IMPLEMENTING TECHNOLOGY
“ You ’ d have to look pretty hard worldwide to find a mine that was built on time , on budget , and exceeded its expectations in its first two years ”
— Colin Moorhead , Executive Director of Merdeka budget , and exceeded its expectations in its first two years . It ’ s an incredibly important achievement .”
IMPLEMENTING TECHNOLOGY
In the past , mining was often considered as one of the industries slowest to embrace new technology . However , Moorhead believes that the mentality is shifting , with digital transformation redefining the way companies worldwide operate . “ The mining sector has got a reputation for being an old-fashioned industry – but in reality , it ’ s not like that at all . The technology that goes into a modern mine is quite sophisticated and mining has become a leader in the areas of automation , electric vehicles , Big Data and artificial intelligence ,” he explains . “ If you ’ re building a 30 + year mine , which hopefully Tujuh Bukit will be , you have to get ahead of the curve . I think mining can be slow to adopt technology because of how mines traditionally operate . Mining investments are capital intensive , and much of the process and technology is locked in up front . It can be very costly and risky to change as technology evolves .”
With technology allowing operations to be conducted more efficiently , Moorhead reflects on how his company has adapted its strategy in order to digitise . “ During my 30-year career , we ’ ve gone from coloured pencils and graph paper to massive data processing in a very short period of time . You ’ ve got automated drilling rigs with live feeds going to people working remotely . We must adapt and adopt new technologies quickly . I don ’ t think we ’ ll be using diesel equipment in underground mines soon due to
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