by Peter Leckie, Senior Manager – Product (Marketing),
Axis, Orica Digital Solutions
Almost four years since it was acquired by Orica Digital Solutions, Axis Mining Technology still has exploration as its focus. The reason for that is simple: even with new backing, new capability, and a bigger platform behind it, the driller is still at the core.
Axis Mining Technology burst into the exploration market in 2014 at the forefront of the driller-operable gyro revolution, with tools that put surveying into the hands of field crews, while improving quality and reducing standby time. Understanding the realities of exploration life in the field is a part of Axis’ DNA and it goes into everything the business does, from hardware design through to support.
Orica is known globally for explosives and services across mining and infrastructure; more recently for the software, modeling, and measurement capability it has built in Orica Digital Solutions. With the acquisition of Axis Mining Technology, it formed a leading full-service orebody intelligence business and the industry’s first integrated, end-to-end, mine-to-mill solutions provider.
For Axis, that ownership hasn’t diluted the exploration focus. Instead, it has helped the business increase new product development and has also brought deeper software expertise, making Axis more connected with both drillers in the field, and with geologists—the owners of the data that the tools generate.
This isn’t about choosing one group over another. Drillers and geologists have related, but different, needs, and Axis needs to provide something for each of them: driller-friendly measurement at the point of work, and geologist-ready data at the point of decision.
What has changed, and what has stayed the same?
Axis Mining Technology was built by a group of founders with diverse backgrounds: ranging from satellite signal processing in the UK, to drilling and wireline service operations in Kalgoorlie, Australia. This partnership was grounded in a shared belief that value is delivered by placing advanced technology directly into the users’ hands. In this case, that approach was used to enhance a core element of exploration—directional hole surveying—by equipping drillers with solutions that integrated seamlessly into their existing workflow. This led to the development of the AXIS Champ™ Gyro and that tool, alongside the Reflex Sprint-IQ, fundamentally changed the quality, process, and efficiency of surveying.
Becoming part of Orica Digital Solutions extended Axis’ global reach and strengthened development investment, but the core of the business remained: delivering outstanding support to the people on the ground. Even four years on, members of the original founding team remain involved, helping unlock the full potential of the business they launched 12 years ago.
The Axis Mining Technology portfolio
To better support measurement workflows for both drillers and geologists, Axis shifted its focus from individual product performance to the overall user experience. This led to a ground-up rebuild of the hardware and software, aimed at delivering combined value greater than any single tool. The range seeks to deliver three objectives:
- Hardware that excels in the specifications that matter
Axis focuses on specifications that directly impact real-work use, such as seamless integration into existing drilling equipment, ease of handling, and clear operational feedback. Prioritizing these factors supports more consistent use in the field and ultimately drives more frequent and accurate measurements.
- Becoming the driller’s preferred solution in the field
Building on the principles that founded the business, Axis tools are designed to be dependable when they are needed most. Software is engineered to reduce complexity, minimize data entry, and streamline workflows, and it is supported by responsive teams who understand the realities of drill site operations.
- A trusted partner for geologists
Axis delivers reliable hardware and guided field workflows that promote higher measurement quality, more consistently. This is complemented by cloud-based software that simplifies quality assurance and decision-making, while integrating effectively with the broader ecosystem of geological tools.
These three objectives underpin every product in the Axis portfolio.
Product spotlight: AXIS Connect™
AXIS Connect™ streamlines two-way data management between field instruments and the cloud, reducing manual entry and clicks, and enabling real-time visibility for geologists as surveys progress. Designed for interoperability, it integrates with established geology and drilling platforms to improve handoffs across teams.
At the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) 2026, Axis demonstrated how this connected approach is extending through partnerships, most notably with Seequent®, helping link drilling workflows to geological modeling more seamlessly and reducing friction between teams.
This partnership delivers powerful integration between AXIS Connect™ and Leapfrog Geo (via Seequent Evo), enabling more seamless collaboration across field and office teams. By reducing friction in data movement and improving continuity between roles, it supports faster alignment, greater operational clarity, and a more connected exploration workflow.
More broadly, the collaboration is redefining how exploration drilling workflows operate end-to-end. By connecting trusted field measurements with downstream interpretation and execution, it enables subsurface intelligence to flow unimpeded—from the rig to the model to action—delivering measurable gains in operational efficiency and exploration effectiveness.
Product spotlight: Axis Aligner™
The AXIS Aligner™ is a new addition to the Axis range, developed in response to customer requests for an Axis-built system that fully integrates with the wider hardware and software stack. In designing the system, the team considered how to advance drill rig alignment technology; combining precision engineering with user-focused design. Featuring a state-of-the-art north-seeking gyro, ergonomic one-arm lift capability, and an innovative push-button clamping mechanism, it delivers safe and precise alignment in the field.
Built with the driller in mind, the AXIS Aligner™ is lighter and quicker to install thanks to its next-generation fiber optic gyro (FOG) and ergonomically designated housing. Safety is enhanced through a mechanical clamp that removes the need to reach around rods to attach the unit, while intuitive, high-quality software minimizes on-site data entry.
For geologists, the high-powered FOG provides fast initialization and robust north-seeking performance. Two-way data workflows through AXIS Connect™ allow real-time visibility of survey progress, while integration with leading platforms such as Seequent® and CorePlan ensures smooth data transfer.
Backed by expert global support, operators can rely on consistent performance and assistance wherever they work. Together, these capabilities make the AXIS Aligner™ an essential tool for achieving faster, safer, and more accurate drilling outcomes.
Hardware that fits the drilling workflow—then, and now
The history of Axis is built on tightly integrating hardware into the drilling workflow, with tools such as AXIS Champ™ ORI and Champ™ Navigator that were designed for drillers to use instinctively, without disrupting productivity. That same driller‑first philosophy underpins newer hardware like the AXIS Aligner™ and AXIS All‑Gyro™, where field‑ready innovation improves safety, efficiency, and measurement confidence where it matters most.
Modern mining success still begins with knowing the orebody. What’s changed is how far that knowledge can travel, how quickly it can be trusted, and how easily it can be shared. Axis still starts with the driller, but with Orica Digital Solutions behind it, the story now continues further into the office, the model, and the decisions that follow, impacting the entire exploration value chain.
Why it matters
In mining, every inaccurate degree of azimuth or missing meter of survey density can cascade into dilution, mis‑allocated energy, or lost recovery. These small errors compound across the value chain, affecting everything from drilling efficiency to blast performance and downstream processing stability. By making precision driller‑operable, auditable, and fully connected, Orica Digital Solutions’ Axis Mining Technology is closing the gap between what happens at the rig and what happens in the model, ensuring that the data captured in the field seamlessly informs the geological understanding that underpins decision‑making.
This alignment is critical as mines pursue deeper, more complex orebodies and tighter performance targets. When high‑quality measurements flow directly into design tools, blast engineers can shape more accurate plans, operations teams can execute with greater confidence, and processing plants can run more predictably with fewer surprises. The result is a value chain that behaves more like a coordinated system and less like a series of disconnected steps.
By strengthening this connection—from drill accuracy to modeling, design, execution, and reconciliation—Axis is enabling a level of operational discipline that simply wasn’t possible before. That is how orebody intelligence turns into meaningful, measurable bottom‑line results.
Case study: Savannah Resources
Savannah Resources is advancing a lithium exploration program in Portugal, targeting a potential new mining operation. The project involved drilling a five-figure number of meters within a compressed timeframe, using both reverse circulation (RC) and diamond drilling techniques. The campaign was part of Savannah Resources’ broader commitment to sustainable resource development, with a focus on operational efficiency and environmental responsibility.
For this project, Savannah Resources required surveying and orientation tools that could integrate smoothly into their workflow, while delivering consistent, high-quality data. Several boreholes were vertical, necessitating advanced capabilities for uninterrupted and accurate downhole measurements.
Orica Digital Solutions’ Axis Mining Technology supplied the AXIS Champ™ Navigator2 gyro and AXIS Champ™ Ori core orientation tools, which were deployed across the drilling campaign. The vertical continuous mode of the AXIS Champ™ Navigator2 was particularly valuable for surveying vertical holes, enabling seamless data acquisition without interruptions.
The AXIS Champ™ Ori offered a unique advantage—being driller-operable and replacing the guide bushing in the core barrel head assembly, thus eliminating the need for extensions or sacrificing core length. This simplicity and efficiency were well received by drill crews.
Additionally, the system’s flexible data transfer options—via cloud, USB, or email—allowed the Savannah Resources team to choose the method that best suited their operations, without being locked into a single workflow. This adaptability was especially appreciated in a multi-contractor environment.
Axis Mining Technology provided dedicated in-person training and support, ensuring smooth implementation and optimal tool performance throughout the campaign.
Savannah Resources achieved numerous outputs and benefits as a result of using the Axis Mining Technology instrumentation throughout the project, including:
- Successful surveying of a five-figure meterage of boreholes;
- Continuous tool operation over several months with no reported failures;
- Enhanced geological confidence and operational efficiency;
- Flexible data workflows supporting multi-team collaboration;
- Positive alignment with the sustainability goals of Savannah Resources.
The combination of robust technology, responsive support, and operational flexibility enabled Savannah Resources to meet exploration objectives efficiently and confidently.
‘Savannah has worked with Orica’s drilling and core orientation tools from Axis for the first time, and it was a great experience. Our exploration team and multiple drill contractors received in-person training and support, and the equipment was in continuous operation for several months without any problems,’ said John Morris Pereira, Exploration Manager at Savannah Resources.
Our roadmap for the next 24–36 months
We will continue expanding AXIS Connect™ integrations with leading geology, planning, and data management platforms, so whether you’re a driller, geologist, or a short‑term planner, your measurement data flows cleanly and traceably into the next decision.
Recent announcements have emphasized interoperability to reduce manual handoffs. Our demonstrations at PDAC 2026 showcased our close relationship with Seequent® and how we are connecting drillers and geologists like never before, seamlessly linking from modeling to drilling, and back again.
From orebody to blast and beyond, our engineering teams are building on existing hardware and are progressing the next wave of breakthrough capabilities. The strategic intent behind integrating Axis remains clear: better orebody intelligence drives better blast design, better fragmentation, and better throughput—closing loops from mine to mill. Public statements from the acquisition and subsequent product releases reinforce this vision and Orica’s commitment to digital transformation at customer sites worldwide.
In parallel with the industry pursuing metals critical to decarbonization, orebodies are becoming deeper and more complex. Orica has highlighted how advanced geospatial tools improve the probability of discovery and characterization at depth, capability that becomes central to delivering the energy transition responsibly and profitably.
Upcoming events
Visit Orica Digital Solutions’ Axis Mining Technology team to explore how we’re driving innovation to transform the future of mining.
- Diggers & Dealers, 3–5 August 2026, Kalgoorlie;
- Mining Indonesia, 9–12 September 2026, Jakarta;
- DRILL26, 22–24 September 2026, Adelaide.
For more information: Visit orica.com/axis
