IBM on mining trends
IBM INDUSTRY ACADEMY
FACTS
IBM on mining trends
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“ Sustainability has become a crucially important vector ,” asserts Manish Chawla , Global Managing Director for Energy & Natural Resources at IBM . “ This is allied to a bigger focus on mixing the recovery of the minerals and metals that will support the technology of the mines of the future . Meanwhile , operating them in a remote and autonomous manner will force mining companies to develop network connectivity with the ability to manage assets and equipment to move the needle , leveraging AI and data analytics in a much more profound and highly integrated way .” Chawla adds that similar efforts must be made to support the culture change required to drive the benefits of innovation .
IBM are keen for mining companies to learn from the construction sector and implement digital twins . “ It allows you to investigate how a mine asset is performing and functioning at any given moment ,” explains Chawla . “ Monitoring via a digital twin reflects not only the way the mine was designed with autonomous equipment but also how it ’ s being operated . Technology starts to guide action , and can intervene so that safe and reliable operations can continue . The expectation is that data and connectivity become ever-present and omnipresent , guiding autonomous agents to perform functions rather than humans .”
Maxelino Nelson , Senior Executive for Industry Innovation , Global Solutions , & Business Strategy at IBM , sees an increased urgency from mining companies to establish an integrated road map as an important step in bringing strategy operations and IT together . “ They use a road map to understand business drivers with technology requirements , all incorporated , so the entire enterprise will be moving forward in an integrated manner . It ’ s more common now to see business and IT coming together in collaboration , trying to determine which projects can deliver the most value and can easily be scaled from the pilot site .”
FEBRUARY 2020