Wenco Announces Partnership with TecWise, Enters Brazil with Leading Mining Solution Provider

May 22, 2019

VANCOUVER, BC, CANADA (May 23, 2019) — Wenco International Mining Systems Ltd. ("Wenco") is pleased to announce its new partnership with TecWise Sistemas de Automação Ltda. ("TecWise"), a leading provider of technology and communications systems to the Latin American mining industry.

This new agreement makes TecWise the exclusive distributor of Wenco solutions in Brazil, paving the way for customers in the largest Latin American country to leverage Wenco's open and interoperable approach to mining technology.

A leading provider of technology solutions to the global mining industry for over 30 years, Wenco offers a comprehensive suite of data solutions that boost productivity, decrease operating costs, extend equipment life, and give mining companies actionable insights into their operations. This Mine Performance Suite consists of systems for fleet management, high-precision machine guidance, predictive maintenance, collision avoidance, and mining business intelligence — all grounded in an open systems philosophy that empowers customers to freely integrate systems to support their unique business processes, data requirements, and reporting needs. Wenco customers maintain full ownership and control over their data to use as they see beneficial to their operation.

A Hitachi Group Company since 2009, Wenco regularly works with Hitachi's global leadership on systems research, data sciences, and IIoT initiatives. The leading-edge solutions that come from this research will help mines uncover even more value as they approach a future of increased digitization, open system interoperability, data intelligence, and autonomous haulage.

TecWise and Wenco formed this partnership based on their shared approach to delivering customer-focused solutions to the mining industry. Founded in 1997, TecWise works closely with customers to design, deploy, and support fit-for-purpose, performance-driven technology that improves efficiency, safety, and productivity. The company's history of strong support throughout Brazil made it a natural partner for Wenco as it expands through Latin America.

"We're excited to enter the strategic Brazilian mine market in partnership with TecWise," says Andrew Pyne, President and CEO of Wenco. "In line with our focus on growing our presence in Latin America, Brazil is a key strategic priority for Wenco, particularly as we collaborate with Hitachi Construction Machinery on their Solution Linkage for Mining platform.

"We have planned this collaborative entry into the Brazilian market for some time and we took our time to identify the right partner, which we found in TecWise. They will ensure our customers have knowledgeable, on-the-ground local support for Wenco solutions for the long haul."

TecWise Business Director and CEO Omar Garzedin concurs with Pyne. "The level of flexibility and openness of the Wenco solutions, the philosophy of interoperable standards — this is what initially caught our eye and made Wenco stand out among data solutions providers for the mining industry."

"Over the years, a common challenge for our mining clients has been the 'closed stack' approach of many suppliers — the difficulty in controlling and using their own operational data in the manner that they prefer. At TecWise, we are fortunate enough to be able to interact closely with our clients, work collaboratively with them in defining the most suitable solution to any given challenge. When we shared the Wenco philosophy — the ability to react to a client need in an agile manner, combined with a global track record — we all clearly saw new ways of addressing long-standing challenges in an innovative, scalable, and cost-effective manner."

TecWise is in discussions with mines throughout Brazil to offer new ways to solve known problems, while extending new capabilities and options through Wenco's open standard approach to mining technology. To learn more about these opportunities, please contact TecWise Sales Manager Henrique de Castro at henrique.castro@tecwise.com.br or +55 31 99145-0268. For all other inquiries into Wenco and its solutions, please contact Wenco Regional Manager, Latin America José Eugenio Saravia at info@wencomine.com or +56 2 3210 3811.

About TecWise

Founded in 1997, TecWise works very closely with its customer base in designing, deploying, and supporting fit-for-purpose, performance-driven, communications and technology integration solutions; always engineered to improve efficiency, safety, and productivity. Operating across the whole of Brazil, as well as working in Chile, Peru, Dominican Republic and Panama; TecWise is as of 2013 a part of the Comms International group of companies, serving as its LATAM foundation. TecWise acts as an exclusive distributor in both Brazil and LATAM for a range of OEMs, each of which is a leader in their respective segment. The company is made up of a commercial team that has a deep understanding of the operational realities of its clients, a team of technicians and engineers from a wide range of disciples which includes electronics, instrumentation, RF, GeoEnvironmental and automation. When combined with its project management and support resources, TecWise is able to offer a unique set of abilities to its clients, which adheres to the highest international standards. Please visit http://www.tecwise.com.br/ for more information.

About Wenco International Mining Systems

For over 30 years, Wenco International Mining Systems has worked with mining companies to extract unrealized value. Under this mission, Wenco has developed an integrated suite of solutions to support the digital transformation of the mining industry. Fleet management, asset health, data analytics, and other technologies join together in the spirit of open interoperability and scalability to raise mine productivity and efficiency, lower routine costs, and establish a safe and smooth mining operation.

Wenco is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hitachi Construction Machinery headquartered in Vancouver, Canada.

www.wencomine.com

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