International Internet of Things solutions company Instacom has increased its international footprint to Zambia, introducing reliable solutions for the mining industry.

Contributing to 77% of Zambia’s foreign export earnings and employing more than 73 000 people, the Zambian mining industry, specifically the copper industry, is at the Zambian economy’s core.

Instacom notes that there are about 13 mining projects in Zambia, owned by 12 companies, most with international investors. Power outages, safety concerns and the challenge to manage decentralised workforces and mine security over the vast surface areas – comprising hundreds of kilometres – that Zambian mines encompass are just a few of the major challenges affecting the industry.

Instacom is continuing its roll-out in Africa and has changed the way companies with decentralised workforces over vast geographic areas communicate, manage their employees and ensure security.

The traditional way to overcome communication challenges in many industries, was two-way radios. This solution was not only limited in terms of coverage, but also in functionality and hardware quality. Push-to-talk (PTT) technology has made two-way radios redundant because it can communicate using mobile networks. However, Instacom stresses that not all PTT solutions are created equally. Most PTT services demand high data usage, which drives up data costs and battery usage – not ideal when power supply is unstable.

Instacom also provides military grade hardware for its solutions to ensure compatibility, durability, and sufficient battery power to overcome the challenges of power cuts.

With thousands of employees coming and going during various shifts 24 hours a day, clocking attendance can present a challenge. Add to that the challenges around asset management and enforcing safety procedures, and the result can be a disorganised and dangerous environment.

Globally, mine safety is one of the biggest challenges mines face, and besides the loss of life or income because of injuries and shutdowns, safety incidents cost mines millions each year, says Instacom.

It adds that, by implementing its newest clocking and checklist technology, various mines in Zambia have reported that attendance management is easier, accountability around asset management has increased and the enforcement of safety procedures has improved.

To ensure the safety of large-scale mines, Instacom Guard Patrol makes the lives of the security guards and the people they report to in the security companies, easier.

With Guard Patrol, security guards can monitor a mine’s premises, equipment and machinery in a more reliable way by doing inspections and reporting in real time. Instacom’s Guard Patrol includes patrol start reminders,gathering of proof of check point visits,enabling a supervisor to check which areas the security guard visitedand making live reporting from the mine and even real-time tracking of guards possible.