Our OpenDay field trip to IBM...

MineRP and IBM has worked closely together over the past two years to create business integration solutions for the global mining industry. MineRP, a South-African based mining software integrator, leads the world in spatial integration platforms in the mining industry, and has worked with IBM to create optimization and ERP integration solutions that are critical to an industry currently under pressure due to global demand and commodity price burdens. Given the tough mining climate, mines are obliged to develop feasible business alternatives addressing the areas of strategic business alternative development, and operational excellence focused around productivity and efficiency. The Open Day saw around 112 guests and partners (including MineRP, IBM, SAP and Sandvik, a global heavy equipment provider to the mining industry) gather at the IBM Sandton Client Center for a day of presentations centered around the latest developments pertaining to digitization in the mining industry. To this end, speakers were invited to showcase solutions and present strategies that would allow mines to create an integrated information management landscape capable of supporting both operational excellence requirements as well as short, medium and long-term business planning functions. IBM addressed the importance of innovation in an industry traditionally somewhat stagnant, and showcased its collaboration with academic institutions such as the WITS School of Mining in Johannesburg. MineRP as the host of the day, elucidated its approach to spatially integrating mining technical solutions, while Sandvik’s contribution was more related to integration of IoT devices and its application in the management of fleets and other heavy mining equipment. SAP and MineRP announced a global Co-Innovation Laboratory aimed at resolving the lack of integration that exits between the Technical and Commercial systems in use in the mining industry, and presented ground-breaking new solutions for overcoming this problem. The day was very well attended, and saw a broad spectrum of guests spanning mining technical professionals such as geologists and mining engineers to CIOs and other C-level executives from more than 38 companies represented. Feedback about the content, presentation and facilities were generally excellent, with tangible business opportunities already having been identified and being followed up.