VIA GRAPHIC PLUS | MANILA, Philippines — Listed natural resources company Nickel Asia Corporation (NAC) has officially launched “Project APEX – AI & Productivity Excellence,” a company-wide initiative aimed at equipping its entire workforce with artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to modernize its expanding regional operations.
Timed with the company’s 18th anniversary, the initial phase of the digital shift focuses on executive and officer-level training. This approach is designed to drive the responsible use of AI and establish a unified framework for technology adoption across the organization, in line with its tagline and philosophy of “Nurturing AI Competency.”
Under NAC President and CEO Martin Antonio G. Zamora, the digital transition is a key component of a long-term strategy that began last year following the establishment of the company’s specialized Technology Management and Transformation department.
Project Apex serves as the blueprint for reducing manual tasks, optimizing data connectivity across various departments, and improving overall operational efficiency.
“AI will change tasks and workflows. Something you do today will be done differently, or faster, tomorrow,” said Joselito G. Calpito, NAC Vice President for Technology Management and Transformation. “This is not about replacing our people with technology. It is about giving our employees the right tools and training so they can work smarter, make better decisions, and focus on higher-value tasks.”
Calpito added that driving the digital transformation from the leadership level ensures that teams are responsibly guided through the transition.
Following the executive sessions, the program will scale across the organization. The rollout will be managed by a dedicated internal AI team, supported by OneNAC Academy, legal and cybersecurity experts to ensure data privacy, alongside a network of “AI Ambassadors” tasked with helping employees in every department adapt to the new digital tools.
Management assured employees that the program prioritizes career growth over headcount reduction. Zamora emphasized that the company remains fully committed to a people-first approach, promising that no personnel decisions will be made without first providing extensive training, skills updates, and clear reassignments for affected workflows.
With leadership alignment sessions completed earlier this month and the full company launch underway, NAC is set to deploy the training to its departmental ambassadors next. The final phase will scale the new digital systems across the entire company, with the goal of leveraging AI to optimize everyday mining operations, strengthen risk management, and more accurately track environmental sustainability targets.
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