Q & A: METROFILE
Are there new opportunities emerging as industries digitise their compliance and ESG reporting? Absolutely. The digitisation of compliance and ESG reporting creates opportunities to:
• Improve decision-making by analysing consolidated and accurate data sets.
• E nhance legal readiness through realtime access to critical records during audits, incidents, or investigations into fatalities.
• Boost operational efficiency, enabling HR, safety, and training teams to focus on core activities instead of timeintensive manual processes.
• Strengthen data integrity, reducing errors in record-keeping and verifying certifications or training histories for compliance purposes.
To give an example, mining clients who adopt our digitisation processes have reported a 90 % improvement in data integrity and a significant reduction in the time spent locating and compiling records.
Are you seeing an increased demand from mining companies looking to digitise legacy systems? Definitely. Many mining companies are now recognising the risks posed by legacy systems, including compliance gaps, the high costs of manual data management, and integration challenges. Our solutions effectively support this transition by providing enhanced benefits such as:
• Instant retrieval of critical training records during audits or incidents, reducing regulatory risk and improving legal readiness. We work across HR, Safety, Health and Environment in this regard.
• Full compliance with DMR requirements, thanks to centralised storage of training records and verifiable certifications.
• Improved operational efficiency by helping teams cut down on time spent on manual tasks, enabling a focus on core business functions.
How do you ensure strategic alignment across such a geographically and operationally diverse organisation?
To align strategies across different mines, each with its distinct challenges and methods, it’ s crucial to establish a system that works effectively for all employees within those environments. This involves utilising technology to simplify work processes for the entire workforce and ensuring that each person can swiftly and conveniently access necessary information. By merging modern tech solutions like converting paper documents into digital files and employing internet-based storage with conventional practices like storing physical documents at an offsite location, we aid mines in operating more coherently and ensure that all members within these operations are working towards the same objectives.
An example of this is when we were approached by a mine for basic storage services but an onsite assessment revealed these significant inefficiencies: Record-keeping was fragmented and scattered over multiple offices, particularly in the HR, HRD, Planning, Community Development, Engineering, Finance and Geology departments.
We introduced an integrated storage strategy combining offsite physical storage, document digitisation, and the implementation of the digital repository platform. By digitising records and centralising them, the need for the physical retrieval of documents was eliminated, which was critical, given the great distances between sites. The solution provided the client with secure, instant access to critical records, particularly beneficial for compliance audits and efficient day-to-day operations.
This transformation led to enhanced operational efficiency and reduced administrative burden, and sparked interest in extending the digitisation to include historical records, paving the way for broader implementation across the organisation – a win for all. �
42 sabusinessintegrator. co. za