“The company itself commenced operations in 1994 with only a small handful of employees, focusing at that time on electronic products, repairs on remote control system, lights and radios,” explains Marc Lamothe, Business Development Manager for Meglab. “When our President, Louis Valade, bought into the company in 2005, bringing with him some 30 years of mining experience, he quickly set about establishing a whole new electrical division within the company. Subsequently the business grew, employing more people and establishing the other Meglab divisions, all while ensuring the company maintained its core vision, that being the establishing of long term relationships with major national and international customers.”
Meglab specialises in custom manufacturing, turnkey project management and integrated problem solving. Its mission is to identify, design, manufacture and install innovation electrical and electronic solutions that are tailored to the unique needs of its industrial customers. These solutions are used to achieve three core objectives for said customers, namely, optimising the pace of production, reducing operating costs and ensuring a safe working environment.
“The work of our company over the last 20 years has proven first hand that the key to long-term success is the forging of good working relationships that are based on trust,” Lamothe continues. “Our focus is to hire good people who are able to service our customers in the way that they expect and to communicate with them in order to identify their individual goals, budgets and timelines. The result of this hard work is the development of products or solutions that are tailor made to fit the customers’ needs.”
Meglab essentially acts as a complete one-stop service and solutions provider, and is able to call upon the services of a group of employees who collectively possess a wealth of experience in various fields of expertise. Together these employees have contributed towards the company’s ability to develop an industry leading portfolio of products, many of which are unique to Meglab. Such products include its MicroCage, MicroGuide, ScoopCam and MicroData solutions, each of which has been utilised numerous times over the years to provide invaluable services to some of the most complex and remote operating mines.
What Lamothe highlights as being one of the best examples of a good working relationship between Meglab and a customer is that which the company holds with Goldcorp’s Éléonore project, located in James Bay, Canada. Here Meglab employees can be found located on site on a 24/7 basis, handling all of the underground mine sites’ electrical and electronic design and engineering requirements.
“We have just recently returned from our latest visit to the Éléonore project and I was blown away at how much of a presence our products and people have on site there, and the relationship between workers and staff,” Lamothe enthuses. “Just by walking around the site and seeing the Meglab trademark everywhere, on products controlling air volume, monitoring equipment and people, and generally helping to provide a safer working environment, you can see the fruits of what has become a true partnership and relationship between the two parties.”
Such has been the success of this particular relationship that it has in fact recently been extended with Meglab to provide electrical and electronics technicians to the project. “In addition to the extension of our relationship with the Éléonore project our plans for the future revolve around showcasing our success here and expanding our presence to other Goldcorp projects,” explains Ben Levac of Meglab Technology. “Goldcorp recognises the value we have helped add to the Éléonore project and we plan to visit their AGM in Vancouver during May and hold a presentation at their corporate office where we will showcase the company to the various mining managers in charge of Goldcorp’s other assets.”
In addition to its work with Goldcorp, Meglab’s employees can be found working on several other important projects, such as Osisko and their open pit. Power distribution in the pit and PLC fab in the mill, others include wireless technology to the shaft sinking activities in over 120 shaft compartments in mines, along with mine contractors and engineering firms.
“At present we are working with the operators of various projects to best identify ways to implement wireless technology into their communication and belling systems. Power distribution, coordination protection, safe grounding and line harmonic reduction are part of the issues we help our customers resolve. Budget pricing is important with starting new projects, and our knowledge of the complete needs enables us to answer promptly while including all aspects. ” Lamothe says. “Ultimately our goal is to develop partnerships with our customers as the one we have at the Éléonore project whereby we eventually become the principle provider of electronics and electrical components.”
In the meantime the company will continue working to not only establish a presence across other Goldcorp projects but also improve on what it has already achieved at the Éléonore project.
“Everything we do revolves around innovation and our belief that we should never stand still,” Lamothe concludes. “What we have achieved at the Éléonore project to date has been possible through the high expectations of our customer and their support, and indeed has been a success story in itself. We consider ourselves, and are considered as partners in lasting relationships with our customers. Aiding each other to achieve and surpass expectations, evolving with the times.”
Written by Will Daynes, research by Richard Turner
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