Can you provide an overview of Metso Outotec’s presence within the mining sector?

Metso Outotec is a unique provider of end-to-end solutions for mineral processing and metals refining. The breadth and depth of our portfolio spans from helping clients at the beginning of a project, during feasibility studies and flowsheet development, to the delivery of equipment solutions, and finally aftermarket solutions. We have quite a vast footprint with operations in over 50 countries. Our Canadian headquarters are in Montreal, and we have capabilities across Canada which we are continuing to expand.

What type of work does Metso Outotec do with lithium companies?

There is a massive increase in lithium demand. As such, lithium exploration is booming, and that is especially true in Québec. Metso Outotec has made a significant commitment to developing technology solutions that support the battery metals sector. We support customers on their lithium projects here in Québec, offering solutions for lithium extraction as well as the traditional mineral processing side of lithium development. We have developed proprietary technology for pressure leaching and have had interest from lithium producers and their engineering partners in integrating that technology into their flowsheets.

How can companies use Geminex, Metso Outotec’s metallurgical digital twin tool, to respond to operational changes more quickly?

Geminex is a science-based digital twin for managing variability and optimizing resources. It supports our customers in designing and adjusting their processes in an agile manner. The unique solution combines operational data from both internal and external data sources allowing alternative operational scenarios and parameters to be efficiently simulated and tested. This is made possible by utilizing the unique HSC process models that have already more than 20,000 users worldwide. The tool provides invaluable information for short- and long-term decision-making. It can operate as a high-level model predictive control or as a backstage planning tool.

When the Geminex capability is combined with our leading global service, we can further support local operators in turning the desired scenarios into real plant performance by offering the right support – from process to technology.

What role do equipment providers play in helping mining companies lower their environmental footprint?

Up to 5% of the world's energy consumption is used in comminution and around 1% of the worlds power runs Metso Outotec equipment which is why our approach to technology and innovation really matters. For example, we have one of the widest and most sophisticated ranges of stirred milling products, which are vertical milling solutions that enable an efficient way of fine grinding. We have seen customers improve their energy efficiency in the fine grinding process by up to 45% using our stirred milling solution.

Sustainability is a top priority and at the core of everything we do. We are the market leader in sustainable solutions for comminution, which fall under our Planet Positive portfolio. The portfolio has over 120 products and services that are demonstrably more energy or water efficient than the market standard. Today, 100% of our research and development budget goes towards solutions that have a sustainability improvement target related to energy, emissions, water, circularity, or safety.

What other trends are driving innovation within Metso Outotec?

Sustainability and digitalization are top areas of interest and are still greatly coupled with the need for cost and operational efficiency. Automation solutions play a key role, and Metso Outotec offers a wide range of technologies to our customers.

Solutions like In-pit crush and conveying (IPCC) are also gaining momentum. Here, rather than mining the ore and trucking it to the process plant, the ore is crushed in the pit and a conveyor takes the crushed ore to the process plant. This allows the customer to have less trucks, thereby increasing efficiency. The company has also been developing this concept with modularized plant solutions where customers no longer purchase just the equipment, but rather the complete station which has been pre-designed, pre-engineered, built in a factory, and gets delivered to site where it is assembled. This reduces the time it takes for the customer to get the project going. Additionally, we’ve launched similar solutions for grinding, flotation, filtration, and tailings management, with more to come.