Critical Technologies for Process Optimization and Control

While the cost of machinery used in mining has been increasing—especially for metals and coal producers facing thin or negative profit margins—the cost of information has been falling, creating opportunities to use IT to optimize the use of mining equipment and boost returns on investment. Accordingly, observed one participant, technologies to monitor and optimize mining operations are making “huge strides right now.” An equipment-supplier representative asserted that electronics constituted the most important developments in the machinery his firm produced, affecting “how you run it, control it, monitor it, and utilize it.”