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Change management key to digital success

ON SHOW Sandvik will be exhibiting its modern mining solutions at the Investing in African Mining Indaba this year

AUTOMATION GENERATION Part of the change management required is the need to upskill and reskill personnel

FUTURE MINING One of the key benefits of automation-based efficiency is continuous operation during shift changes and blasting

24th January 2020

By: Darren Parker

Creamer Media Contributing Editor Online

     

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When investing in digitalisation and automation, change management is one of the key challenges that needs to be addressed globally, and not only in the African mining industry, says global engineering company Sandvik Mining and Rock Technology Southern Africa automation business line manager Neil McCoy.

“Operations must first create a digital vision and then define a strategy for digitalisation. Once that is in place, work can begin in terms of considering relevant mining methods, equipment and digital tools to allow for cost-effective, productive mining,” he says.

McCoy believes that Sandvik Mining and Rock Technology can help mining clients overcome these challenges through close collaboration.

“There is no one-size-fits-all solution for the industry. Therefore, projects can be successfully executed by working together to define the vision and then develop solutions to accomplish it.”

He adds that this is applicable to the implementation of any digital or automated solutions – from basic telemetry reporting and monitoring on equipment to fully fledged digital tools and automated fleets.

Thereafter, work can begin on compiling and implementing relevant training programmes that enable employees across all levels of operations to understand and use digital tools effectively. Part of the change management required is the need to upskill and reskill personnel.

“Companies need to start building for the future. It is essential to identify the new skill sets that will be required to support digitalisation and automation, and develop training programmes accordingly,” McCoy emphasises.

He adds that, owing to efficiencies improving significantly through digitalisation and automation, the optimised use of assets and improved productivity drives costs down.

“With digitalisation, you can closely manage overall shift effectiveness, up to the entire operation, by the minute. You have a full view of all factors influencing equipment performance and can manage them accordingly,” he notes.

Meanwhile, automation allows for consistently higher average levels of performance across a fleet during normal operating hours.

One of the key benefits of automation-based efficiency is continuous operation during shift changes and blasting times. Automation also significantly reduces the travelling time because operators do not need to travel far underground to the equipment. Rather, they can operate from a control room on the surface.

Another benefit for operators is that they no longer need to sit on board a hot, vibrating, noisy machine. Automation enables the operators to do their jobs in a controlled environment such as an operator hut, office or control room.

“Probably of greatest significance, in terms of safety, is that equipment and people are no longer exposed to fast-moving equipment because the automated area is isolated,” McCoy says.

Digitalisation allows for improved spatial awareness for operators, supervisors and personnel, while communication regarding emergency situations is more easily facilitated because OptiMine enables underground operators to immediately respond and update the progress of the task.

On Show

Sandvik Mining and Rock Technology will exhibit its range of digitalisation, automation and modernisation technologies at this year’s Investing in African Mining Indaba, in Cape Town.

The company has a footprint across the African continent and aims to use the exhibition to highlight the full range of its offering.

The company aims to promote its vision of “building for tomorrow” and is ensuring that it is ready to assist clients on their Industry 4.0 and digitalisation journeys.

McCoy says Sandvik Mining and Rock Technology aims to use the Mining Indaba to highlight its offering framework, comprising connected equipment, analytics and process optimisation, and autonomous equipment and features.

Connected equipment refers to tools, such as cloud-based application My Sandvik, which allows for data to be collected, transferred and visualised on the My Sandvik portal, providing information for customers on fleet health, status and productivity.

The analytics and process optimisation solutions are based on processed data from equipment, rock tools, customer systems and the environment, while the OptiMine Analytics tool allows for predictive insights and real-time analytics to assist in improving overall equipment efficiency.

The OptiMine short interval control modules allow for “the roof of the mine to be taken off” so that operations can be visualised and managed in real time. The tool provides insights to allow for corrective action before production for a shift is adversely affected.

Another tool in this category is iSURE, a computer program for tunnelling construction, mining drill control and blast process control. It produces all the data needed for an optimised drilling and blasting cycle.

The automated equipment and features pillar consists of technologies such as AutoMine for underground loaders and trucks, AutoMine for surface drilling, automated crushers and other i-Series equipment.

“Sandvik Mining and Rock Technology uses the Indaba as a platform to network with current customers while showcasing its portfolio to potential new customers. Valuable insights are also obtained from the various presentations and forums on mines, projects and country-specific legislative issues,” McCoy concludes.

Edited by Nadine James
Features Deputy Editor

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