but assures the team that they will have winners if executed properly. Flagship solutions such as the Vigilante AQS™ and Zephyr AQS™ – air quality monitoring stations and the Plexus PowerNet™ are product lines developed, in partnership with the mines, addressing the industries current “bottlenecks” or challenges.
In 2019, Maestro started the process to develop distribution partners in Latin America. Cindy Chesney, Director, Global Partnership at Maestro and leading the Sales in Latin America, highlighted that, “This is the ideal geographical location to expand in this open market with many opportunities to bring digital transformation to the mines to increase safety and productivity rates with simple, enabling solutions that can be maintained by the people at the mines.” Maestro has established four new distributors/agents located in Argentina, Chile, Peru and Mexico.
Chesney remarks, “The high value of Trade Missions, such as the recent, SAMSSA Trade mission to Chile (January 2020), aids in minimizing the risk in exploring new markets, thus creating a competitive advantage for Canadian suppliers. They provide valuable market insight by being present and in front of potential clients and mines, with a hands on view of the market potential and challenges. The networking and face to face meetings gives suppliers the “boots on the street” needed to find the right distribution partners and operating mines. Our Distribution channels are vital to our success in this area and as part of the Maestro Sales team, provide valuable feedback, access and service to potential clients in Latin America.”
Most recently, Maestro successfully landed sales in Mexico, and Argentina. In Argentina, Yamana Gold’s Cerro Morro Mine is installing the Plexus PowerNet™, As well as with Newmont GoldCorp’s Cerro Negro mine for Plexus PowerNet™ – last mile communication solution. “With the support of our distribution partners, we are proud to be enabling worker safety and productivity in the mines of Latin America. It is through a collaborative model that Canadian Suppliers can impact positive change in the global mining industry”, states Co-Founder of Maestro, Michael Gribbons.
Read More on this article in Sudbury Mining Solutions Journal Magazine March 1, 2020 Issue.
