The new Technology Availability Readiness Atlas (TARA) aims to showcase the best of South Africa’s mining manufacturing and services talent in a central online database pioneered by the Mandela Mining Precinct in collaboration with the Mining Equipment Manufacturers of South Africa (MEMSA).

The online platform, which will bring together local original-equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and mining houses, plans to capture commercially available or under-development offerings for the mining industry, while enabling stakeholders to keep abreast of local capabilities and offerings.

TARA aims to bolster awareness of locally developed and manufactured products and services, which will enable mining companies to more easily adopt the local provision of the Mining Charter III as it makes the purchase of local mining equipment more seamless.

“The intent was always to provide a platform for local manufacturers to display their goods and provide an easy search platform for the industry’s procurement players looking for locally produced goods,” MEMSA CEO Ossie Carstens says.

“When the Mandela Mining Precinct started the project, it was to develop a digest or reference book for the procurement manager, the engineer or the mine manager of a mine to access a library of locally produced goods,” he tells Engineering News & Mining Weekly, noting that the ambition ties in strongly with MEMSA’s local focus.

MEMSA member OEMs can independently upload their equipment data, technical specifications and images.

Search Function

The filter search system is currently focused on stoping and development cycle activities related to drilling, blasting, cleaning and supporting; however, this will expand as the platform grows. A flexible keyword search function provides another way to access the database and more types of equipment.

Future iterations of the platform will include shaft-sinking and technical services, as well as expanding the product and service offerings to include local real-time information management system (RTIMS) solutions, such as underground network communications, cyberphysical systems, software and systems integration options, artificial intelligence (AI), edge computing solutions and positioning and tracking systems, explains Mandela Mining Precinct RTIMS research programme manager Jean-Jacques Verhaeghe.

As the Fourth Industrial Revolution progresses, the platform will start to include software integrators, as they are increasingly becoming a critical component of the modern use of machinery.

AI will become intrinsic to the use of machinery, with buyers seeking solutions to optimise operations, improve safety and boost productivity in an ever-digital world.

TARA will also provide researchers with ‘information catalogues’ about available equipment, products and services.

“[With the platform’s] technology readiness level indicator, there is also an opportunity for manufacturers to put their [concepts and] ideas on TARA,” Carstens says, noting that this will enable potential buyers and researchers to plan for future technologies, follow a development through to commercialisation and open collaboration opportunities for joint projects.