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Company profile
Baja Mining’s work ethic proving
fundamental to success at Boleo
Baja Mining Corp (TSX:BAJ; OTCQX:BAJFF) is a
Canadian mine-development company with
a 70% interest in the Boleo copper-cobaltzinc-manganese
project located near Santa
Rosalia, Baja California Sur, Mexico. Boleo is
fully funded and remains on target for production to
commence in the first half of 2013.
John Greenslade, Baja president and CEO, first staked
the Boleo site in 1992 and, since then, the company has
systematically developed its partnerships and internal
resources.
Minera y Metalurgica del Boleo SA de CV (MMB)
owns 100% of the mineral concessions covering the
Boleo deposit. Baja owns a consolidated 70% interest in
MMB, with the remaining 30% held by a Korean
consortium including Korea Resources Corporation,
LS-Nikko Copper Inc, Hyundai Hysco Co Ltd, SK
Networks Co Ltd, and Iljin Materials Co Ltd.
The high-grade deposit hosts a NI 43-101-compliant
global reserve of 85Mt, grading 1.33% Cu and an M&I
resource of 265Mt grading 0.76% Cu, with cobalt and
zinc, by-products. The company is exploring the
mang anese potential at Boleo but, to date, has not
included manganese in its economics. The company
has currently scheduled the first 23 years of mining.
Copper production at the Boleo site is at an advanced
stage of development, with production anticipated
in a little more than a year. Boleo is expected to be a
low-cost/long-life producer with life-of-mine cash
costs net of by-product credits of -$0.29/lb (based on
the NI 43-101 March 2010 Technical Report; reserves
included in resources).
Simulators are used to train drivers for
the earth-moving trucks
Bringing the project to life
Building an operation the magnitude of Boleo
from the ground up, in a remote location on a
tight schedule, required a strong management
team with diverse and specific skills.
A significant requirement, particularly after the
economic downturn in 2008, was to fund the rest
of the Boleo project. In 2010, John Greenslade and
the Baja team raised over US$1.1 billion – an
accomplishment that fully funded the project and
garnered two prestigious awards for its
effectiveness.
While financing was being sought, Baja’s
human resources team began identifying the
behaviours that future employees must
demonstrate on the job. Those behaviours were
translated into competencies, which have since
become the guideposts for recruitment strategies
and policies, performance-management
programmes, as well as training and development
initiatives.
Boleo’s international location meant a need to attract
as many candidates with international experience as
possible, a preference for exposure to Latin-American
cultures and/or fluency in Spanish. Training was
initiated to fill the skills gaps, promote understanding of
cultural differences, as well as communicate the value
of adapting behaviours to foster more effective
communications and improve workplace relationships
in foreign locations.
Also critical to the process was corporate
governance. This required the development of a
comprehensive manual of codes and procedures that
form the backbone of how Baja and its people work as a
team, as a company, and as good corporate citizens.
Developing a mine in Mexico meant identifying the
issues that, for Mexico, were most important. Baja has
worked diligently to respect the local community and
create a benefit for its citizens. Local suppliers are used
when possible for site requirements, and community
engagement is paramount.
A conscious effort was made to employ local
residents where possible. Local women were hired and
trained to drive the many large earth-moving vehicles.
Professionals from, and educated in, Mexico were hired
for important jobs in areas such as construction, mining
www.bajamining.com
Boleo
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operations and geotech. Further local support is
provided for the thousands of employees on site with
local medical services, laundry and meal services.
Extraordinary efforts were made to protect the
historic ‘cardones’, or giant cactus, at site. Those
removed from areas where processing infrastructure
was planned were moved to a temporary protection
area prior to relocation within the 19,500ha property.
Each transplanted cardon was examined to evaluate its
health, nurtured or cultured, prepared for transplant,
and moved to a location that allows it to thrive. All were
tagged and are now monitored to ensure their
long-term health.
Based largely on its local community-engagement
efforts, Baja has received full support for its initiatives in
Santa Rosalia and the surrounding towns.
CONTACT
Baja Mining Corp
500-200 Burrard Street, Vancouver,
BC, Canada V6C 3L6
Tel: +1 604 685 2323
Fax: +1 604 629 5228
Email: info@bajamining.com
The production plant at Baja Mining’s Boleo site is growing and changing daily