Tag Archive for: Mining

PTAG at the 18th Annual Saskatchewan Mining Supply Chain Forum

/in , , /by

18th Annual Saskatchewan Mining Supply Chain Forum

PTAG is pleased to be attending the 18th Annual Saskatchewan Mining Supply Chain Forum on April 15–16 at Prairieland Park in Saskatoon. Representing PTAG at this year’s event are Andrew Grant, Andrew Dubreuil, and Ugo Santone, who bring deep expertise across project controls, construction management, and integrated project delivery.

As organizations across Mining and Minerals, Energy & Resources, Infrastructure, and Power and Utilities continue to navigate increasing project complexity, the themes addressed at MSCF are more relevant than ever. From improving cost and schedule predictability to leveraging digital tools and data for better decision-making, the industry is at a critical point of transformation.

PTAG’s work aligns closely with these priorities. Our teams support clients in establishing robust project governance frameworks, enhancing project controls maturity, and integrating Project Management Information Systems (PMIS) that provide real-time visibility into performance. Through benchmarking and performance assessment, we help organizations identify gaps, implement best practices, and achieve measurable improvements across their project portfolios.

A key area of focus at this year’s conference is the role of data-driven insights in delivering successful outcomes. PTAG continues to see strong demand for integrated solutions that connect planning, cost, schedule, risk, and field execution data into a unified ecosystem. This integration enables more proactive management, reduces uncertainty, and supports better strategic decision-making at both the project and portfolio levels.

In addition, the growing emphasis on governance, quality, and HSSE reinforces the need for structured, disciplined approaches to project execution. PTAG’s experience across complex, large-scale projects enables us to support clients in strengthening these foundational elements while maintaining flexibility to adapt to changing project conditions.

The MSCF Conference provides a valuable platform to exchange ideas, share lessons learned, and explore emerging trends that will shape the future of project delivery. PTAG looks forward to engaging with industry peers and contributing to discussions on how to drive improved performance, reduce risk, and deliver greater value across capital programs.

If you are attending MSCF 2026, we encourage you to connect with our team to discuss how PTAG can support your organization’s project delivery objectives.

PTAG Sponsors Mining4Beer at PDAC 2026

/in , /by

As the global mining community prepares to gather in Toronto for PDAC 2026, PTAG is pleased to once again sponsor Mining4Beer, one of PDAC’s most established and anticipated networking events.

Held annually alongside PDAC, Mining4Beer has become a staple of the conference week, bringing together mining owners, operators, EPCs, and project delivery professionals in a relaxed and informal setting. Beyond the venue and refreshments, the event is valued for what it consistently delivers: meaningful conversations, peer-to-peer engagement, and the opportunity to strengthen relationships across the mining and capital projects ecosystem.

Supporting Industry Connection Beyond the Conference Floor

PDAC is known for its technical sessions, strategic discussions, and market insights. Mining4Beer complements this by creating space for open dialogue outside the conference environment, where professionals can exchange perspectives on project challenges, emerging trends, and lessons learned from across the industry.

PTAG’s continued sponsorship reflects our commitment to supporting collaboration and knowledge-sharing within the mining sector. As projects grow in scale and complexity, strong relationships and open communication remain critical to successful project outcomes. Events like Mining4Beer play an important role in fostering those connections.

A Longstanding Commitment to the Mining Sector

PTAG works closely with mining clients across the full project lifecycle, providing advisory and delivery support in areas such as project management, construction management, project controls, supply chain, engineering management, and performance assessment. Our teams understand the realities of capital project execution in mining, from early-stage development through construction and commissioning.

Participating in PDAC and supporting industry events allows PTAG to stay closely connected to the challenges and priorities shaping the sector. It also provides an opportunity to engage with clients and partners in a setting that encourages candid discussion and shared learning.

Looking Ahead to PDAC 2026

Mining4Beer will take place during PDAC 2026 in Toronto and is expected to once again draw a strong cross-section of industry leaders and practitioners. PTAG looks forward to reconnecting with familiar faces, meeting new industry peers, and continuing conversations that extend beyond the conference sessions.

If you will be attending PDAC 2026 and are interested in joining us at Mining4Beer, we welcome you to reach out.

Let’s raise a glass to meaningful connections and industry camaraderie.

PTAG Joins Mining4Beer in Toronto: A Night of Networking and Industry Camaraderie 

/in , , /by

Get ready for an evening of great conversations, industry connections, and, of course, some well-earned drinks! PTAG is thrilled to be a sponsor at Mining4Beer, a premier networking event that brings together professionals from the mining and construction sectors in an informal and engaging setting. 

Event Details: 📍 Location: Scotland Yard Pub & Cathedral Bar, 56 The Esplanade, Toronto 

📅 Date: March 2, 2025 

⏰ Time: 5:00 PM – Midnight’ish 

As a proud sponsor, PTAG is excited to support this event that fosters collaboration and builds valuable relationships within the mining and construction industries. Whether you’re a seasoned expert, a young professional, or someone looking to expand your network, Mining4Beer offers the perfect opportunity to connect with industry peers in a relaxed and friendly environment. 

This Toronto edition of Mining4Beer promises an evening filled with engaging discussions, potential business opportunities, and the chance to meet some of the brightest minds in the field. As always, good drinks and great company are guaranteed! 

Come raise a glass with PTAG and fellow industry professionals at Mining4Beer Toronto—we look forward to seeing you there! 

Mining4Beer Event at PDAC2024 Convention

/in , /by

PTAG is pleased to be a Sponsor for the Mining4Beer event during the Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) 2024 at the Craft Beer Market Toronto on Sunday, March 3, 2024.

Mining4Beer is an event to bring the mining community together. Join us to discover how PTAG’s Project Advisors assist the mining industry in delivering successful projects.

PTAG’s Michael Dubreuil, Andrew Grant, Shannon Sahota, Chris Deidun, Stephanie Gonnet, Feroz Ashraf and Elnaz Khaleghi are looking forward to meeting you there. Let’s have a beer and talk about mining projects!

Please feel free to reach out to us to chat.

Find out more and register for the event here!

The World’s Premier Mineral Exploration & Mining Convention (PDAC2024)

/in , /by

PDAC 2024 stands as the pinnacle gathering for individuals, enterprises, and entities vested in mineral exploration. This premier event, held in Toronto, Canada, annually garners acclaim for its educational initiatives, networking platforms, business prospects, and enjoyable experiences, drawing up to 30,000 participants from over 130 nations.

Since its inception in 1932, the convention has expanded significantly in scale, reputation, and impact, emerging as the preferred global forum for the mineral industry, boasting over 1,100 exhibitors and 700 speakers.

The PTAG team (Andrew Grant, Chris Deidun and Feroz Ashraf) will be participating in the World’s Premier Mineral Exploration & Mining Convention (PDAC2024) , March 3-6, 2024 in Toronto.

We are open to discussing potential collaborations, sharing insights, or simply enjoying a friendly conversation.

Let’s seize this opportunity to reconnect, build new bridges, and expand our knowledge together.

Find out more about the event here.

Webinar Recap –Digital Transformation: Automating Field Reporting & Progressing– September 20 at CIM MEMO 2022

/in , /by

Digital Transformation: Automating Field Reporting & Progressing

Listen in to this video recap as PTAG industry thought leaders, Feroz Ashraf, and Bob Brown, discuss Digital Transformation, Automating, Field Reporting & Progressing.

This is the recap video of the session presented in Sudbury at the CIM | Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (MEMO 2022) on September 20, 2022.

The global pandemic has created a challenge to measure and record progress at mining construction sites. In particular, remote mining sites have been hard hit. This is due to physical restrictions and constraints at the site to limit the number of workers or staff compounded by testing and vaccination requirements and administration, “social distancing” and PPE requirements, and minimization of physical interactions and face-to-face meetings. The mining industry is challenged by travel restrictions, fluctuating commodity prices, and supply/demand and delivery issues accentuated by the pandemic.

It is evident from global responses to date that companies with high digital maturity and utilization have done significantly better than others who have relied on manual or semi-manual systems. There is a serious need within the industry to rethink and re-invent to improve productivity and resulting performance. An easy solution is to set up an “integrated” digital system that will capture the project data and provide reliable and real-time data on the project’s performance. Typically, contractors provide weekly updates, and it takes another week to consolidate and integrate the data.

This presentation discusses how leveraging current technology and industry best practices will lead to faster, better-informed decision-making and project performance improvement. Results of case studies presented and show how to address data collection at multiple levels at the work site using hand-held portable devices to provide meaningful insights, productivity measurements, and multiple shift data, mitigating COVID-19 impacts and reducing rework and change orders.

 In summary, the presentation presents simple steps to implement such solutions and how owners can leverage easy-to-implement technology and best practices to provide faster decision-making and project performance improvement.

CIM Conference for Maintenance, Engineering and Reliability/Mine Operators (MEMO 2022) in Sudbury

/in , , , /by

Attend PTAG‘s Digital Transformation presentation on Automating Field Reporting and Progressing at the CIM conference for Maintenance, Engineering and Reliability/Mine Operators (MEMO 2022) with PTAG‘s industry thought leaders Feroz Ashraf and Bob Brown.

  We look forward to seeing you there! 

Video Recap – Canadian Institute of Mining’s CIM Virtual Convention 2021, May 3rd: The Importance of Front-End Planning and Leveraging Industry Best Practices to Minimize Project Risk

/in /by

Watch this video recap, as Feroz Ashraf, PTAG’s Executive Advisor for Capital Projects, presents this direct and to the point session providing practical and validated examples on “The Importance of Front-End Planning and Leveraging Industry Best Practices to Minimize Project Risk” at CIM 2021.

This is the video recording of the presentation which was originally presented at the Canadian Institute of Mining’s Annual Virtual Convention CIM 2021 on May 3rd, 2021.

Globally, including North America, most capital and sustaining projects have been impacted by COVID and resulting economic slowdown. Projects are also experiencing significant productivity impacts due to the new normal COVID working conditions, as well as increasing emphasis on safety, security, and regulatory compliance.

Due to budget cuts, project and construction teams have been reduced by 30% or more. Across the board, our industry is also seeing increases in material and equipment costs due to COVID with commodity price volatility and supply/demand uncertainty presenting additional challenges.

To mitigate these issues the project team must further increase the use of the Front-End Planning process, deploy industry best practices, conduct extensive value engineering exercises, as well as thorough internal and external risk assessment process. In doing so, the Construction Industry Institute (CII) has established through its industry research that a significant saving can be achieved and gain in productivity:

Interested in downloading the slide deck? Click here for Direct Download.

[3d-flip-book id=”1422″ ][/3d-flip-book]

Find out more about the event here: The Experience (cim.org)

Get to know our speakers:

Video Recap – Canadian Institute of Mining’s CIM Virtual Convention 2021, May 3rd: How to Plan and Execute Capital Projects in Volatile and Uncertain Times

/in /by

Watch this video recap, as Feroz Ashraf, PTAG’s Executive Advisor for Capital Projects, presents this direct and to-the-point session on “How to Plan and Execute Capital Projects in Volatile and Uncertain Times” at CIM 2021.

This is the recap video recording of the presentation which was originally presented at the Canadian Institute of Mining’s Annual Virtual Convention CIM 2021 on May 3rd, 2021.

Globally, including North America, most capital and sustaining projects have been impacted by COVID-19 and the resulting economic slowdown. Projects are also experiencing significant productivity impacts due to the new normal COVID working conditions, as well as increasing emphasis on safety, security, and regulatory compliance.

The presentation focuses on below key areas:

Interested in downloading the slide deck? Click here for Direct Download.

[3d-flip-book id=”1413″ ][/3d-flip-book]

Find out more about the event here: The Experience (cim.org)

Get to know our speakers:

Canadian Institute of Mining Annual Virtual Convention CIM 2021

/in , , /by

PTAG’s, Feroz Ashraf has been invited by Canadian Institute of Mining to present at their upcoming May 3rd virtual annual convention CIM 2021 on two topics: “The Importance of Front-End Planning and Leveraging Industry Best Practices to Minimize Project Risk” and “How to Plan and Execute Capital Projects in Volatile and Uncertain Times.”

Feroz will walk you through a direct and to-the-point presentation providing practical step-by-step approaches and validated examples. You will get a chance to engage with Feroz in the post-presentation Q&A session and to network with him at this virtual convention. This four-day event will have many thought leaders and keynote speakers presenting CIM community’s best content.

The presentations will focus on below key areas:

  • Challenges faced by the Mining Industry during Covid-19 and in general.
  • Top reasons why projects go off-track.
  • Front-End Planning – what, why, how? and Leveraging Industry Best Practices.
  • Rigorous staged-gate process to minimize project risks.
  • Learn how and when to use Construction Industry Institute (CII) Front-End Planning tools, such as the Project Definition Rating Index (PDRI) to determine the “state of readiness” and “maturity level” of your project to assure better outcomes.
  • Review how to assess the Project Complexity Index and Maturity Levels– and to adapt the Execution Plan accordingly to optimize the contracting strategy and minimize execution risk.
  • Determine why Initial Project Set-up and a focussed List of Deliverables are important for team alignment.
  • Review why consistent Project Controls and Risk Analysis methodology is critical.
  • Learn how a simplified, interactive Project Management & Project Controls Handbook – is a key to Project Management and Delivery Success.
  • Look into Integrated Project Management Structure and Systems – I2PD for enhanced risk-sharing and collaboration.
  • Understand why an Integrated Project Execution Plan (IPEP) is a roadmap to success.

Find out more about the event here: The Experience (cim.org)