GMS Mine Repair and Maintenance : North America’s Premier Mining and Tunneling Contractor

GMS Mine Repair and Maintenance is dedicated to providing forward-thinking solutions to the mining and tunnelling sectors. Tom Rannelli, Director of Canadian Operations, highlights how the company is embracing the next generation of underground and surface mining.

NORTH AMERICA’S PREMIER MINING AND TUNNELING CONTRACTOR

The Canadian mining industry has significantly evolved over the last decade as it begins to embrace innovation and advanced technology.

Additionally, health and safety standards are also viewed with high importance across the entire mining landscape, from civil settings to construction and steel erection.

Tom Rannelli, Director of Canadian Operations for GMS Mine Repair and Maintenance (GMS), is passionate about ensuring that the latest innovations in this realm are more widely understood, alongside the rest of the industry’s most recent developments, as these are often overlooked.  

Therefore, between the engineering performed and the equipment used in a project, the industry has certainly evolved over the last 20 years.

SERVING MINING SUPPORT

Currently, the company is working on three projects across Canada that include the provision of services and vital mining support.

Firstly, GMS is providing specialty grouting operations for a project in Saskatchewan to stop any potential inflows of water in its underground operation.

The company is also supplying labor for a large open pit project across two mines sites in Western Canada. The support comes in the form of large haul trucks, drillers, blasters, and grader and dozer operators.

GMS is also performing steel erection work in Western Canada by installing an overland conveyor that conducts material handling over a distance of five kilometers. The regenerating conveyor system also has a 300-meter elevation change, making it the ideal equipment for the project’s technical installation on the side of a mountain.

“This year, we were fortunate because the winter season wasn’t too harsh, so we were able to navigate the project’s complex environment well, which isn’t usually the case,” informs Rannelli.

As the Canadian mining industry experiences another wave of infrastructure and capital advancements, the company anticipates the commencement of new mines towards the end of this year and the beginning of 2025.

“There’s significant development projects within British Columbia, Western Canada, as well as eastern regions, so we have our finger on the pulse and are very excited to partake in the tendering process,” he expresses.

BUILDING TRUST

GMS currently has approximately 1,500 employees across its US and Canada sites, with 55 working in the latter who have become experts in their field and are held accountable for their decisions.

“As the Director of Canadian Operations, I have the tagline of ‘empower rather than engage’ – whether our employees learn from their previous decisions or get it right the first time, it’s all about empowerment rather than molding our staff.

“As we build trust and accountability with each other, we let our employees take ownership of their tasks and position in the company.”

This approach allows GMS to overcome potential silos by leveraging the expertise of its multidisciplinary workforce, who are highly engaged and want to deliver for the company.

Throughout 2024 and beyond, the company aims to grow and put its fingerprint on the Canadian mining industry by showcasing its state-of-the-art knowledge and capabilities in industry-leading mining services.

“The upcoming months with be focused on building our relationships and network so that we can develop opportunities when they arise,” Rannelli ends.

THE WORK OF PIONEER CONVEYOR

Pioneer Conveyor (Pioneer) has been an affiliate business of GMS for over three decades. Located in West Virginia, it is a leading bulk material conveyor manufacturing firm that designs and manufactures thousands of standard and specialized conveyor systems for a whole host of applications.

The company has a 70,000 square foot facility that employs around 100 people to fabricate, produce, and ship up to 1,500 linear feet of conveyor structures a day, with the ability to double its capacity depending on the requirements of the industry.

In order to stay abreast with the most innovative trends in the conveyor sector, Pioneer exclusively utilizes world-leading and cutting-edge manufacturing technology. These include 3D computer-aided design (CAD) inventor design capabilities, custom loaded belt simulation testing conveyor systems, alongside highly detailed process quality inspections. 

These unmatched abilities ensure all its conveyor products meet the stringent standards of Conveyor Equipment Manufacturers Association (CEMA) specification requirements. As such, Pioneer has the ardent mission to raise the bar in international conveyor standards and increase the expectations of all conveyor system consumers.

Having Pioneer in the group has enabled GMS to advance its service offering, opening another avenue in the mining industry. Pioneer provides an additional 25 mechanical engineers that provide design and fabrication capabilities and uses the skilled crews of GMS to install turn-key conveyor solutions.