Arcadium Lithium, a Rio Tinto Company, Deploys SAP Cloud to Support the Launch of Its Lithium Mine Operations in Canada
What if North America’s electrification started in Canada?
Lithium is at the heart of the energy transition. It powers electric vehicles, smartphones, laptops—and industry giants, from Tesla to Rio Tinto, are investing heavily in this critical resource.
To meet the growing demand in the North American market, Arcadium Lithium (formerly Allkem, now part of Rio Tinto) is developing a major project: the James Bay Lithium Mine in Québec.
To support operations from end to end, Arcadium Lithium chose to rely on SAP S/4HANA Cloud, Private Edition ("RISE with SAP"), deployed by the experts at Talan.
The Project
"We want to have a single-instance SAP solution that will drive standard processes and practices across the global operations of Arcadium Lithium."
Key Challenges
At the start of the project—renamed "Galaxy"—several structural challenges needed to be addressed:
- Manual processes unsuited for a modern industrial project
- The need for operational alignment across divisions, with a first SAP model already deployed in Argentina (Sal de Vida site)
- Full localization required for the Canadian (Québec) market
- A go-live timeline aligned with the start of operations in Q3 2024, demanding fast and flawless execution
A Structured Deployment with End-to-End Support
To ensure a rapid and effective deployment fully aligned with the Galaxy project's needs, Talan followed the SAP Activate methodology, working closely with teams in Canada and Argentina.
This approach enabled us to:
- Reuse the existing SAP model while adapting it to Canadian and Québec-specific regulatory, fiscal, and operational requirements
- Rapidly deploy the core modules necessary to support the mine construction phase
- Ensure data consistency through supplier, material, and financial master data loads, with secure centralized access (Single Sign-On)
- Engage end-users early through workshops, user acceptance testing, and targeted training sessions
"Our strength lies in combining a solid methodology like SAP Activate with a human, international, and local approach. We adapt a global model to the realities on the ground, while proactively managing risks—whether budgetary, scheduling, or user engagement-related."
Among the most significant benefits observed:
Data centralization and improved process consistency
between Argentina and Canada
Enhanced user experience
thanks to Single Sign-On and SAP Fiori applications
Stronger control
over procurement, accounting, and operational management
Increased visibility
over spending, suppliers, and assets, with more reliable reporting
Reduced operational risks
particularly in budgeting and regulatory compliance
A scalable technological foundation
interoperable with SAP Analytics, Ariba, Concur, and SuccessFactors for future expansion
What’s Next?
Today, Arcadium Lithium is exploring new initiatives to extract even more value from its SAP environment:
These initiatives are still under exploration but clearly demonstrate Arcadium Lithium’s commitment to investing in sustainable solutions tailored to the realities of modern mining operations.
