Modern Mining July 2019

COVER STORY

Informed decisions When one looks at the responsibilities of under- ground shift managers at present, it is easy to see how decisions can be clouded by having to retrospectively manage information and people and how information management systems can improve theirs and the mine’s performance. They are able to better manage performance on the basis of real time information and predic- tive insights to make educated decisions. McCoy says this is the way of the future and that all mining houses have digitalisa- tion on the agenda. Sandvik Mining and Rock Technology’s system has been built on real-life applications and comes to market as a tried and tested system. “There is a process to digitalisa- tion and we assist clients with this process of defining their digital vision, defining a strategy for this vision and then develop a system to achieve it,” he states. “Based on open architecture and through standard industry protocols like Rest API, we allow communication across digital platforms for the mutually beneficial purpose of enabling interaction and improved performance of the entire mining system.” Gradual implementation Sandvik Mining and Rock Technology typi- cally provides mines with a stepped approach to implementation. This means that once the decision has been made to implement informa- tion systems, the next step is to manage change across the entire value chain from labour, unions, management, stakeholders and all par- ties that may be affected by digitalisation to ensure they are 100 % behind the process. “The main idea is to move away from paper and spreadsheets to a digital dashboard that allows access to information for minute- to-minute, day-to-day or month-to-month operational management. Sandvik’s solution

for this is OptiMine ® ,” says McCoy. OptiMine ® makes up one part of Sandvik’s digital offering which consists of three distinct areas. These are MySandvik ® , which focuses on connected equipment and cloud-based applica- tions and reporting; OptiMine ® , which provides process optimisation and data analytics; and AutoMine ® for autonomous mining. These give mine managers the tools they need to do proper analysis before embarking on process optimisation. Automation is the final step in digitalisation. Results from customer sites around the world show that automation of a mine results in more consistent production flows. It also has the benefit of allowing production during so-called ‘dead hours’ to produce more even production on a 24/7 basis. McCoy also notes that automation also results in the knock-on effect of reducing main- tenance costs and improving the overall life of equipment on mines. “In South Africa, the life-of-equipment improvement can be as high as 30 % which represents a massive saving of capital as well as improving equipment avail- ability,” he says. AutoMine ® is interoperative with all min- ing processes and equipment including draw control, ventilation-on-demand, and cave man- agement systems, as well as production area systems such as rock breakers, crushers and water spraying systems. McCoy concludes that mines are rapidly entering the connected world and the adoption of interoperable mine operational manage- ment systems has endless potential to change the way mining is done in Africa and across the globe. Sandvik’s ability to connect equip- ment from other OEMs to its OptiMine ® system is a game changer in the way manpower is deployed, equipment resources are utilised, and ultimately how mines operate. 

Above: Sandvik’s digital systems give operators access to real-time information. Above left: Using Sandvik’s technology offerings, mine personnel are able to better manage performance on the basis of real time information and predictive insights to make educated decisions.

“There is a process to digitalisation and we assist clients with this process of defining their digital vision, defining a strategy for this vision and then develop a system to achieve it.”

July 2019  MODERN MINING  21