JR Paul P. Lanthier, president of Organizational Engineering and a specialist in helping mining companies to see their potential and improve, talks about the mining industry in Mexico.
How do you see the mining industry inMexico?
Well first of all, mining industry is a cycle, right now its on the low, around the world, so right now its suffering, all the mines are having problems, not just in Mexico. The advantage in Mexico is that it has a lot of nature resources and it has inexpensive work ship compare to Canada, where Im from, so that helps you.
You have usually less sophisticated equipment than we would have but you are more intelligent than what I thought, we spend a lot of money in the mines but we are not always very efficient, we spend a little money in them and expect to get a lot from it. The work ethic absent of your workers, the knowledge level is not so high, so there is a work to be done. There is also a lack of systems and processes from what I see, obviously each mine is different, but there is not as much structures as we have, there is a strong movement towards safety for example, but I have not seen a safety culture yet, people don��t realize what they don��t know, there is work to be done down there, but I see a very bright future for Mexico and mining industry.
What do you think it would be its problematic and its greatest strength?
The problematic is less technology, less knowledge, and the strength is the people, you have two things helping here in Zacatecas, the average age of young people is 22, you have a lot of good people coming up, but they don��t have the knowledge, so we have to put the knowledge and systems in them, to help them in the work ethic of industry.
One more if I got to mention, attitude, I found that people are very humble they are actually willing to listen and learn, now I found it negative though, I just said people here dont read they won��t read, and that is a challenge if you get them to read.
Whats your opinion about the tax burden that the mining industry is facing?
I dont know, I dont have an opinion, all countries are doing that, there is some movement out there in the mining industry specially, but in another industries as well for countries that want to protect their natural resources, since years ago countries would allow companies in and basically rape them and these foreign companies would own the country. The countries have become smarter, I believe in Indonesia they own like 80% or 70% I dont remember where but there is a number of countries. So there is different ways, taxes are not always the best solutions but we do have to take some ownership in our natural resources, or richer countries would take all, we faced in our country too, and we are doing it too in other countries obviously, I do see that you need to have that, but it has to be temporal. Dont forget the mine is only the based from secondary industry, the mining has a social obligation to help development including education and other things, if you don��t think that then we do have a problem.
How is the taxes burden in Canada? What taxes does the mining industry pay?
I dont know the taxes burden in here but I do know them in there, Canada is much more socialized than USA, we have social programs where we have wealth care for people unemployed. We complain a lot about the taxes we pay but the average Canadian believes, that he or she are its neighbors keeper so we are responsible for the well being of people around us, so as much as we complain about the taxes we have very positive social programs. I don��t know where your taxes are not ours are very high.
Do you believe that the industry has opportunities talking about sustainability?
Thats an excellent question, the problem with the mining industry its not renewable of its recourses. Years ago I read that the average mine life its 30 years, I dont remember the number, so the problem with sustainability is that eventually whats on the ground on the mina its over now, so how do you deal with that? Again in my country I have seen towns that ran out from poor and then shut down completely so its kind of impacting in the mining industry, now I come from the mine industry, my town has very big mines, that have been running for over a 100 years, and there is many many years lefts so we are in a unique situation, but thats unusual, mining towns usually dont last, now Zacatecas has been a mining town since the 500s and still a mining town which is interesting, but as first, sustainability back to what I say that the mines have to be socially conscious in part with the society, I feel that the mining industry because of what I just said have to help the community develop , so when the mine finally runs out, there is something to sustain, if you dont do that then the mining towns and cities go away. Sustainability in the mine is a different thing in many mines I see this problem, we have not invested typically in our printing shop program, in training people, we only use the people we have and then they are gone and the problem we are facing now is many people is retiring and young people don��t have the knowledge to keep it up. So we are facing a resources crisis. The mining industry has not invested in the future, and we are suffering that, and we will suffer some more.
Over the years.... mining has gained more interest in the safety of its workers and the community. Whats your opinion about this? Do you believe that Mexico has increased its interest in safety?
Definitely, but the mining industry is one of the worse for safety, the worst is fishing in the high seas, and the prom of dying in the high seas is 1 in a 1000 per year, the probability to die in the mine is 1 in 6000, and in the industry in general is 1 in 10,000, in industry around the world is 100,000 so the mining industry has a long ways to go, no question, we have been increasing though, we are not where we were before, there is a lot of money invested in safety, but we are under a cultural problem, where people dont see or understand why we do that, I have seen it more than I have seen it in my country, but yes there is an investment, we still have a desire and we must continue.
How do you see the mining safety in Mexico?
The key thing we need to do its culture change, we have ways to go, an example of that on the roads I see people in the pickup tracks with people in the back sitting there, that is illegal in my country, you know, that��s dangerous, one of my cousin��s son died last summer for being in the back of the track, somebody hit the track, and he flew and he killed himself, but that��s illegal in my country and in here everyone is doing it. Culturally we have ways to go.
How do you visualize the Mexican mining and other countries in a long term?
I mentioned a little ago that countries around the world are suffering. In some parts the mining industry is living and in some others is dying, especially in safety. The biggest mistake we make in the mining industry is that when he market is good, its really good and when the market is bad, its really bad. When the market is good we are too busy using money to improve and when the market is bad we dont have any money to improve and so, we need to stop that we need to specially when the market is good, invest to improve, we need to build for the future, but I dont know, its almost like we just want to take money, we are not thinking and we need to get on that. Its an industry that has been depressed for 20 years, imagine for 20 years of depression, every year your market drops, thats an industry that has learned to survive and try. I think we could learn from it. We need to stop comparing ourselves to another countries in the world, you need to compare yourself to the pharmaceutical, beverages, papers, to all industry, cause to be a world class its not to be the best, or people passing the test, we need to be smart enough, we need to start investing properly or help ourselves.
What characteristics of todays mining leaders should have?
To never sit back in the results, the moment you think you reached it and your happy, you did not, a leader is always trying to improve, always trying to get back, a leader also recognizes his or hers strengths. The strength of the company is its people, and we need to recognize that, and we need to invest in our people. The North America Reward Reference Class in the past and still, and thats many many years, I worked for them a lot, every 3 years they are reinventing their subject and its amazing, people would say I wish I could be there, they are changing the subject, they are reinventing the subjects and when you talked to them, they come up with all the things they are doing wrong, they really know what they need, they are always trying to get better. A leader is always trying to get better and cares for its people.
What expectations do you see in 2014 for the Mexican mining?
In the world in general the market is depressed in 2014, and I think it will continue being depressed in 2015, I think we have a long journey before it gets better. To me this is an opportunity, its not negative, those who want to get better, those who want to survive will, so my expectations for any mining company is to look this is an opportunity to get back to strengthen themselves, so when the market is ready, we will be ready to take off, the problem is going to be that when the market takes off, some people wont be ready. So we need to take off but do it intelligently, we cant just hire a thousand people, or invest millions of dollars, we have to deal with what we have and we have to be smarter about it, and take advantage of this opportunity. Thats what I am expecting, the good comings to do, but I dont expect the market to change. I am not an economist, and I could be wrong, but I doubt about it, there is a lot to change first before it happens.
What do you do for the mines?
What I try to do for the mining industry its to help them see their potential, the thing is that there are rich people with poor systems, or they dont have programs, so what I do is help them to solve problems and find the right programs.
What would you recommend the Young people to be successful in the mining Industry?
Thats a hard question, because I heard since I came that there are a lot of young people with university degrees who are out of job, who have a very minimum job, part time jobs, I dont know why, because there is well technologies and skills that arent being used. If you have a university degree try to focus on something, sometimes you come out of school with all the theory and no practice and your world is open, may be try to get narrow to what you need, do research, read magazines, and you can ask for the skills you need, and focus on that, there are a lot of people unemployed so there may be one, go for it and when you get it, pulls yourself.
OUTLET MINERO.
¿Comentarios?
Déjanos tu opinión.