The combination of human interactivity and technology can play a crucial role in supporting and securing operational excellence, says Swedish mining gear and metal-cutting tool maker Sandvik digital business development, crushing and screening division head Petra Sundstrom.

She explains that operators use the tools they are most comfortable with, and as consumers, everyone has likely already had first-hand experience of how technology has massively impacted on their daily lives.

However, for quarries and mining operations, applications (apps) have not been as forthcoming and user-friendly or user-focused as entertainment and communication apps, she laments, noting that mining-related apps are “all about the data and little else”.

Most of the apps currently in use in the mining industry only focus on getting basic information, she says, noting that “there is so much more that can be done” to support employers and employees in becoming even more efficient at work.

It is for this reason that Sundstrom suggests apps for the mining and quarrying industries need “to be more engaging”.

“There is a space for smart, mobile, easy-to-use software that focuses on an operation and in real time, when it matters,” she says, encouraging the use of software that is “dynamic, engaging and collaborative and adds real value to those in operational roles”.

While a truly mobile, transparent and user-friendly solution in the palm of an operator’s hand is desirable, Sundstrom stresses one of the key challenges in this area is keeping track of communication and information across all the different tools and channels at an operation’s disposal.

“This is not to say that using an app like WhatsApp in a work context is wrong, but when it’s not connected with centralised communication or analytics tools, it is considered lost data,” she states.

Missing or lost data makes it harder for operations and operators to have a clear picture of what is happening on site at a plant and is “actually hindering a transparent and effortless workflow” for operators.

Consequently, Sundstrom calls for software in the mining and construction business to “live up to the same high standards as the software used on personal devices”.

Further, considering that partnership and customer feedback are vital to how Sandvik operates as a company, it has found – through numerous meetings with operational personnel – that features like ease-of-use, intelligent predictions, analytics and collaborative communications are the most valued.

“In other words, software that is fun, engaging and supports a structured and transparent way of working,” Sundstrom says.

This collaborative approach between human interactivity and technology when making the digital shift could potentially reach all the way into the research and development process, she says, and create better, more reliable and stronger equipment.