Development and Mines is launching an online portal to help promote the Northern Ontario mining supply and service sector to international buyers.
The “Mining is at our Core” portal is scheduled to go live this month with profiles of 80 companies.
“It’s the next ambitious step in our mining supply and service export assistance program,” said Ontario Mines Minister Rick Bartolucci.
The launch of the portal, which will be in English and Spanish, will coincide with the distribution of a core sample replica that opens to reveal a memory stick.
“The campaign will involve directly contacting 200 international buyers who will receive a letter from me inviting them to buy into our trove of mining expertise,” said Bartolucci. “Plugging the memory stick into their computer brings them directly to a website showcasing the products and services of our mining supply and service companies.”
The promotion will target senior procurement personnel at mining companies in Chile, Peru and Mexico.
“Think of it as a virtual, electronic shopping mall for Ontario’s state-of-the-art mining supply and service companies,” said Bartolucci. “It’s simple, convenient and effective, and we believe it will be attractive to international buyers who are constantly seeking innovative products and services.”
The 80 companies profiled in the portal have had to demonstrate export readiness, said Paul Bradette, the Ministry’s manager of information and marketing services.
“We hired a company to compile a list of mining supply and service companies, and went through every one of them, looking at their website, their experience, their capacity,” he said.
“If a company feels they match the criteria, they should send in an application. We’ll look it over and if there’s a problem or an issue, we’ll recommend that they leverage some of our (export assistance) programs. They can sign up for our one-on-one consulting program or leverage our export assistance funding to translate their literature into Spanish. We’re not letting them fall off the cliff. If they’re not ready, here are the tools, here is the support. We’ll help you get there.”
According to Bartolucci, the Northern Ontario mining supply and service sector consists of approximately 500 companies and 23,000 employees producing supplies and services valued at $5.6 billion annually.
“That’s pretty impressive, but guess what?” he remarked. “The supply and service sector isn’t satisfied, the mining world isn’t satisfied, the Ministry of Northern Development and Mines isn’t satisfied and the Minister isn’t satisfied. We’re determined to reach even higher. We want to step up our efforts to help the mining supply and service sector go after international markets.”
The three-year, $4 million export assistance provides funding for trade shows and incoming missions, consulting services and marketing initiatives.
Launched last year, the program has already helped more than 200 companies and generated more than $30 million in new sales with another $70 million in the pipeline, said Bartolucci.
www.mndm.gov.on.ca/northern_development/mining_supply_and_services/default_e.asp
