As companies continue to navigate during the COVID-19 pandemic, strategy and planning are shifting towards recovery and resiliency. It’s becoming clear that companies already on a digital transformation journey were better positioned to adapt and respond to COVID-19, with clarity on their platform approach and critical workflows, and familiarity with innovative tools and new ways of working.

One such company is Shell. Together, Shell and IBM have been working to launch Oren, the first digital B2B marketplace for the mining industry.

Shell + IBM

Shell research spanning over 350 mining businesses shows that industrial customers report 80% of the same challenges. Getting actionable insights from disparate data, working within siloed organizations, managing the energy transition and harnessing the power of automation are pain points shared by many, but addressing them is easier said than done.

Shell and IBM have teamed up to create Oren, the first digital business-to-business marketplace platform for the mining industry. Oren connects mining companies with a variety of digital and technology solutions, from automation and cloud-enabled services to intelligent platforms that drive deep digital transformation. “Oren is a very natural collaboration,” said Carol Chen, Vice President of Global Lubricants Marketing for Shell, “Shell and IBM have been leaders in providing solutions to mining and industrial customers for years.”

Our vision for the Oren platform is to accelerate innovation in the mining industry.

• Global reach: Enable transactions from companies from all over the world.
• Integration: Drive insights, collaboration and efficient workflows.
• Open innovation forum: Engage with a community of industry experts and peers from all over the world.

Mining companies can use Oren as a one-stop shop where they can quickly navigate and find innovative, field-tested solutions in a trusted ecosystem of companies and solution providers. By bringing together the collective expertise of Shell and IBM—tried, tested and proven in the field—and emerging technologies from start-ups and enterprise providers, Oren also helps create pilot opportunities for pioneering technologies.

Accelerate your business transformation towards a smarter business

Right now, much of the data analysis work in the mining industry is done manually. Oren users will also benefit from deep data insights that focus on the productivity, safety and sustainability of mine operations and creating intelligent workflows, like automation to predict and prevent machine failure, avoid safety hazards and increase yield from operations. Sellers on Oren will also have access to insights that can help inform product improvement and highlight what resonates with the customer base.

A sustainable future

Another key goal of the Oren platform is to provide sustainable solutions, including sustainable energy solutions. Mining is an energy-intensive industry; however, the Oren platform will help reduce both the energy consumption and the carbon footprint. In fact, the World Economic Forum estimates the mining and metals industry technology investment to reduce carbon footprint will deliver a value of $30M over the next 10 years.

What’s next?

Transformation is an ongoing journey. No matter where you are on yours, the learnings of today will help inform the decisions of tomorrow. In times of uncertainty, adaptive organizations built for resiliency and change can emerge even stronger with forward-thinking skills and methods, new governance and management practices, and a fresh approach to how work gets done.

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