Mine Machine Productivity 2011

Effectively incorporating mechanisation and automation to enhance mining productivity and profitability.

Equipment and machinery in the mining sector is instrumental and has developed over the years to include automation, mechanisation and remote control. However, with more sophisticated equipment and machinery, come new challenges in terms of maintenance, replacement and the high initial cost for such equipment

Mechanised Mining: Understood to mean the use of tools in mining, then all of South Africa s mines are mechanised to some extent. However, the degree of mechanisation applied has not always been optimal owing to a number of factors such as availability of suitable equipment, inadequate mine design or inappropriate application of available mechanised strategies. Mechanisation means different things to different mines. E.g. opencast coal mines can benefit from large-scale mechanical equipment manned by few, highly skilled operators. In contrast, a faulted, narrow reef gold mine with variable grades presents greater difficulties, although mechanisation remains feasible and will deliver improved safety and operation efficiency.