METS Ignited is an Australian industry-led organisation that aims to help Mining, Equipment, Technology and Services (METS) companies connect with the industry, and grow. Elizabeth Fabri spoke with METS Ignited chief executive Ian Dover about what the team had been up to in its recent Accelerator programs, and advice for companies looking to adopt new technologies across their business.
Q: Take us through your recent Accelerator programs across Australia, and how impactful they have been for industry?
We began with the Igniting METS Accelerator pilot in late 2017. Igniting METS was an Australian-first joint initiative between METS Ignited and the QLD Government to assist Mining, Equipment, Technology and Services (METS) companies. The accelerator sought to bring SMEs with innovation to be scaled together with leading resources sector corporates focussed on innovative solutions, to drive greater industry collaboration and commercialisation outcomes for METS SMEs.
From an applicant field of 47 SMEs and start-ups, we used an industry panel to select the final cohort of eight SMEs with recent innovations. Five of the eight SMEs were from outside the metro area, confirming the importance of our METS accelerator reaching into the regions. Within eight months of completing the accelerator, there was more than $12 million in new contracts or investment signed. This was sufficiently successful to warrant a second major accelerator, RISE, this time in Perth as well as in Brisbane. RISE is an accelerator program for scale-ups with solutions in both the mining and energy resources sectors. Further, we have been piloting a series of regional pre and mini accelerators to help flush out the promising innovations from the regions.
Q: In late 2018, three Australian companies participated in the METStech Passport program in Chile. How did this go?
The METStech Passport program was the first of its kind between Australia and Chile. Three Australian companies – Conveyor Products and Services, Minnovare and Matrix Materials – took part in a two-week exchange in Chile, meeting with industry and government to discuss opportunities for expansion.
It was very successful, with the exchange program providing the Australian companies with direct exposure to the mining industry in Chile and resulting in new contracts.
Q: What are some of the exciting new technologies you are seeing being developed/entering commercialisation in Australia?
New technologies and innovations are coming from across the mining value chain. There is a wide range of productivity technologies emerging such as optimisation, integration of information to help make better decisions faster, removal of paperwork, Artificial Intelligence and machine learning to improve the control of complex processes.
For example, Resolution Systems from South Australia is collaborating with Petra Data Science from QLD to deliver large uplifts in haul truck productivity and is now extending those improvements into load and haul optimisation combined with mine to mill data integration. Resolution is in a unique position with its MaxMine platform with an unprecedented load and haul deep data set and a purpose built AI platform to analyse it. MaxMine has been able to answer questions and identify issues never before addressed. Insights provided have identified the value of a digital twin. Petra Data Science is developing this digital twin, which will integrate mine load and haul optimisation with mine to mill optimisation, thus delivering substantial productivity gains across the mining and processing value chain.
Imdex and Orica are working on a collaborative project to characterise blast holes while they are being drilled. This will help define automated spatial domains of the physical properties and fracturing inferred from the drilling data. These spatial domains will then be supplied to blasting systems, which will create complex blast profiles and drill designs to achieve optimised particle size distribution, noise, dust and fly rock minimisation and heave. This will result in more efficient and productive blasting enabling greater yields and productivity from the mining process.
Both of these projects are being supported jointly by the mining industry and METS Ignited through the Collaborative Project Funds program.
Q: What advice would you give to mining companies that may feel overwhelmed when looking at the all the technologies out there?
When considering integrating innovation, companies should consider the following:
- Where in our operations will investment deliver the greatest overall improvement in performance outcomes? It is advisable to run the models and direct 80 per cent of your innovation investment there.
- Don’t forget that there may be a huge positive impact on environmental and social licence for the company… it is probably not all just about productivity. How do you value this in your business cases?
- What are the optional technologies or business models that will impact this/these specific parts of the operation? A company should gather this information before deciding what to invest in.
- Look around at what other similar, or even dissimilar, miners are doing with their innovation investments.
- Engage in some workshops with innovative SMEs to provide them with one of your intractable challenges… work out how they think about solving your problems because they may have some really enlightened insights.
Q: What are the biggest challenges facing the METS sector?
Among the challenges facing the METS sector are a lack of capabilities around ensuring sustainable success in the export markets and the integration of digital technologies in their products, services and operations. The Australian METS sector is a $90 billion industry with world-leading technology, however, many Australian SMEs are unaware they are part of this large and diverse sector. Greater awareness and cohesion in the sector will lead to greater outcomes for the individual companies.
Q: Tell us what METS Ignited has planned for the coming year?
METS Ignited is focussed on supporting the METS sector to further develop and grow. We are concentrating on a few key initiatives covering analytics automation and robotics; raising the amount of money the mining and METS sector put to industry-guided research; facilitating further collaboration between miners, METS and researchers to develop solutions to the existing massive problems; and reaching out to a larger number of METS companies with our education and skills development initiatives.
Q: Final thoughts?
Perhaps the most pressing challenge for Australian mining and METS sectors right now is where we will find young people to take the industry into the digital age. Australia’s youth has left the sector over the past few years so we need to work out how to make the industry attractive to our youth again.
