When you make these improvements, you create efficiency in your haul cycle that equates to fuel savings, tire savings, and all that contributes to your GHG reduction. So, the benefits tend to be interrelated – when deployed correctly, the technology can help make a mining process faster, more efficient, safer, and more sustainable.

Canadian challenges

Smart mining technology promises to be a critical differentiator as Canadian mines strive to compete globally. Canadian mines have incredibly high safety standards, and we pay our people well, so the mines we compete with might have lower operating costs in those areas. This means our customers must leverage all their advantages to make their mines as efficient as possible.

One of the challenges is having a sufficient level of technological expertise to take full advantage of what’s available. To do this, you can’t just deploy it and expect improvements – there’s a significant change management component. In addition, you can’t just train a few engineers – everybody from operators to senior executives has to understand how the technology works, impacts skills requirements, and affects planning and development.

SMS Equipment saw this trend coming a few years ago, and we decided to invest in significant smart mining support. Today we have over seventy-five technology specialists on staff to support our customers, and we’re also doing a lot of internal training to upskill our support people.

The transition to smart mining is a complex undertaking involving technology, skills, change management, and business planning. Our role is to provide comprehensive support for all aspects of that and to help Komatsu and our other vendors stay current with Canada’s unique requirements.