Understanding Industry 4.0 and its relevance to mining

The confluence of computers, automation, and machines in conjunction with the broadening of communication has given rise to the latest progression of the industrial age: Industry 4.0

Steam power (1.0) amplified our ability for mechanising jobs in the workplace. Electricity (2.0) amplified our ability for automating tasks through machinery, drastically increasing productivity and giving rise to mass production. Computers (3.0) intensified our ability to achieve tasks more efficiently while automation of technology could be achieved digitally. And finally, Industry 4.0 is almost here. An era which has barely dipped its toes in the shallow end, but is seeking a safe entry point without drowning in technological consumerism.  

Digital twins, drones, big data, cloud computing, machine learning, artificial intelligence - technological buzz words are plentiful, and convoluted explanations are in overwhelming excess. 

No doubt, Industry 4.0 will be big business. But who will benefit from it? 

It may seem that taking advantage of Industry 4.0 requires ownership of a baffling assortment of technologies, telecommunications, and other high-class goods and services. 

In fact Industry 4.0 is adaptable to any company, big or small. Take the simple example of regional exploration for instance.

Traditionally, an exploration campaign is planned in the office and executed in the field. Geologists typically would return to the office and begin making sense of data and information captured in the field. With advancements in telecommunications, data transference speeds, and the automation of tasks, processing data while out in the field where decisions can be executed in real-time is a growing reality. It’s simply a matter of allowing automation to do the heavy lifting.

A geologist from a regional exploration camp can submit logged drill hole data at any time to a central database located either at a mine site or back at head office. The drill hole data can be integrated with a complete suite of exploration data including imagery, historical drill hole data, geochemical, geophysical, and other data set stores. Data can be spontaneously processed in various ways including machine learning, providing updated forecasts on likely successful drill patterns within the project area back to the geologist at the exploration camp. Instant decisions are possible, creating an overall efficiency by detecting more likely patterns of success. 

What about the other end of the mining chain? The process of mining a resource is a significant challenge. It requires a chain of practices that range from mining ore to shipping it anywhere in the world. Contained within each process are threats, risks, and hazards - an environment that lends itself to industry 4.0. 

With the increasing reliance on mechanical automation, sensors are important. They can detect changes in the operations of processing plants, autonomous vehicles, and other continuously operational machinery by transmitting (using WiFi) information to a centralised data store for analysis. Conditional on the dependency of sensor accuracy and frequency, this can result in the capture of millions of sensor recordings each day. 

In this particular example, sensors revealed that a processing plant mechanism has operated at a temperature above its recommended limit for the past 5 days due to increased friction. Sensor data transmits to the central data store and combines with historical information. Historical sensor data indicates that of the past 4 times the mechanism has failed, the part continued (on average) to operate for over 40 continuous days after temperatures began to increase. On this particular occasion, through guidelines established by the company, a number of actions are triggered on the 6th day.  1) The superintendent and relevant employees receive an automatic SMS with notification of an imminent failure warning. 2) An order for a new mechanism is automatically created through blockchain. A receipt of order and shipment guarantee is digitally reciprocated, setting off an instant payment for the mechanism through a ‘smart contract’ system.   3) The faulty mechanism is automatically signaled to operate at a reduced speed of 75% to diminish stress until the replacement part is installed.

The future of technology in industry seems bright, however, is technology and innovation evolving at a rate where businesses can keep up? Is it possible to future proof anymore?

Future proofing is an old world term for putting systems in place that will operate successfully into the future with minimal disruptions from outside influences. In an era of constant digital improvement, conventional future proofing no longer exists. It is more important than ever for companies to keep one eye on current technological trends, while ensuring that their own fundamental pillars are flexible enough to adapt. 

Industry 4.0 should not be a daunting prospect. It is an exciting jigsaw puzzle of automation, digital advancements, communication systems, and an assortment of peripheral technologies. Some are free, and some are not. 

The challenge will be constructing solutions from these working parts that represent significant steps forward in company ideology.