The Rise of a Midsize Gold Mining Company with Talan and SAP Cloud

A mining site where a number of machines are working

Forging Success: A Gold Producer’s Journey of Growth and Innovation

Our client is a public midsize gold producer headquartered in Toronto, with three operating mines in northern Ontario, Manitoba, and northern Mexico.

Founded by mining veterans in 2003 as a small, low-cost supplier, the company has taken advantage of in-house expertise and a steady market demand to achieve sustainable growth while staying true to their core values of safety, teamwork, environmental sustainability, integrity, and commitment.

The corporation reached a critical juncture in the mid-2010s, merging with another gold producer in 2015 and acquiring another mine a year later.

This is where our story begins...

Key Challenges in Gold Production Operations

ERP System Fragmentation:

The growing company has been using SAP’s ERP solutions since 2010, while the merged entity was working with Microsoft’s Dynamics AX.

When it came time to upgrade, the leadership decided to bring all branches onto the same system.

Integration Needs:

They needed a reliable ERP that could seamlessly integrate Finance and Procurement with Warehousing and Maintenance.

Procurement and Maintenance are especially significant aspects of their operations — it’s harder to find supply sources than demand, and mineral extraction equipment requires frequent maintenance.

Time Zone Challenges in Cloud Transition for Early Adopters

Operating across multiple time zones complicated coordination during the transition.

Also, SAP’s incident resolution process was time intensive initially for early adopters making the transition to the Cloud.

The Strategic Transformation: Driving Efficiency with SAP Cloud and Fiori

The company opted for the emerging SAP S/4HANA 1709 along with Fiori for custom applications and a user-friendly launchpad. Recognizing the need for a robust project management solution, the company opted for the SAP PS module, a powerful tool designed to streamline project processes.

Transitioning from using internal orders to implementing Project systems for capital expenditures initiatives created numerous benefits for this strong player in the mining industry.

Though not the primary partner for ERP implementation at the time, Talan built a strong working relationship with the company as a secondary support partner on side projects.

When SAP ended support for S/4HANA 1709, the company called on our experts to have them lead the migration to RISE with SAP - SAP’s Cloud-based platform. The migration to RISE and subsequent upgrade to the latest version was completed in under 7 months.

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"ERP implementations often involve extensive changes, complicating future upgrades. Talan worked closely with us to tailor modifications that aligned with our specific needs, streamlining the process for future upgrades and keeping costs manageable."
IT Director

"The collaborative efforts with Talan during our SAP Cloud migration have transformed our operations. Together, we've achieved better visibility, cost control, and strategic alignment, strengthening our long-term growth."
COO

"This partnership has improved user experience and efficiency, enabling us to optimize project management and maintenance tasks."
Manager of Applications and Business Systems

Key Implementations Driving Operational Success

Extended use of Fiori

Bespoke solutions compatible with SAP’s enterprise software. This allows the company to create tailored applications that enhance user experience and operational efficiency.

Optimized maintenance and inventory management

Leveraging mobile app capabilities and consolidating inventory management. This streamlines maintenance processes and improves inventory accuracy across multiple locations. 

Enhanced SAP Analytics Cloud

Efficient planning and precise project management. By utilizing SAP's advanced analytics, the company can make data-driven decisions and forecast future project needs more accurately.

Be Bold, Be Gold: The Success of the Phase-Based Maintenance Project

Talan implemented the latest Phase-based Maintenance along with the activation of advanced Fiori functionality with role-based security and flexible workflows specifically addressing the company’s needs.

This pilot project at one of the mines included the activation of best practices to provide users with mobility benefits and enable mobile maintenance using tablets and handhelds on the mine site.

The project was delivered successfully
On budget
And in under 2 months.

Following this success, rollouts to other mines and departments

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Two mine workers on computer with large excavation machines. Be bold, be gold

Tangible Results from the Strategic Cloud-ERP Integration

1. Enhanced Project Monitoring

With SAP PS in place, the company gained real-time visibility into project progress to proactively take effective decisions and improve project outcomes.

2. Effective Project Hierarchies

Building on SAP PS's capabilities, they established clear, hierarchical project structures, streamlining planning and execution while enhancing reporting.

3. Expenditure Control

The company achieved meticulous control over project expenditures by leveraging the budgeting and cost control features of SAP PS. The company is already seeing the immediate benefits of the upgrade.

Why Choose Talan?

Through its collaboration with Talan, our client has recognized 4 significant advantages, including:

Alignment with business needs
Precise calibration for cost-effective upgrades
Improved adherence to deadlines
And reliability across projects of varying scales

Talan is proud to have facilitated their technological transition. While much of their operations were already familiar with SAP’s ERP framework, the capabilities of the updated S/4HANA platform along with Cloud integration will lay the foundation for even greater things to come.

Talan's ability to navigate time zone differences and address technical challenges promptly demonstrates our commitment to delivering efficient and cost-effective solutions.

Talan will be there every step of the way to help them reach their full potential.

A mining landscape with a woman looking at the horizon.