BBA acquires industrial operations specialist Flow Partners

BBA, a Mont-Saint-Hilaire, QC-based engineering consultancy, has acquired Flow Partners, a Montreal-based management consulting firm specializing in industrial operations improvement.

Founded in 2011 by Laura Mottola, Flow has particular expertise helping mining companies integrate lean thinking into their operations. Developed by Toyota in the 1930s, lean production methods seek to maximize productivity while minimizing waste.

Flow has a team of approximately eight independent consultants across the Americas, Europe, and Australia, according to LinkedIn. The firm has offices in Montreal and Santiago, Chile, and has supported clients such as Rio Tinto, Goldcorp, and IAMGold.

“The BBA team has now gained world-renowned expertise in integrating the combined principles of circular economy and lean management applied to mining and metals operations,” said a press release from BBA on the acquisition.

Mottola will join BBA as a partner and director digital transformation. Prior to founding Flow in 2003, she was a senior consultant at Hatch and a consultant at EDS Canada. Mottola began her career as a research engineer at Inco (now Vale). She holds a master’s degree in mining automation and a bachelor’s degree in mining engineering from McGill University.

“This is very exciting news for Flow Partners Inc [which is] now poised to serve clients as part of the BBA Consultants group of companies in Canada and abroad,” Mottola said in a post on LinkedIn.

The deal will expand BBA’s presence into Chile with a new location in Santiago. The Montreal-area consultancy has more than 1,200 employees across 14 offices in Canada.

BBA provides engineering, environmental, and commissioning consulting services to clients in mining & metals, oil & gas, and energy. 

The firm earlier this year announced the opening of a new office in Sept-Îles, QC to better serve regional mining and hydropower clients.