Mining Technologies

Innovation, collaboration key to sustainable mining tech manufacturing

The need for innovation and collaboration to ensure survival amid difficult economic circumstances emerged as key themes during Creamer Media’s mining technology webinar on April 24.

The panel, facilitated by South African Capital Equipment Export Council (SACEEC) CEO Eric Bruggeman, collectively underscored the significance of collaboration between stakeholders in driving innovation and improving safety standards.

Mining Equipment Manufacturers of South Africa (Memsa) CEO Lehlohonolo Molloyi said that South Africa’s more than a century long mining history meant that the local industry possessed unique expertise in hard and soft rock mining, particularly in specialised low-profile seams.

He added that the South African mining environment had forced local companies, wellversed in the industry’s challenges, to drive innovation while prioritising safety alongside productivity.

“If one looks at how the numbers have declined in terms of fatalities in the mining industry to where we are now, that could have never happened without the collaboration between all the key stakeholders – the Health and Safety Council, the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy, Minerals Council South Africa, and all the manufacturers in the mining sector,” Molloyi said.

The panel of speakers jointly emphasised the need for customised solutions to optimise water use and reduce waste, as well as the importance of digital technologies and real-time monitoring.

Multotec CEO Thomas Holtz emphasised that investment in research and development (R&D) was crucial, since the industry was constantly in a state of change and evolution, and those who failed to innovate would be left behind.

“There’s no question that R&D is essential for the survival of your business. However, we

differentiate between product development, which is refining the product offering into a particular application, as opposed to pure R&D, where we test new ideas,” he said.

Epiroc business line manager for digital solutions Vikesh Chiba highlighted the impact of digitalisation on mining operations, with a focus on the growing importance of faster and more accurate data collection and storage.

“Digitalisation has gained huge momentum over the last decade, and it’s had a significant impact on the local mining sector. I think mines that are not digitising their information are at a serious disadvantage. Traditional, manual paperbased methods are typically prone to human error, loss of information and [it is a] slow process to consolidate the data. But . . . digitalisation is much faster, much more accurate. It’s a base requirement now.”

However, Chiba believes more can be done with artificial intelligence.

Simera Trace technical director Kevin O’Neill shared the journey his company took to develop a radio frequency identification (RFID) technology.

The company developed a blast resistant tracer that is linked electronically to the sample certificate of a specific sample. The tracer is then fitted to the detonation cord at the exact location where the sample was taken. During blasting, the tracer shifts along with the ore. From there, the tracer is readable by means of an RFID reader.

“We needed a technology that we could read non line of sight on certain products that you cannot read, and you cannot manage if you cannot measure,” he explained as the core motivation for the development of the technology, which would become a critical part of the mining industry down the line.

“If you see the complications and the amount of technology that goes into a single mine, it is absolutely mind blowing. It is amazing to see the technologies and the strides we have taken,” Bruggeman enthused.

Scan the QR code to watch the recording of the Mine Technologies webinar hosted on April 24, 2024