Mining Weekly

Industrial automation company Rockwell Automation’s concept of a connected enterprise is becoming more prevalent in the South African mining industry, says company sub-Saharan Africa MD Barry Elliott.

He tells Mining Weekly that the mining industry is at a “technological inflection point” as industry realises the increasing necessity for a connected enterprise facilitated, largely, by technological advancements that have resulted in the Internet of Things (IoT)

“The convergence of technologies, including the Internet, industrial networks, Internet Protocol-enabled devices and interoperability standards, impacts [on] the mining industry as this convergence allows for the reliable and secure interconnection of mine systems and the controlling environment,” Elliott says.

He notes that improving connectivity across an enterprise, such as a mining operation, means establishing a seamless and secure connection across an organisation’s control and information technology (IT) levels, which results in a connected enterprise.

The three components that are vital in achieving a true connected enterprise include network infrastructure, working information capital and security.

A connected enterprise further means having access to real-time and historical operational data, wherever it is produced, and all the business and transactional data that will impact on different plant areas and their operations. It involves seamlessly and securely connecting all control and information levels of a mine or organisation.

“Industry is beginning to regard control systems, complementary technology and primary essentials for a connected enterprise, as critical components to improved operations and increased uptime through data sharing,” explains Elliott.

He notes that the data sharing model will eventually become an inevitable solution for companies wanting to connect and control data at all necessary levels throughout an organisation, irrespective of plant or mine location.

He adds that some mining houses and other involved parties in the mining industry began implementing a connected enterprise solution as far back as 15 years ago.

“However, it is the technological inflection point that we have arrived at that will ensure the real benefits of a connected enterprise are achieved, namely the ability to integrate information across IT and control systems, to collect and coordinate data and to ubiquitously share it in the form of valuable information for different contexts.”

As a result, the number of companies beginning to realise these evolving benefits is on the rise, says Elliott.

“Integration enables better coordination of operations and communications, and enhances interoperability between a mining operation and the plant floor to facilitate a demand-driven supply chain,” he points out.

Rockwell Automation global director for the mining industry Hein Hiestermann agrees, citing an example of an Australian iron-ore producer that significantly increased mining productivity and port capacity through a connected enterprise.

“Positively, over the past few years, a significant number of South African platinum mining houses and producers have connected the various elements of their individual operations – from underground mining to refining processes,” Hiestermann says.

“This has enabled these companies to collect, coordinate and share data internally, ensuring better data-driven decision-making, greater consistency in results and improved record keeping for regulatory purposes.”

Meanwhile, as the complexity of certain software systems exacerbates skills shortages, and fewer artisans are willing to work in remote areas, mining companies need to ensure that their connected enterprise is enhanced.

“The entire mining operation chain needs to be controlled on the same standards so that one team of technicians can manage the entire chain,” Hiestermann stresses. The fully integrated Rockwell Automation Mining Solution (RAMS), built on its PlantPAx Process Automation System, ensures a predictable outcome and performance of a control system, enabling standardisation and ensuring a connected enterprise, he emphasises.

”It is backwards compatible, meaning it can be integrated into older equipment and, as newer technology is implemented, this too can be integrated into the system – the technology of yesteryear can function productively with tomorrow’s advanced technologies.”

Hiestermann highlights that, prior to this technology, mining houses needed several teams in different operational areas to ensure continuous operations. Now, however, for companies using a connected enterprise, technicians can be centralised. This has given mining houses the ability to access operations remotely from a central point, regardless of location or time, granting optimum control over the entire production process.

Elliott adds that upgrading processes to enable a thorough connected enterprise may entertain some disruptions to an existing network infrastructure as well as increase system vulnerability.

“However, Rockwell Automation has invested a significant amount of time and effort in security research and implementation, which overcomes this vulnerability aspect, resulting in secure infrastructure with integrated control, scalable dimensions and enhanced safety. Security is no longer some kind of tacked-on solution – it must be woven into plant-floor operations, including the network infrastructure, new and legacy control systems, machinery, devices and the enterprise,” he says.

The

RAMS offers a pre-engineered, scalable infrastructure that enables users to run multiple operating systems and applications on virtualised servers. It has the ability to run a virtualised system and a variety of third-party software packages on a user's private cloud. It is based on standardised and reusable control modules and is controller centric, adding reliability to the system without making it complex, Elliott says.

Rockwell Automation was awarded several of the largest control system contracts in sub-Saharan Africa in the past year, giving testimony to its ability to facilitate the implementation of a true connected enterprise.