Most modern software assumes perfect, constant connectivity, a luxury that doesn’t
exist in an open-pit mine. Instead, ARKANCE takes an offline-first approach.
The true business of mining doesn’t happen in boardrooms. It happens in open pits, on remote haul roads, and in underground drives where Wi-Fi is often a distant luxury.
In this frequently disconnected environment, critical data gets stranded on paper, creating a frustrating information gap between field operations and head office decision-makers.
While other industries adopted cloud-based software and constant connectivity over the last quarter-century, mining’s realities present different challenges.
This is something Groupe Monnoyeur, a 115-year-old company with extensive experience in construction, energy, and manufacturing, witnessed first-hand through its work in demanding industrial sectors.
Leveraging its industry understanding, Monnoyeur’s software subsidiary, ARKANCE, believes the solution lies in acknowledging mining’s specific constraints, not forcing generic tech solutions.
“Being part of Monnoyeur gives us a unique vantage point,” ARKANCE senior manager Nemetschek Products Steven McDonald told Mining. “An online-first system assumes perfect conditions: constant connectivity and seamless cloud access. Mining simply doesn’t work that way.”
This industrial-first mindset is what separates ARKANCE from a typical software developer. McDonald notes that Monnoyeur’s history as one of the world’s longest-standing Caterpillar dealers directly informs its digital design philosophy.
“ARKANCE was created to extend that legacy into the digital landscape, bringing the same focus on reliability and performance to connected digital ecosystems,” McDonald said. “The technology we deliver reflects that: fast, reliable, and built for purpose. If it doesn’t make the job safer or faster, it doesn’t belong on site.”
This philosophy is why ARKANCE champions its “offline-first” approach, centred around two best-in-class solutions: GoCanvas and BlueBeam. Instead of forcing a solution that relies on a perfect, live connection, this approach empowers crews with digital tools designed to function seamlessly without an internet signal.
GoCanvas is a mobile platform that replaces paper forms, such as safety checklists, inspections, and compliance reports, with a simple app. Field crews can capture data, photos, and signatures on their tablets or phones, even when completely offline.
BlueBeam, in turn, is a powerful software solution for marking up and managing technical documents. Engineers and supervisors can use it to review complex file formats like DWGs or PDF blueprints, add precise comments, and track revisions directly on a device, removing the reliance on paper drawings in the field.
From the pit to the PDF
McDonald points to a workflow that extends beyond simple inspections, illustrating how this digital ecosystem creates a closed loop between field crews and headquarters.
“A good example is something as simple and critical as dragline bucket maintenance,” McDonald said. “Supplier engineers design the ground-engaging tool components and produce detailed PDFs that show weld patterns, tolerances, and wear limits. Those drawings are stored digitally and shared across the supply network.”
This digital foundation is key. Weeks later, when a site account manager is in the pit, disconnected from any network, they can spot abnormal wear on a bucket tooth.
“They log it in GoCanvas, capturing photos, measurements, and comments directly from the site, even offline,” McDonald said. “Once connectivity is restored, the report syncs instantly to both the mine operator and the supplier’s engineering team.”
The loop closes when that field data returns to the office. The supplier’s engineers can immediately open the file in Bluebeam, comparing the real-world findings against the original schematics.
“The engineers overlay mark-ups of the actual wear against the original design and annotate potential causes,” McDonald said. “Because the file lives in a connected environment, the mine operator can see those updates in real-time, compare them with historical data, and make faster procurement or maintenance decisions.”
Winning over the crew
The most advanced workflow is not useful if crews won’t adopt it. McDonald said ARKANCE’s industrial heritage also informs this part of the transition, focusing on practicality over disruption.
“We start where people already are in their digital journey,” McDonald said. “Our consultants digitise the exact forms crews use today, pre-starts, toolbox talks, service logs, so the digital version feels instantly familiar. Once they see the benefit, fewer errors, faster signoffs, cleaner records, the adoption takes care of itself.”
This approach solves what ARKANCE calls the “data-visibility gap”. When a subcontractor completes a safety check or a supplier reports equipment status, the data is captured accurately the moment the work occurs.
That data is also secure; all field data is encrypted locally and verified through transaction-based syncing, ensuring only complete and validated records are uploaded.
This combination of secure, reliable data capture provides the foundation for the ultimate goal: auditable compliance. Compliance is built on traceability, and traceability depends on data quality.
“Every inspection, safety report, or environmental check submitted through GoCanvas or Bluebeam is automatically time-stamped, geo-tagged, and archived, giving auditors a complete digital trail of activity,” McDonald said.
Crucially for mining industry leaders, this level of transparency directly supports ISO 9001 (quality management), ISO 45001 (occupational health and safety), and ISO 14001 (environmental management) by creating consistent, verifiable evidence at every stage of the operation.
“It’s a closed-loop workflow, from design to field performance and back again, built on reliable, traceable data,” McDonald said.
For operators who want to see that traceability in practice, McDonald said the first step is a simple and practical one.
“We find the most popular next step is a free, no-obligation demo with our experts,” McDonald said. “We can build a company’s first field form on the spot, demonstrating how GoCanvas and BlueBeam can streamline the compliance and auditing process.”
This article appeared in the Summer edition of Mining Magazine.
