Runge vice president of technology solutions Michael Baldwin told Australian Mining journalist Michael Mills how mining has embraced automation.
Mills: What lessons has the mining industry learned from its experiences with automation so far?
Baldwin: I think the biggest thing that some in the industry have picked up since making their first investments in automation, is that technology can actually be a friend to the industry rather than a hindrance.
The bigger miners have certainly invested a lot of money into technological development, in particular Rio Tinto in Western Australia.
They have all obtained very good gains from their investment.
But a lot of the smaller players have not invested as much, probably because they are waiting until the technology is a bit more tried and tested.
For example, it used to be the case that only a couple of bigger mines were investing in automated fleet systems.
But nowadays, any mine with a fleet of more than 20 or 30 trucks, will probably have some kind of system in place, because the potential returns are well known.
They have become part of the standard operating procedures for a minesite.
Mills: What impact has this had on the actual development of the technology?
Baldwin: As more companies have adopted automation, the technology has actually become more affordable and much easier to learn and use.
Similarly, the fact the industry is now more open to new methods and ideas is less hesitation has also paved the way for the development of newer technologies.
The more open the industry becomes, the more technology will be used, and it will get to the point where it is taken for granted as part of the furniture.
Commodity prices are quite high at the moment and they will continue to grow, so there is a big push to get as much material out of the ground as quickly as possible while the conditions are favourable.
The mines can never get enough people, so they are focussing on making sure no-one is wasting time on things that can be done effectively by technology.
Mills: What types of automated technology will become more popular during this phase of higher commodity prices?
Baldwin: We are already seeing an increase in the use of real-time fleet management systems and dispatch systems.
GPS navigation systems are also becoming more prominent and there is a push to integrate of all these different systems.
Machine health is another area that will grow considerably in the next few years.
There are companies out there at the moment that have people monitoring the health of their machinery 24 hours a day to ensure a high level of availability.
There will also be a push from the mines to use technology that can improve minesite safety.
There is a lot that technology can do to alleviate safety issues and they can work hand in hand with the production technology to achieve it.
There is also a renewed focus on Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) programs at the moment.
Having one version of the truth across the whole enterprise is so important, because it means decisions can be made based upon all of the correct information.
However, the integration of all of these separate systems will be one of the biggest ongoing developments in the next couple of years.
Five years ago, the solutions were probably not mature enough to be integrated easily; each vendor had its own problems getting its own products to work together.
But this has now changed and the solutions are mature enough.
You can use a financial planning package, which links up with a modelling program, which in turn easily integrates into a high-level ERP program.
You can have your fleet management systems working alongside real-time machine health monitoring systems.
This can all happen now, and it is only going to become stronger and stronger.
Of course, the systems need to be able to talk to one another for this to work.
We are seeing in other industries that technology from different vendors is being developed with open protocols, so it can be integrated with other systems to solve a problem.
Mills: One important consideration for miners investing in technology is how easily it can be maintained. How will vendors respond to increased demand for support?
Baldwin: Most automation vendors understand this and there are different ways of delivering maintenance to clients, particularly over the phone and the Internet.
However, hardware-based technologies will require people with the proper training and accreditation, so the suppliers will have to ensure they can provide in this area.
The vendors have to recognise that if they are supplying technology to continuous operations in remote areas, that there are challenges that must be overcome to provide maintenance support.
There are a number of mines that recognise this as well and actually have automation and software support staff as part of their maintenance teams.
Mills: What can be done to bring those who have not embraced technology into the fold?
Baldwin: It really depends on the problem they are trying to address and how effective technology can be in solving it.
Every operation has its own unique problems, so you have to sit down with the companies and show them how automation can help.
Some of those who are remain hesitant still have the perception that automated technology is something that requires a lot of management and therefore manpower.
Of course this is not the case, and gradually the remaining few are beginning to realise this.
I think that in the next five to ten years, the whole industry will be completely onboard with using technology and the benefits it can have.
The current crop of mining engineering graduates are accustomed to using computers to solve complex problems, so technology is no obstacle for the future of the industry.