Beyond Tech Trends: Embedding Innovation in Mining Organisations

The shared objective of digital transformation in mining is to improve processes that increase value through innovative end-user experiences that bring about efficiencies that can improve safety and productivity in mining companies. The advent of the fourth industrial revolution has presented an opportunity for the mining industry, amongst other business imperatives, to improve its cost-effectiveness and future competitiveness. African mining companies manage unique complexities whilst operating in the context of ever-increasing global pressures. They face challenges of profitability, volatile commodity prices, tough regulations, and unstable political environments. These challenges, which often result in high operational costs, have had a negative impact on the mines’ profitability and financial sustainability in recent years. Amidst this era of disruption, emerging technologies offer enormous potential in solving some of the business challenges that the African mining sector faces. Despite the enormous potential that digital technologies offer, the rate of adoption across the mining sector has been slow.