There are a number of issues and trends impacting mining in the twenty-first century that require consideration by mining companies and higher education institutions offering mining qualifications, University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) Mining Institute director Professor Frederick Cawood has said.
Speaking on the first day of the institute’s DigiMine innovation seminar, on December 8, he highlighted a number of issues that the country’s mining industry must contend with and manage, including but not limited to technology adoption, economic uncertainty, risk management and cyberattacks.
In terms of trends that the industry must be cognisant of, he cited supply chains; capital management; risk management; environmental, social, governance compliance; climate change; and automation.
Moreover, Cawood mentioned that the local industry is not immune to global trends, for example, increased nationalism, which affects markets and demand of minerals.
Further, there are a number of opportunities the industry could capitalise on.
Firstly, Cawood highlighted, was that artificial intelligence (AI) and human skill sets would determine the manner in which a country mines raw materials.
Moreover, he noted that climate change would determine where and when the country mines.
Lastly, he said, carbon content and the ability to control its release in the industry would influence what was mined.
Cawood said universities and research institutes could assist the mining sector by finding solutions in terms of automation and Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) research and innovation.
In terms of work that was already being undertaken in this regard, he mentioned software programming for high-performance mining and problem solving; skills acceleration through strengthening 4IR sciences content as a foundation skill; incorporating AI in national and international systems of innovation and qualifications; and adopting AI technology from other sectors, for example, space sciences.
He highlighted that Wits was already responding in a number of ways, such as skills development and acceleration, for those needed to keep mines going, and beyond mining, helping with the alignment with the rest of the economy to provide jobs for the youth and empower communities.
SYSTEMS APPROACH
Meanwhile, also speaking at the seminar, Xiang Fan championed the use of a systems approach to reducing variability in decision-making processes, by addressing the complexity associated with the adoption of disruptive digital technology in a modern hard-rock mining environment.
Fan noted that, despite the benefits of 4IR and technology for the mining industry, a challenge of adopting new technology is that these were complex systems with a multitude of subsystems.
Therefore, he called for systems thinking in implementing new technology.
Fan noted that the selection and adoption process for new digital technologies had never been more complex and, therefore, a holistic approach would need to focus on the interactive relationship between all elements in a system.
From a general perspective, he noted that systems thinking skills were always needed for technology adoption.
Fan said information and communication technology was the backbone of new technology adoption. He also emphasised that human factors needed to be considered for the full duration of adopting a new technology.
Moreover, he highlighted that after-sales support was key to achieving continuous functionality .