Eramet, a global mining and metallurgy group, has signed a framework agreement with Delair to accelerate the digital transformation of its mining activities.

Through the agreement, Eramet will get access to Delair Aerial Intelligence (delair.ai), which is a new collaborative platform for analyzing UAS data and turning the results into valuable business insights.

Delair notes that its Delair.ai platform has been up and running at the Tiébaghi mine in New Caledonia since January. By the end of the year, it will be used by all of Eramet’s mines.

Currently, nine UAS are operating at Eramet. The plan is for nine more to be deployed by the end of the year, including Delair’s fixed-wing UX11 drone.

Using Delair’s end-to-end platform, Eramet will be able to map and analyze around 300,000 hectares a year across all of its sites.

According to Delair and Eramet, Eramet’s mining sites across New Caledonia, Gabon, Senegal and Indonesia offer a “considerable source” of topographical and geological data. Eramet plans to build digital twins of its mines so that it can control operations in real time, quickly schedule extraction projects, track ore inventories, ensure personnel safety, and manage the environmental impact of its sites.

“Combining methods which are five times faster than traditional ways of working with centimeter-level accuracy in drone data collection, Eramet is able to optimize its mining operations, reduce costs and improve the safety of topographers. Using artificial intelligence-based analytics allows the Group to continually measure and update distances, surface areas, volumes and slopes,” Delair explains.

“Interactive and scalable, the Delair.ai platform allows for data to be securely and easily exchanged, providing a convenient space to collaborate, communicate instructions, manage subcontractors, and store information on the Cloud. With this platform in place, it is now possible for Eramet to manage its mining operations in real time, in line with its strategic goals.”