Join Damanik
Join Damanik holds both a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in Mining Engineering, with academic research focused on Mineral Resource Estimation and Nickel Ore Reserve Estimation using geostatistical methods.
Join Damanik is the Founder and CEO of Acala, Indonesia's leading partner for GEOVIA optimization and sustainable mining solutions. With more than 25 years of hands-on experience in the mining industry, he has successfully guided open-pit mining projects from early-stage greenfield exploration through to full-scale production, establishing Acala as a trusted digital mining ally throughout Southeast Asia.
Key Achievements & Leadership
He is widely recognized for leading a $26 million gold mine acquisition and securing up to $170 million in funding for mining clients through strategic life-of-mine banking. His deep expertise covers mine planning, resource and reserve estimation, due diligence, and open-pit feasibility studies—supported by advanced GEOVIA tools including Surpac, Whittle, and MineSched.
Join has trained hundreds of mining professionals, delivered high-value multi-million-dollar projects, and maintained a 100% success rate in GEOVIA 3DEXPERIENCE coaching. He is also a sought-after university guest lecturer and industry speaker.
Major Projects & Contributions
He has played a direct role in developing Life-of-Mine Plans (LOMP) for significant deposits, including Pit Purnama, Pit South Barani, Pit North Barani, Pit Ramba Joring, and Pit Tor Ulualahulu, as well as the design of Tailings Storage Facilities (TSF).
As the first Mining Engineer at PT Agincourt Resources (Martabe Gold Mine), Join successfully led the project to its First Gold Poured (see related LinkedIn post). He supported the supply of CIL gold processing plant with a capacity of 4.5 million tons of ore per year, consistently meeting its annual production target of 250 koz gold and 3,000 koz silver.
Internationally, Join served as Senior Mine Planning Engineer at Phu Bia Mining Limited in Laos PDR (Phu Kham Copper & Gold Mine), achieving production targets of 15 million tonnes of ore per year, yielding 60 kt of copper.
At PT Merdeka Copper Gold Tbk (parent of PT Bumi Suksesindo (BSI) – Tujuh Bukit Gold Mine), he was responsible for the Life-of-Mine Plan across Pit A, Pit B West, Pit B East, Pit C, Pit D, and Pit E. This included setting gold and silver production targets, agglomerate planning, heap leach operations, ADR plant scheduling, and defining time-based gold recovery to align with production cycles.
Join contributed at PT Archi Indonesia Tbk (parent of PT Meares Soputan Mining), leading mine planning and pit optimization for the Toka Tindung Gold Mine with a CIL plant capacity of 3.8 million tonnes per year.
As General Manager of Operations at PT Citra Palu Minerals (CPM) — a subsidiary of PT Bumi Resources Minerals Tbk — he led a strategic alliance with PT Macmahon Mining Services and PT Adijaya Karya Makmur. Starting as a consultant and advisor, he successfully advanced the Poboya gold project from exploration to production, utilizing both CIL and heap leach technologies with an annual capacity of 1.6 million tonnes of ore and ~100 koz gold.
Consulting & Commitment to Development
Beyond executive roles, Join has built a strong reputation as a trusted consultant serving mining companies across mineral, non-mineral, and coal sectors. He collaborates with international firms on geology and mining projects, bringing global best practices to operations in Indonesia and Southeast Asia.
We invite you to connect with Join Damanik through ACALA for expert consultation on GEOVIA solutions, mine optimization, sustainability initiatives, or strategic mining projects.