Mining Goes Digital – Mueller et al. (Eds)
© 2019 Taylor & Francis Group, London, ISBN 978-0-367-33604-2
9
Digital technology trends and their implementation
in the mining industry
L. Barnewold
Institute Mineral Resources Engineering RWTH University, Aachen, Germany
ABSTRACT: The actual process of the technologically induced change (i.e. digital transformation) is referred to as “digitalization”, and vague terms like those that “Industry 4.0”
are used to describe the necessary and inevitable change to all business sectors because of the
evolution and revolution of currently used technologies. This work focuses on the systematical identification of those digital trends for the mining industry by using co-word analysis together with text mining algorithms from expert articles. Network analyses are used to
investigate the relations between the significant trends. Furthermore, a method to detect the
implementation level of individual trends in active mines is introduced. The methodology was
able to identify a variety of digital trends and their relevance, such as “automation” and basic
technologies such as “big data”, “internet of things”, “artificial intelligence” and “machine
learning” which can be used as orientation points for future digital transformation processes.
1 INTRODUCTION
Looking at the last 200 years, steam engines, electricity or the use of computers represent
important technological inventions. Each technical achievement influenced the industrial
landscape for a certain period and led to strong industrial growth, but also to a high degree of
change. Today we are faced with such a technological development again. The so-called forthindustrial revolution, “digital transformation” or simply “Industry 4.0” plays an important
role in every business sector and will be a basis for the future industrial development. (Paul
2016) In contrast to the previous technical evolutions, a unique and clear core technology
is not discernible. Rather, it consists of a complex network of the most diverse approaches
and technologies. The complexity and inflationary use results in an ambiguity of the mentioned terms. (Bassi 2017; Chiarello et al. 2018) Future developments and trend analyses for
the mining industry were already been carried out in previous work, Stanway et al. (2015)
deals with the general direction and structure of innovative processes and trends in the mining industry and thus more with influencing factors that encourage the implementation of
trends (Boudreau-Trudel et al. 2015). Other work focuses on specific technologies, such as for
example new machinery in mobile open pit equipment section in Lumley (2012), Lumley et al.
(2012), the SX-EW method in copper processing in Ericsson (2012) or new filtering technologies presented by Palmer (2016). These trends are focusing more on mechanical developments
of new machinery and new basic processes. A discussion of digital technologies is mainly used
in direct relation to detailed existing processes, especially for the processing and beneficiation
industries. (Jämsä-Jounela 2007; Groenveld and Rozou 2016; Ofstie and Kargutkar 2015; van
Duin et al. 2013). However, an overview of all digital trends relevant to the mining industry
from reliable sources do not exists. Due to this, the research question was formulated as:
Which digital trends are currently relevant for the mining industry and how can they
be systematically captured?
This paper deals with the identification of current digital trends directly related to
the “Industry 4.0” discussion. In order to ensure a certain relevance of the trends and a
© 2019 Taylor & Francis Group, London, ISBN 978-0-367-33604-2
9
Digital technology trends and their implementation
in the mining industry
L. Barnewold
Institute Mineral Resources Engineering RWTH University, Aachen, Germany
ABSTRACT: The actual process of the technologically induced change (i.e. digital transformation) is referred to as “digitalization”, and vague terms like those that “Industry 4.0”
are used to describe the necessary and inevitable change to all business sectors because of the
evolution and revolution of currently used technologies. This work focuses on the systematical identification of those digital trends for the mining industry by using co-word analysis together with text mining algorithms from expert articles. Network analyses are used to
investigate the relations between the significant trends. Furthermore, a method to detect the
implementation level of individual trends in active mines is introduced. The methodology was
able to identify a variety of digital trends and their relevance, such as “automation” and basic
technologies such as “big data”, “internet of things”, “artificial intelligence” and “machine
learning” which can be used as orientation points for future digital transformation processes.
1 INTRODUCTION
Looking at the last 200 years, steam engines, electricity or the use of computers represent
important technological inventions. Each technical achievement influenced the industrial
landscape for a certain period and led to strong industrial growth, but also to a high degree of
change. Today we are faced with such a technological development again. The so-called forthindustrial revolution, “digital transformation” or simply “Industry 4.0” plays an important
role in every business sector and will be a basis for the future industrial development. (Paul
2016) In contrast to the previous technical evolutions, a unique and clear core technology
is not discernible. Rather, it consists of a complex network of the most diverse approaches
and technologies. The complexity and inflationary use results in an ambiguity of the mentioned terms. (Bassi 2017; Chiarello et al. 2018) Future developments and trend analyses for
the mining industry were already been carried out in previous work, Stanway et al. (2015)
deals with the general direction and structure of innovative processes and trends in the mining industry and thus more with influencing factors that encourage the implementation of
trends (Boudreau-Trudel et al. 2015). Other work focuses on specific technologies, such as for
example new machinery in mobile open pit equipment section in Lumley (2012), Lumley et al.
(2012), the SX-EW method in copper processing in Ericsson (2012) or new filtering technologies presented by Palmer (2016). These trends are focusing more on mechanical developments
of new machinery and new basic processes. A discussion of digital technologies is mainly used
in direct relation to detailed existing processes, especially for the processing and beneficiation
industries. (Jämsä-Jounela 2007; Groenveld and Rozou 2016; Ofstie and Kargutkar 2015; van
Duin et al. 2013). However, an overview of all digital trends relevant to the mining industry
from reliable sources do not exists. Due to this, the research question was formulated as:
Which digital trends are currently relevant for the mining industry and how can they
be systematically captured?
This paper deals with the identification of current digital trends directly related to
the “Industry 4.0” discussion. In order to ensure a certain relevance of the trends and a