Tag Archives: digitalisation

Advancing maintenance in underground mining through digitalisation and automation

Automation, Equipment maintenance, IoT, Mining equipment, Mining maintenance, Mining services, Sustainable mining, , , ,

Underground mining, essential for global raw material supply, and here especially for the majority of critical raw materials, faces significant challenges, including worker safety, operational efficiency and environmental sustainability, Christel Füllenbach and Professor Helmut Mischo*, write.

Traditionally, maintenance strategies in this sector relied heavily on manual inspections and time-based preventive maintenance schedules. However, these conventional approaches have often proven labour-intensive, costly and insufficient in predicting or preventing equipment failures effectively. Recent advancements in digitalisation and automation – specifically through condition monitoring, predictive maintenance and automated inspections – are now offering transformative potential for maintenance strategies in underground mining, addressing core industry challenges.

Limitations of traditional maintenance in mining

For decades, underground mining maintenance depended on manual inspections and predetermined maintenance schedules, with equipment servicing occurring at fixed intervals regardless of its actual condition. While useful, these time-based preventive measures are inherently limited, often leading to unnecessary maintenance tasks or, conversely, to unexpected equipment failures. For example, skilled personnel conduct regular checks based on experience and judgment, which can lead to inconsistencies and the potential for missed early warnings of equipment issues (Kruczek, P., et al., 2019, p. 459 ff.). Moreover, traditional maintenance is resource-intensive, involving substantial manual labour in hazardous underground environments, which increases safety risks and operational costs (Salami, O., B., et al., 2023, p. 617 ff.).

Digitalisation and automation: Transforming maintenance strategies

During the last 15 years, the continuous shift toward digitalised and automated solutions in maintenance marks a fundamental evolution in underground mining. Condition monitoring, predictive maintenance and automated inspection systems each bring specific advantages in enhancing operational efficiency and reliability.

The implementation of condition monitoring enables real-time data collection on equipment parameters, including temperature, vibration and pressure, via sensor networks. By analyzsng this data, mining operators can determine the precise maintenance needs of machinery, rather than relying on inflexible schedules. Case studies indicate that condition monitoring reduces unexpected downtime significantly; for instance, in one South African underground mine, implementing this approach led to a 30% reduction in downtime, offering clear benefits for reliable, uninterrupted operations (Aqueveque, P. et al., 2021, p. 17365 ff.; Rihi, A., et al., p. 2483 ff.).

Building on this, predictive maintenance applies advanced machine-learning algorithms to forecast machinery failures before they occur, effectively shifting maintenance from a reactive to a proactive stance. By anticipating equipment issues, predictive maintenance reduces the need for emergency repairs and limits personnel exposure in high-risk zones. Studies have shown that predictive maintenance can reduce machinery downtime by up to 20%, while also improving safety standards (Putha, S., 2022, p. 160 ff.). In one notable instance, a mining operation utilising predictive maintenance algorithms experienced a significant drop in operational disruptions, illustrating the potential of data-driven maintenance in high-stakes environments like underground mining (Dayo-Olupona, O., 2023, p. 12 ff.).

As one of the most recent developments, automated inspection systems, including drones and robotics, offer further advancements by conducting inspections in hazardous or hard-to-reach areas without requiring direct human involvement. Drones, equipped with high-resolution cameras and other sensors, perform routine inspections with exceptional speed and accuracy, contributing to reduced inspection times and enhanced data precision. A mining company, for instance, achieved a 50% reduction in inspection time after deploying drones for regular equipment checks, thus underscoring both the efficiency and safety improvements achievable with automation (Weyers, E., 2021, S. 55 ff.).

Benefits and sustainability of digitalised maintenance strategies

The implementation of digitalised and automated maintenance strategies offer distinct advantages across safety, efficiency and sustainability metrics. Enhanced safety is one of the primary outcomes, as digital and automated tools reduce the need for personnel to conduct inspections in hazardous areas, lowering accident rates associated with traditional manual checks. Efficiency gains are equally significant; with precise maintenance scheduling enabled by data analytics, companies minimise unnecessary downtime and maximise machinery lifespan. Furthermore, this approach contributes to cost reductions, as predictive and condition-based maintenance reduce both emergency repair costs and the long-term expenses of equipment replacement (Jasiulewicz-Kaczmarek, M., 2019, p. 91 ff.).

From a sustainability perspective, automated and predictive maintenance models contribute directly to resource conservation. The reduction in maintenance frequency and improved operational efficiency lower energy consumption and material waste, aligning with circular economy principles. Automated inspections and predictive models foster an eco-friendlier mining operation by reducing carbon emissions and minimising waste outputs, which is increasingly critical for an industry under pressure to meet stringent environmental standards (Firoozi, A., et al., 2024, p. 2 ff.).

Current R&D and outlook

Current research in underground mining maintenance is focused on refining digital and automated solutions to enhance predictive accuracy and operational efficiency. Advances in machine learning are boosting predictive maintenance models, allowing improved anticipation of equipment failures by analysing large, complex data sets, such as vibration and acoustic signals (Chimunhu, P., et al., 2024, p. 30 ff.). Additionally, IoT-enabled sensors are becoming more resilient and effective in extreme underground conditions, facilitating real-time equipment monitoring and environmental data collection (Wu, Y., et al., 2019, p. 9 ff..).

Robotics also continues to improve automated inspection capabilities, with drones and autonomous vehicles now better equipped for navigating hazardous underground areas. Future developments are likely to see fully-autonomous drones that can perform inspections without operator intervention, significantly reducing human risk exposure (Zhang, R., et al-. 2023, p. 2460 ff.).

Looking forward, emerging innovations may lead to self-diagnosing and even self-correcting systems that will enable continuous operation with minimal manual maintenance. Collaboration between mining companies, technology providers and academia is also advancing universal digital standards, supporting broader adoption of automated maintenance technologies worldwide (Suhail A.H., et al., 2024, p. 150 ff.).

The integration of digitalised and automated maintenance strategies represents a critical evolution in underground mining, enhancing safety, operational efficiency and sustainability. These technologies allow mining companies to optimise their maintenance practices, reducing operational risks and improving equipment longevity while minimising environmental impacts. As digital and automated solutions continue to evolve, their transformative impact on underground mining will likely deepen, setting new industry standards for safety, productivity and environmental responsibility.

*Christel Füllenbach is Global Operations Manager at Epiroc; and Professor Helmut Mischo is from TU Bergakademie Freiberg’s Institute of Mining Engineering and Special Civil Engineering

Aqueveque, P., Radrigan, L., Pastene, F., Morales, A. S., & Guerra, E. (2021). Data-Driven Condition Monitoring of Mining Mobile Machinery in Non-Stationary Operations Using Wireless Accelerometer Sensor Modules. IEEE Access, 9, 17365-17381. https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2021.3051583.

Chimunhu P, Topal E, Asad MWA, Faradonbeh RS, Ajak AD. (2024). The future of underground mine planning in the era of machine learning: Opportunities for engineering robustness and flexibility. Mining Technology.

Dayo-Olupona, O., Genc, B., Celik, T., & Bada, S. (2023). Adoptable approaches to predictive maintenance in mining industry: An overview. Resources Policy, 86(Part A), 104291. ISSN 0301-4207. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resourpol.2023.104291.

Firoozi, A. A., Tshambane, M., Firoozi, A. A., & Sheikh, S. M. (2024). Strategic load management: Enhancing eco-efficiency in mining operations through automated technologies. Results in Engineering, 24, 102890. ISSN 2590-1230. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rineng.2024.102890.

Jasiulewicz-Kaczmarek, M., & Gola, A. (2019). Maintenance 4.0 Technologies for Sustainable Manufacturing – an Overview. IFAC-PapersOnLine, 52(10), 91-96. ISSN 2405-8963. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ifacol.2019.10.005.

Kruczek, P., et al. (2019). Predictive Maintenance of Mining Machines Using Advanced Data Analysis System Based on the Cloud Technology. In Widzyk-Capehart, E., Hekmat, A., & Singhal, R. (eds), Proceedings of the 27th International Symposium on Mine Planning and Equipment Selection – MPES 2018. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-99220-4_38.

Putha, S. (2022). AI-Driven Predictive Maintenance for Smart Manufacturing: Enhancing Equipment Reliability and Reducing Downtime. Journal of Deep Learning in Genomic Data Analysis, 2(1), 160–203. Accessed Nov. 11, 2024. https://thelifescience.org/index.php/jdlgda/.

Rihi, A., Baïna, S., Mhada, F.-Z., Elbachari, E., Tagemouati, H., Guerboub, M., & Benzakour, I. (2022). Predictive maintenance in mining industry: grinding mill case study. Procedia Computer Science, 207, 2483-2492. ISSN 1877-0509. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2022.09.306.

Salami, O. B., Xu, G., Kumar, A. R., & Pushparaj, R. I. (2023). Underground mining fire hazards and the optimization of emergency evacuation strategies (EES): The issues, existing methodology and limitations, and way forward. Process Safety and Environmental Protection, 177, 617-634. ISSN 0957-5820. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psep.2023.07.012.

Suhail, A.,H., Guangul, M., Nazeer, A. (2024). Advanced System Diagnostics Tools: Innovations and Applications. IntechOpen. doi: 10.5772/intechopen.114378.

Weyers, E. (2021). The use of drones to improve downtime management on South African mines [University of Johannesburg]. https://ujcontent.uj.ac.za/esploro/outputs/graduate/The-use-of-drones-to-improve/9918409407691#file-0.

Wu, Y., Chen, M., Wang, K., and Fu, G. (2019) “A dynamic information platform for underground coal mine safety based on internet of things,” Safety Science, vol. 113, pp. 9-18, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2018.11.003.

Zhang, R., Hao, G., Zhang, K., & Li, Z. (2023). Unmanned aerial vehicle navigation in underground structure inspection: A review. Geological Journal, 58(6), 2454–2472. https://doi.org/10.1002/gj.4763

Orica setting digital groundwork to open up new mining frontiers

Automation, Explosives and blasting, IoT, Mining equipment, Mining events, Mining services, Mining software, Sustainable mining, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The integration of a digital backbone into the explosives, blasting and related processes will continue to result in miners accessing new deposits and potentially developing new mining methods, Orica’s Angus Melbourne and Rajkumar Mathiravedu told IM at last month’s MINExpo 2024 in Las Vegas.

Reflecting on a digitalisation journey that started eight years ago, Melbourne – Orica’s Chief Technology Officer – said the original ambition was about taking a very manual process like blasting and digitising the workflows.

“Essentially what we wanted to do was anchor into the design and connect the on-bench activities for a verification process as to where the drill pattern was and how this reconciled with the actual outcome,” he said. “The key was always to link this back to the hub of the machine.”

Bringing data and insights into this equation resulted in better placement of energy (ie explosives), which has since become part and parcel of Orica’s aim of “mobilising the Earth’s resources in a sustainable way”.

The second element underlying this digitised push was the acceleration of automation.

“You cannot automate unless you have a digital foundation,” Melbourne said.

This led to the company – both organically and through M&A – building up a suite of software, sensors and data science applications to enable processes within the explosives and blasting process to be automated.

Just what processes to automate has always been dictated by safety and productivity.

“Getting people off the bench, face, voids, high walls, etc becomes a clear motivator for automating certain processes,” Melbourne said. “It is a bit more difficult on the productivity side of things; you have to be generating value, not just automating for the sake of it.”

From Orica’s initial point eight years ago, the company has progressively moved into adjacencies such as post-blast outcomes, geology and more, bringing the same mindset to each part of this distinct process, while integrating it into the wider work patterns.

Mathiravedu (Orica Digital Solutions Senior Vice President) explained: “What we are seeing in the digital space is the fact that, with blasting, you can either create or destroy value. With all the tools and expertise we have, plus the ability to connect the physical and digital components, we are making the whole process more productive, as well as optimising the use of consumables like water and energy.”

Rajkumar Mathiravedu presenting Next Gen SHOTPlus at MINExpo 2024

And as Orica has opened further to the wider mining ecosystem – think of recent tie ups with Epiroc on the Avatel™ semi-autonomous explosives loading solution showcased at MINExpo or Caterpillar on a potential integration between Rhino™, BlastIQ™ and FRAGTrack™ technologies with Cat® MineStar™ Terrain – its influence across the whole flowsheet continues to expand.

Melbourne said: “If I go back a decade, Orica would have been doing a lot of these things itself…but both Raj and I have worked in other industries that, for various reasons, were collaborative. As a result, we were far more open to working with others.”

This openness is seen with one of Orica Digital Solutions’ latest launch, Next Gen SHOTPlus™, which unlocks the power of the Model Through Time; a cloud hosted, spatiotemporal, digital replica, Orica says. Incorporating the proprietary physics engine, Helfire Damage Model and Advanced Vibration Management solution, Next Gen SHOTPlus enables drill and blast engineers to model and predict blast movement, damage and vibration.

Predictive blast movement modelling is enabled by Predict Physics Engine, allowing engineers to understand the impact of decisions on the post-blast muck pile. The Blast Damage, meanwhile, feature provides 3D damage modelling, allowing engineers to evaluate the predicted damage generated on both blasted and in-situ rock masses.

As the Avatel system loomed over the Orica booth at MINExpo (it was on the adjacent Epiroc stand, see below), it seemed only right to ask about the potential to fully automate the explosives loading process based on the safety and productivity drivers Melbourne outlined.

“The goal is to go fully autonomous,” he replied. “If you look at the safety and productivity drivers, semi-automation advances both of those, but there are opportunities to improve upon both – we are clearly still underground at the moment, which comes with risk, and there are other elements of cleaning, priming and loading that could be accelerated in the development headings through full automation.”

One of the underlying technologies of the Avatel platform is the WebGen™ wireless initiation system, which has been key to unlocking new mining methods and techniques, with numerous case studies detailing a strong value case.

A fully autonomous Avatel unit could do similar, according to Melbourne, ticking that productivity box.

“With full autonomy, you can start to employ new mining methods and go to different parts of the mine you couldn’t previously,” he said. “On a case-by-case basis, you can look at individual mines where they understand the mineralisation that, because of safety constraints, cannot currently be classified as a resource or reserve.

“If we’re able to remove that constraint, we can start to tangibly assess bringing that into a resource or reserve and mining that.”

Epiroc focused on ‘connecting the dots’ to create mine of the future

Automation, IoT, Mining equipment, Mining events, Mining software, Power supply for mines, Sustainable mining, , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Ahead of Epiroc’s Capital Markets Day (CMD) and MINExpo 2024 at a hotel just outside of Las Vegas, Helena Hedblom, Epiroc President and CEO, was happy to tackle the industry’s big three: automation, digitalisation and electrification.

Hedblom, like the heads of her fellow OEMs, has big ambitions for these three technology pillars, but the way Epiroc is looking to meet these ambitions is different.

The company’s “agnostic” philosophy has been a key differentiator for the past years, and even as more OEMs start to open up their architecture and platforms to the wider vendor marketplace, it is this attitude that is likely to help it lead from the front.

“Our ambition is to provide mixed fleet automation,” Hedblom told IM last week. “That is what we have invested in quite heavily over the last two years; we have acquired two companies in RCT and ASI Mining to allow us to achieve this.

“This is how we see the future of mining when it comes to automation, having the capabilities to operate whatever type of equipment there might be in that mine, including utility vehicles.”

Epiroc has, as of the CMD last week, 3,100 machines running without drivers. This is up 29% from the last CMD in June 2023, with the company noting that there was “great potential to connect an even larger fleet” via Epiroc machines and/or units from other OEMs.

RCT, underground, has a track record of achieving such autonomy on a wide range of machines, while, on surface, ASI Mining has proven it can do the same with the fleet at Roy Hill, in Western Australia.

Epiroc is currently converting Roy Hill’s mixed fleet to driverless operation in Australia, with 78 autonomous haul trucks made up of Caterpillar and Hitachi trucks, and over 200 utility vehicles.

Roy Hill remains the sole case study on surface, but Hedblom says the company will soon transition to the ‘scale’ of its “nail and scale” process that leads to adding more mine sites to its agnostic automation platform.

Hedblom is convinced the ability to automate the entire fleet – whether the machines are “digitally connected” or not – plus integrate the highest levels of collision avoidance solution, will go far in eradicating the need to allow autonomous and staffed equipment to operate in the same zones underground and on surface.

“If you have all the utility vehicles automated, that is the key,” she said. “It is more than just automation; through the Mernok acquisition, we’re now able to bring in Level 7, 8 and 9 collision avoidance technologies.

“Technology-wise, it is all coming together.”

IM Editor, Dan Gleeson, met with Epiroc President & CEO, Helena Hedblom, ahead of the company’s CMD and MINExpo 2024 in Las Vegas

Electrification

The big stats in terms of electrification include:

  • 42% of the offering in “fossil free” versions;
  • Battery-electric vehicles deployed at 34 sites;
  • An active electric fleet of rigs, loaders and trucks totalling over 600 units (of which a large portion is historical fleet, including cable);
  • Recurring battery-electric vehicle orders from 12 sites; and
  • A three times increase in the utilisation rate of battery-electric vehicles during the last 12 months.

The other statistic of note is that, as it stands, Epiroc group revenues related to electrification amount to just 4%.

This indicates both Epiroc and the industry are still in the initial stages of this transition; an opinion backed up by claims from the Electric Mine Consortium that Sandvik’s battery-electric truck population across the globe represents only 15% and, as it stands, no battery-electric load and haul equipment has been sold commercially in one of the biggest underground markets: Australia.

Hedblom, here, sees parallels with the automation uptick in the industry.

“This transformation is happening in the same way that automation evolved,” she said. “A couple of years ago, we had some customers that had greenfield operations and decided to go fully electric. Now we see more customers looking at repeat orders.”

The automation analogues also come with the fact that Epiroc – unlike other OEMs – is offering a mid-life rebuild option to convert some of its existing diesel-powered load and haul fleet to battery-electric operation.

Epiroc has plans to offer this conversion option across its full existing diesel-powered load and haul fleet by 2030.

The addition of ‘fossil free’ in the Epiroc lexicon over the last few years reflects the need to put multiple options on the table for miners.

“We see that there will be different types of solutions needed during the coming 10 or 20 years, depending on mining method, type of application, etc,” Hedblom said.

This was made apparent on the floor at MINExpo where Epiroc showcased the MT66 S e Drive, a Pit Viper 271 E and a SmartROC D65 BE. The former is a diesel-electric haul truck that uses both diesel engine and electric drivetrain to reduce fuel consumption and emissions, the SmartROC D65 is a battery-electric down-the-hole drill demonstrator that trams on battery yet is plugged in for drilling, while the Pit Viper 271 E is currently envisaged as a unit connected to the site’s renewable electricity infrastructure for that ‘fossil free’ operation.

The Minetruck MT66 S e Drive

“We believe there will be a combination of different energy sources in this mix,” Hedblom said, reeling off the likes of battery-electric, cable, trolley and hybrid options. Additionally, biofuel ‘drop-in’ solutions are already available for conventionally powered machines in its offering.

She added: “Sometimes the discussion is all about benchmarking diesel against a fossil-free machine, but the reality is that every machine we are developing now cannot just be on par with its diesel counterpart. It must be better – faster up the ramp, filling the bucket faster, etc – to ensure we provide productivity benefits and a lower total cost of ownership for customers.”

Digitalisation

From an M&A perspective, digitalisation has been a key focus area for Epiroc since the Atlas Copco spinoff in 2018, with many of the 27 acquisitions since listing tied to this trend.

This, as well as many organic initiatives, has led to the company building up a revenue base for its Digital Solutions division of SEK2.4 billion ($234 million).

“Our digital solutions are agnostic, working on different types of machines and systems, so this opens up many ways to engage with our customers,” Hedblom said, noting that the platforms it had created are being used by existing Epiroc equipment customers, as well as those with fleets from other OEMs.

“The areas of high interest are around collision avoidance, situational awareness and mixed fleet automation,” she said. “I see that digitalisation creates that transparency needed to drive productivity.”

Digitalisation, itself, represents an easier ‘sell’ for Epiroc due to its seamless nature – ie not creating multiple change management issues – when compared with adopting automation and electrification technologies, Hedblom added.

Going forward, she is convinced a digital backbone will become more important with the increasing uptake of automation and electrification.

“Today, a lot of the different tools mining companies are using – for the mine plan, for maintenance, etc – are still not connected,” she explained. “You don’t use all data at the same time for the best type of decision.

“A lost hour of productivity is a lost hour of productivity; we are seeking to avoid this through increased digitalisation.”

This is where the individual solutions Epiroc has acquired through the likes of Mernok (collision avoidance), RCT and ASI Mining (agnostic automation solutions), Meglab and JTMEC (battery-electric chargers and infrastructure) could combine with its digitalisation platforms to optimise the overall mining process.

“By connecting the dots, there are many more optimisation opportunities to be had,” Hedblom said.

The difference here is that Epiroc is willing to look outside of its own four walls to the broader industrial space to ‘connect these dots’, meaning the idea of a fully-electric, fully-autonomous, fully-digitalised mine could be much closer to becoming a reality.

Epiroc unveils Groundbreaking Intelligence: a flexible digital mine ecosystem

IoT, Mining equipment, Mining events, Mining services, Mining software, , ,

Epiroc says it is set to redefine the digital landscape of the mining industry at MINExpo 2024 with the unveiling of Groundbreaking Intelligence, a flexible digital mine ecosystem designed to help mines take a pragmatic and unified approach to digitalisation.

Groundbreaking Intelligence is the fruit of Epiroc’s strategic expansion of its digital and automation solution portfolio. Through multiple acquisitions in recent years, Epiroc has enhanced its ability to offer comprehensive, scalable solutions that align with the industry’s shift towards sustainability and efficiency.

Epiroc’s expanded digital solutions portfolio now supports data-driven planning, collision avoidance, situational awareness and tracking, production and equipment health monitoring, and equipment automation, as well as comprehensive network and connectivity solutions and support.

Paul Bergström, President, Digital Solutions division at Epiroc, said: “People know our equipment and services, but they may be less aware of our digital solutions. With the launch of Groundbreaking Intelligence, we’re excited to share not only our expanded technological offering, but also the broader human competencies and insight that our team now offers.”

He added: “We understand that every site varies in terms of technological maturity, and with their digital transformation journey. However, we also recognise that every site shares one common trait – the potential for improvement. Making it easier to improve is the driving principle behind Groundbreaking Intelligence.”

The challenge of integrating standalone systems, mixed fleets, legacy solutions and equipment from existing partners is one of the key issues Epiroc seeks to address with Groundbreaking Intelligence. Epiroc also stresses its OEM-agnostic approach, allowing mines to integrate existing systems without starting over from scratch.

“We hope to help mines stay agile and adaptable,” Bergström says. “Whether it’s tackling the complexities of deeper mines, enhancing safety and sustainability, addressing workforce shortages, or simply working smarter, Groundbreaking Intelligence is not just about achieving goals faster – it’s about revolutionising the mining landscape.”

ABB joins Euromines’ sustainable mining drive

Automation, Environmental, Mining services, Power supply for mines, Sustainable mining, , , , , ,

ABB says it has joined the European Association of Mining Industries (Euromines), the recognised representative of the European metals and minerals mining industry.

Euromines’ main objectives are to promote responsible industry practices and engage with EU institutions on mining-related policy matters. Euromines also promotes the benefit and value of both the products and the industry to society, which are critical to boosting European competitiveness.

It serves as a cooperative network of members focused on sharing responsible raw material mining practices. It also evaluates the impact of European and international policies and legislation on the industry and defines industry policy positions and actions. It represents large and small companies and subsidiaries in Europe and in other parts of the world.

Euromines has recently launched the Sustainable Mining Initiative in which members share insights on circular economy, nature restoration, decarbonisation and community.

ABB business leaders will contribute to the association’s efforts to improve responsible mining in Europe and provide examples of how innovative technologies for the processing of raw materials have been developed by ABB or in collaboration with customers, ABB says.

Joachim Braun, Division President, ABB Process Industries, will attend the Euromines Policy Committee. Max Luedtke (pictured), Global Business Line Manager for Mining at ABB, joins the Euromines Sustainability Group while Sylvain Froin, Global Head of Communications and Marketing for Mining at ABB, joins the Euromines Communication Committee.

“Raw materials are essential for industry and critical to Europe’s climate goals and strategic autonomy,” Braun said. “We are pleased to join Euromines and are looking forward to contributing with best practice examples of technologies that drive increasingly sustainable mining activity in Europe and around the world. ABB automation, electrification and digital technologies enable a more sustainable and research-efficient future; we are already helping and collaborating with customers to decarbonise and reduce energy consumption across the mining industry and across all processes from pit to port.”

Euromines provides services to its members with regard to EU policy and serves as a network for cooperation and for the exchange of information throughout the sector within Europe. The association also fosters contacts with the mining community throughout the world. Euromines represents an interface between the European extractive industry and the European authorities and international or intergovernmental bodies and advocates the extractive industry.

Sandvik to explore surface drilling automation, digitalisation, electrification advances at new testing facility

Automation, Environmental, Mining equipment, Mining services, Power supply for mines, Sustainable mining, , , , , , , , , , ,

In support of the shift towards electrification and the advancement of autonomous and optimisation technologies in surface drilling, Sandvik has acquired a new testing facility in Finland to develop and prove future surface drilling technologies.

The surface test mine is 40 km northwest of Tampere and Sandvik’s underground test mine. The area, which has previously served as a quarry, will be developed by its own drilling plan. The site is Sandvik’s first dedicated exclusively to surface drilling on such a large scale.

Petri Virrankoski, President, Surface Drilling at Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions, said: “The development of comprehensive solutions that not only harness the latest technologies but also deliver productivity and reliability in our customers’ real-life applications and conditions requires a real-life test environment. The surface test mine will facilitate the exchange of our deep know-how in equipment manufacturing, rock tools, automation and digitalisation, supporting the design and development of even more new products and solutions in the future.”

Sandvik is currently developing the site, officially known as Sandvik Test Pit, and testing its first drills there. Over the next two years, the company plans to construct permanent office buildings and designated customer facilities at the location.

Sandvik will use the test mine for R&D as well as hosting customers for technology demonstrations, particularly those related to automation, digitalisation and electrification of surface drills. The site will enable technology development and training for both surface boom and rotary drill rigs, as well as rock tools, parts and services and related digital technologies such as automation and fleet telematics and monitoring solutions.

The test mine will also allow Sandvik to explore and demonstrate power source alternatives in a real-world environment, in which infrastructure to support both boom and rotary drilling electrification can be provided.

Dave Shellhammer, President, Rotary Drilling at Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions, said: “Decarbonisation is accelerating across our industry, and the role of electrification in surface mining sustainability will help guide our development of new systems and solutions. Testing is a major part of our R&D cycle. This new test mine will help us shorten time to market and verify even more swiftly that we’re delivering the safest, most reliable and productive drill rigs to our customers.”

Mark Norwell on the Perenti mining services differentiator

Automation, Environmental, Mine operation news, Mineral project development, Mining events, Mining mergers and acquisitions, Mining safety, Mining services, Power supply for mines, Precious metals, Sustainable mining, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Perenti continues to make inroads across the mining value chain, reflected of late with the recent acquisition of DDH1, record 2023 financial year results and deployment of some of its initial artificial intelligence-backed solutions from the idoba technology business.

Against this busy backdrop and a keynote address at IMARC in Sydney, IM caught up with Mark Norwell, Managing Director & CEO of Perenti, to talk technology in the mining services space.

IM: The contract mining and mining services business is a very competitive space (especially in Australia). How are you readily leveraging technology for your mining clients as a competitive advantage?

MN: The industry has always been competitive, and that global competition continues to evolve.

I would say Barminco has been at the top of the game for three decades. Having that technical competence, the process, the scale and the people drives competitive advantage in its own right. As we have seen some shift in technology and new technology initiatives, the adoption has added to productivity and, therefore, our competitive advantage has grown again.

In terms of how we are adopting technology, there are a couple of areas to mention.

To come back to Barminco, one aspect has been through deploying point solutions for productivity improvement. This has been ongoing and part of our DNA.

More broadly, when we launched the idoba technology division a few years ago, we took the view that as we see greater shifts and acceleration of technology opportunities in mining, we needed the internal capability to drive that change from the inside out; not from the outside in.

We have the deep domain expertise in mining that, when combined with our technology business, further improves our existing contracting services, as well as creates new potential lines of business.

The differentiator for idoba is the ability to develop products and trial them within our own captive ‘sandpit’. A lot of technology companies don’t have this option. They develop solutions and go to mining companies with a great idea that lacks the evidence of trial data needed for many mining companies to implement the solutions. As a result, the trials never get off the ground. We don’t have that problem given we have operations – and supporting clients with matching values – to allow us to trial products in the field. This has been witnessed of late where we are rolling out some products to test across our underground mines in Australia (idoba recently announced that its Mine Performance Navigator AI-powered decision-support and analysis tool had been rolled out to a dozen underground Barminco-operated mine sites).

IM: In terms of automation, digitalisation/digitisation and electrification, where are you looking to take the lead for your mining clients?

MN: They are all interconnected to some extent. Digitisation, for example, really drives the value from deploying automation and electrification. That digital platform is imperative for mines of the future and is where idoba comes into play.

We want to be at the forefront with digitisation and the digital platform; likewise with electrification.

With our Barminco business, we are one of the world leaders in hard-rock underground mining, and electrification just makes sense for underground hard-rock mines – there are so many benefits. What’s also important is the collaboration associated with that. We heard this week from Perenti, ABB and IGO on the IMARC panel discussion that no-one has all of the capabilities to effectively electrify a mine, so choosing partners is crucial to execution.

Under an agreement between mine owner AngloGold Ashanti, Barminco and Sandvik, the Sunrise Dam gold operation in Western Australia began trialing the prototype 65 t Sandvik TH665B on September 14

When it comes to automation, it is an area we are working through. We have established teleremote and remote operating centres in the recent past – operating multiple machines at remote mine sites from Perth, for example – but, at this stage, we are not accelerating these developments at the same pace as electrification and digitisation due to timing really being of the essence for these two.

Saying that, our work with Sandvik and Newtrax on Level 9 collision intervention is related to this, being a building block of automation more broadly as well as a major game changer from the safety perspective. Once we nail that with a digital platform, we will continue to advance automation more broadly. We are closing in on that with Level 9 collision intervention trials expected to take place in the near term.

When we look at idoba and the work we are doing on DiiMOS (Distributed, Intelligent, Integrated Mining Operating System), we are agnostic to the equipment, the mine planning software and the broader mining processes at play. If we are not agnostic, we could end up locking our clients into one route that potentially ends up destroying value. We are also building out a capability where some clients can pick and choose, or take the full suite, from idoba.

The focus is on providing solutions bespoke to the mine’s needs.

IM: How are you balancing your close relationships with the technology vendors and your own internal technology developments through idoba? Who are the most obvious first customers for the idoba platform?

MN: There is always going to be some overlap and crossover, but we come at this with an operator mindset, where technology can augment this. The OEMs come at it from an equipment mindset with associated technologies to bolt on. The combination and partnership of these two approaches makes sense as you have the equipment, technology and operations covered.

There will be areas where we still have some competition but, ultimately, it is limited.

The full value is going to be generated through how we partner and collaborate with all the companies within the value chain. We have a long history of collaborating with Sandvik, for instance, as well as recent history with ABB, and everyone brings something different to the table. Without that combination of capabilities, we are not going to see the industry shift at the rate it needs to.

Our starting point for idoba will be servicing our current customers as we develop new products and support them on their journey. We will see some clients want more of our solutions than others. As we service our current clients with these, we can take what we have learnt to service new clients. The new clients might be mine operators themselves, where we provide digital solutions as a software-as-a-service. This opens up new potential markets to us, which goes to the broader strategy we set in 2019. This recognises the deep domain expertise we have in mining – which has served us extremely well and is not something everyone has. The plan back then was to leverage this and build out the services beyond that current offering; technology being one of those.

As we develop this new technology, we have learnt that we have the ability to offer lower capital intensity solutions that can serve us well throughout the mining cycles.

IM: Looking at decarbonisation and, more specifically, the agreement you have in place with ABB to ‘reduce the risk and uncertainty of electrifying both green and brownfield operations’; could you talk me through what risk mitigation processes you will be using as part of this? How do you tackle the uncertainty associated with making investments in infrastructure, people and technology against a very ‘fluid’ technology backdrop?

MN: There are a couple of areas that need to be front and centre through that journey. The digital integration platform is one of those – the complexity of what we’re solving for these days is far greater than what we were used to. Whether you are putting in a point solution, or a whole mine to electrify, having a digital platform is critical to making the right decisions at the right time.

As the technology evolves, this digital platform is even more integral to reinforcing decision making. If you go straight to the hardware without the digital backbone and the distributed network of energy needed to electrify, you are setup to fail in the long term.

idoba recently announced that its Mine Performance Navigator AI-powered decision-support and analysis tool had been rolled out to a dozen underground Barminco-operated mine sites

The other aspect that needs consideration from a risk mitigation perspective is having the leadership and culture in place to see these projects through. Leaders have to be ready to unlearn and relearn throughout this process.

Not only that you need to try to engineer out risk wherever possible through critical trials, a strong operational methodology and an assessment of the causal factors of what can go wrong and where those points are within the design. This could be through a traditional engineering methodology or technology adoption.

IM: You set up the Denver office a few years ago now. Outside of Hemlo and Red Chris, what does the pipeline of opportunities look like in North America? Does this client base require a different type of offering to what you traditionally have in Australia?

MN: We’re currently about A$100 million ($64 million) of revenue between those two agreements. We are looking for that to grow to A$400-500 million over the next three to four years. We see the pipeline in Canada and the US as significant. We have also installed the former head of AUMS in this business, looking to replicate the success we had in Africa over eight years in North America.

It’s fair to say the contractor model for Barminco is well understood in Australia and Africa; more so than in North America. In North America, they have a contract model that tends to be based on a charge-by-the-hour type of agreements, whereas we are looking to bring a technical approach to all our contracting.

At the same time as looking to grow this business, we are conscious of growing too quickly. Bringing in a new mining methodology takes a lot of change management. We don’t want to go too quick and have a misstep.

IM: What about ongoing M&A? Are there still gaps in the portfolio you are looking to fill?

MN: In terms of our strategy, we have said we will continue to build our portfolio to leverage our core competency in mining and adjacent areas to add value. We ultimately want a complete portfolio of businesses that have adjacencies to our core businesses.

We are still open to further M&A as long as it leverages our core capabilities and makes sense to our investors.

Schenck Process Mining to become Sandvik Rock Processing Australia

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The next step in the integration of SP Mining – the mining-related business of Schenck Process acquired by global, high-tech engineering group Sandvik – will see SP mining entities change their names to reflect their new ownership.

On October 1, Schenck Process Australia Pty Limited, which became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sandvik in November last year, will become Sandvik Rock Processing Australia Pty Limited. The Australian entity is the largest part of SP Mining’s global business, employing around 450 industry professionals.

Since the acquisition, Sandvik has been focused on bringing together its expertise in crushing with the screening, feeding, weighing and loading know-how of Schenck Process Mining.

According to the company’s President Asia Pacific, Terese Withington, this move is part of an integration process that will eventually see SP Mining become a seamless part of the Sandvik organisation.

“In Australia, we are bringing together our sales and back-office teams with those of Sandvik Rock Processing Solutions to allow our customers to access our combined expertise in crushing, screening, feeding, weighing and loading,” she said. “Together we aim to deliver even better digitalisation, sustainability and productivity solutions to our industry.

“The end goal of our integration is to allow our customers to place combined crushing, screening, feeding, weighing and loading orders with our new legal entity.”

Withington says the scale of Sandvik’s operations and commercial reach will help to accelerate the combined innovation portfolio of Sandvik Rock Processing Solutions and SP Mining.

She concluded: “We look forward to continuing to service the business needs of our customers and remain fully focused on the delivery of high-quality equipment, consumables, OEM spare parts and services to help them achieve their business objectives.”

Bosch Rexroth opens up BODAS software use, lays groundwork for off-highway automation

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Bosch Rexroth says it is opening up its mobile electronics software, BODAS, to all manufacturers and partners as part of a move to help OEMs speed up the launch of new machines and functions.

The company plans to offer manufacturers of off-highway machines free access to the entire standard portfolio of BODAS software for controlling mobile machines, with the company set to highlight this at the upcoming Bauma 2022 event in Munich, Germany, in October. Via the digital myBODAS platform, OEMs can download validated software packages for a range of applications, free of charge, in order to test them and adapt them to suit their own requirements.

Proven modules within the platform minimise the time, investment risks and costs involved, with the service only billed via a payment model based on credits if the software is used during series production. This makes it easy to use, flexible and transparent, Bosch Rexroth says.

“Whether it be hydraulic control, automation, connectivity or electrification – software plays a central role in the highly dynamic off-highway market,” the company says. “In order to achieve success with their mobile machines, OEMs must reduce the development time in a cost-effective manner while reducing functional and financial risks.”

Following registration and confirmation of the terms and conditions of use, the individual modules in the BODAS application software (AS), such as the eDA for the drivetrain, are then available. The modules are developed in accordance with current standards and already meet functional safety requirements, the company says. As a result, Bosch Rexroth helps manufacturers of any size to cope with increasing complexity in vehicle development, to compensate for a lack of know-how or resources and to update or expand their offering more quickly, it added.

“This way, the OEMs’ software developers can concentrate on selected customer values and speed up the launch of new functions and machines,” the company said. “They can also scale their own offering more quickly with software modules validated for Rexroth hardware.”

The open ecosystem of BODAS is being expanded all the time with standardised, extensively documented modules. myBODAS, thus, offers a toolkit for various control tasks involving mobile machines which is always up to date, the company explains. The growing need for automation solutions and the rapidly increasing number of assistance functions such as payload estimation, position sensing or surround sensing also make the system an attractive proposition.

Related to this, the company will present an integrated portfolio for the needs-based automation of off-highway machines, such as excavators, wheel loaders and telehandlers, at Bauma 2022.

The assistance functions cover advanced sensor systems and intuitive operating devices, including driver assistance functions for more efficient working and even virtual walls and emergency braking assistants for greater work safety. Ready-to-use software modules help to reduce the integration time into existing and future vehicle architectures and speed up their market launch, the company says. And, as a hardware platform for higher automation levels, Bosch Rexroth will announce a microprocessor-based, ROS2-compatible robotic control unit.

The automation portfolio presented at Bauma 2022 will be based on the BODAS platform for hardware, software and telematics.

The current range of assistance functions for productive and safe working processes includes easier levelling, load capacity measurement during handling operations, electronic vibration damping and various motion control systems for wheel loaders and telehandlers. Virtual walls and virtual rotary limiting systems protect the immediate surroundings by preventing the machine from accidentally leaving the safe working area. A number of functions can be adapted for other sectors, for example for tractor front loaders.

A ground-breaking HMI concept provides an intuitive user experience, the company says. This is based on ergonomic Sense+ joysticks with multi-dimensional optical and haptic feedback as well as high-resolution, high-contrast and glove-operable BODAS displays with easy-to-record visualisations for the relevant assistance functions.

The BODAS ecosystem also includes telematic modules for remote updates over the air, software remote maintenance and interfaces for transferring the wide range of operating data generated by the automation functions to ERP systems and their digital processes.

The new sensor systems for ultrasound, radar and inertial measuring systems form the basis for numerous other automation functions by recognising objects in the surroundings and recording the position of the kinematic systems with respect to each other via acceleration. There are plans to add extra functions and sensors such as LiDAR on a step-by-step basis, the company says.

For object recognition and terrain mapping, Bosch Rexroth is working with Bosch to develop a ROS2-compatible perception stack. On this basis, Bosch Rexroth plans to offer complete function packages in the future – from sensor integration and object recognition to machine intervention.

The new control platform is currently being developed, with prototypes for pilot projects available from the middle of 2023.

DMT devises four-step toolbox to help small- and medium-sized miners go digital

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DMT GROUP, the global engineering and consultancy group, is launching a new Digital Transformation Office (DTO) to, it says, strengthen its support for small- and medium-sized mining businesses needing to introduce digitalisation across their people, operations, processes and sustainability obligations.

According to BCG’s Digital Acceleration Index, the metals and mining sector is around 30-40% less digitally mature than comparable industries – such as automotive or chemical. SME mining companies are increasingly required to meet the same compliance obligations around health and safety, ESG and operational inefficiencies as more financially secure mining majors, the accurate reporting of which is reliant on digital tools.

To bridge this ‘digital divide’, DMT is expanding its digital portfolio of consultancy and engineering services. From owners to operators and investors, DMT says it will support SME clients to design or implement a digital transformation roadmap, from exploration and operational phases, up to mine closure, rehabilitation and subsequent site use.

The company said: “Digitalisation is leading to meaningful operational improvements across the mining sector, and enabling companies to maintain resilience amid new challenges and secure future competitiveness. DMT will provide full-service support through a four-step toolbox: digital readiness assessment, roadmap creation, digital process engineering and implementation supervision.”

The four-step strategy provides a comprehensive analysis of a customer’s digital capabilities and priorities, and outlines a clear roadmap for implementation so that they can drive transparency and efficiency across their operations, reduce costs, and ultimately improve their operations, according to the company.

Vassilis Roubos, Head of DMT GROUP Consulting Services, said: “COVID-19 has accelerated digitalisation and automation across a number of sectors. Mining is well poised to benefit from greater use of digital tools, as an industry which demands improved productivity, sustainability, competitiveness, transparency and safety. Digital mining will continue to evolve through tools, methodology and knowledge over the next 10 years, but the changes we are already seeing in digitalisation, automation and technology are making the scope of our role more complex and more dynamic. We are excited to be further extending our mining capabilities in line with the changing demands of our clients, and are pleased to now assume the role as our clients’ digital transformation office.”

DMT will support either as the consultant for use case specific tasks or as a companion alongside the entire digital transformation journey, customising bespoke packages of third-party solutions for clients technology shifts, it explained. Alternatively, DMT can provide its services to meet any specifics the client may need.