麻豆传媒

As demand for materials grows, mining operations will need to keep pace and be more productive. This means that digital technologies will be essential in helping miners to improve their operational efficiency as they work to produce more while emitting less. The key for sites will be realising the full potential of these tools and systems.

For many, achieving this is less about discovering pioneering new technologies and more about bringing digital tools that already exist into their day-to-day operations. Success will instead mean being able to deploy the right technologies at scale and make sure that site teams can use them as effectively as possible to drive productivity.

Many businesses have identified the opportunities that smart mining can offer and are moving to take advantage of them. Three-quarters are either already investing in technologically advanced equipment or plan to do so over the next two years.¹ Similarly, three in four miners are either already increasing the digitalisation and automation of their everyday tasks or will do so in the next two years.¹

One area that can benefit immensely from this investment is maintenance. Given the variable nature of mining, equipment frequently operates in remote and challenging environments that place machines under great stress. It is also not always easy to carry out in-person inspections, increasing the risk of component failure and breakdown. This is where digital tools can help miners to gain greater visibility of their operations, along with actionable insights that help them to practice preventative maintenance. For mining to move forward, digital technology and data must be combined with physical maintenance best practice.

A quarter of miners see the arrival of more advanced and autonomous mining equipment as their top digitalisation priority. But creating a smart mine is not simply about bringing in new digital tools. There are technologies that miners are already using on their sites that offer new potential to deliver efficiency gains.

Technologies like GPS and telematics are not new to mining. But, with sites enjoying greater connectivity, they have only grown more powerful and effective with time. For example, by using these tools to collate the details of each trip made across a fleet, miners can see how long vehicles are queuing or how long it takes to load those vehicles. This is information that is already available and 鈥� once unlocked 鈥� can be used to make informed decisions that improve operational efficiency.

As they work to produce more while emitting less, miners are looking to digital tools and systems to help them find new reserves, excavate materials more efficiently and reduce the environmental impact of doing so. If brought to scale, the tools behind smart mining could support miners鈥� sustainability goals. They have the potential to reduce emissions by 20% by 2050 in the three highest-emitting sectors: energy, materials, and mobility.³ They can also drive cost reductions that help sites to reduce their total cost of ownership. By 2035, smart mining practices could help mining to save up to $390 billion each year.²

Digital tools offer the potential to help miners make better operational-level decisions. This can then help them to create safer sites, to operate more sustainably and to be more efficient. To achieve it all, they need data 鈥� and lots of it.

Fortunately, there is no lack of data in mining. Site operations generate a wealth of information, but the challenge is capturing it all and then making the most of it to drive greater operational efficiency. Fleets are either fully connected or they are not. And, if businesses are not getting 100% of their fleet data, it creates the potential to undermine their decision making.

Beyond that, miners need to have a clear vision for how to use that data. If they had all the data they wanted at their fingertips, what would they do with it? What decisions would it support? Answering these questions will be vital in helping miners to implement the digital solutions and systems that fully support their specific operational needs.

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