Image: Tony Sparvier, Sr. Engineer, saves electrical drawings and wiring diagrams for the automated hardware installer to his iPad for easy reference when working underground at Esterhazy’s K3.  

Mobile technology is being used across our North America Business – in big and small ways – to operate safely, responsibly and create the greatest possible value for Mosaic and our team. Getting technology into the hands of our employees provides them with easy access to the real-time information they need to do their jobs. It also helps us connect across sites and geographies to plan work, collaborate and align efforts. 

When an operator noticed an odd noise coming from a gearbox, he used his iPhone to record and send a short video to the maintenance supervisor. The supervisor had a technician listening to it within 15 minutes to diagnose severity. Without an iPhone, this could have taken half a shift or longer – potentially delaying action needed to ensure the repair was done as safely, quickly and cost-effectively as possible.  

This is just one example of how mobile technology is being used across our North America Business – in big and small ways – to operate safely, responsibly and create the greatest possible value for Mosaic and our team. “Getting technology into the hands of our employees allows them to quickly connect with others and provides easy access to real-time information they need to do their jobs,” explains Colin Alberts, Mobile Deployment Lead. “We’re able to work together across sites and geographies to plan work, collaborate and align efforts – which are more important than ever as we move forward as an integrated North America Business.”  

Our Esterhazy facility in Saskatchewan is leading the way with deployment of mobile technology – which will be crucial to enabling employees as we continue to focus on improving employee and customer experiences through digitization.  Learnings from work underway at Esterhazy and other Mosaic sites will help guide our efforts to expand use of mobile technology throughout our North America Business.  

Esterhazy: Pilot Launched in 2018  

Piloting and testing the deployment of mobile devices across the site began in 2018. The original driver was to enable electricians, mechanics and other craftspeople to receive, update and complete workorders from anywhere at the facility, but the team quickly began to see other areas where use of mobile devices could help drive value for Mosaic and the team. They also identified opportunities for improvement – one of which was making sure the appropriate support structure was in place to help users with technology set-up, maintenance and troubleshooting.  

They have also continued with deployment plans. Mobile devices are currently being used by nearly all maintenance personnel on the surface and are being deployed for use by production staff underground as well.  

“We’re always trying to make mobile technology better, more efficient and as helpful as possible for our employees – which will be an ongoing process,” says Colin.