The term ‘pit-to-port’ is a deceptively simple way to summarise the complexity and nuance of what mining and metals operations do.
Pit-to-port encompasses everything in the mining value chain – from exploration to mitigating the effects of orebody uncertainty to balancing safety with profitability and sustainability – and distils it to a few words. But, at the same time, it is not inaccurate.
Pit-to-port is core to what the industry does. The best mining and metals organisations are the ones that never lose sight of this fact and search for efficiencies where they can.
One emerging efficiency on which all players in the industry should look to capitalise is the increasing convergence of information technology (IT) and operations technology (OT).
In the past, these functions were siloed. OT systems like supervisory control and data acquisition were in one part of the business, while IT systems like enterprise resource planning and asset management sat in another.
This made sense when OT was deterministic and proprietary, with limited interoperability.
In today’s digital era, however, OT is increasingly moving towards open standards and can easily be integrated with IT functions.
Bringing IT and OT closer together can enable real-time data collection, contextualisation, sharing and analytics across the value chain and vertically.
It can also provide data collection and cleansing efficiencies to better enable operational reporting and data-based decision-making.
These gains are not in the hypothetical; our teams recently worked with a global miner to build new digital tools that could ingest operational data across sites, as well as simulation models that could easily be used to produce insights by trained teams.
While maintenance schedules previously took six weeks to put together, they can now be produced in under 24 hours.
This shows that IT–OT convergence is about more than technology. It requires transformation across both functions and the organisation’s entire technology delivery chain, from vision and strategy to deployment, security, operations and maintenance after go-live. This kind of integration is complex and prone to bottlenecking if not done systematically.
Here are five key considerations for mitigating risk through this process.
Build a unified foundation
IT–OT convergence is a project that must be built brick by brick, so it needs a strong foundation.
In this context, this means starting with a framework that brings the different types of technology together through investment in industrial Internet of Things (IoT) platforms or middleware, which can talk to both legacy equipment and modern cloud platforms.
Standardised protocols must be used to ensure the compatibility and longevity of the set-up, with a view to creating a single industrial data operations platform, enabling integrated and often real-time views of operations from mining equipment performance to supply chain data, without difficult handoffs. Old systems do not have to be replaced, but they do need to work together with new systems in a way that is fit-for-purpose.
Embed cybersecurity from the ground up
The end goal of IT–OT convergence is hyper-connectivity from pit to port – and that brings challenges from a cybersecurity perspective.
Without the right controls, a bad actor who has accessed one part of the digital architecture can run amok throughout the entire system. These risks are heightened by the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) by cyber criminals, who are using the technology to scale attacks across different channels, targeting people and processes in equal measures.
In this new paradigm, it is important to fight fire with fire: AI-driven threat detection can catch anomalies quickly and identify suspicious patterns humans might miss. Meanwhile, regular stress-testing and compliance with best-practice standards can help keep risks in check. Cybersecurity training courses should be necessary for most staff, featuring real-world case studies over static modules to ensure employees are on the bleeding edge of threat awareness and detection.
Overall, a zero-trust approach must be taken – verify everything and assume nothing across networks, devices and users. OT and IT systems must be segmented where possible, with critical data backed up offline.
Leverage data with purpose
Sensor and process data can sometimes feel like an overwhelming flood of information. But by curating what matters and removing the unnecessary data, that sense of overload can be avoided.
Deploying edge computing to process time-sensitive information on-site can be combined with funnelling larger data sets to the cloud, where AI-enabled modelling and advanced analytics can be used to quickly sort and categorise information. Resources should be directed towards use cases with a clear value proposition, such as tasks that reduce energy wastage or boost safety, to avoid diminishing returns.
Empower the workforce
An organisation’s people are the make-or-break factor in IT–OT integration. This is why it is essential to invest in training programs that bridge the divide between the two functions.
For example, operators need to know how to use digital dashboards while IT personnel need to be familiarised with mining and metals processes and technologies. Digital twins or augmented reality tools can help workers simulate scenarios or troubleshoot in a risk-free environment. In addition, championing a culture that rewards early adopters and innovation can incentivise staff to experiment, upskill and develop improvements independently.
Plan for scalable, sustainable growth
When it comes to smart operations, it is best to start small and dream big. Begin by piloting smart operations at individual sites but design it so it can be scaled across the organisation’s portfolio without duplicating efforts. Capital expenditures should be balanced with phased rollouts so costs are kept under control, and return on investment should be tracked so each step taken can be financially justified.
The convergence of IT and OT is an important forward step for the mining and metals sector, and one that will help ensure pit to port is done well. Every organisation needs to embrace this shift, but as different organisations have different levels of maturity and requirements, each will have to run their own race. But by thinking about these changes in a structured way, they can tackle the challenge to ensure they deliver maximum value.
By Nicki Ivory, Deloitte Australia national mining and metals leader, and Steve Dyson, Deloitte Australia global smart mining operations leader.
This article appeared in the Spring edition of Mining Magazine.
