How XControl's AI explosives solution helps miners get bang for their buck

With the implementation of an advanced artificial intelligence (AI) platform developed by XControl Technologies, Minera Frisco's San Francisco del Oro gold-silver mine in Mexico's Chihuahua state became the first in the nation to use such a solution to help handle explosives.

Similar solutions will be implemented at three other mines operated by Frisco.

BNamericas talks with the president of XControl, Raymundo Ceja, who is an industrial and systems engineer, about this partnership, the future of the company and how AI helps mining companies to improve efficiency, safety and compliance.

BNamericas: How did XControl come about and how long have you been using AI in your solutions for the mining sector?

Ceja: This project was created by another of our companies, called Zacsoft. This platform was born as a Zacsoft product five years ago, and two years ago it turned into another company, which is XControl Technologies.

XControl Technologies is oriented toward the development of technological solutions for the mining industry. We've been using artificial intelligence for some time now. Particularly, with the advent of large language models and what is now called generative artificial intelligence. We've been working on it since the end of last year to provide solutions.

Our biggest solution right now is explosives control. We have a system, which is XControl, that retains traceability of explosives use in the mines.

At this point, we've implemented our solutions in 40 mines and six are in the implementation process.

We're basically in the entire national mining territory, in Chihuahua, in Sonora, we're in Zacatecas, we're in Guerrero, in Mexico state, and our clients include Frisco, Arian Silver and Orbia.

BNamericas: Why were your AI solutions first implemented at San Francisco del Oro?

Ceja: The platform started without artificial intelligence, but seeing the technological evolution, this year we started integrating elements of artificial intelligence. And because of the closeness, collaboration and cooperation we developed with Frisco, we decided to launch the artificial intelligence part now, the first mine being San Francisco del Oro.

Basically, it's a reciprocal collaboration, as Frisco has offered us the openness to say 'let's see, propose something and let's do it; propose smart solutions, creative and technological solutions.' Obviously, that involves a result that's profitable, and Frisco is very open to innovation, and that's where our partnership is.

Frisco decided to trust us and from here 100% of Frisco's mines are now following. So, we're finishing San Francisco del Oro and the others continue. We'll go on to implement the solution at the other Frisco mines, three others that are active right now.

What we now have is the artificial intelligence assistant that knows the specific explosives control processes, and we're integrating new artificial intelligence functions, such as prediction of explosives consumption and traceability monitoring.

That is, an artificial intelligence agent is constantly monitoring the integrity of the product that arrives, the product that's distributed internally and the product that's consumed.

BNamericas: How much should a mining unit invest to access this type of AI-based solutions and what are the elements that differentiate this solution in the market?

Ceja: The investment per mine is a variable average depending on operating conditions and volume. It can be around US$40,000 per mine, but I also want to take this opportunity to tell you that we're about to launch our software-as-a-service model, which is already active.

What's the differentiating element? Well, first, we're the only platform that keeps you in control from the moment you place the order as a miner with an explosives supplier; you manage the entire security chain during the internal distribution of explosives inside the mine, up until the final consumption verification of the product.

The chain begins when the explosives distributor supplies the product and the chain ends when the reports are generated after the explosive has been consumed and are sent to the defense ministry.

BNamericas: And do you participate in the entire process?

Ceja: The entire process, including the system, in addition to maintaining the entire chain of custody, the internal chain, the entire logistical issue of the explosives, and also generating those reports.

BNamericas: How does that benefit you and what's the potential of AI for mining companies?

Ceja: There are several key points. The first is improved security. Why? Because we have security analysis data that provides us with guarantees on the particular issue of explosives, which guarantees our integrity.

There's a national phenomenon where it's obviously important to maintain integrity and for you to know as a mining company that the product that arrives is the same one that's consumed and that there are no losses in the process.

We greatly reduce human error. There are large volumes of material that are used, so we reduce any human error that might exist in capturing information. We greatly reduce dispatch, optimization and distribution times.

And now, with the predictive technologies that we're putting in place, we'll optimize the consumption of explosives in the mines. That can lead to very, very substantial savings.

We're increasingly collecting information that allows us to be aware not only of the amount of explosives, but also the type of process, the type of operation and the type of conditions that exist in a mine to then be able to apply artificial intelligence to optimize consumption.

BNamericas: Does the use of AI in mining processes lead to savings in staff hiring?

Ceja: A large part of the investment that mining companies have to make is in training personnel to execute whatever process they're tasked with. So, we're reducing the learning curve by 50% I'd say. How? Through the use of artificial intelligence because our system trains staff.

Any questions, any procedures, any processes, any protocols that must be followed in which staff have to be trained; if someone new arrives, they're very advanced because they have an artificial intelligence agent that can guide them on the details regarding management.

BNamericas: And what is your expectation? Do you expect these types of AI-based solutions to grow in the mining industry?

Ceja: Those new Frisco mines, plus those that also work with us, will have access to this solution, and they won't have to make new investments. That's important to mention. We manage support and update policies with our clients... and all improvements are available to all clients through their policy.

We're projecting ourselves. Although we were created with a focus on control of explosives... we're projecting ourselves into a company's vision as ERP [solution] for the mining industry.

We have satellite solutions, so to speak, for the mining industry because we're starting to focus on fuel control as we are entering the issue of security, focused on asset security.

BNamericas: How will artificial intelligence change mining in Mexico and the world?

Ceja: We'll go from an initial vision of technological platforms with which we're interacting through screen navigation to direct human interaction with machines, where you ask for something and the machine will produce it for you, without having to feed it parameters.

For example, I have to select a date range, I have to enter... the parameters of the information I want. What are we getting at with this? You can simply say with plain text what you want and the system has to give it to you, and we're working on that.

So, the next phase will be where you ask the system through human text for something you need and the system will produce it for you.

BNamericas: How much do you expect to grow as a company, both in number of employees and clients?

Ceja: I hope that this year, as we're reaching a level we can call consolidation, or by 2025, we will triple our staff, which is currently 18, as well as the number of clients.

Obviously, the implementation processes are much faster, so we're planning to close 2025 with 120-150 mines, and more or less 60 staff.

With technology, we're able to resolve aspects that the [planned mining] reform is focused on. How? With technology, we optimize, for example, water consumption, which is one of the most important points.

Likewise, with technology, we're ensuring explosives control, which is a national security issue.