FEATURE | INDUSTRY 4.0
Mi-Jack believes visualising big data is crucial to effective operations and better decision-making.
security,” Newton says. “The industry has to adapt to threats and so do we, and that’s the critical path on the road to future-proofing the longevity of a technology offering.”
For ABB, this is a priority. It encrypts and transmits data via secure VPNs from hoists to its collaborative operations centres, with controlled access of raw data on site. “We embed cybersecurity into Smart Hoisting from the ground up,” says Donchev. “By automating diagnostics and minimising manual intervention, we reduce exposure to cyber risks while improving reliability. Cybersecurity is absolutely integral to how we design and deliver digital services in mining.” Another potential headache is around big data, which brings great value but can lead to drowning
in information. “Everyone’s trying to absorb all of this data,” says Newton, “and they all are figuring out what to do with all of it.” Big data can power predictive maintenance on fleet equipment through to real-time inventory insights. Mi-Jack believes that visualising this data is critical, which it enables through the Accuview graphical user interface module of Mi-Star. “Customers see how things are working in the present and use the data to help forecast how operations will be in the future based on that data and then make appropriate decisions to help ensure the best outcomes,” he concludes. ABB has a similar view. “Along with automation, we also need digital solutions,” says Donchev. “Using existing data to make smarter decisions
and doing it in a way that’s scalable and aligned with their operational goals.”
Adoption curve While producers of fast-moving consumer goods and industrial components have embraced Industry 4.0 lifting technologies, other aspects of industry were slower to adopt. “Whereas the smaller piecemeal manufacturing-style products have long since moved into a more automated space, the larger industries such as metals have been more cautious and slower to pick up automation,” says Jackman. In this market segment, CareGo Tek saw a sea change in attitudes towards automation after the impact of the pandemic on global supply chains. “What we find is that the interest is growing in metals,” he says. “Smart computing, through sensors and data collection, AI and vision are revolutionising what is possible in automation. “Some of our industry’s challenges when it
CareGo Tek is seeing increased client interest in material handling. 78 Fall 2025 |
ochmagazine.com
comes to the various sizes and shapes of the metals products and how to find locate, stack and store them, can be overcome with combinations of these technologies.” However, there is still some work to be done. CareGo Tek is increasingly seeing client engagement around automation for material handling, but there is notably less interest in automation of storage processes. “Currently, many companies approach this as a manual process with the expectation that it will be easy to accomplish,” says Jackman. “What they tend to find out, the hard way, is that managing inventory
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