Modern Mining March 2025

DIGITAL MINE

Following its recent Africa launch at the Electra Mining Africa exhibition in Johannesburg, the Sandvik Digital Assistant (SAM) is already seeing enthusiastic uptake among users pursuing the benefits of the digital mine. Sandvik’s SAM brings power of digital to crushing and screening operations

Ali Jumaa, Digital Product Manager for Sandvik Rock Processing.

SAM is a tool for all players in this value chain – from operators and technicians to managers and purchasing departments.

T his dynamic and ever-evolving platform from Sandvik Rock Processing is part of the company’s new Automation and Connectivity System (ACS), according to Ali Jumaa, Digital Product Manager for Sandvik Rock Processing. SAM is built on the data that the ACS generates and is changing the face of crushing and screening operations. Jumaa highlights that it is a tool for all players in this value chain – from operators and technicians to managers and purchasing departments – making their jobs easier while providing a complete overview of the crushing and screening operation. “SAM combines a wide range of tools, information and guidance in one place for our customers,” he says. “We like to describe SAM as a digital assistant that is always available to help our customers with their day-to-day operations.” Maintenance and site managers, for example, get the ability to track the performance of all their equipment from the convenience of a laptop, tablet or mobile phone. Similarly, the mine’s purchasing department has direct access to the SAM web shop allowing them to quickly and seamlessly find the correct part numbers, create shopping lists and submit orders directly to the OEM. “For service technicians, SAM gives them the ability to find up-to-date documentation on the equipment they are working on,” he said. “SAM also assists operators who are looking for ways to increase operational uptime and availability. The

platform provides 24/7 alarm alerts with recommended actions, which is a vital early warning service to avoid unplanned stoppages.” He highlights that SAM has been developed – like other Sandvik products and services – in line with the concept of a proactive user journey. This begins with the customer’s initial contact and purchase, where they begin their partnership with the company. “The journey develops into different stages, and at each point they might need certain kinds of support from us to benefit optimally from the partnership,” he says. SAM also leverages the company’s continuous advancements in automation, such as the ACS-c 5 for the Sandvik 800i cone crusher series. “Sensors on the crusher components collect various data that is used to regulate and control the operating parameters of the crusher,” he says. “This automation system is the source of data for SAM as well as the engine for EDGE processing of data and insights; the data is further transmitted through a gateway to the cloud where we provide an additional layer of calculations and AI models.” Data analytics therefore plays a vital role in SAM, he emphasises, and Sandvik Rock Processing is continuously building features to detect issues in advance. This is an important part of the proactive user journey, where services and digital tools are combined to deliver early warning of any

34  MODERN MINING  www.modernminingmagazine.co.za | MARCH 2025