MechChem Africa January-February 2024

⎪ Cover story ⎪

which enables role players to interact with mining processes in a realistic way.” “We can use the mine simulation design, for example, to build operator training simu lators so the people that will be working in the mine can get a very good idea of what they will need to do in the real mine through engagement in a safe virtual environment.” “This Digital Twin enables any of the key process parameters in the real world to be modelled. Different scenarios can be explored within a whole process simulation to see if there are any more efficient options than those being achieved.” “And while we have been talking mostly about Greenfield mines, most of the demand for mine optimisation is for mines that are already in production, so Innomotics en ables the digitalisation of existing mines. We can already present examples where our suite of digital solutions is being used to optimise daily operations of fully opera tional mines,” adds Demmig. Walwyn points to a solution recently developed for a major iron ore producer in South America, collecting data to create a pit to port digital model of a complete min ing value chain. “This to enable companies to follow the value stream from the mine, though to stockpiling, blending, loading, and right across the rail network until it is loaded

onto ships and/or into processing plants. It delivers end-to-end visibility of every stage of the mineral extraction, beneficiation and transportation and logistics cycle,” he says. Through improved coordination across the value chain, the company has achieved savings of around US$70 million over a period of three years. By improving the efficiency of minerals processing, Innomotics’ leading solutions can also reduce energy consumption and improve the industry’s sustainabil ity. “Innomotics solutions enable mines to achieve highest-possible efficiencies from processes such as crushing and grinding. Our key digitalisation focus, though, is on plant reliability, availability, and optimised

productivity,” explains Walwyn. Innomotics will be showcasing its digi talisation competence with a live demon stration of how to optimise operations with the company’s pit-to-port solutions at the Mining Indaba from 05-08 February 2024. “In Cape Town we aim to build awareness of our new role and to highlight our mining capabilities,” he tells MechChem Africa . “In Africa, we see Innomotics as a key brand for transforming the mining industry. Innomotics looks forward to building and developing stronger partnerships with its customers on the continent, delivering ef ficient minerals extraction and processing solutions," ends Tim Walwyn. www.innomotics.co.za

Innomotics will be showcasing its digitalisation solutions at the Mining Indaba – from 05-08 February 2024 – with a live demonstration of how to optimise mining operations from pit-to-port.

Gearless mill drive (GMD) technology is a key contributor to reliability and efficiency on mines. “These are reliable, high-efficiency mills that reduce total costs of ownership and deliver sustained high performance in meeting the production requirements of mining operations,” says Sven Demmig.

January-February 2024 • MechChem Africa ¦ 5