COVER STORY
solutions that provide performance improvements. He comments: “We have decades of experience with technology solutions focused on improving reliability and availability, utilisation and eff iciency, productivity, overall equipment eff ectiveness, and value chain optimisation.” Vast experience goes a long
way in selling and marketing new technologies, but mining is a sector that’s known for being quite risk- averse when it comes to deploying new tools. Has Kerkhoff encountered much reluctance to embrace new concepts when dealing with this industry? “It’s true that mining has been ‘traditional’ or ‘old-school’ and slow to adopt new technologies,” he acknowledges. “For many decades, miners have not had a strong focus on OT solutions. They relied more on increasing equipment and plant capacity to meet production targets, rather than using advanced operational technology to improve availability, utilisation, eff iciency and productivity.” But, says Kerkhoff , change is
for seamless and secure integration with other systems, including OT applications and IT business systems.”
DIGITAL REVOLUTION Connect is just one component among many in AVEVA’s digital mining tools portfolio and Kerkhoff explains that in general, the company is focused on operational technology (OT)
certainly afoot: “Several factors have forced mining companies to rethink the adoption of OT and advanced analytics solutions. These factors include workforce shortages, Covid constraints, new environmental social and governance (ESG) targets, the need to decarbonise and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and the need to improve workforce health and safety. “Mining companies are fi nding new
ways to mine smarter, not harder. To produce more, with less. More tons with less waste, less equipment, less infrastructure, less workforce, less carbon fuel, and less environmental impact. All while maintaining product quality. And to do this involves technology, operational technology!”
Several factors have forced
mining companies to rethink the adoption of OT and advanced analytics solutions
RISE OF THE MACHINES
It would be remiss not to ask an expert in digital technologies for his thoughts on the role of AI, and Kerkhoff confi rms that it is being used to solve problems and generate value across the mining industry. He explains: “In production, AI is helping with operations management and optimisation – increasing productivity, throughput, and maintaining quality. AI also assists in ore/waste identifi cation to increase recovery and reduce dilution. For advanced automation and machine autonomy, AI is critical. Driverless operations of heavy mobile equipment signifi cantly improve productivity and safety. For advanced decision support, AI plays an important role. By collecting, integrating and interpreting vast quantities of data from many different data sources, meaningful production insights can be presented to operations management for better decision making. In maintenance, predictive analytics is helping to provide early warnings on machine and component failures. This helps improve maintenance processes to increase reliability and availability and reduce maintenance cost.” Kerkhoff also notes that in other areas, such as geology, AI is helping improve processes for locating and delineating mineral resources. “AI computer vision can provide rapid interpretation of geological information, improving the speed and accuracy of geological modelling. Advanced analytics and machine learning can also be used to improve the process and increase likelihood of fi nding new mineral deposits,” he details.
www.engineerlive.com
7
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52
