In advancing its Innovation Strategy Roadmap, the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) is better able to formulate partnerships with strategic clients, which CSIR’s Future Production Mining executive cluster manager Sibongile Ntsoelengoe highlights is critical for demonstrating that the CSIR’s technologies are impactful.

She explains that this is because the CSIR’s strategy researches and considers industrial solutions, for sectors like mining, where the entity can support the industry’s revitalization and support business value drivers.

The strategy is key to the formulation of some of the key projects the CSIR showcased at this year’s Investing in African Mining Indaba, such as the CSIR’s trackless mobile machinery (TMM) digital twin – a data-driven solution to support or eliminate TMM-related transport injuries.

“The reason for our focus on transport-related incidents is that this is one of the top three contributors of fatality incidents in South Africa, and this is why we wanted to ensure that we develop these solutions to be able to support zero harm in the industry,” Ntsoelengoe says.

The second project that CSIR showcased at the event was the competency-based training project, which is aimed at rescaling mining workers using virtual reality, and other immersive technologies to ensure that they are able to respond in the case of an emergency.

“Looking at the mining industry globally and internationally, the adoption of technology has really accelerated in the past decade and it's important that we build relevant capabilities, the relevant skills, relevant systems, and infrastructure to ensure that we support modernization in mining. This is really to support zero harm, ensuring that there is safe, sustainable mining, through improving efficiencies and productivity and really driving down those production costs.”

This approach, Ntsoelengoe adds, also maximises use of resources, which are finite for the industry.

“Africa can really leverage from the development of relevant skills to ensure that we localize our solutions for sustainability. As the CSIR Future Production: Mining, we're really focusing on technologies to enhance mining extraction, digital and automation solutions, and environmental sustainability,” she concludes.