Data management: mining’s biggest digital transformation opportunity

Today almost every piece of equipment used at mine sites is sensorized, yet to realize the full value of the data that these machines produce requires more than just data collection. To transform mining processes requires systems integration, and for actionable data-driven insights to be made available to the people who need them, where and when they need them. Without this, operators, planners, supervisors and more, cannot make proactive decisions to improve operational performance.

“When it comes to digital transformation, there’s a sliding scale of maturity amongst mining companies today,” explained Lior Herman – Head of Mine Data Platform, Business Unit Automation, Digital Mining Technologies, Sandvik. “Some organizations have very advanced data management systems and practices and are seeing huge value from their data, while others are just getting started.”

Barriers to digital transformation

For most mines, the ability to harness data-driven insights depends heavily upon the site’s communications network. This is especially true for underground mines where connectivity challenges are often greater than at surface operations.

“There are lots of efficiency improvements that can be made – for instance, in machine maintenance and utilization – by analyzing data and making process changes retrospectively,” said Herman. “However, to see a step-change in their operations, mines need to be proactive with the insights that their data generates, rather than reactive. Without reliable, secure and sufficient network coverage, that’s difficult to achieve.”

Herman added: “This is where most mines are struggling with digital transformation. Not enough people have access to the data they need to make informed decisions in their daily work, or maybe they receive it, but it’s too late to make changes.”

Democratizing data insights

To overcome these challenges, Herman and his team developed the Newtrax Mining Data Platform (MDP). This is a comprehensive data management solution which makes the advantages of cloud-hosted technologies, like blob storage and time series databases, available to mines via a locally hosted platform. This local data-driven approach enables operations that have less reliable or mature data networks to get the same transformative benefits from their data as those with advanced networks.

Newtrax MDP’s built-in BI features can also assist with change management. These allow an unlimited number of users to create interactive, customizable reports and dashboards to support data-driven decision-making within their daily workflows. Helping users to visualize patterns in data and understand their significance empowers them to make adjustments proactively during their shifts rather than afterwards. The results speak for themselves: since implementing Newtrax MDP, a major diamond mining company in Africa saw a 70-80% improvement in the cycle times of its underground haul trucks through the identification and elimination of bottlenecks.

“Newtrax MDP is very agile and scalable and brings a new standard to the way that mines work with data,” Herman said. “It provides the link between data and actionable insights that so many mines are missing today.”

Unlocking new ways of working

Bringing all operational data into a single platform also allows mines to harness insights from each technology within others, thus creating ‘digital ecosystems’. Newtrax MDP’s ready-to-use applications include machine telemetry and asset health, a real-time location tracking and positioning tool for underground equipment, 3D mapping and material and worker lifeline tracking. The platform also supports environmental monitoring, ventilation on demand, proximity detection and collision avoidance systems to provide a comprehensive view of underground operations. Herman explained that systems integration can also help to unlock new capabilities and ways of working.

“We have a concept within Newtrax MDP called Workplace Utilization,” he said. “This is based on the philosophy that if mines control their operations at the face this will have a domino effect on downstream processes. With MDP, we can monitor each phase of an operation and use the insights generated to alleviate bottlenecks and create efficiencies further down the line.”

Data integration also allows mines to get more value from the technologies and systems they have on site.

“For example, for trucks and loaders, Newtrax MDP can provide accurate estimations of tonnes-moved-per-hour, even for units that aren’t fitted with payload monitoring technologies,” said Herman. “Because our algorithms work with load and dump data from other systems and technologies. With Newtrax MDP, we’re giving mines the tools that they need to transform themselves digitally. The customer is in the driving seat. They can go as deep as they like with their data – the only limit is their imagination.”