Australia’s resource industry is being transformed by the increasing use of automation technologies that target productivity improvement through better control of mining processes. At one end of the scale, this revolution is happening organically through the innovative technologies of small-to-medium enterprises. At the other end are some strikingly bold initiatives to implement highly automated mines. Between these extremes is a spectrum of innovation that stands to profoundly change the industry over the next 15 years. The rewards from investing in automation can be substantial, such as considerable increases in productivity and improved safety, with reduced costs. However, there are common industry-wide issues associated with implementing new technology, which can have varying impacts on the success of operations.
As an authority in robotics and automation innovations for mining, Professor Ross McAree provided insight to the challenges associated with implementation of technology in his presentation at the International Mining and Resources Conference (IMARC) in Melbourne in September.
McAree is Program Leader for CRCMining’s Automation research program. He is also Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Queensland (UQ), Head of the UQ Mechatronic Engineering program, and Director of Research for the UQ School of Mechanical Engineering and Mining Engineering.
“There is no guarantee that technology will be able to deliver to its promise,” explains McAree. “To achieve the highest value, there are six key challenges that can only be solved through collaboration between researchers, mining companies, and equipment manufacturers.”
The six challenges of technology implementation are:
1. The double burden of immaturity. The successful implementation of automation technology is profoundly challenged by both the lack of maturity in the technology and of implementation efforts. We need to create ways of raising the benchmarks.
2. The need for a common interoperability plan. The automation of mining processes will necessarily be realised using building blocks from OEMs and technology providers that are independently designed, implemented and managed, and that will evolve independently over time. A holistic framework for integration is an essential prerequisite for the “mine of the future”. This will not happen unless the industry agrees and invests in a common plan.
3. Operational technology and information technology must integrate. Automation is primarily a means for optimising business processes. There is a compelling need to have common ways of efficiently delivering information about operational processes to guide performance improvement interventions. The complexity of this task is not to be underestimated, nor is the value that can be derived from achieving it.
4. Sourcing skilled people with appropriate expertise. The design, development and deployment of automation technologies for mining necessarily draws on skills that are proving to be a scarce commodity across the industry. Mine personnel of the future will need different skillsets and technical knowledge. We need sustainable ways of developing people with the right skills and career opportunities.
5. Altered responsibilities. New technologies have the potential to disrupt organisational structures and shift responsibilities in subtle ways. Understanding and managing both the “seen” and “unseen” impact of technology is critical to its success.
6. Equivalent levels of safety. New technologies change the risk profile of mine operations. We need to ensure these risks are properly understood and addressed, so that automation delivers equivalent or better levels of safety, whilst still adhering to the business case on which it is founded.
McAree’s presentation at IMARC drew on specific case studies from various projects in mining to give clarity to these challenges, and provide thoughts on how to invest in collaborative efforts without compromising competitive advantage.
His research interests include automatic control systems, constrained predictive control, state and parameters estimation, data analysis, dynamics of mechanical and electro-mechanical systems and real-time computing.
McAree’s leading project is CRCMining’s Shovel Load Assist Program (SLAP), working towards automating large mining shovels, supported by the Australian Coal Association Research Program (ACARP) and Joy Global.
