Case Studies

First Quantum

Website
www.first-quantum.com/
Headquarters
Vancouver, BC
Industry
Mining
ERP
Oracle’s JD Edwards

First Quantum Develops Solution Vision with K-Rise’s AFCE, EASYItem, Vendor Payment, and VOB

First Quantum Minerals Ltd., a Canadian-based mining and metals company, specializes in the exploration, development, and production of mineral resources such as copper, gold, nickel, and cobalt, with operations in multiple countries on five continents.

With an impressive track record of creating value for its stakeholders, the company has pursued and executed many growth opportunities. In 2016, First Quantum was ranked among the 13th best of 92 oil, gas, and mining companies on indigenous rights in the Arctic. The majority shareholder, Pangaea Investment Management, sold its subsidiary to the Chinese state company Jiangxi Copper in December 2019. And in 2022, the company closed a new contract with the Government of Panama for its Cobre Panama mine.

First Quantum’s strong focus on copper production has enabled it to become one of the world’s largest copper suppliers (more than 800,000 tonnes), accounting for most of the company’s revenue.

As one of the top 10 copper producers in the world, First Quantum is committed to responsible mining and environmental stewardship with engineering, construction, and operational skills, allowing it to develop and successfully run complex mines and minerals processing plants.

With the growing global demand for copper, First Quantum got into a multi-pronged collaborative effort with K-Rise to review its current business processes, challenges, and proposed solution vision on JD Edwards to take advantage of this opportunity.

Cobre Panama Application For Capital Expenditure (AFCE)

First Quantum acquired its Cobre Panama Mine in 2019 and was looking for ways to automate the capital expenditure requests and optimize its approval process. With its manual system, the company was facing challenges in having visibility of the approval processes and supporting financial evaluations to reduce the approval time.

K-Rise Systems delivered an AFCE solution allowing First Quantum to quickly create a clear and standardized process for new investment requests. This new system was integrated with JD Edwards to generate the necessary master and transactional data and approval workflows.

The AFCE workflow provided authorized users, such as the Requestor, Capital Accounting, Responsible Manager, General Manager, Chief Operating Officer, and Chief Executive officer, with the ability to review and approve or reject each request. The application also allowed the user to send requests to JDE and update the status of a request if failed to send.

The solution provided an end-to-end workflow that could process capital expenditure requests, accounting entries, and automated payments to vendors. K-Rise also provided ongoing support post-implementation to ensure the successful adoption of the solution.

The new application supported the business by speeding up the approval process, providing visibility into all required steps, and supporting financial evaluations to reduce the approval time. All history and tracking information became available to users of the application. First Quantum could therefore save time and resources by reducing manual processes and simplifying approvals.

EASYItem Master Site For Materials Requests

With the introduction of EASYItem, the goal was to enable First Quantum to efficiently request, manage and streamline its item and material request process.

EASYItem is a web-based application that allows users to submit, track and approve item requests for materials in multiple warehouses.

The system enabled First Quantum to:

  • Manage various assets, including inventory, procurement, and military and NATO naming conventions.
  • Provide users with an easy-to-use dashboard to quickly review request statuses, set ANSI and ANSL workflow levels, delegate tasks, and approve or deny items.
  • Automate email notifications to keep users up-to-date.
  • Include batch jobs to remind users if an item has been sitting at the same approval level for a period of time.
EASYItem has greatly improved the efficiency of First Quantum’s request, tracking, and approval process for materials. The app is more secure, user-friendly, and efficient than the previous manual process. This has led to increased productivity, improved inventory control, and reduced costs associated with ordering and tracking materials. The site has also made managing and tracking requests across multiple warehouses and departments easier.

Vendor Onboarding Portal

The Vendor Onboarding application was developed to facilitate the registration of new vendors and to make changes to existing vendors in JD Edwards. The portal allows users to initiate the onboarding process and validate and approve vendors or changes quickly and securely.

After approval, vendors are notified that they have access to the portal and can fill out the required information to complete their onboarding. With Spanish And English language support, the portal allows users to translate documents and messages quickly. When a vendor is approved, their information is pushed into the JD Edwards for further processing.

The Vendor Onboarding system gave First Quantum an efficient, automated process for vendor onboarding and updates, improved vendor information accuracy, and compliance, and eliminated manual data entry. This resulted in better visibility and control of vendor details and reduced time spent on onboarding activities.

Vendor Prepayment For Purchase Orders

First Quantum wanted the Vendor prepayment app to be developed on its existing EASYProcess 5.1. This was configured to use First Quantum’s LDAP Single Sign-On (SSO) authentication system.

The new application by K-Rise facilitated prepayment scheduling against purchase orders that have been issued to suppliers. The workflow required users to set up prepayment schedules, which would then be released for approval. Once approved, the prepayment entry is entered into JDE, and the payment will be issued.

The application allowed users to easily review, approve and reject prepayment requests and provide visibility into the status of each request. Additionally, it allowed users to view payment schedules and create prepayment reports to track payments more efficiently.

The Bottom Line

The implementation of EASYProcess and the applications developed by K-Rise have improved First Quantum’s operational efficiency, reduced manual processes, improved data accuracy, and optimized inventory control. The web-based solutions have enabled First Quantum to manage better its vendor onboarding process, prepayment scheduling, and item requests, leading to increased productivity and cost savings. By streamlining these processes with digital solutions, First Quantum is better able to respond to customer needs and maximize resources.

All in all, the end result is clear: First Quantum is now better equipped to meet its business goals and achieve success. The technology implemented by K-Rise Solutions has significantly impacted their operations and how they do business.