Govender has a wealth of experience in procurement & supply chain as well as technology in the mining sector. He was head of supply chain at Anglo American Platinum for 10 years. During this time, he managed a significant budget and was instrumental in a massive transformation for Anglo American in the procurement and supply chain space on a global scale. He is an adviser to Mining Indaba on technology and innovation and chairs the Innovation & Technology stream: a topic that has been a top agenda item at the event in recent years.
ADS was formed in partnership with IT services and consulting company Accenture and the company provides a digital platform that connects SMEs and start-ups with mining houses, allowing them to become part of the supply chain.
He points out that the technology revolution is being driven by industry disruptors from outside of the mining sector. This trend is not a new phenomenon and has proven successful in other industries.
“A good example of this is Uber. The company doesn’t own a single taxi: it’s a technology business that came completely from a different space. It didn’t understand the taxi industry, but it came in and disrupted that industry.”
Govender believes that mining is ripe for disruption. “If we can get someone like Elon Musk to look at our sector and ask questions such as why are they still using explosives underground?
Can we use advanced robotics or a different method of extracting ore from the ground? These outside companies bring a new perspective to the industry and will push the digitalisation and automation narrative. We have already seen it happen with a lot of technology companies entering the mining space over the past few years.”
While South African companies have embraced this new era of mining, it is first important to address the elephant in the room: Will technology result in job losses? Govender disagrees and sees innovation as key to upskilling workers and creating higher paying jobs.
“You don’t increase digitalisation and automation at the expense of getting rid of people. As we start to move towards this advanced technology, we need to be socially conscious and develop plans that take our people along with us without creating a big vacuum. When you do this and engage the workforce, then you can start to look at seriously upskilling our people and get their buy-in into this new way of working.”
What’s trending?
Currently, there is a myriad of innovations to choose from. However, this doesn’t not have to be a daunting task. Govender explains that companies select a range of technology solutions based on the needs of the business and how they want to improve.
One such innovation is the use of drones which are now being used extensively in many mining operations. For example, in an open cast mine, drones are used to examine stope stability.
Another technology that is gaining momentum is artificial intelligence (AI). Govender states that a lot of mining equipment already has built-in intelligence but different softwares don’t talk to each other.
“Now there are companies that provide an integrated solution and install AI software into equipment, and this creates a holistic dashboard which mine managers can use to make decisions.”
This sort of technology is heavily dependent on connectivity and South Africa’s mobile companies such as Vodacom and MTN are starting to seize this opportunity and are growing their footprint in the mining space.
Robotics is another innovation that is gaining traction. Robots can inspect underground operations to ensure that they are safe before work can begin, especially for deep level exploration. One example is Boston Dynamics’ Spot, a robotic dog that can reach underground areas that humans cannot.
In addition, one technology that benefits the training of workers is virtual reality (VR). “You can mirror an entire underground mine on surface. And, by using VR, you can take workers through the entire mine, helping them to identify potential hazards. This prepares them for when they eventually do go underground,” Govender explains.
South Africa faring well
It is not farfetched to say that the mining sector is playing catch-up to industries that were early adopters of technology. In fact, much of the lessons learnt by the likes of the automotive sector are now being implemented in mining. That said, Govender believes that South African mines have come a long way in implementing digitalisation and automation.
“There are a few diamond mines in South Africa that have done extremely well in ensuring full connectivity and digitalisation. Autonomous mining is also starting to take off in the country.
“Furthermore, the role of a chief technology officer features prominently in a company’s overall strategy. We are now seeing increased budgets in the technology space. So, while we are still catching up, I don’t think we are far away, and the adoption is starting to increase.”
Technology develops rapidly and there is no crystal ball to gaze into to determine what will be trending in 10 years’ time. What is certain though is that it will continue to be beneficial to the South African mining sector.
“A decade from now, we will see a country that is extracting ore in a safer, more efficient way, getting it to market quicker as well as increasing revenue and foreign direct investment, making us competitive in the global marketplace.
“If we do this well and systematically and we take our people along, I think technology will be a game changer for us because we have a good endowment of mineral resources,” Govender concludes.
