Eramet signs a framework agreement with Delair to accelerate its digital transformation with smart, connected mines

Delair’s drones and data analytics platform will allow Eramet to develop digital twins of its mining sites and accelerate the digitalization of its operational centres to provide Cloud and artificial intelligence services.

Eramet, a global mining and metallurgy group, and Delair, a global provider of end-to-end, drone-based solutions for enterprises, have signed a framework agreement concerning the Group’s digital transformation of its mining activities. This strategic agreement will position digital intelligence at the core of the company’s growth, operational performance, and competitive edge. Currently, the agreement allows Eramet to access Delair Aerial Intelligence (delair.ai), a new collaborative platform for analyzing drone data and turning the results into valuable business insights.

Since January 2019, the Delair.ai solution has been up and running at the Tiébaghi mine in New Caledonia, and by the end of the year it will be used by all of the Group’s mines. Nine drones are currently in operation at Eramet, with an additional nine planned for deployment by the end of this year, including Delair’s fixed-wing UX11 drone. With the Delair end-to-end solution, Eramet will be able to map and analyze around 300,000 hectares a year across all of its sites.

Eramet’s mining sites across New Caledonia, Gabon, Senegal and Indonesia offer a considerable source of topographical and geological data. Eramet is planning to build digital twins of its mines in order to control operations in real time, quickly schedule extraction projects, track ore inventories, ensure personnel safety, and manage the environmental impact of its sites.

Combining methods which are five times faster than traditional ways of working with centimetre-level accuracy in drone data collection, Eramet is able to optimize its mining operations, reduce costs and improve the safety of topographers. Using artificial intelligence-based analytics allows the Group to continually measure and update distances, surface areas, volumes and slopes. Interactive and scalable, the Delair.ai platform allows for data to be securely and easily exchanged, providing a convenient space to collaborate, communicate instructions, manage subcontractors, and store information on the Cloud. With this platform in place, it is now possible for Eramet to manage its mining operations in real time, in line with its strategic goals.