10 Aug 2020 | AYAN Family

Uuriintsolmon Erdenebileg, (Tsoomoo) a native of Dalanzadgad soum, Umnugobi aimag, is Dayan Contract Mining LLC's first National Mining Manager of Mine Development and a world-class professional miner.

Following in his father's footsteps, he spent his childhood in Yolyn-Am, selling his own carvings to tourists and helping his parents. He has understood the value of hard work from a very early age. Tsoomoo has been involved in the Oyu Tolgoi project since 2003 and always in a leadership role. He was teased in the early days of the project, for declaring, “Our miners are the TOP of the world!” but soon after, having witnessed results of their hard work, everyone humbly agreed with him, and he further became a respected example of a leader. He started from scratch; very green to the industry. This married father of three beautiful children, quite literally started from the ground down. Tsoomoo is a man respected by his colleagues and there are countless people who praise him. We take this opportunity to share and learn from his experience:

Start Right and End Well:
“I was one of the first 9 guys at Redpath Mongolia LLC. My friend Jambaa, also one of the first 9, told me that underground mining would be a promising career. He was a young man, already experienced in underground mining. When underground mining started at Oyu Tolgoi, foreign skilled expats from all around the world came and taught us. I firmly believe they laid a very solid foundation, resulting in today's successful work. They told us, “This is your mine - the mine of Mongolians. You just need time to learn and to prepare to take the reins. We will eventually leave and pass the mine on to you.” During their stay, they sincerely taught us everything. At the time, my supervisor, Jesse Cornish, was an accomplished miner. Like him, I wanted to be able to see and think about everything on a much larger scale.During the early days, of course, there were moments of discouragement, but as I learned more, and got used to each job, I began to enjoy my work more and more. Having worked at the OT site now for 17 years, I have accomplished plenty. Perhaps a small dose of luck, but primarily many hours of hard work! Everything I have learned; my knowledge and skills in the mining industry, is a very valuable and proud legacy that I own for myself.”

Method of Work:“
My way of working is very simple. I don't like to give up. I try to be persistent in what I do and to be sincere in everything I do. Transparency is a great engine for personal development and team development. When approaching a challenge, I focus more on the situation and the cause of the challenge rather than on the person involved. I don't like to take action by blaming someone. We are a community of miners - my miners - and the miners of the world. Impressively, our miners' assistants are also very experienced. At one early management meeting, I declared, "Our miners are TOP of the world!" Everyone laughed. Then later, they apologized to me, because it was true. Our miners can work to the highest international standards, on any piece of equipment, anywhere in the world. The habits and culture of our company, from the very beginning, feed the main engine for these great young people to work hard. Our company is people-centric and I am very proud of my team’s efforts. As technology advances, so do we. In recent years, young people have become better educated, more technical, and more intelligent. We are evolving over time and making the necessary changes as quickly as possible.”

The Most Difficult Time:
“During the mine shutdown in 2013, I was one of the few people who remained at the mine site to perform care and maintenance duties. At that time, my normally busy workplace was unusually quiet, and I was always alarmed to hear a single sound from the usually buzzing radio station. Hearing all of the sentiments from my colleagues about how much they miss the mine, I wondered if I would ever be reunited with them. For some reason, I felt guilty for not being with them. It was really hard then.”

Desire and Aspiration:
“My sincere desire is to prove that Mongolian miners can work in any of the world's largest mines. We really are experienced. I am convinced the time will soon come, when mine operators will say they want to employ Mongolian Expats. Our people efficiently operate some of the most unique mining equipment in the world.”

Values:
“At site, my colleagues, and all skilled miners, are what I value the most. They are irreplaceable. I am nothing without them.I would be remiss to not mention that behind every achievement of mine, is my beloved spouse. She is my greatest support as I try to do my best job in peace and to achieve what I set out to do. I always try my best to honour my wife, who has had a huge heart since childhood, and has nurtured our family in a four-walled small Mongolian traditional ger.”

Advice:
“You just have to be persistent. Even if you make necessary changes and constantly improve yourself, you need to stay true to your purpose. I still have a lot to learn and there is much more work to be done. I also believe that safety standards are most valuable to the culture of Oyu Tolgoi and to all Mongolian people. I want to see and live this culture and respect for each other everywhere. At a minimum, we can start by respecting each other and following the rules when we are in traffic!”

#otproud