Innovation is part of everything we do at Mosaic. We’re using technology to find new ways to manage risk, minimize our impacts and maximize the value we deliver to our team, customers and diverse stakeholders around the globe. As part our strategic priorities, the North America transformation continues to drive efficiencies and competitiveness for the business. This includes identifying investments in innovations that revolutionize our operations.

NextGEN is the term we are using for next generation technology-driven change, which is focused on four key areas: Integrated Operations Centers, Modeling and Analytics, Automation and Process Controls, and Process Digitization. NextGEN technology helps us keep our employees safe, monitor the health and performance of our equipment, optimize decision making, and improve coordination across our operations. These innovations are improving every aspect of the business, and that includes inventory and water management.

Tonnages are reported and tracked at various steps in our supply chain process. Being able to do so as accurately, efficiently, and safely as possible allows us to proactively manage inventories – helping keep the supply chain process flowing smoothly from mine to plant, and eventually to our customers. Examples of how we’re using technology to improve our supply chain process can be seen in pilots underway at our Belle Plaine facility in Canada, where they are using mobile 3D scanners to measure product pile volumes, and at our Florida phosphate mines, where the use of drones is replacing the need for helicopter fly-over to manage inventories of phosphate ore. 

Mosaic’s focus on NextGEN innovation is making an impact on our priority to Act Responsibly at all stages of the business, which includes reducing freshwater use and responsibly managing water at our sites. Machine learning models at our Belle Plaine facility allow us to predict water use in the potash crystallization process – helping us find new ways to maximize production while reducing our use of fresh water.

In Florida, our environmental field technicians collect thousands of piezometer readings across thousands of acres of Mosaic property each week to monitor groundwater levels near our Florida mining operations. This data was previously collected using pen and paper and re-entered manually into Mosaic’s systems. Now, thanks to a mobile application – ArcGIS Collector – they enter that data directly into Mosaic’s systems while still out in the field. It is displayed in real-time on a dashboard that includes a map showing when and where each reading was collected. 

The data is used by our Water Management, Environmental and Site Management teams to monitor compliance with groundwater regulatory requirements. It is also reported to Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD), the organization that manages water resources for west-central Florida.  

From mine, to field, to market – Mosaic’s focus on NextGEN technology is crucial to our continued success driving the transformation of our North America Business and supporting our strategic priorities.