My first job after university was with the Iron Ore Company of Canada as a supervisor at one of their mines in Newfoundland. While some of the basics of mining were the same then, it was a far less technological industry than it is today.
In fact, I remember vividly the day the first IBM PC came out in 1982. We got one, and at the time, we thought we were really leading edge. It was delivered to the engineering office and we eagerly took it out of the box. And then… we all just stared at it because we had no idea what to do with it. We had to play with it, experiment with it, and learn about it and what it could do for us. We had to generate ideas about how to apply this technology before it could help us do our jobs better.
Generating ideas takes trial and error, because not every idea works the first time. And that’s okay. Finding out what doesn’t work can be just as valuable as finding out what does. When it comes to innovating and exploring new ideas and technologies, there are no ‘failures’. There are only learnings.
Ideas and learning has brought us a long way from that first computer I worked with in 1982. In this issue of Connect—“Ideas at Work”—we highlight just how far we’ve come by profiling some of the breakthrough ideas that are reshaping our industry. Ideas such as those described in “Tracking the Blast”, about how high tech sensors help better track the movement of ore after blasting, allowing us to improve ore recovery. Or in “Machine Learning for Maintenance”, about how we are using machine learning technology in partnership with Google, to predict and avoid machinery breakdowns at our steelmaking coal operations. Or yet another example, “Digital Bird’s-Eye View”, about using virtual reality to build entire operations and travel through every stage of mine life, from anywhere in the world.
It’s an exciting time to work at Teck. Ideas, innovation and technology are transforming our industry for the better. Markets for our products are strong, and a number of major projects are hitting key milestones.
Our Fort Hills project is having a world class start-up and adds a new pillar to our business that will generate value for decades to come. We are also very close to receiving a permit for Quebrada Blanca Phase 2 (QB2), which will be followed by a possible sanction decision as early as the second half of this year. Once built, QB2 would transform our copper business, making Teck one of the world’s major producers of copper, at a time when the longer term outlook for copper is very positive. In “Profiling Our Growth Projects” we shine a spotlight on QB2.
2018 is shaping up to be a notable year, with many things we’ve been working on for several years coming to fruition, alongside work on new innovations that have the potential to create a step change in our business.
However, one cannot talk about 2018 without reflecting on the loss of Pat Dwyer, a contractor at our Elk Valley Operations whose life was tragically lost at Fording River in April. Our thoughts remain with his family, friends and everyone affected by this loss. I ask for your continued support as we put in place new controls to ensure this never happens again, because there is nothing more important than every single employee and contractor going home safe and healthy every day.
As we look forward to the remainder of 2018, we know we are at the beginning of a technological revolution, one that is poised to reshape almost every aspect of how we work, for the better – and all of us have a part to play. Because it’s our people who will make it happen, bringing to life ideas that will make us safer, more sustainable and a stronger Teck.
Don Lindsay
President and CEO
