Madison Technologies delivers rugged networks that keep remote, renewable microgrids online in some of Australia’s harshest mining environments.
As mining operations decarbonise, remote microgrids powered by solar, wind and battery storage are becoming increasingly critical to site independence. But while the focus often lands on generation and storage capacity, it is connectivity that in many cases determines whether those systems operate reliably – or fail under pressure.
Unlike urban sub-stations, mining microgrids operate in harsh, often unmanned environments where dust, vibration, moisture and temperature extremes can compromise ordinary networking gear.
Industrial connectivity hardware is designed to ensure every component in the power chain stays online, visible and controllable.
Madison Technologies, a distributor of commercial and industrial technology products, sits at the forefront of ensuring connectivity in the most remote locations. Battery energy storage systems (BESS) with local power sources like solar panels are commonplace in these kinds of mine sites – but with that, industrial-grade networks are needed.
“In rugged environments such as mining, we provide network solutions from our global vendor partners in what we call ‘make, never break’ communication infrastructure,” Madison Technologies chief executive officer Paul Calabro told Australian Mining.
“We know sites need continuous uptime on key assets, and that’s what we want to provide to those environments.”
A proud supporter of industrial operators like BHP, Telstra, Fortescue and Transport for NSW, and system integrators such as Acubis, Yokogawa and John Holland, Madison Technologies pairs trusted equipment with expert support and tailored services to simplify deployment, enhance performance and deliver resilience across critical environments.
“We’re deploying technology that’s built for harsh environments – vibration, dust, impact, temperature,” Calabro said. “We know that we’re not in suburbia with this infrastructure and it’s imperative we have solutions that are up to the challenge.”
Madison Technologies partners with proven companies in the communications space such as Moxa, Cisco Industrial, Rajant and Teltonika, distributing technology from industrial ethernet switches to wireless mesh networking and 5G gateways for remote access and monitoring.
“One of Madison’s biggest strengths is the depth and breadth of our technology partnerships,” Calabro said. “We’ve built an ecosystem where everyone benefits, from the products and technologies themselves to the local support that backs them. No single manufacturer can deliver a complete, end-to-end level of ruggedness or resilience on their own.
“That’s where we come in. Madison Technologies acts as the glue, as the conduit that connects world-class manufacturers with the specific needs of market sectors like battery and energy storage. Our role is to bring those technologies together and make them work seamlessly for our customers.”
Beyond having infrastructure in place to support electrification of mine sites, issues of downtime and cybersecurity also must be considered, especially when downtime from failed communications or cyber-attacks could cost a site tens of thousands of dollars every hour.
“Our technology partners have cybersecurity at the core of their technology to ensure that mine sites have peace of mind that networks can’t be attacked or penetrated,” Calabro said.
This and many other situations are front-of-mind when Madison Technologies offers industry training.
“We deliver manufacturer-certified training that helps individuals earn industry-recognised certifications,” Calabro said. “Accredited across all the brands we represent, we’ve trained over 200 professionals this year in industrial communications.
“Demand has grown by around 40 per cent from last year, driven by the increasing complexity of industrial networks. This collaboration between our partners and our clients strengthens the capability and resilience of critical infrastructure and ensures the systems we help build stay connected, secure and ready for whatever comes next.”
Calabro said there are four key pillars that support the mining industry in achieving greater connectivity beyond simply ensuring infrastructure is fit for purpose: industrial connectivity; edge computing; camera as-a-sensor; and industrial internet of things (IIoT)
“Edge computing ensures real-time analytics at the mine site with local data processing capabilities, camera as-a-sensor allows visual monitoring for safety and performance, and industrial IoT gives sensor-based data collection to allow for environmental and equipment monitoring,” he said.
As electrification drives the future of mining, reliability won’t just depend on how much power you can store but on the strength and stability of the networks that connect it.
With connectivity at the core, Madison Technologies helps deliver technologies that stay online, stay visible and stay resilient – no matter how remote the operation.
This feature appeared in the December issue of Australian Mining magazine.