AMN - Mining must embrace digital age – comment by Yolanda Torrisi

Faced with increasingly high hurdles, including declining ore grades, operational challenges, lack of finance and regulatory barriers, South African miners must embrace innovation and the digital age to remain competitive. Technology not only leads to increased productivity and improved margins, but safety and environmental measures can be enhanced.

These improvements are very important for an industry facing greater resource nationalism and a growing global groundswell of anti-mining sentiment.

Successful mining operations of the future must be interconnected digitally and built on responsive and agile processes driven by the large amounts of data that is being generated. The digital transformation will provide more productive, efficient and sustainable ways of extracting value from minerals.

The digital age has largely been embraced by most industry sectors but mining is dragging its heels, not just in South Africa but around the world. All those involved with mining must enable processes beyond the age-old traditions that have seen the industry succeed previously as many of these are not part of the future recipe for success.

The new age means that third platform technologies such as cloud, mobility, analytics and social networking can help companies utilise innovation, cut costs and improve productivity. Combining these with innovation accelerator technologies including IoT, 3D printing, cognitive processing and next gen security will empower companies to reinvent existing business processes thereby supporting agile and dynamic operations.

The digital data age enables connected and intelligent management of material, assets and people within execution of a mine plan through tracking for all three components along with interpretation of real time data. Asset tracking has been in use for some time and workplace tracking is a current priority for many companies while ore tracking will be the next step.

Mines already generate huge amounts of data and will generate even more as remote sensors are deployed in all operational aspects but the key is being able to use the relevant data to inform ongoing change and enable effective improvements.

Most companies are willing to be involved and are working to improve various aspects of their operations through digital technology but more needs to be done across the board and it is important that a holistic approach is used in order to extract greatest value.

The technology may be complex but many aspects are enabling greater simplicity which in turn results in better decision making and value creation.

Yolanda Torrisi is Chairperson of The African Mining Network and comments on African mining issues and the growing global interest in the African continent. Contact:yolanda@yolandatorrisi.com