Innovation and technology
A Group-wide Innovation and Technology (I&T) strategy supported by a five-year implementation plan has been launched, aimed at positively impacting health and safety, social licence to operate plus cash margin and will support growing Mineral Reserves and the life of the assets. This will be achieved through reducing discovery costs, improving cycle time from discovery to development handover and driving operating efficiency and productivity. It is hoped that future I&T initiatives will assist in protecting the ore bodies through cut-off grade management, which is integral to leveraging resource to reserve conversion.
2018 is an important year for I&T and will focus on the embedment of Horizon 1 projects. Since mid-2017 the regions have embarked on the definition of their technology and innovation projects for full-scale execution in 2018. The following are seen as major group project objectives for 2018:
- Start to upgrade information and operational technology networks, to ensure systems will enable digital mining and be future proofed for automation
- Continued execution of modernisation I&T programmes approved in 2017
- Mine of the Future Hearts and Minds programme
- Complete key modernisation phase by the end of 2019