by Julie Masse, Director of Communications & Marketing at Hy-Tech Drilling LTD.
An all-around review of the value of lasting partnerships in mineral exploration
Hy-Tech Drilling Ltd. is a name that’s been around since 1991. At the time, co-owners Harvey Tremblay and Joe Nouch modified an off-the-shelf JKS-300 rig to turn it into a functional fly drill. Based out of Smithers, BC, Canada, the duo needed to think outside the box to get into the local mountainous terrain and deliver a much-needed product to the growing market.
Harvey Tremblay’s vision to harness hydraulic rigs inspired the name ‘Hy-Tech.’ This vision, further driven by Harvey and his wife Corry when they became sole owners in 1994, led to the continuous growth of the company’s fleet.
Early partnership withHomestake leads to growth
In 1995, Harvey’s innovative spirit led to the development of a new drill design, combining JKS-300 hydraulics with a much more capable JKS B-15 head. Completed just in time for a crucial opportunity with Homestake at the Bonsai project, this successful experiment paved the way to provide additional drills to the Eskay Creek project.
Over time, client requirements evolved, necessitating increased drilling depths from 1500 ft (457 m) N-size to between 5000 and 6000 ft (1524–1829 m). Demonstrating a collaborative approach, Hy-Tech Drilling frequently adapted their drill rigs, utilizing a slightly larger B-20 head married to some improved hydraulics, landed them on the TECH 5000 drill rig they rely on every day. Tremblay recalls, ‘I went into a hydraulics shop with a piece of cardboard, drew it all up and explained what I was looking for to the engineer. He got it right away – a simple and compact design, easy to troubleshoot and maintain. Without this platform, we would not have been able to scale up our business.’
This single project fostered a nine-year collaboration with Homestake and set the stage for Hy-Tech Drilling’s growth; a success that surely fed the idea that strong relationships can evolve into mutually beneficial partnerships.
Longstanding partners helping each other
Hy-Tech Drilling’s strongest team consensus is their profound desire to be considered a true partner, through and through. And not just by their clients but also their employees, the communities they operate in and even their supply chain.
Some of the strongest partnerships the team has built over time have been with clients. Their longstanding projects come from a variety of mining companies, some of the largest but also some of the most innovative mining groups. Following is a short selection of projects where Hy-Tech Drilling’s reliability and performance have reinforced their reputation as a trusted partner.
Denison Project
Hy-Tech Drilling started work at Denison Mines’ Wheeler River project in the Athabasca Basin region in Northern Saskatchewan, over fifteen years ago. Initial drilling took place in the early exploration days at the Wheeler high-grade uranium project. Drilling led to the discovery of two high-grade deposits and has continued through to feasibility studies. Going through all these stages in close collaboration with the client has fostered a trusting bond that has been beneficial for both parties.
In 2022, this long-lasting collaboration led Hy-Tech Drilling to form a partnership with North West Communities Management Company, a group of seven indigenous communities. A jointly owned drilling company called Rivers Drilling was then created, reinforcing the bonds between Hy-Tech Drilling and the local indigenous groups, in-line with their client’s priorities.
Photo credits: Kevin Burt.
Filo del Sol Project
One of the strongest international partnerships that Hy-Tech Drilling has fostered is with the Lundin group of companies, which Denison Mines is a part of. You’ll recognize Hy-Tech Drilling’s ways here, as their links to Lundin are rooted from relationships built with people met at Homestake Mining Company.
With over 17 years of collaboration, Hy-Tech Drilling has worked for them in multiple locations, namely in Canada, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Ireland, Chile and Argentina. Working abroad with Lundin has led the team to work on some extremely complex projects, including deep directional holes, water recirculation and extremely high altitudes, such as the Filo del Sol project.
Tremblay explains: ‘When a partner asks you to go to the moon, you consider it differently than if a stranger asks! It’s only the weight of relationships that allows you to consider something like this, otherwise, the risk would seem foolish!’
Located in the San Juan Province of Argentina, just a few kilometers from the Chilean border, Filo del Sol has literally taken Hy-Tech Drilling to new heights. Working relentlessly with their client to overcome technical challenges, the team has been able to set-up what might well be the highest shop on the planet. The shop is located at an altitude of 5000 m (16 404 ft) above sea level, and the highest drill sites around are at 5300 m (17 388 ft) – that is the altitude of the Mount Everest base camp. It’s hard work to deliver, and altitude is a real challenge!
‘There’s a sign in our shop at Filo that reads, “If you made it this far, you are a warrior. Stop, breathe and remember that your safety will always come first,”’ says Craig Spinney, Field Operations Manager. ‘Beyond the most challenging conditions we’ve ever faced, this is our commitment to each team member’s well-being. Nothing but our top priority.’
Foran Project
In Northern Saskatchewan, Hy-Tech Drilling currently works for Foran Mining, operating both skid and fly rigs within the Hanson Lake District. Their newly formed partnership with the Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation, has led to the creation of a jointly-owned drilling business, A2SKI Tek Drilling Ltd. This collaboration allows Hy-Tech Drilling to access a broader pool of local services within the Cree Nation traditional territory, ideal to support operations with tasks such as ice preparation and pad construction.
Drilling for copper-zinc deposits on Foran’s properties, Hy-Tech Drilling deploys drastically different summer and winter strategies, to make the best out of terrain conditions, and the opportunities the cold weather brings.
‘We deliver a large ice-based drilling program for our client Foran during winter. We’ll drill at a given angle to get to the orebody, but when the ice melts and we move the drills back onto land, we still need to hit that same target,’ shares Jason Comeau, Field Operations Manager. ‘That’s an unusual bend, but we’re able to intersect with some efficient directional drilling executed by our skilled team.’
The success of this project, not unlike many others, lays on this strong network of partners coming together in the best way possible. Indigenous groups and skilled drillers alike, are essential partners enabling Hy-Tech Drilling to deliver on its promise at Foran.
Thompson Project
Heading 700 km (435 mi) north of Winnipeg, we’re now taking you to Thompson, Manitoba, where Hy-Tech Drilling has some rigs turning for Vale Base Metals.
Drilling for nickel at this location, Vale emphasizes the values of its operations to support the global demand for the critical minerals required to drive the ongoing energy transition.
In alignment with the client’s priorities, Hy-Tech Drilling employs several strategies to reduce its impact on the environment – and the TECH 5000 is the perfect rig to deliver on this. Its small footprint but mighty capacity makes this machine a fantastic alternative for projects where clients are in need of equipment that is equally respectful of the environment and capable of reaching challenging targets.
Starting the new contract in 2024, Hy-Tech Drilling swiftly achieved unprecedented productivity levels, exceeding client expectations while maintaining strict safety standards.
What started as an initial surface project, contracted for 35 000 m (114 829 ft), is now blooming into a campaign that has expanded significantly, more than doubling the annual drilling meters. The collaboration between Vale and Hy-Tech Drilling certainly seems promising at this location.
Into new territories, with a competitor turned partner
True to its approach, Hy-Tech Drilling has consistently pursued strategic partnerships to expand its presence, namely in the South American market.
In 2022, Hy-Tech Drilling entered a joint venture with former competitor, Griffith Drilling. Today, Hy-Tech Griffith Drilling SpA successfully combines the unparalleled hole completion rates and proprietary systems from Hy-Tech Drilling with the regional knowledge and experienced crews from Griffith in Chile, Argentina, and beyond.
Boyd Griffith, General Manager at Hy-Tech Griffith Drilling, comments: ‘It has been great seeing the relationship between our two Companies switch from a competitor mindset into a JV partnership – very quickly, we both saw the benefits of coming together into this market.’
Following this successful collaboration, Hy-Tech Drilling plans to replicate its strategic partnership model in other regions globally.
A partner mindset to engage with communities
As earlier examples highlighted, engaging with local indigenous groups has been an important part of Hy-Tech Drilling’s approach.
When asked why, Jessica Mullen, Corporate Social Impact Coordinator and Harvey Tremblay’s daughter, has a strong voice: ‘Our community partnerships are motivated by a responsibility to do what we can. Together we try to find a way to benefit as big a group as possible. We’re all part of a community, and we have a role to play in its success.’
Joint ventures Tahltan Hy-Tech Drilling in British Columbia, Rivers Drilling in Saskatchewan and A2SKI Tek Drilling in Northeastern Saskatchewan, are three great examples of how the group has been able to act in this vision, and create a strong network of partners within the communities they operate in.
Collaboration leading to innovation…
Hy-Tech Drilling’s water management system also illustrates the advantages of cultivating robust industry relationships. While working at the Brucejack project, then owned by Pretium Resources, Hy-Tech Drilling was challenged to reduce water consumption in the drilling process. Teaming up with both client and innovation partners, Hy-Tech Drilling was able to develop a system that addressed the client’s issue, by reducing freshwater consumption by up to 90% per day.
Following this success, the owner of the project eventually changed to Newcrest, which in turn was acquired by Newmont. But three owners later, the team is still leveraging that collaborative spirit between client and contractor, as they are currently working on the next generation of rod handlers with robotic expert partners.
… and vice versa!
While collaboration does lead to innovation for Hy-Tech Drilling, it could also be said that innovation increases collaboration. A great example of this lays into Hy-Tech Drilling’s proprietary real-time database launched way ahead of its time. With more than two decades of data captured, the group states it has completed 516 projects with nearly 7 million meters drilled, showcasing a 99.7% completion rate, and less than 1% downtime. These numbers would not have the same credibility if it wasn’t for this database.
The connected client-facing FieldView app translates into a wealth of knowledge for Hy-Tech Drilling’s clients. From drill bit consumption to every hour spent on the drill and live cost per meter, this is full transparency at its best. Clients can access thorough real-time project monitoring, resulting in better and faster decision-making. Now that’s partnering with your client’s Exploration Manager!
Long-term association with their people
A key factor in Hy-Tech Drilling’s success is its team of dedicated and skilled professionals. And in true partner style, they are in it for the long run! Hy-Tech Drilling has an average employee tenure of 4.3 years, with 1 out of 10 employees having at least a decade in seniority within the team.
The group prides itself on fostering a supportive and inclusive company culture. Hy-Tech Drilling offers comprehensive pre-drill site training and an annual refresher. The team has access to internal development opportunities and mentoring from experienced professionals. The external training and professional development courses offered by Hy-Tech Drilling often lead to internal promotions and career advancement. As a result, the team expertise and dedication have been crucial in achieving the group’s high standards of quality and performance, and they are proud that many of Hy-Tech Drilling’s Foremen started as Helpers.
Dwayne Ross, Vice President of Branch Operations, expresses his pride in the team: ‘I am incredibly proud of the expert team of people we have assembled over the years. We possess tremendous depth in knowledge, experience, innovative thinking, and pride. Despite facing challenging conditions, we continue to deliver on our commitments. We could not achieve this without our dedicated team.’
Tapping into the network a 360° partner
Hy-Tech Drilling has built a reputation of being a drilling partner, through and through. The team’s approach to building long-lasting relationships all around has been nothing less than fundamental to its growth and success. Over time, they have become a notable partner in the core drilling field, and they are aware that this is also key to their future.
‘Mineral exploration is progressing into a new era – one that requires us to leverage the strong ties that have made our success, and to also foster new ones,’ says Brian Butterworth, President of Hy-Tech Drilling. ‘New technologies, new challenges and a new generation lay ahead of us. At Hy-Tech Drilling, we’re excited about the opportunities this brings!’
For such a global industry, yet niche market, collaborating with Hy-Tech Drilling means tapping into the valuable extended network of a 360° partnership. Through these relationships with employees, communities, clients, and suppliers, Hy-Tech Drilling will be a strong partner in this important era of continued change and growth. The future certainly holds exciting times ahead for mineral exploration.
