Advertorial: Hytera’s digital communications solution gives the mining industry a competitive edge

The Hytera 4G LTE Intelligent Communications Solution for Mining offers an integrated platform capable of supporting a wide range of audio, video, data and M2M/IoT applications suitable for surface, strip, open-pit and underground mining.

Global trends impacting the mining industry

The mining and metals industry faces a number of challenges including fluctuating demand for ores and metals, excess capacity, and increased competition from competing materials, leading to weaker prices. The most accessible high-quality deposits are already being exploited, forcing the industry to develop lower-quality ores in more remote regions.

Mining faces more stringent environmental and safety regulations and the requirement to engage more with local communities. The industry also suffers from an ageing workforce, but is finding it hard to recruit younger people with modern technological skills. All of these factors are driving up costs.

Development and value trends

To meet these challenges, mining companies must reduce operating costs and boost efficiency, productivity and safety if they are to achieve profitability. Increased digitalization of the industry is one way to do this.

Greater investment in automation, robotics, in-pit mobility solutions, data-centric analytics and the creation of a digitally enabled workforce is key. Digitally enabled hardware tools are being deployed to perform or improve activities that have traditionally been carried out manually or with human-controlled machinery.