• TECHNOLOGY
SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST – AN INTERPLAY OF SOFTWARE , AUTOMATION , ENERGY
By Sharyn Macnamara
Impactful solutions are required as the energy transition speeds up and decarbonisation strategies are accelerated – the criticality of minerals and persistent strong economic headwinds will require operations to adapt or risk falling behind .
Schneider Electric was present at the recent Investing in African Mining Indaba and the company is focused on assisting the mining industry in its quest to manage the significant challenges the 2023 global market is presenting .
A disrupted market In an interview with African Mining at the Mining Indaba , Rob Moffitt , president – Mining , Minerals & Metals at Schneider Electric was emphatic , “ The global market is in a state of disruption and the MMM ( Mining , Minerals and Metals – including cement and glass ) industries , in particular , are seeing rapid transformation to meet stringent decarbonisation targets in order to reduce global warming by the 1.5 ° C required to meet commitments per the Paris Agreement . These three industries combined produce up to 21 % of the global CO 2 emissions and the imperative for change is clear .”
This transformation is driven by sustainability requirements ( an increased focus on ESG – Environmental , Social and Governance – performance and reporting ) and technology involving disruptive digitalisation and workforce transformations in a volatile and uncertain market , Moffitt noted . The Mining Indaba highlighted uncertainties including a shortage of energy and the resultant shift to move away from fossil fuel energy towards renewable energy . This is taking place within a dynamic environment of geopolitical tensions , inflationary pressures , skilled labour constraints , critical supply chain bottlenecks and increasing cost pressure with a need for efficiency gains . Technological enhancements like automation and electrification along with far more work being done remotely enabled by digitisation versus the previously labour-intensive operations are the significant drivers of this transformation .
Affecting improvements – accelerating decarbonisation Moffitt warned , “ Companies do not have a choice anymore . They either have to adapt and stay ahead of the sustainability requirements , or they will be left by the wayside .” Harvard Business Review reports that since the year 2000 , 52 % of companies in the Fortune 500 have either gone bankrupt , been acquired or have ceased to exist as a result of digital disruption . 1
Schneider Electric is geared to assist miners through this transition with a holistic solution , which finds its solid base in a sustainability triad architecture called EcoStruxure , 2 involving the optimisation of ‘ power ’ ( energy management ) and ‘ process ’ ( industrial
Rob Moffitt , president – Mining , Minerals & Metals at Schneider Electric .
automation ) leveraging digitisation ( software ). It offers clients industrial sustainability achieved through the interplay of software , automation and energy to improve efficiencies and yields making operations more resilient in the challenging market . Together with wholly owned AVEVA – the world ' s largest industrial software company , which also recently purchased OSIsoft – Schneider Electric designs solutions , assists with implementation , and helps in the monitoring and management thereof for customers .
Moffitt explains , “ We assist mines with optimisation of energies ; improvement of efficiencies ; reduction of physical footprint of facilities on greenfield sites ; the automation of processes from connected products through to edge control , to the software layer ; automation of operations , the hydrogen power feeds that are coming into play , micro grids – which are so critical ; shifting the energy mix at a typical mine site to create off-grid power independence , optimising solar wind , hydro or any other renewable energy source , and the list goes on .”
Supplied Schneider Electric
Supplied Schneider Electric
26 • African Mining • May 2023
Schneider Electric ’ s solution finds its solid base in a sustainability triad called EcoStruxure , 2 which involves the optimisation of ‘ power ’ ( energy management ) and ‘ process ’ ( industrial automation ) leveraging digitisation .
Combining digitisation , power and process translates into extremely powerful benefits for clients , says Moffitt as some organisations are seeing up to 20 % CAPEX reductions , 15 % decrease in downtime , 7-12 % reductions in carbon footprint , and 3 % increase in profitability – and this despite the current economic headwinds . 3
“ Sustainability forces an organisation to be agile and innovative . A drive towards industrial sustainability means highly optimised
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