MINING IN FOCUS
HOLISTIC APPROACH
TO MODERNISATION
Modernisation of the mining industry is not only about automation and
mechanisation, writes Leon Louw.
T
he fourth industrial revolution has arrived, and it demands
change. The mining industry has historically been lacklustre in
its approach to affect meaningful transformation, especially
in jurisdictions where deep level mining is ingrained in the
DNA of that country, like Ghana or South Africa, for example. However,
over the past two years or so, the pace of change has accelerated at a
breakneck speed.
Modernisation is the total transformation of mining operations. It
should encompass the entire landscape and traditional non-core
activities like community and social engagement, and environmental
management and mine rehabilitation will have to be elevated to core
activities alongside mining, if a company is to remain sustainable. The
modernisation of mines as a concept would thus include, amongst
others, mechanisation and automation, leadership, research and
development, local manufacturing and the development of efficient
and environmentally friendly equipment. All these changes will
demand new methods of mining, unearthing new minerals and
innovative thinking.
Access to more data, and new technology and innovation, has enabled
mining companies to look at operations more holistically, and the results
have been astounding. While older underground mines are grappling to
come to terms with the rapid changing new world, open cast mines and
brand-new underground operations are fast becoming trailblazers in the
new digital and data driven frontier. Resolute Mining’s Syama mine in Mali,
for example, is the first fully mechanised mine in Africa, and others will
follow. But modernisation is not only about mechanisation and automation.
South African deep level underground mines is a harsh environment and not necessarily ideal for mechanised mining methods.
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African Mining September 2019
www. africanmining.co.za