Industry consortium The Open Group has established a forum in which matters pertaining to exploration, mining, metals and minerals (EMMM) will be discussed.
The EMMM Forum is tasked with producing standards documents to describe what the mining industry covers, from prospecting and discovery to mine closure. EMMM Forum director Roy Irvine says mining has been an important part of the South African economy since the discovery of diamonds in Kimberley in 1871, gold in the Witwatersrand in 1886 and platinum in the Bushveld Complex in 1924.
However, he explains that, owing to the slowdown in the world economy, the demand for many primary commodities has decreased, which has resulted in production slowing down on some mining operations and a dramatic decrease in exploration activities in South Africa.
Irvine notes that a number of prominent industry commentators have identified that such a deceleration in mining production is a major risk, which could result in the contribution of mining to the South African gross domestic product decreasing further in the future. “Government is actively encouraging the development of mining activities by new entrepreneurs, in addition to the continued activities from major mining companies,” he says.
This constantly changing environment leads to a continually evolving way of presenting what exactly mining is and what it is not, according to Irvine, who adds that documents formulated by the EMMM Forum serve to allow for high-level and more detailed discussions. “These documents have been produced using the same methodologies as other industry standards, such as telecommunications, banking and supply chain, have used in the domains of process, capabilities, applications, information and technologies.”
The EMMM Forum aims to realise sustainable business value through collaboration using a common operating model, and to support vendors in their delivery of technical and business solutions, Irvine says.
Further, the forum also develops documentation to assist in digitising “implicit knowledge” within the industry, thereby ensuring the retention of knowledge in the mining industry.
Irvine highlights that the mining industry is cyclical in nature, adding that, at some time in the near future, the upward cycle will take off.