Pan-African mining technology platform Dwyka Mining Services plans to have key technology partners join its team at the upcoming Investing in African Mining Indaba 2022 to offer their view on mining technology in an effort to “make tech tangible” for Dwyka customers.

“Making technology tangible means getting people to demonstrate, interact, engage and see how technology can make a difference at their operations,” says Dwyka CEO Jamie van Schoor.

The Investing in African Mining Indaba will be held in Cape Town from May 9 to 12.

Dwyka assists underground mining clients to adopt and adapt to evolving technologies with a focus on supporting efforts to improve safety, health and environmental conditions in the collaborative pursuit of the digital mine of the future.

As mining industry role-players plan and start executing on their digital adoption roadmaps, Dwyka will be showcasing leading global technologies at its booth as part of its Dwyka Technology Co. collaborative showcase.

During the course of the Mining Indaba, Dwyka will showcase how technologies can extract unique value, and amid global competition, share how investing in technology is mission-critical to future-proof operations.

“Collaboration with a shared vision is key and we look forward to the Tech Co. platform to have these discussions with all parties on the booth at Mining Indaba,” he says.

In addition, every day of the Mining Indaba at 12:00, Dwyka is planning a “Noon Gun Run” live virtual autowalk using Boston Dynamics’ dog-like robot Spot and CAM+IR camera payload. Anyone interested to participating in the virtual walkabout can email spot@dwykamining.africa to be added to the planned Microsoft Teams daily video call.

Van Schoor says Dwyka is excited to have its key partners – Emesent, Clemcorp, LASE, Skycatch, Inertial Sensing, Maestro Digital Mine and Boston Dynamics – unite in showcasing the “very best” global mining technology at this year’s Mining Indaba.

The Covid-19 pandemic and associated restrictions have made demonstrations, trials and proof-of-concepts increasingly challenging, he explains.

As such, Dwyka has some “exciting and innovative” ways in which it intends to engage with its clients at their mine sites, says Van Schoor.

“We are passionate about our ability to excite our customers and challenge them to think of what their future digital mine will look like. Having these technologies gives us a ‘digital sandbox’ in which to experiment, change mindsets and lead discussions around their digital workforce considerations, helping lay the foundations for these ambitions,” he says.

The sustainable mining companies of the future, says Van Schoor, will be technology-enabled companies that are involved in the resource sector, not the other way around. “This shift in thinking is driving new entrants, like Elon Musk’s Tesla and SpaceX interest, into extractive industries.”

Dwyka will also be hosting a VIP-only technology showcase the week after Mining Indaba in Johannesburg.

For this event, Dwyka will be giving away ten VIP Golden tickets for anyone interested in attending to get greater insight into modern and innovative mining technology, drones and robotics. Interested parties should email events@dwykamining.africa to enter into the competition to win one of the ten tickets.