Global Mine-Site Technology Adoption Survey, 2019

Global Mine-Site Technology Adoption Survey, 2019

Summary

GlobalData's "Global Mine-Site Technology Adoption Survey, 2019” analyses the results of interviews with key personnel at 179 operating mines across the globe. The survey examines trends in uptake of 12 technologies at the mine site, spanning mine management software, mine planning software, predictive maintenance, drones, mine communication systems, wearables, remote control vehicles, autonomous vehicles and more. The report also identifies intentions to invest in the next two years, and compares results by region, mine type and company type, and with similar surveys in 2016 and 2018.

As mining companies seek to improve productivity, reduce costs and enhance safety, they are increasingly investing in new tools and technologies, from predictive maintenance to drones and 3D printing.

This report analyses the results of a survey of mines sites, examining the adoption of 12 different technologies, and follows a similar survey conducted in late 2018. In total 179 mine sites were interviewed across the globe during October and November 2019.

The results showed an increasing level of adoption of these technologies, in particular drones and mine communication systems, as miners seek to increase the quantity of data available and speed of gathering and sharing information across a site.

In terms of the degree to which the respondents’ mines had invested in new technologies, the most widely adopted of those investigated were mine planning software, mine management software, mine communication systems and predictive maintenance.

Expectations of investment over the next two years were highest for mine communication systems, drones and predictive maintenance for mobile equipment.

Contrasting the majors, such as Glencore and Anglo American, versus the non-majors, the former were more likely to have invested in these technologies compared to the smaller miners. However, the gap has narrowed since the precious survey and, whilst the majors are still well ahead in terms of the degree of investment in mining software and predictive maintenance, a significant share of non-majors are planning investment in these areas, which would be expected to close the gap within the next two years.

Australasian mines had, on average, the highest penetration of technologies, especially drones and the safety-related technologies (fatigue detection, collision avoidance and wearables). They also had marginally higher expectations overall in terms of investment across all technologies.

Overall, surface and underground mines had similar degrees of investment, the main differences being greater investment in remote control and autonomous vehicles in underground mines, while there was marginally higher use of drones and wearable technology at surface mines.

Scope

- The survey extended to mines across all regions, all mine types and a wide range of commodities, including iron ore, coal, base metals and precious metals. The survey was conducted between October and November 2019.
- Analysis of the results is provided by region, by mine type and by company type, relating the responses from majors with the mid-size and smaller miners.

Reasons to buy

- Assess the current adoption rates for each of 12 key technologies and compare take-up rates with the 2018 survey
- Compare adoption by mine type, region and company type
- Assess the potential for future investment by technology, both new investment and further investment.
- Analyse potential investment rates by region, mine type and company type