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The Global Mining Guidelines Group (GMG) held their first forum in Brisbane from 29-30 August 2023, around the theme of ‘Enabling innovation to improve the way we mine’. Attended by seven Mipac staff members – one of which presented in a panel – this forum was a collaborative event designed to enable relationship building. Themes included collaboration, autonomous mining, human-systems integration, cyber resiliency, AI, the IT-OT convergence, next generation mining and energy management. In this article, we’ll outline our key takeaways from the event, as well as providing additional information on GMG.
What is GMG?
GMG is the Global Mining Guidelines Group, a not-for-profit membership organisation established in 2012. By adopting a multistakeholder approach to foster collaboration and innovation, it brings the global mining community together to share knowledge, expertise and experience for the development of operator-driven guidance, resources, and common practices that can be operationalised.
Through an open, collaborative platform, the group produces innovative:
- Guidance and resources
- Guidelines
- Whitepapers
- Case studies
- Industry landscapes
- Reports
- Videos
- Member publications
Which kinds of topics does GMG cover?
GMG brings together 5,700+ industry leaders and 120 corporate members (including Mipac) across 9 working groups and 12 projects to develop synergies and help the industry address key priorities. These include:
- Artificial Intelligence
- Asset Management
- Autonomous Mining
- Cybersecurity
- Data & Interoperability
- The Electronic Mine
- Mineral Processing
- Sustainability
- Underground Mining
Mipac’s Key Takeaways from the Brisbane Forum
Mipac staff members who attended the event included Dominic Stoll (Solutions Manager) – a panelist for the ‘Next Generation Mining: Enabling Industry Transformation’ session, Andrew Hislop (Senior Control Systems Engineer), Stephen Smalley (Senior IT Systems Engineer), Andrew Yang (Process Engineer), Yasser Elshohna (Lead Control Systems Engineer), Drew Clements (Optmisation Team Lead) and Andrew Ewan (Senior Systems Engineer).
Here are some of their key takeaways:
“Strategy, people, processes and technology were themes throughout the event. Developing people to maintain, support and enhance technology is critical.”
– Dominic Stoll, Solutions Manager
“Automation projects have two key parts: technology integration followed by people and process integration. Without integrating people and business processes to match the technology changes, projects will likely fail or the technology will not be fully utilised. Multiple project case studies detailed that the time and effort to integrate people and processes is underestimated.”
– Andrew Hislop, Senior Control Systems Engineer
“Not being a data nerd, I was surprised to find myself interested and engaged in the data discussions and the fact that a lot of the AI talk was now being rebranded Augmented Intelligence rather than “Artificial” Intelligence. Interesting too is the way they’re using this in automation… though there is still a high percentage of project failures for teams attempting to move down this path.”
– Stephen Smalley, Senior IT Systems Engineer
“During the [Cyber, Data and Interoperability] panel discussion, they made a very relatable analogy between cyber security and mining industry safety. Cyber security seems like an intangible, scary term (it was to me at least) but it can be thought of as simply a risk. With that in mind we should start to think of things like hazards, controls, likelihoods, consequences, risk assessments, HAZOPs, bow ties and other safety terms that are much more familiar and approachable to those who’ve worked in the mining and processing industry and apply them to cyber security.”
– Andrew Yang, Process Engineer
“Electrification of mining can provide more benefits that just reduced fossils consumption. [For example] adoption of EVs underground was really driven by safety and personnel health, as it reduces diesel particulate emissions. This also reduces the amount of forced air ventilation required to dilute these emissions to a safe level for workers.”
– Andrew Ewan, Senior Systems Engineer
“Operational technology is typically not considered or included in standard maintenance activities, which results in the introduction of instability that is not obvious to mining operators. Not maintaining and monitoring operational technology results in increased operating instability, drives reactivity and increases cybersecurity vulnerability.”
– Yasser Elshohna, Lead Control Systems Engineer
“OT design is constantly evolving and good design and good roadmaps to know where you want to go on your digital journey are key.”
– Drew Clements, Optimisation Team Lead
Conclusion
In conclusion, the GMG Brisbane Forum provided valuable insights into the mining industry’s ongoing transformation through innovation and collaboration. It emphasised the need to align technology, people and processes, adapt to changing industry landscapes and prioritise safety and sustainability in mining practices. GMG continues to play a pivotal role in driving the industry forward by fostering knowledge sharing and operational best practices and the Mipac team look forward to more global engagement with members over the coming months.
