January 5, 2024 - Over the past several decades, mines have been implementing cleaner, safer, and more efficient operations, thanks to advancements in positioning and orientation technology that support automation and autonomy.

Mining’s Path To Autonomy

In fact, a 2020 Baker McKenzie report found the global smart mining market in 2019 to be valued at US$6.8 billion and expects it to reach US$20.31 billion by 2025.

In the future, ‘smart’ mines will be primarily autonomous, as machines will communicate with one another to perform jobs with little to no human intervention onsite. Coordinated end-to-end workflows will make it possible for automated machines to handle repetitive and potentially dangerous tasks more efficiently and sustainably, leaving the human workforce to focus on activities requiring higher-level analysis and decision-making from remote locations outside of hazardous areas.

As an early adopter of such technology, with initial deployments made possible by operating on privately-owned mines within a controlled environment, today’s mining industry continues to leverage new opportunities on the path to full autonomy.

Realizing the Benefits of Automation and Autonomy

In broad terms, autonomous solutions are created to improve efficiency, maximise safety on site, and inform ad hoc decision-making. These solutions are a combination of various automation technologies that can support and also allow for on-machine human interactions. They are also flexible and beneficial no matter where a company is on its autonomy adoption path – from an operator-assist feature that turns a less-experienced operator into an efficient worker, to semi-autonomous and fully autonomous machine operations that can run 24/7.

In 2022, the McKinsey Survey of Mining Leaders and Executives revealed that 71% of respondents said the talent shortage is holding them back from delivering on production targets and strategic objectives. Whether it is hiring skilled labour in a tight job market, rising costs, or one of several other factors, the mining industry faces many challenges that create an opportunity highly suitable for automation and autonomous solutions. Among the benefits are reducing the number of people working in hazardous conditions, improving productivity with pre-programmed machines completing tasks around the clock, and more.