MINING
CUTTING MINING MAINTENANCE COSTS WITH GenAI
BY TARRYN-LEIGH SOLOMONS
SOUTH AFRICAN MINES ARE CUTTING DOWNTIME AND BOOSTING EFFICIENCY WITH GENERATIVE AI. BY PREDICTING FAILURES, OPTIMISING INVENTORY, AND GUIDING TECHNICIANS IN REAL TIME, GenAI IS TURNING MAINTENANCE FROM A COSTLY HEADACHE INTO A COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE.
Maintenance remains one of the biggest operational challenges in mining, with costs increasing rapidly. Currently, unplanned maintenance makes up 60 % of total mine maintenance expenditure, causing downtime, productivity losses, and added strain on already stretched resources.
There’ s a growing agreement that Generative AI( GenAI) is already delivering real, measurable value in this field. But the key is not just adopting GenAI, but using the right tools in the right way.“ Innovative solutions – specifically deploying the right Generative AI( GenAI) tools – can bring down those costs,” says Puso Thahane, Partner and Akash Singh, Principal IT Architect at Boston
34 INBOUND SA / December 2025