Implementation of industry 4.0 technologies in the mining industry – A case study

In modern mining, it is imperative to have real-time flow of information between enterprise level and shop floor systems. The gaps that exist between these spheres make it difficult for managers to have timely information for optimum decision making. A mining company needs instantaneous visibility on production, quality, cycle times, machine status, and other important operational variables to achieve optimum and effective operations. With the implementation of Industry 4.0 technologies at a mine, the integration of fragmented shop floor and enterprise level systems enables seamless communication in delivering optimum operations. This research demonstrates Industry 4.0 technologies as the mechanisms for integrating business systems, manufacturing systems and processes. The Industry 4.0 methods researched are deployed using software development lifecycle (SDLC) process at a mining company to integrate systems such as manufacturing, plant, business partners’, and SAP ERP. The results introduce a semi-smart mine with real-time visibility of the overall mining status.