"Mining Challenge by OCP", Open Innovation at the service of the 4.0 min

The OCP Group just launched an innovative concept that highlights the Open Innovation dynamic within the framework of its digital transformation. Thus, OCP launches its program “Mining Challenge by OCP” in partnership with the Impact Lab.

Through this initiative, the Group reinforces its positioning as an actor of Open Innovation and its support to the development and promotion of the African and international entrepreneurial ecosystem. The objective of the Group is to identify Moroccan, African and international startups to co-develop with them digital innovative solutions in response to strategic and operational issues of mining jobs.

The OCP Group wishes to address 4 challenges around the mine with the startups:

• How to optimize rock extraction operations during phosphate retrieval?
• How to maintain a secure transportation activity within the mine in case of low visibility?
• How to improve the performance and the pilotage of the dragline within the mine?
• How to facilitate the maintenance diagnosis on the mining equipment?

The program is conducted in 3 stages: 

• A launch conference for the challenge will take place in the city of Marrakech 17 April during the Marrakech Mining Convention (MMC). The launch will bring together a panel of experts that will share their opinions on the issues of digitalization in in the mining jobs.
• A call for application open from 4 April 2019 to 10 May 2019 to identify the startups that will best answer the innovation challenges identified by the Group on a dedicated platform www.ocpminingchallenge.com
• Following this period of candidacy and selection, the finalists startups will be supported during 3 weeks by OCP experts and will have access to the experimental mine of Benguerir to test and prototype their solutions. The selected startups for the final stage will deploy their solution during a pilot contract.