Page 1 - April_WebOnly1
P. 1

Web Exclusive

Using your infrastructure

to connect your mine

by Paul McRoberts

Companies that specialize in production – the                   operating efficiency. And, yes, investing in
     might of the Industrial Age – are perhaps                  connected or “smart” systems should be top-of-
best suited to benefit from the digital technology              mind to help bridge any productivity gaps.
that has driven the Information Age. They
already possess large, automated systems that by                    However, unless plant equipment is
their very nature produce data. Yet, a surprising               exceptionally outdated, control and automation
statistic by McKinsey & Company shows that                      devices can deliver an array of advantages to a
less than 1 percent of all data generated by                    management structure across a connected mine –
devices within the industrial space is actually                 adding significant value to an operation.
being used.
                                                                    By tapping into information solutions
    While connected smart devices can improve                   that cover both the enterprise and production
virtually every aspect of business performance,                 layers of operations, mining managers gain
there’s still some hesitation among mining                      greater predictability, make better capital
operators to take the next step toward the                      investment decisions and even implement
Internet of Things journey for fear that it                     effective cost-cutting initiatives. On top of this,
requires a costly, large-scale overhaul of control              greater connectivity and information sharing
and automation infrastructure.                                  produces value through better operational
                                                                intelligence, reduced safety risks, and remote and
    But for a majority of mining operations, a                  autonomous operations support.
wealth of data is already being produced by their
existing infrastructure. The challenge, however, is                  INCO Engineering, for example, a Prague-
to implement systems that manage that data and                  based company that designs and builds modern
transform it into actionable information.                       mining hoists and systems for vertical and
                                                                inclined transport in mines, leverages connected
Paul McRoberts, member SME, is        Connecting your mining    information solutions for remote-monitoring
regional manager, industry min-       operation                 operations. In fact, its remote-monitoring
ing, metals and cement, Rockwell                                center in the Czech Republic helps improve
Automation, email jpmcroberts@            All mining companies  response time in mines by alerting operators and
ra.rockwell.com.                      should be seeking         supervisors of developing issues.
                                      operational improvements
                                      to help maximize yield        This real-time reporting is critical for mining
                                      recoveries and boost      companies. It can reduce maintenance costs
                                                                while improving productivity.
2 APRIL 2017     Mınıng engıneerıng	
                                                                                                   www.miningengineeringmagazine.com
   1   2