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TBY talks to Ravi Sharma, Managing Director of Bedrock Mineral Resource Consulting (BMRC), on the company's core philosophy, what makes BMRC unique in the region, and new ventures.
BIOGRAPHY
Ravi Sharma is a geologist and an international mining expert. In 2011, Sharma established BMRC as an independent consultancy firm.How has BMRC successfully positioned itself as a trusted consultant for renowned international mining and exploration companies?
Our main objective was to start professional mining company in GCC with special focus on Oman. In the GCC, mining has a lot of potential but the sector is not fully developed yet. Mineral resources and reserves compliance has also been non-existent until now. We are working to bring awareness in the mining industry about the importance of compliance reporting and professional mining. Our main objective was to start a professional mining consultancy in Oman. We base our entire philosophy around our core value called “ABC," wherein A stands for “act with a sense of urgency," B stands for “behave like an owner," and C stands for “continuous improvement." Acting like the owner means giving priority to the clients' interests. Acting with urgency means acting in the best interests of the project. Continuous improvement improves our knowledge by keeping up with the latest technology. Bottom line, we do not behave like a consultant; we act as part and parcel of our client's team.
What are the main services BMRC offers its clients, and how do you differentiate them from those of other consultancy firms?
We offer a complete range of services right from greenfield surface exploration, drilling, mineral resources, mineral reserves, mine planning, operational efficiency, software development, financial analysis, and scoping to feasibility studies. In the Middle East, we are the only consultancy that offers JORC and NI 43-101mineral resource and reserve estimation services. We are committed to developing Omani nationals in highly technical skills job like mineral resource estimation and mine planning. In order to encourage this, BMRC is planning to hold free workshops for students and young Omani professionals. There is a need for Omanization right from the basic level through to the technical expertise level.
What are the main projects BMRC has in Oman alongside the big industry players?
Our clients include government bodies involved in mining or planning to invest in mining. We have successfully provided our services to almost all major mining companies. We have grown to more than 30 clients in Oman in a period of less than three years in Oman and the list is continuously growing.
What are BMRC's most significant ventures internationally?
We have carried out exploration and mineral resource estimation projects in Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Guinea, Sudan, Colombia, Guyana, Canada, the US, Sweden, the Philippines, the CIS, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia. Currently we are developing two gold mines in Zimbabwe. Our commodity portfolio includes gold, diamond, base metals, iron ore, lithium, uranium, and industrial minerals.
How do you assess the Omani mining industry, and what needs to be done in order to unleash its full potential?
The mining sector in Oman has huge potential to develop. I see a great amount of unexplored potential. There is a lot of interest from foreign investors, especially in limestone, gypsum, and chromite. There is an acute need for well-prepared Omani mining engineers and geologists.
What is your outlook for BMRC over the next 12 months?
At the least we want to achieve sustainable growth. We have also taken the decision to diversify into technology development. An example of the product from this vertical will be software related to mine management. These are management systems that can be customized to provide all the production data required by a particular company. It will allow top management to remain up to date with mine production. It is about KPIs and systems-driven efficiency and performance on site. The other focus for us in Oman is training. We want to conduct workshops to teach Omani students about the mining technologies being used worldwide and about quality assurance systems, as these do not exist here. We are also working on systems for the security of exploration data because a project's entire funding is based on that. Investors need to know that the mine data is accurate and securely stored to protect their investment.
PART OF THE TEAM
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