Varo

Varo for mines

An admin assistant for South African mines.

Tell Mercial what happened on site and it writes it up, keeps your figures and deadlines in one place, and reminds you before things are due. Typed, spoken, or sent on WhatsApp.

Request beta access Have an invite or referral code? →

What it does on a mine

  • Logs production from a message. Send "340 t today", typed or as a WhatsApp voice note, and it is recorded against the day.
  • Tracks diesel and other consumables. What was used, what is on hand, and what has dropped below its reorder level.
  • Keeps your mining deadlines in one list. Mining right renewal, SLP reports, royalty returns, MHSA returns, DMPR returns (the DMPR is the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources, formerly the DMRE), water use licences, and expiring permits and contractor documents. You enter the dates and Varo reminds you; here is exactly how it works.
  • Shows it on one dashboard. Tonnes today and this week, your average per producing day, diesel used and on hand, deadlines coming up, and anything slipping.
  • Writes up shift reports and incidents from what you tell it, and keeps a searchable history.
  • Lets supervisors join by WhatsApp. Add a name and a number. They install nothing and sign up for nothing; what they send is logged to your workspace under their name.

A day with it

  1. A supervisor sends Mercial "340 t today, used 800 litres of diesel".
  2. Mercial often repeats what it heard and asks you to confirm with one tap.
  3. The dashboard updates. If a deadline is close, you are reminded.

What it does not do

  • It does not file anything with the DMPR or SARS for you. Varo reminds and prepares; you file.
  • It does not read fuel meters or weighbridges. It records what people tell it, and says "nothing logged yet" instead of showing a made-up zero.
  • It does not send anything to your customers or contractors without a person approving it first.
  • It is not your accountant, safety officer or lawyer, and it does not replace their advice.
  • You cannot phone Mercial yet. The web app and WhatsApp work today.

Where things stand

Varo is in private beta. You need an invite code or a referral code to sign up, and you can request access below. Pricing is not set yet.

Track diesel and daily tonnes → Mining compliance deadlines →