Key Advantages of Digitalizing the Mining Sector

Metals and Mining Review | Thursday, September 22, 2022

Many mines are turning less competitive and more expensive, while others who take the plunge begin to realize the benefits of digitalization.

Fremont, CA: The majority of the mining operators lack faith in cloud services and IoT solutions because they are extremely cautious of their data. This derives not just from an industry-wide skepticism of new technology but also previous unpleasant experiences with major, "trustworthy" corporations, such as those involved in hacking incidents.

Many mines are becoming less competitive and more expensive, while others who take the plunge begin to realize the benefits of digitalization. In this post, they will take a short look at these advantages.

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Monitor operational assets

Wireless monitoring & predictive maintenance offered by OI systems allow mining operators to remotely and continuously monitor operational assets, such as dams, to ensure they don't get harmed. Real-time digital data capture is progressively replacing time-consuming manual measurements of vital operational data such as pore water pressure, the amount of which can have a significant impact on assets in a short period. For example, a dam can swiftly fail if pore water pressure unexpectedly rises. Because pore water pressure may only get checked manually now and then, a rise might go unnoticed for an extended period, putting excessive strain on essential infrastructure such as dams. However, with real-time digital data, operators can continually monitor pore water pressure levels, providing them additional capabilities to adopt actions to decrease these levels and, as a result, safeguard their essential assets and, as a result, their workers from injury.

Ensure long-term maintenance of critical assets

Many smart mine components, such as integrated wireless sensors and GPS trackers, are simple to install and maintain. These digital mining components, particularly geophysical sensors, are also built to survive the sometimes harsh physical conditions for workers of mines: they must withstand extreme ambient conditions, altering pit geometry and satellite configurations without being destroyed or degraded. This makes them durable and long-lasting, saving mining operators money and time on technical system maintenance.

Ensure data security

Mining businesses, in general, are particularly protective of their data; they must have control over this information in case of an incident or mishap. In addition, the digitization of their mining processes creates concerns regarding hackers infiltrating the system and manipulating mine operations. Reliable, experienced, and savvy mining businesses, on the other hand, typically guarantee that a mine's data is well-protected and safe.

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