Orica’s focus on latest tech for smaller mines and quarries in North America

Innovation in explosives and blasting technologies, including digital solutions, is just as relevant in smaller operations as it is in large mines. Collectively, these operations represent a significant market by volume, particularly in regions such as North America. At CONEXPO CON/AGG 2026, IM Editorial Director Paul Moore met with Elliott Giles, Area Business Manager, US Quarries and Construction for Orica, to discuss how technologies originally developed for large scale mining operations are now increasingly in demand across the wider extractive sector. 

Q Can you describe your role within Orica in terms of its scope; and what the opportunities like within the mining sector in your region? 

My role covers Orica’s US direct sales business, which is primarily focused on quarrying and construction, along with an underground mining segment that we recently established with a small development team. Geographically, this includes essentially everything east of Texas, with other regions managed through joint venture partners and distributors, such as the Southwest Energy JV, which is 50% owned by Orica and manages our business with gold mines in Nevada, for example. We support the full spectrum of the aggregates business, from cement grade limestone mining through to granite quarry operations. Our underground customer base now includes gold and salt mines, and the US also has a large underground limestone mining sector, particularly in the Midwest. There are a lot of opportunities for us in the mining space. Some of Orica’s offerings were developed specifically for the quarrying market, while others were initially designed for mining and later found their way into quarrying once the value proposition became clear.

IM Editorial Director Paul Moore met with Elliott Giles, Orica Area Business Manager, US Quarries & Construction

Q Can you give an example of an Orica technology that was primarily developed for the mining space that is now being more widely used in quarrying?

FRAGTrack is a good example – it’s a state-of-the-art fragmentation measurement tool that uses advanced vision technology to analyse fragmentation profiles and optimise blasting for downstream productivity. It was originally designed for mining applications and mounted on a shovel. Today, we have released four additional iterations of FRAGTrack suitable for smaller mining and quarrying applications. For example, it can be mounted on a gantry to scan for oversize material heading to the primary crusher. We’ve also just launched a version that mounts on a front-end wheel loader. Since most aggregate and cement grade limestone operations use wheel loaders, this allows fragmentation to be measured right at the dig face, which is extremely powerful for these sites. FRAGTrack can also be installed at the primary crushing station itself. The quarrying sector is starting to see the value this brings in terms of better understanding fragmentation and how it affects throughput at the primary crusher and further downstream. That data can then be fed back into blast design to optimise patterns and explosives loading. There are significant efficiencies and cost savings for customers. Orica FRAGTrack has already been installed on wheel loaders at sites in Canada. 

Q Historically, technologies like this were often seen as optional add-ons by quarry operators – is that changing and can you comment on the current and potential customer base for these types of innovations? 

Absolutely. Quarrying is a much smaller world than mining, and mining was the first to adopt these technologies and demonstrate their value. We’re now seeing that adoption gradually trickle down into the quarry space. Part of this is due to improvements in the technology itself, while wider adoption in mining has also helped reduce costs. You’re also seeing a new generation of younger quarry operators who are more digitally savvy, and data driven. They want better information to drive improvements, and they understand how to analyse that data. There’s also a growing understanding that the cheapest place to break rock is in the pit through blasting. Getting that right can drive value across the entire process by optimising blast patterns and explosive loading. While adoption is currently limited to a smaller subset of customers, many of those are large organisations. In quarrying, you’ve got major players like Vulcan, Holcim, Martin Marietta, Cemex, CRH and others, as well as Imerys and Unimin in the industrial minerals space. These companies have the scale and budgets to implement technologies across multiple sites. Smaller operators are then seeing the results and gradually following suit, and that trend will continue. 

Q Can you also comment on some Orica technology developments relevant to quarrying such as in wireless initiation? 

On the initiation side, one technology that has become very popular in the underground space is WebGen, with the latest version being WebGen 200. It’s the world’s first truly wireless initiating system, with no wires in or between blast holes. Primers are remotely initiated using magnetic induction signals that can penetrate rock, air, and water. By precharging blast holes, WebGen provides a significantly safer solution for all types of underground operations by reducing personnel exposure at the brow. It also enables more material to be moved per shift, lowering overall cost per tonne. In room and pillar mining, WebGen allows previously inaccessible pillars to be blasted, reducing dilution by more than 30% and increasing truck fill factors. We’ve seen it transform underground mines by delivering meaningful safety improvements and cost savings. More recently, we carried out our first surface quarry trials with WebGen at a limestone operation in the cement industry. WebGen enabled the site to safely recover nearly 10,000 m3 of material which would have been abandoned due to loss of bench access during the final stages of pit extraction. That site is now going full-time with the technology because it helps optimise blast planning and reduces downtime between blasts.

By precharging blast holes, WebGen provides a significantly safer solution for underground operations by reducing personnel exposure at the brow

Beyond productivity gains, WebGen also delivers important environmental and community benefits including reduced dust, noise, and fly rock. With no surface connections to manage, operators can safely drive over charged areas, apply water suppression and place blast mats directly over shots, helping minimise disturbance to surrounding areas while significantly enhancing safety outcomes. There is still work to be done around Mine Safety and Health (MSHA) regulations, which will take time. However, looking ahead, WebGen opens the door to new approaches to quarry design, such as double bench mining. Ultimately, it has the potential to transform the quarrying industry in North America. While approvals vary by application, MSHA has already had considerable exposure to the technology. We work closely with them at a district level where variations are required, and we make sure they’re involved throughout the process, so they understand how the technology works. It’s still relatively new, so that education piece is really important.

Q What’s new on the explosives product side for smaller mines and quarries? 

Two years ago, we launched a new high viscosity emulsion called Centra Gold HV, and today we’ve converted our entire quarry business over to it. It helps reduce blast fumes and provides better energy distribution within the blast pattern, which improves fragmentation. For customers operating close to communities, the product also helps reduce vibration and NOX. As quarry production expands closer to populated areas, proximity to communities is one of the biggest challenges our customers face, and Centra Gold HV really helps address that. The product was developed specifically for the quarrying market. Orica removed the prill, improved the oxygen balance and reduced NOX generation. This technology allows the product to be gassed down to lower densities within the hole, with higher density at the toe where energy demand is greatest and lower density near the collar where less energy is required. That energy distribution improves fragmentation and blast movement, delivering better overall results. Centra Gold HV is optimised for productivity and environmental performance, with reduced fumes and nitrate leaching. Its higher viscosity maintains sensitivity at lower densities, reduces seepage into fractured ground, and achieves cleaner blast outcomes, effectively matching explosive energy to site geology. 

Q Any other developments that you would highlight in relation to helping your customers optimise their operations? 

We’re also getting ready to release a TNT free primer, Senatel Sonex. All TNT production is currently concentrated in the eastern hemisphere, and with global uncertainty, supply and logistics are becoming more challenging. This new packaged priming explosive helps reduce reliance on TNT while delivering equivalent performance, ultimately helping customers manage costs without sacrificing results. Orica has also developed 4D, a bulk explosive system designed to precisely match explosive energy to geology. At the moment this is mainly used in underground and surface mining, but it’s certainly something we’re looking at for future quarry applications. With 4D, explosive energy can be adjusted instantaneously within a blasthole. For instance, if a hard layer appears between softer strata, you can change the relative bulk strength delivered within the hole for more effective breakage and controlled distribution of explosive power. The process instantly adapts to changing conditions for optimal blast outcomes.

Q Two final questions – how important is the people side of technology adoption; and how do you you see explosives delivery evolving in quarrying? 

The human factor is critical. When I started, we had five technical representatives. Today, we have more than 20. We’ve made a significant investment in technical services to support customers and drive adoption of these technologies. On explosives delivery, if you look back only two decades, most quarries were using heavy ANFO. Today, emulsion-based products are standard, and delivery trucks have evolved from basic auger systems to modern repump units. Looking ahead, as quarries begin investing in autonomous haulage, there’s real potential for autonomous explosives delivery as well.

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