As mining companies become increasingly dependent on technology to drive, manage and deliver large-scale opencast projects, they are starting to consider cloud-based systems for solutions, says corporate collaborative cloud solution provider Asite CEO Tony Ryan.

He says effective project management is a key driver of successful project delivery, noting that many South African mining companies are increasing their investment in technology to not only overcome the challenge of skills shortages but to also increase already slim margins and improve efficiencies.

“The latest cloud-based systems and offerings provide mining companies with alternative means of managing projects throughout the value chain – from evaluating tender submissions from service providers to final project adoption,” says Ryan.

Asite’s cloud technology, Adoddle, enables project teams to access key information online, allowing for increased collaboration, fewer mistakes and reduced reworking of projects, as well as time and cost savings.

The platform enables mines to store and manage all project data in one central and secure repository. It also enables project teams to fully customise the structure of their content, with controlled access and rich configurable workflows.

Asite’s Adoddle platform is being used at diversified miner Rio Tinto’s Cape Lambert mine, and at exploration company Roy Hill Holdings’ Roy Hill iron-ore mine, both in Australia’s Pilbara region.

Ryan states that the easy access to information offered by cloud-based solutions enables opencast mines to address some of the critical challenges they face.

“Mining operations are generally challenged when it comes to Internet connectivity because of geography; for this reason, Adoddle offers an offline application, Adoddle Navigator, to enable users to access important operation-critical information on the move anywhere in the world.”

Further, he says, as the effects of energy constraints start to impact on mining projects, mine engineers have to plan and juggle resources even more carefully, which makes visibility throughout the project value chain imperative.

Cloud-based solutions assist mines in achieving the requisite transparency and project control, thus ensuring that there are no audit challenges, Ryan notes.

He says Asite integrates its cloud software directly into a mine’s in-house systems, resulting in members of the project management team being able to access big data, and receiving real-time updates. “The results are compelling, with savings of more than 2% being realised for each project.”

Meanwhile, Ryan tells Mining Weekly that mining remains a critical economic driver in South Africa and, therefore, there will be greater uptake of new systems by mining companies in the short to medium term.

“Technology can – and will continue to – enable delivery of large-scale mining projects, while boosting efficiency and increasing transparency on progress, costs and timelines. As such, it can mitigate and, to a certain extent, overcome some of the current challenges constraining the mining sector, thereby building local capacity and competency,” he concludes.