SK Godelius expands operations to northern Ontario

In January, SK Godelius opened an office in northern Ontario within the Norcat Underground Centre in Sudbury. The company specializes in developing innovative forms of remote interaction for machines, vehicles, robots, and processes of the mining industry. The Norcat centre provides SK Godelius with the opportunity to test and evaluate emerging technologies in an operating mine.

“We are pleased to welcome SK Godelius to the NORCAT Underground Centre. With their expansion to Sudbury, we have not only validated the critical role NORCAT plays to assist technology companies grow their business, but also we have further demonstrated the vibrancy of the Canadian mining technology cluster rooted in Northern Ontario,” Don Duval, CEO of NORCAT, said in a release.

SK Godelius has developed and implemented several teleoperated systems and robotics solutions for the mining industry, such as the remote operation of bucketwheels for Codelco at Chuquicamata mine; stackers for Codelco at Chuquicamata and Radomiro Tomic and for BHP at Spence mine; and spreaders for Codelco at Gabriela Mistral, all located in Chile. The company has also created a suite of elements for remote blasting, such as an explosives handler robot and a teleoperated truck for the transport, preparation and filing of the explosives. The Godelius X robot, a multipurpose robotic platform developed to address specific mining challenges, is also part of SK Godelius' portfolio.

“With the emergence of teleoperated or autonomous vehicles, machines, robots, a new operating paradigm is being consolidated in global mining. To make it possible, multiple technological innovations of the fourth industrial revolution converge: SK Godelius works at the heart of these changes. Relying on an underground mine like Norcat's is a remarkable contribution that will allow us to show in situ that these solutions are available, here, and now,” added Fernando Bracco, CEO and founder of the company.

Founded in Chile in 2011, SK Godelius opened its first Canadian office in Toronto in 2020, and NORCAT has played an essential role in supporting SK Godelius to expand its business to Northern Ontario. SK Godelius also offers to its customers solutions in an ‘as a service’ model. Through the Godelius NOC, a remote management and monitoring centre, the company presents to the market a new form of monitoring systems and operations safely.

“Although the pandemic has imposed some challenges in our expansion plan, we are optimistic about 2021 and the following years. There is room for tech companies in the Canadian market, especially for developing solutions to minimize people's life-risk, reduce the environment-risk of mining operations, and increase productivity,” concluded Rafaela Lazzari Pape, marketing manager at SK Godelius.

SK Godelius is is part of Sigdo Koppers Group, a Chilean conglomerate with operations in the Americas, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. The Sigdo Koppers Group is a global player in blasting services, grinding media, engineering and construction, and logistics.

For more information, visit www.Godelius.com.