Cloud-solutions enabled a Western Australian mining company to attract top talent, connect global teams and produce gold bars within 2.5 years.
By Fiona Jeffreys
The global gold mining sector is experiencing accelerated growth and rapid transformation driven by soaring gold prices and the intensifying demand for safe-haven assets in a time of geopolitical and economic uncertainties.
In 2025, the price of gold surged to unprecedented levels, exceeding $5,000 AUD per ounce—double its 2023 values. This dramatic increase underscores gold’s resilience and its allure to investors navigating volatile markets.
To remain agile and keep pace with market demands Aurenne Group Mining, a gold mining company headquartered in Perth (one of world’s most remote major cities) has quickly adapted to optimise operations and expand production capacity.
Find out how Aurenne Group Mining expedited their operation by choosing the right technology from the outset.
Source: Seequent
Chief Geologist at Aurenne, James Harvey, said, ‘We went from scratch to pouring gold bars within two and a half years, showing just how dynamic and responsive the industry can be with the right technology in place.’
Harvey emphasised, ‘the critical role of cloud-based technology,’ to boost Aurenne’s efficiencies and output, connect global teams and attract high-calibre talent.
Sally Goodman, Newmont’s former Vice President, Generative Exploration, along with other industry experts on a Seequent panel, have shared the same sentiment – the need for mining companies to, ‘adopt remote technology and innovative tools,’ and, ‘start to feel more like tech companies.’.
With a global team working remotely, the Aurenne team use Seequent’s Leapfrog Geo, Edge, Central, and Imago software to streamline their geoscience workflow.
Source: Seequent
Journey from scratch to full production
With operations located at Mt Ida, 800 kilometres northeast of Perth, in Western Australia, Aurenne Mining Group has grown quickly, expanding from 20 employees to over 200 in just three years.
‘The last few years have felt very busy,’ said Harvey. ‘Across the entire industry, from software to drills, the whole space in mining is changing, it’s evolving – and fast. If you look over my shoulder out the window, you can see the processing plant that we built in less than 18 months.’
‘One of our team is a resource geologist based in the Isles of Scilly, in the UK. Another has been spending time in Japan lately,’ said Harvey.
But their different locations haven’t caused any delays. In fact, having a global team working remotely across different time zones has actually streamlined workflows.
‘At times, we have monitored the night shift drillers on the other side of the world and were able to view and 3D model the drill hole results the next day – we’re talking twenty-four hours from the bit to the block model,’ said Harvey.
‘Another example is our UK consultant logging on during their day to complete tasks we’ve sent at the end of ours, such as a data export or a resource report, which dovetails into the start of the next day for the Australian team to pick up and run with.’
Cloud-solutions enabled a Western Australian mining company to attract top talent, connect global teams and produce gold bars within 2.5 years.
Source: Seequent
Attracting top talent with technology.
Aurenne’s rapid development has been facilitated by an innovative geoscience workflow designed by Harvey and the team to streamline workflows, enhance remote data access, and connect their global teams.
‘Our point of difference is that we’re very technologically forward. And using best-in-class technologies is a significant drawcard for geoscientists,’ said Harvey.
‘Tools such as Seequent’s Leapfrog software are highly regarded in the industry, and their availability at Aurenne is a big selling point for attracting top talent. It’s often the first question we get asked by a potential employee.’
Aurenne’s geoscience workflow uses Seequent’s Leapfrog Geo for 3D modelling, Leapfrog Edge for resource estimation, Central for cloud-connected team collaboration, and Imago for geoscientific image capture and management.
‘Seequent solutions have made a significant impact to our work,’ said Harvey. ‘Leapfrog Geo brings speed to updating our block models and wireframes, to help with resource recovery and reconciliation.’
‘Leapfrog Edge enables quick and efficient updates to our workflows, particularly in resource estimation and grade control.’
2.5 years
Technology supported Aurenne to pour gold bars in 2.5 years
15-20 years
Average time from gold discovery to pour (World Gold Council)
20%
Network traffic to Seequent’s cloud-based drilling products
Aurenne Group Mining, a mid-tier gold mining company headquartered in West Perth, operates at Mt Ida, roughly 800 kilometres northeast of the city.
Source: Seequent
Positioned to thrive in the gold market
Harvey aimed to build Aurenne’s geology team by selecting people with an open mindset to change and innovation and who were excited to use new solutions and processes, rather than those resistant to change.
He highlighted the importance of, ‘providing tools, training, and guidance to empower the team and achieve consistent output.’
‘Our early days were marked by challenges, including reliance on external consultants and the need to develop a system that worked for us. We faced a few failures before achieving a workflow that met our needs.’
Empowering the team has involved, ‘stepping back and allowing them to run the systems independently.’ An approach that Harvey said helped to foster, ‘a sense of ownership and responsibility among team members that has contributed to the overall success of our geology team.’