A few weeks ago, I happened to be in South Africa on business at the Electra Mining Africa 2024 exhibition. This only happens every 2 years and is one of the big mining exhibitions. ⚒️
So of course I went! 🤓
The show was vibrant, full of the energy of people wanting to do something for their country. The stands were full of technicians eager to talk about their products and how they could help you solve your mining problems.
You may be wondering what someone like me was doing at a mining exhibition, after all my speciality is lean manufacturing, management strategy and development and I have no previous experience of the mining industry.
Well, I have also worked as a process engineer, and I knew many of the companies there selling pumps, gauges, automation, hydraulics, etc. In fact, I bought from a number of them during my career.
It was a great opportunity for me to strike up a conversation. At one stand, a passionate technician and I discussed the challenges of measuring large volumes of ore on a conveyor belt and the challenges of accurate calibration when such large volumes are involved. We spent a good half hour discussing his solution, and because he thought I was asking good questions, he went on to show me how they could map a 3D model of the ore being stockpiled in heaps so that you could give your customer the right quality.
Will I buy this solution? Probably never! But I was interested because it’s a great example of an intelligent solution to a difficult problem. I like to see what the latest technology is, because no matter what the industry, the problems are often similar. Being able to take a solution from one area and apply it to another is a form of innovation.
I had another interesting conversation about autonomous vehicles in environments where there is no GPS. A company would provide a bolt-on mapping system, coupled with artificial intelligence, that could manage a fleet of vehicles, old and new, in an environment with no GPS. One company provided a bolt-on mapping system coupled with artificial intelligence that could manage a fleet of vehicles, old and new, in a mine where there is no GPS signal. When we were working for Airbus, we were looking at mapping solutions for when there is no GPS signal. A few years later, there are many solutions that didn’t exist then.
When I walk into your company or factory, I want to be able to quickly understand your processes and methods and add value. Keeping abreast of the latest and greatest technical and business solutions is, in my opinion, a great way to add value and help meet your needs.
I have over 30 years’ experience in a wide range of sectors and industries, and I enjoy drawing on that experience and learning new things. When I started my work experience, I worked in a laboratory for BIC, producing state of the art automation that was faster than any other automation on the market at the time. At Electra Africa Mining, I saw vision systems we could only dream of being used for vibration analysis, monitoring and maintenance. How exciting!
The Electra Mining Africa show was a source of inspiration, learning and reconnecting with the past, as well as adding future value to your business. Keeping my skills up to date and relevant is an important part of my role as a hands-on consultant. If you have a problem you don’t know how to solve, let’s meet and see if I can help!