More than 400 mining companies worldwide depend on Pronto Software’s Pronto Xi ERP to increase efficiencies through streamlined operations and smarter resource management.
Toronto-based Pronto Solutions Alliance (PSA) is widely known in the mining industry for its service and added value, managing director Jarrad Sonnenberg says. Pronto Software highlights the key day-to-day functions that mining companies need. Incorporated with PSA’s best practices, the company ensures each implementation is up to date with all the industry knows, he said.
PSA also develops tools that provide solutions where it sees a unique mining operation need that can enhance efficiency, Sonnenberg said. He has two decades of experience in the mining industry including seven years at Barrick Gold (TSX: ABX; NYSE: GOLD).
“At PSA, we’re different from the companies we compete against because they take a generic approach to mining,” Sonnenberg said. “We’re mining experts. We’ve put all of our time into developing something that is 100% mining focused and that’s why miners trust us.”
Pronto Xi ERP software integrates different operations of a business into one comprehensive platform. That way different departments – whether managing a plant, shipping metal or overseeing vehicle fleets – can seamlessly communicate and work together. This enterprise resource planning (ERP) improves efficiency, cuts errors and lifts overall coordination. Miners count on it to save money.
Coordinates operations
One client, Artemis Gold (TSXV: ARTG), has just poured first gold at its $800-million capex Blackwater project in British Columbia. It’s depending on PSA and Pronto Xi ERP software to coordinate operations with state-of-the-art efficiency.
“The service integration with the system affords a business unparalleled scalability at a competitive price,” said Rory Moles, mine controller at Blackwater. “Few offerings allow for business process customizations directly within the ERP and at the system administrator’s fingertips.”
PSA is helping Artemis’ Blackwater project, 160 km southwest of Prince George, to become the province’s first new gold mine since Brucejack in 2017. But the company’s scope is global. Just some of its clients are a giant copper producer, a gold project developer in West Africa and an Asian gold miner, among scores of others. PSA operates with juniors and large mines and has offices in seven time zones.
The company tailors ERP to each client. Even more important, PSA has been hard focused on the mining industry for a dozen years and its mining team members all have backgrounds in mining. It’s part of the company’s value-add. Team members are located in different parts of the globe and have delivered solutions to mines in North and South America, Africa, Australia and Europe. PSA’s focus on service extends to some of the most remote and challenging mine sites in the world.
“Software is what we do day to day,” Sonnenberg said. “But we all have experience within the industry so we can talk the talk and understand the industry’s challenges.”
ERP can typically be rigid, bulky and take significant time and effort to implement, the managing director said. But PSA has developed a flexible templated approach right out of the box that slashes implementation time and cost while also providing clients with solutions to their unique requirements.
In addition to implementing ERP solutions, PSA also has an in-house Cloud Team that delivers the most secure implementations with a commitment to 99.9% uptime, Sonnenberg said.
“This provides the utmost in scalability and delivery of a true software-as-a-service solution,” he said.
All project stages
ERP, widespread in mining, can be used at all project stages from exploration through construction and production to closure and reclamation. They all require data management, budget forecasts and timelines. They need equipment maintenance scheduling, inventory and workforce management and regulatory compliance. Pronto Xi ERP software integrates them all.
Pronto Xi ERP is important in simplifying operations, PSA said. Company data is consistent, new module integration is easier and costs are less than adding third-party solutions, it said.
“PSA provides a fully integrated, comprehensive solution that simplifies training, minimizes IT maintenance and provides a single user interface for all corporate and mine site users across the company,” Sonnenberg said.
The system eases financial reporting and analysis, from capital expenditure planning in the initial stages to cost control and profitability analysis during production and closure. It develops budgets, allows for variances, approves spending, tracks costs and time, invoices suppliers and issues reports that analyze expenditures. Pronto also streamlines a high volume of invoices from large vendors in accounts payable.
Mining focused ERP
The company’s software automates manual tasks, scans and digitizes documents, implements approval workflows and uses data extraction to improve efficiency, accuracy and transparency.
Pronto can assist in determining whether it’s better to rebuild an engine on a haul truck or buy a new engine. This is possible through the integration to maintenance, allowing the system to better understand resource and parts requirements.
“We have the software and people, and are dedicated mining professionals,” he said. “We have experience and product offerings specifically designed for mining processes, and we’re passionate about mining.”
The preceding joint venture article is PROMOTED CONTENT sponsored by Pronto Solutions Alliance and produced in co-operation with The Northern Miner.
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