In the stope
Niel McCoy:
building digital pillars
The future of
underground mining is
autonomous, Niel McCoy
of Sandvik Mining and
Rock Technology BLM
Automation – southern
Africa, tells Leon Louw.
Niel, you have been involved in the
mining industry for a long time;
can you give us a summary of your
experience?
I have 24 years’ experience in mechanised
mining. My career started in 1994 at
Randfontein Estates. There I went through a
learner official programme, completed a NHD
in metalliferous mining, and obtained a mine
manager’s certificate of competency.
Before joining Sandvik in 2006, I worked
in contract mining and consulting for five
years and as mine manager at a copper mine in
Namibia before returning to Sandvik in 2010.
At Sandvik I held roles such as a key
account manager and head of projects, before
becoming a BLM for automation in October
2018. My passion is mechanised mining and
the future that digitalisation brings to the
mining industry.
What are the most important
aspects of Sandvik’s digital offering
framework?
Sandvik has three pillars to our digital offering.
One of our pillars is digitally connected
equipment. This means that data collection
units are installed in as much equipment
Niel McCoy, Sandvik Mining and Rock Technology BLM Automation – southern Africa.
[36] MINING MIRROR MAY 2019
www.miningmirror.co.za