The global mining sector has seen a signicant reduction in productivity in the past decade to 2015 – 55% inAustralia, 38% in SA and 28% in North America. This is due in part to the increasing complexities of miningdeep and remote orebodies, and the ineective performance management of the mining value chain.In comparison, other industries such as aerospace, motoring and manufacturing have shown a signicantincrease in productivity.

What they have that mining doesn’t is a high maturity of ‘systems thinking’; those thatrelate to the understanding and managing of a complex system of interconnected activities, integration of afull life cycle including design, OEMs and signicant industry collaborations.Our work in the mining industry has shown a low level of maturity in understanding and managing thecomplex dynamic systems that usually make up the mining value chain.

This is typically true for those inleadership positions, and so we developed SiMINE@MandelaMiningPrecinct to help expose them to what wecall operational systems capability (OSC), with the objective to help them achieve a quantum change inoperational performance.

SiMINE is about people and accelerated change. It is a physical simulation of typical mining activities suchas drilling, blasting, loading, hauling, run of mine, processing and outbound logistics. It exposes managementto the challenges of performance managing of a typical mine, made up of a complex system of interconnected activities.

Firstly, SiMINE exposes mine leadership teams to lack of systems maturity in their organisation (dissonance).Secondly, it’s an experiential programme to accelerate the development of OSC skills within the overall.

Thirdly, it is a testbed for the mine of the future that will integrate future roles, levels of work andcorresponding performance measures, work and management routines, and all the supporting data andtechnology required. We developed this unique programme and OSC framework by leveraging and integratingour team’s extensive experience with change management, experiential adult learning, systems thinking,dynamic system modelling, optimisation, work management and theory of constraints.

We believe that by accelerating the development of an organisation’s own skills and capabilities, sustainablelong-term value – compared to the traditional management consulting engagements – will manifest.

Technology does not necessarily mean an autonomous mechanised mining operation. The use of the latest digital technologies relating to operational planning, virtual, augmented and mixed reality, artificial intelligence, data analysis, drones and industrial internet of things, has the potential to contribute to massive efficiency improvements – but only if the organisational and people challenges around change are addressed.

As mentioned, each orebody is unique and therefore not all mines would be appropriate for mechanisation. But where applicable it can play a major role in at least improving safety by removing more people from danger areas, increasing productivity and therefore return on investment. This increased safety and productivity would extend current operations and make more resources accessible and economical to mine, which would have a significant positive impact on the longevity of the industry, the economy and therefore job creation

Mining is complex, as each orebody is unique – requiring a specific mine design, mining method and therefore technology choice. This, together with safety priorities, means that the industry is slow to innovate and embrace new technology and approaches, so it rather sticks with a tried-and-tested formula.

The mining industry also often focuses on point solutions or technology that promise big things but result in as a result, realised that it must change to remain competitive and thus embrace what 4IR and digitalisation promises.

There is a danger, though, that 4IR and digitalisation has been over-hyped and may not yield the returns expected given that some mining companies lack a clear vision and focused strategy for what 4IR and digitalisation means for Mining 4.0, and the fear of missing out has driven investment in numerous digital

projects.

The programme incrementally covers an entire mining organisation, allowing it to gain the tools and understanding to identify specific projects to continually add value. Our approach is to start with the CEO and executive team, providing them with a one-day SiMINE experience on how to effectively performance manage a dynamic system.

This top-down approach is the way to effect real change because it helps them understand how to focus on priorities that really add value. It also results in them being able to ask the appropriate performance management questions, and thereafter entrench an integrated systems approach.

Business improvement teams are exposed to our detailed two-week SiMINE experiential programme, which provides them with the tools and approaches required to understand and maximise system performance. All our programmes start with facilitation skills that are critical to planning and leading effective meetings because these human interpersonal skills are often the biggest obstacle to effective change and

implementations.

These new skills are put to the test immediately after the programme as a facilitated session with key stakeholders, to define the value stream operational map and how to manage it. The full programme includes different experiential programmes for all functions in an organisation inclusive of HR and finance. SiMINE also exposes students to careers in the mine of the future, given that these professions are often outside of the traditional mining engineering route, such as skills in digital, virtual reality, mechatronics, industrial engineering, systems engineering, software development and data science

A dynamic simulation model of a mine is a critical requirement to understand the real impact of theinterconnectivities, buers and stockpiles, asset maintenance strategies, stores holdings and the impact ofthe inherent variability in equipment performance and ore characteristics.

To achieve this we work with ESTEQMining, which has leveraged the dynamic simulation modelling technology and capability from otherindustries for the mining industry.A ‘ight simulator for mining’ simulates what is real and can test all the options and initiatives that canmaximise performance. In essence this is a ‘digital twin’ of a mining operation – and a mainstream operationalplanning requirement for the mine of the future.

The physical SiMINE mining simulation replicates all the real challenges associated with leadership, role clarity, system flow, variability, change management and, importantly, the emotional aspects of the role. Even though it is a simulation, the participating teams are immersed in something that feels real, and we can therefore accelerate the development of the human factor skills required to effectively manage a mine.

ESTEQ Mining can very quickly configure a dynamic simulation model of a client’s actual operation, which can
be used in conjunction with the OSC to develop the leadership teams’ skills with role playing, simulated
operational levers and interventions that can be applied to their own specific operation.

The Mandela Mining Precinct is a public-private partnership between the government and the industry to drive collaboration, R&D and innovation, and to advance the manufacturing capability for the next generation.

SiMINE recognises the strategic importance of the Mandela Mining Precinct for industry collaboration and collective investment in the future of mining in SA. Our vision is for the country to once again play a significant role in leading mining R&D globally.

Irrespective of the mining method, degree of mechanisation, technology and level of digitalisation, the ability to effectively harness maximum value from its unique orebody and value stream will differentiate them. 

The vision for SiMINE is to build a testbed for Mining 4.0. Our aim is to make the future mine tangible by integrating the digital solutions and technology architecture, and accelerate the development of the organisation of the future.

Leading and managing a mine of the future with real-time digital data requires very different leadership and
decision-making skills across all levels of an organisation.