EY published research in an article titled “Top 10 risks and opportunities for mining and metals companies in 2025”. The 10 risks include:
- Capital
- Environmental stewardship
- Geopolitics
- Resource/reserve depletion
- License to operate
- Rising costs and productivity
- Climate change
- New projects
- Changing business models
- Innovation
Automation plays a role in several of these risks, including rising costs and productivity, climate change, new projects, changing business models, and innovation. The research found that labor and energy were drivers of rising costs and productivity.
Workforce expenses are exacerbated by skills shortages, impacting productivity and potentially elevating safety risks, as less qualified people take on roles.
An Emerson e-book, “Unlocking Safer, Smarter & Sustainable Mining,” shares ways automation plays an essential role in mitigating these risks. Architecting the intelligent field with edge analytics and cloud-based optimization applications enables management, connectivity, and delivery of operational technology (OT) and information technology (IT) data across the mining enterprise for informed decision-making.
Contextual data helps to reduce dangerous mining conditions. Some examples include tailings monitoring and hazardous gas, oxygen & dust monitoring. Emerson Dams Monitoring system is a complete, autonomous, cable-free system that measures underground water levels and pressure at dam walls, providing real-time data directly to the control room to notify when conditions start to change and enable timely action. Visit the Mine Tailings & Waste section for more information on these monitoring capabilities.
Emerson’s wireless gas detectors enable you to take control over the ventilation conditions in underground mines. As a result, operators can guarantee that the atmosphere is safe for workers.
Miners must balance rising costs with production optimization, environmental impact, and personnel risk mitigation. Prescriptive maintenance improves asset fleet uptime and reduces overall downtime. Emerson AMS asset monitoring and health analysis solutions, and AspenTech Mtell AI-powered prescriptive & predictive asset performance management applications, work with your mining operations and maintenance teams to enhance the performance of your critical mining mobile assets. Real-time process insights enable tighter control, resulting in improved production and performance, and more secure, sustainable operations.
Download the e-book for more ways on how to drive safer, more efficient, and more sustainable mining operations. Visit the Mining, Minerals & Metals section on Emerson.com to learn more about a host of technologies and applications to address the risks in your operations.
