TECHNOLOGY
progressed it has moved through several ‘ waves ’ of cost cutting measures , each of which has been progressively harder to successfully implement .
The first wave ( 2012 / 12 ) was centred around the exploitation of ‘ low hanging fruit ’, such as cancelling projects , stripping contracts / consultants and refocusing on the basics : safety , production and costs . The second wave ( 2013 / 14 ) saw sweating of assets , maximising value of existing capital and production , squeezing suppliers for better deals , reducing staff , and the elimination of organisational overlap .
We are now well into the third wave ( 2015- ) of cost cutting , which is the business and process re-engineering phase – this ‘ wave ’ is focused on using automation and technology to generate productivity improvement .
How is the use of data and IT in the mining industry evolving in particular ? Data-driven decision making is essential to current mining operations , particularly in an era when many mine managers have limited experience of operating effectively during an industry downturn . They need both reliable operational data , and the
14 July 2016