SURVEY: Technology is Top Priority for Asian Mining Companies in 2015

A recent survey conducted by the Timetric’s Mining Intelligence Center (MIC) shows Asian mining companies transitioning towards a digital mining future.

Mine survey equipment, mine design software, mine management (scheduling/optimization) software and equipment diagnostics were the top four technologies nominated in the survey, which included over 100 key decision-makers at operating mines in seven Asian countries – India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Pakistan, Vietnam, Mongolia and Thailand.

According to the survey, the four selected technologies were the most likely to see new or continued investment over the next two years.

“The push towards advanced technologies on site is evident from the results in the survey,” says Nez Guevara, Senior Mining Analyst at Timetric’s MIC.

“The focus is on improving planning and productivity, and follows a sequence starting with investing in mine surveying to improve the accuracy of the data flowing into mine design software. Accurate mine designs then help improve the management and scheduling of mining operations, while equipment diagnostics help to improve utilization and supports mine scheduling by minimizing down time.”

Respondents were asked to outline their current and future intentions for technology investments across 12 areas, which included a range of mine management and vehicle-related technologies as well as environmental monitoring and emissions management, communication, fleet management and collision avoidance technologies.

The survey outlined the drivers for these investments and summaries safety, productivity and cost cutting needs as influential in decision making.

Key highlights of the survey also included three-quarters of Asian mines will not invest in autonomous vehicles within the next 10 years; remote control/machine automation had the lowest rate of implementation across Asian mining operations; and coal and base metals were the commodity sectors with the highest share of respondents considering additional investments in the next two years.