What Makes Autonomy Great?
Autonomous mining is no easy transition for a mining company and should not be attempted by the faint of heart. There are a few benefits that autonomous mining can bring to the table without requiring large changes or adjustments to normal operations. However, there are also aspects of autonomous mining that will be difficult, time-consuming, and frustrating to achieve. Despite these challenges, there is one standout ingredient required to tie it all together.
Let's take a brief look at this new mode of mining operation and understand some lessons that can be learned to foster the key ingredients.
Autonomous mining is inherently safer than conventional mining, simply because there is no operator in the cabin of the large haul truck. In the Australian autonomous mining experience, automation has contributed to a commendable reduction in mine worker deaths over the last decade or more. By removing operators from potentially dangerous situations, numerous scenarios that were previously risky operating tasks are now greatly reduced or eliminated.
These hugely beneficial improvements to mine workers' and their families' lives are almost guaranteed the minute a mine begins operating autonomously. Of course, safety and autonomy should never be taken for granted; they need to be at the forefront of every mining operation's daily routine. However, most of these safety improvements that come with autonomy are hard-wired engineering controls that work and have redundant fail-safe mechanisms as backups.
Now let's look at the more difficult areas of autonomous mining that will require hard work, leadership, skills, and knowledge to achieve. Without a doubt, the biggest and most important component to achieving high-performing autonomous mining operations is THE PEOPLE! Without the correct people in the right places, surrounded by the right workplace culture, achieving a high-performing autonomous mining operation will just be another point on the action list after the meeting.
Having leaders who are hungry for success, know their people's strengths and weaknesses, and know how to get the best out of their team on a shift-by-shift level is crucial. Building a culture that is not only conducive to achieving and learning but also competitive in building on previous accomplishments and passing that knowledge and culture on to the next generation of miners is essential.
One of Absolute Autonomous's three pillars of AHS success is culture, and it is for a very good reason. Without it, your autonomous operation will always be missing that certain something to tie things together. When you spend time at a high-achieving AHS mining operation, you can notice the difference in culture. You can feel it at the ground level, sense it through conversations, see it play out in meetings, and hear it over two-way radio communications. You pick it up while talking to shovel operators, central controllers, pit personnel, and even the way maintenance and support staff operate in the pit.
At Absolute Autonomous, we know what good autonomous mine site culture looks and feels like. We have ample experience and many techniques we use to build a good understanding of onsite culture and create a high-achieving culture with succession planning to maintain ongoing performance.
Without a doubt, the people involved in the day-to-day operations of your autonomous haul fleet will be the ones to extract the potential you are dreaming of. With our guidance and experience, we can build them up to the required level faster, thus reducing the learning curve.
