IMDEX is a leading global mining-tech company uniquely positioned to enable resource companies to sustainably find, define, and mine orebodies with precision, at speed and safely.
Beginning in 1980 as Pilbara Gold NL before a name change to IMDEX in 1985, by the late 1990s, the company had established itself as a key player in the global mining services market.
The company has grown organically and through key acquisitions and today has an unrivaled global footprint, operating in all major mining jurisdictions around the world.
With 496 patents, 261 trademarks and more than 600 collective years of geoscience knowledge, IMDEX is a company rich in expertise and capability, which have been harnessed during many significant moments over its long history.
Milestones
In 1990, IMDEX technology was used to align underground construction undertakings started in France and England as part of the ambitious Channel Tunnel project.
In 2010, IMDEX mud motors and survey instruments were used along with consultation from some of the company’s directional drilling experts to help locate the 33 Chilean miners trapped after an underground mine collapse.
In the 2000s, IMDEX strategically acquired several companies to complement its technological capabilities, with the 2020s bringing a sustained period of expansion through acquisition.
In 2020, IMDEX bought AusSpec, the industry leader in automated mineralogy, and its unique, cloud-based aiSIRIS technology.
aiSIRIS complements IMDEX’s existing in-field GeoAnalysis solution and integrates with IMDEX ioGAS™ exploratory data analysis software application to provide further interpretation and analysis. IMDEX has continued to develop and refine the aiSIRIS technology, releasing aiSWYFT in 2023.
In 2021, IMDEX acquired California-based DataCloud’s MinePortal software, a purchase that significantly enhanced IMDEX’s data visualization and analysis capabilities and built on its real-time orebody knowledge technology. MinePortal is a next-generation, cloud-connected orebody knowledge technology which interprets and models geological data to enable real-time 3D visualization.
The acquisition continued the evolution of IMDEX with its focus on technology to deliver real benefits for clients throughout the mining value chain. IMDEX Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Paul House said at the time that the purchase was in line with IMDEX’s strategy to move into the production end of the mining value chain.
A strategic stake in image analysis company Datarock followed in 2021. Datarock’s cloud-based platform applies Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning to automate the extraction of geological and geotechnical information from core imagery, videos, and point clouds.
In 2023 IMDEX took a strategic stake in drilling analytics market leader Krux, which collects and analyzes exploration and production drilling data in near real-time.
That same year saw the most significant acquisition in IMDEX’s history, buying Devico, a leading provider of advanced sensors and the global leader in directional drilling technologies. The acquisition of the Norwegian-based company reinforced IMDEX’s market-leading position in mining technology and delivered increased market penetration and growth particularly in Europe and South America.
But growth through acquisition and collaboration is only part of IMDEX’s strategy. The company has a rich history of research and development, allocating around 8% of revenue to R&D every year in all market conditions.
A disciplined stage-gate development process and R&D targeted on existing and emerging technologies has enabled IMDEX to maintain market leadership and win market share as the company continues to outperform industry growth.
The company’s integrated solutions operate in three broad pillars, with the combined results delivering benefits throughout the mining value chain.
Drilling optimization
A suite of products that enhance drilling productivity and performance, while improving safety and reducing impact on the environment. These include:
- Drilling fluids and equipment;
- Solids removal units;
- Rig alignment technologies;
- Directional drilling technologies and services.
Rock knowledge
Best-in-class solutions that originate critical data on the four elements of rock knowledge: location, grade, mineralogy, and texture. IMDEX’s comprehensive offering maintains a focus on high-quality data and optimized workflows, whilst providing customers a range of choices suited to their specific challenges, environments, and data requirements. Solutions include:
- Downhole gyro technologies and purpose-built running gear;
- Core orientation tools;
- Gamma logging sensors;
- Structural measurement.
Real-time data and analytics
Secure cloud platform and market-leading geoscience analytical software that enables real-time decisions to be made further upstream. The technology includes:
- Cloud-based data management and validation platform, integrated with rock knowledge sensors;
- Advanced reporting software;
- Geoscience analytics software;
- Interpretive mineralogy software;
- 3D visualization software;
- Drilling analytics software.
As IMDEX’s advanced technology and geoscience expertise continue to evolve, customers benefit from real-time insights into the drilling process and deeper understanding of orebodies. Likewise, productivity gains become increasingly valuable as the cost of drilling increases, and as the demand to address some of society’s most urgent challenges intensifies.
There is an imperative for resource companies to replenish diminishing reserves and to deliver the critical minerals needed for the energy transition.
Directional drilling
Future discoveries are likely to be at greater depths, and have greater geological complexity, meaning that the cost of conventional exploration will further increase, unless significant improvements in productivity, safety and environmental compliance can be found.
Faced with these challenges, an increasing number of companies are turning to directional drilling, seeking the advantages of being able to hit more targets with less drilling, at optimal angles for a better orebody understanding.
Directional drilling is expanding globally, particularly into Africa, the United States, and Australia, and IMDEX’s DeviDrill services continue to be at the forefront.
Based on the wireline core drilling technology used in exploration drilling, DeviDrill is a directional core barrel that drills the hole in a curve whilst collecting a 3 m (10 ft) core sample.
The ability to steer the borehole enables multiple targets to be hit from one single mother hole, significantly reducing the number of drill pads and overall drilled meters required. As a result, water consumption and associated carbon emissions are reduced, whilst the achievable degree of accuracy leads to fewer abandoned holes, further reducing environmental impact.
For exploration sites like Sakatti in Finland (Anglo American), DeviDrill directional core drilling services have enabled the execution of accurate diamond drilling programs in deep and complex deposits in environmentally sensitive areas.
‘The successful drilling program (2022-2023) enabled us to achieve a constant 25 m (82 ft) drilling pattern in certain key areas of the deposit with the required 5 m (16 ft) target precision (up to 800 m/2625 ft depth), which would have not been possible by any other practical means.’ said Janne Siikaluoma, Anglo American Principal Geology and Resource Estimator.
Structural geology
IMDEX’s structural geology offering recently reached new heights with the release of ground-breaking digital core orientation system ACTx, premium gyro solution OMNIx38, and developments to LOGRx (formerly IQ-Logger) structural measurement device.
Together with HUB-IQ, the combination delivers repeatable and auditable conversion of alpha/beta angles based on drillhole trajectory. Smooth integration into ioGAS enables in-depth analysis, incorporating assay and other geoscience data to ensure structural geology interpretations are efficient and error-free.
ACTx
ACTx is the first digital core orientation system to offer resource companies and geologists auditable data seamlessly transferred into a secure digital platform. Multiple quality assurance flags collected during the core orientation process help determine confidence ratings for drill runs where the orientation lines do not match, resulting in enhanced drill program management and geotechnical planning.
In addition, the thoughtfully engineered design and workflow improve core marking at the drill rig, thus increasing the number of attempted and successful core orientations.
LOGRx
LOGRx is an innovative, handheld digital device that significantly enhances both the speed and accuracy of capturing the orientation of structural features in diamond core. Its ability to easily transfer structural measurements digitally creates a dependable audit trail.
The built-in data-verification capability, utilizing stereonet projections, guarantees the accuracy and reliability of measurements. This real-time verification ensures that informed decisions can be made as data is collected, making geological assessments more efficient and dependable.
OMNIx
The OMNIx line of products, including OMNIxBOLT, is the newest generation of survey tools, using north-seeking gyros to measure borehole deviation in applications ranging from exploration to production.
OMNIx42 is a fast and accurate north-seeking gyro with extensive field-proven reliability and Bluetooth transfer. The solution is available in a range of lightweight running gear configurations defined for all standard, reverse circulation and diamond drilling applications, including surveying whilst pulling core, orientation and near-horizontal to horizontal pump-in applications.
OMNIx38 is a premium, north-seeking and all-attitude continuous gyro, delivering the highest performance accuracy ratings in downhole navigation. It reduces uncertainties associated with survey measurements to provide geologists with critical borehole information they can trust, in a small form factor that caters to the driller and operator. Its ability to run continuously in vertical drillholes offers significant productivity benefits in this application. A recent analysis conducted at a site in South Africa found the drilling contractor saved two days of rig time and their associated costs when surveying one B-size vertical drillhole over 1000 m (3281 ft) deep.
Production mining
Production hole deviation is known to be a contributor to poor fragmentation, dilution, bridging and ore loss, which can cost the mining industry millions of dollars in lost production every year.
IMDEX developed OMNIxBOLT to assist in the prevention of these issues by enabling resource companies to accurately measure and analyze blast hole deviation at any time to make informed decisions prior to blasting. The system is fast, easy to use and accurate, and overcomes the challenge of needing multiple operators and an IT or elevating work platform to perform uphole surveys. To further improve ore recovery in the production process, IMDEX’s Borehole Stabiliser drilling additive is specifically designed to tackle some of the ground challenges faced in air drilling applications.
BLASTDOG
A product of extensive in-house research and development, BLASTDOG is a multi-sensor downhole data-acquisition, analysis and visualization system that combines automation and machine learning with a data-driven approach to target higher ore recovery and better blast outcomes. It delivers rapid, reliable, and precise geoscientific and physical data and analytics from RC holes and blastholes, for better mine planning and blasting.
Data and knowledge derived from BLASTDOG can be visualized with HUB-IQ or in 3D within MinePortal without the need for exporting/importing. No other technology has the capacity to produce the same information and provide as large an impact on downstream processes, including enhancing productivity and improving sustainability.
The data has the potential to be used to develop programs which could improve:
- Safety;
- Mine planning;
- Blast design;
- Fragmentation of the rock;
- Air-blast and dust;
- Material assignment after the blast.
Future outlook
The long-term industry fundamentals remain compelling. There is, however, significant need to replace diminishing reserves. Demand for battery metals is increasing the supply-demand imbalance while reserves are becoming deeper and more complex to find.
Building new mines to counter resource depletion emerged for the first time in EY’s annual assessment of risks and opportunities in the mining sector. Innovation and the technology it delivers provides exploration and mining companies with ways to tackle some of the issues surrounding resource depletion, as well as assisting in the drive for improved sustainability and the need to deal with a lack of skilled labor.
The supply shortfall for gold and copper, which represents about 75% of global exploration activity, is predicted to result in substantial demand in the medium to longer term. Similarly, demand for other battery metals is expected to intensify in the medium term due to increasing decarbonization targets. This supply shortfall has resulted in higher commodity prices, particularly gold.
IMDEX has a unique competitive position to address the increasing demand for productivity and greater orebody knowledge. The company maintains its clear objective of outperforming industry growth through technology leadership together with integrated offerings and the delivery of end-to-end solutions. New growth is pursued via its Digital and IMDEX Mining Technologies business units, where building geoscience analytics, AI and computer visualization capabilities will provide unparalleled orebody knowledge while leveraging its core capabilities in the mining production market.
For more information visit: imdex.com
