Smart Industry 1/2020

Business Applications
Mine
operations
optimization
Workforce
efficiency
and safety
Asset
optimization
Digital Value Platforms
Industrial
automation
Cognitive
analytics
Digital
operations
Multi-cloud
Local
edge
Distributed
edge
Hybrid
cloud
Dynamic
Security
High Performance Networking
Dedicated deep connectivity
(wireless/wired)
Smart
network fabric
and lighting, and RFID tags to workers’
helmets for better asset tracking.
Dundee reportedly gained valuable
experience during the implementation,
such as resolving radio-signal
scatter caused by large deposits of
quartz in the mine shafts, which it
subsequently applied to its mine
in Armenia. Back in 2008, the European
Commission created the Raw
Materials Initiative with 26 corporate
and university participants focused
on improving raw material
efficiency and achieved a 17 percent
increase in some deep deposit
mines.
Mining Magazine and Mining Journal
(both published by Aspermont Print
Publications) are slated to co-host a
Future of Mining EMEA conference
in London, during June 2020, with
planned sessions on IoT, automation,
and analytics.
Going Underground
IoT is gaining a seat at the table in
European mining circles but still has
significant room for growth. “One
issue that underground mines face
when monitoring critical processes
is that the specific asset being
monitored is located underground.
This can make sensor installation
difficult. For example, attaching
condition-monitoring sensors on
a conveyor that is deep underground
requires sending an engineer
underground, which can be
expensive,” says Jeffrey den Outer,
business development manager at
Semiotic Labs, a Dutch producer of
motor-monitoring equipment.
“The mining industry in general
can be quite conservative when it
comes to adopting new technology.
This means it is important to
focus on results and ROI as quickly
as possible after installation, therefore
helping to quickly build trust in
the product,” he adds.
“[IoT] is invaluable to us … Planners
sitting many miles away can
send plans to execute. Someone
sitting in an office with three rigsteering
systems can operate three
machines. This will only get more
Mining the Future
Future X architecture
for mining by Nokia Bell
Labs aims at creating
an intelligent network to
help mining companies
adapt to demand, control
operational costs, and
boost worker safety.
Meeting of Minds
Heads of mine operations,
tech companies,
and service start-ups
meet up regularly at the
About the Future of Mining
Conference, held last
year in London.
necessary to have the deeper we
go and the more environmental
restrictions and norms we have to
abide by,” LKAB’s Peco says.
“Probably the highest value place
for IoT is nuclear reactors or space
exploration where you can’t send
people – but mining is a close second.
Commercial or retail work can
be done by a person cost-effectively
but with a location in the middle
of Siberia where you need to fly
people in and out, or potentially
hazardous air and temperatures
thousands of meters underground,
IoT is absolutely worth the investment,”
says Palmer at Datacloud.
source ©: EMEA source ©: Nokia
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