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MODERN MINING
November 2016
CONSULTANTS/
PROJECTS HOUSES
feature
A
side from the current pressure
of the commodity price slump,
productivity in the global min-
ing sector was down almost
30 % over the past decade, said
SRK corporate consultant Roger Dixon. “South
African mines need to move away from a dated
management model if we want to address pro-
ductivity in the longer term, and at the same
time win the hearts and minds of employees
and other stakeholders.”
Speakers at the seminar addressed issues
ranging from energy costs and water constraints
to social licence and the increasingly complex
operating environment. A common theme,
however, was that the long-awaited resource
upturn was showing signs of gathering impe-
tus, and that the sector was running out of time
to prepare itself.
SRK global chairman Mike Armitage (he
has since stepped down from this position but
remains with the SRK group as a corporate con-
sultant in the Cardiff office) said that while the
extended slump had thinned the ranks of the
mining sector, it had left a more committed core
of champions and practitioners who were tak-
ing projects forward despite the challenges.
“In the junior mining sector, for instance,
there seem to be more mining people directly
involved who really want to start and operate
mines, rather than just trading in the value of
mineral properties,” he said.
Looking at the future of the established min-
ing industry, Dixon said mines must harness the
power of technology to improve profitability.
“Capturing the value from digital innova-
tions represents a fundamental shift in vision,
strategy, operating model and capabilities in
the mining industry,” he said. “In particular,
much of the value creation in mining will shift
from how well the
operation moves
material to how
well it collects, analyses and acts on informa-
tion to become more productive.”
SRK South Africa’s chairman and princi-
pal structural and geotechnical consultant,
Dr Graham Howell, emphasised the importance
of leveraging the experience of well-trained
engineers to integrate the various disciplines
in search of path-breaking innovations.
“Developments take place at the boundaries
of disciplines,” said Dr Howell. “While tech-
nology can speed up progress, there is also a
need for slower, measured introspection and
cogitation to develop optimal solutions.”
These smarter approaches were already
relevant to mines’ efforts to reduce energy con-
sumption, said SRK principal mining engineer
Noddy McGeorge.
“We are under threat in the mining industry
from an energy-pricing regime that is running
beyond inflation and the security of supply as
other consumers are using up the reserve mar-
gins that were once plentiful,” said McGeorge.
“It can be countered by changing the philoso-
phy of new mine designs and adapting existing
mines to retrofit designs; it requires that we
plan for a more innovative world.”
Mining was the focus of much attention
regarding water usage and quality, despite con-
suming only 3,3 % of national demand, SRK
principal scientist Dr Andrew Wood pointed
out. This was mainly due to the legacy of mine-
related water pollution in the form of acid mine
drainage (AMD), and the expectation that the
mining sector would soon be paying for most of
the cost of remedial treatment for AMD in the
Witwatersrand Basin.
He said the good news was that mining
SRK seminar
highlights mining’s
challenges and opportunities
Dr Mike Armitage, corporate
consultant in the Cardiff office
of SRK Consulting.
Dr Graham Howell, chair-
man, principal engineer and
partner, SRK Consulting.
Fresh management approaches, bold technological advanc-
es and firmer relationships with stakeholders are among the
most vital aspects of a brighter future for mining, according
to some of the industry’s most experienced consulting en-
gineers and scientists. They were speaking at the recent 360°
Mining Perspectives seminar hosted by SRK Consulting in
Johannesburg, which highlighted some of the current chal-
lenges and opportunities in mining.