Company Report: Cementation Canada, Inc.
Digging deep Mine construction and engineering experts Cementation Canada shore up some of North America's deepest mining projects

For Cementation Canada, a world leader in underground infrastructure design, engineering and construction, being a standard-bearer is much more than a numbers game. Their mission is nothing less than to revolutionize mine contracting, and it's clear that their customers approve of that mandate.

With an industry-renowned reputation for safety and excellence in performance, the firm's client list reads like a who's who of the hard rock mining industry. Heavy hitters who rely on Cementation include Rio Tinto, Vale INCO, HudBay and Xstrata.

As part of the venerable Murray and Roberts group of companies, Cementation Canada specializes in technically challenging projects that run the gamut of underground construction, including shaft sinking, mine development, design and construction, raise boring, mechanized raising and engineering. With headquarters in North Bay, Ontario, the Canadian division oversees operations in North and South America, and has offices in Sudbury, Ontario; Salt Lake City, UT; and Santiago Chile.

STRENGTH IN VERSATILITY
Company President Roy Slack established North American operations in 1998 for the Kvaerner Group, an Anglo Norwegian engineering and construction firm, which was subsequently sold to Skanska in 2001, and finally to Murray and Roberts in 2004. In that time, Slack has grown Cementation Canada from a one-man operation to a thriving company with as many as 1450 employees on two continents, and annual revenues of $250 million. According to Slack, a cornerstone of the firm's success is its "best for project" philosophy.

"When we started the company, one of the things we wanted to do was to have a framework for decision-making. Too often when people aren't given a clear philosophy on how to make decisions, they'll look at basic approaches like what makes the most money for the company.
That's not what we want our decisions be based on; we want them to be based on what's best for the overall project."

Typically, Cementation is tasked with specific aspects of mining and resource development projects, but key to executing their portion of any endeavor is an understanding of the project's overall scope.

"We recently did a shaft project at Nickel Rim South for Xtrata Nickel. Based on our scope, the best thing for us to do would be to get the shaft finished as soon as possible. However, what was important to the client was to get the diamond drilling done on one of the upper levels as soon as possible," he explains. "With each project it's important to understand the overall project to determine how executing our scope will make the best contribution towards the success of the project."

In addition to sinking shafts and lateral development for the Nickel Rim South project, Cementation provided engineering expertise as well.

Cementation designed a pair of concrete lined shafts sunk concurrently; a 6.1m diameter ventilation shaft to a depth of 1680m and a 7.6m diameter main access shaft to a depth of 1733.5m. Cementation designed, built, and sunk the shafts; as well as the headframes and much of the surface plant infrastructure associated with the shafts. This design-build approach results in improved constructability and schedule for major mine projects.

HARD CORE TECHNOLOGY
Cementation Canada has set new records for drilling the largest diameter and longest raises in hard rock in North America. "Every underground mine needs ventilation," explains Slack. "Raise boring is the mechanical means of cutting a hole in the rock for ventilation as well as other potential uses." Holes created by Cementation's raise bore machines range in size from 5.5 meters in diameter and bore down as far as 850 meters. Raise boring enables the creation of large ventilation shafts that move fresh air into deep mines.

Cementation operates three of the largest raise bore machines in North America. The company's latest investment, the Strata 950 raise bore, was developed by Cementation Canada's Australian sister company, RUC Cementation Mining Contractors. "We've manufactured the drives and the PLCs in our shops in North Bay," Slack notes. "We have more large diameter boring equipment than anyone in North America." Depending on rock type and condition, Cementation's equipment is capable of raises up to 1,000m in length and 6m in diameter.

Mine development is a significant source of revenue for the firm. From the Diavik diamond mine in the Arctic to HudBay Mining's 777 copper and zinc mine in Flin Flon, Manitoba, to Rio Tinto's Resolution copper mine in Arizona, Cementation is equipped to take on development projects for a full variety of commodities. According to Slack, "Every project is different. We've got projects in potash, nickel, gold, silver, diamonds - there's a full range of commodities that we work with, including base metals and copper. The projects differ in the commodities, the location, culture and nature of the client."

The company's mine development capabilities include lateral and ramp development, and underground caverns and bins. Cementation has a full fleet of equipment, but clients do occasionally provide their own; as Slack puts it, everything depends on what the mine owner wants. "At Diavik the owners have their own equipment. In other projects, we supply the equipment, and bring it in by road, barge, ice road, or by air - the most economical way possible."

SUPERIOR SAFETY
"When we look at our vision of how we want to change the industry, the first thing we want to do is eliminate injuries," Slack asserts. "We are recognized as safety leaders in the industry and we have worked hard to establish new benchmarks."

The Nickel Rim South project is one stellar example of that leadership. The shafts were sunk with no lost time injuries for a total of 1.5 million work hours. "This year to date we have no lost time injuries in our organization throughout North and South America. We are very focused on safety, and we work very hard to make sure we keep our employees injury free." Slack takes safety personally, and is a director of the Mines & Aggregates Safety and Health Association (MASHA).

Slack also makes sure his staff walks the walk, and the industry has taken notice. For the third consecutive year, Cementation Canada has been named one of Canada's top 100 employers. "We're very proud of that recognition," Slack says. "We're very focused on our employees and safety is one part of it. Safety, wellness, all those things contribute to a quality of life for our employees." In 2009 the Financial Post agreed, recognizing Cementation as one of Canada's Ten Best Places to Work.

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