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The right starting point depends on the equipment, process and priorities at each site.

These are possible starting points, not a standard specification for every mine. Teams should select an area where they can define the problem and assess the result.

A project may bring together information from sensors, control systems, fleet tools and maintenance records. Before connecting systems, teams should establish what is measured, where the data comes from, how current it needs to be and who will act on it.

For a related example of automation in another production sector, see industrial automation in automotive manufacturing.

Mines may use equipment from different manufacturers and of different ages. Before selecting a system, check available interfaces, data quality, connectivity, safety and security requirements. A limited pilot can help establish whether the data is usable before connecting more equipment.

For related information on automation and equipment integration, see machine building solutions.

Teams can use equipment and production data to review downtime, compare production against plan and identify changes that may need investigation. Condition data may inform maintenance planning, but an alert is not a guarantee that a failure can be predicted. Staff still need to assess the equipment and decide what action to take.

Start with the operational problem, then assess data availability, integration, security, responsibilities and the measures that will indicate progress. A pilot should have a defined baseline and a clear decision about what happens if the results are useful.

The four pillars of machine building provide a machine-builder perspective on considerations such as cost and risk. It is not a mining-specific framework.

The GCCA 2025/26 progress report reports a 25% reduction in CO₂ intensity per tonne of cementitious material since 1990. This is a cement-sector result, not a mining benchmark. Similarly, the attached cement-industry study discusses efficiency measures for auxiliary equipment in Italian cement plants. These sources provide adjacent heavy-industry context, not evidence of outcomes in mines.

Set a baseline, then track measures linked to the project’s purpose, such as downtime, production variability or energy use. Compare like with like and note other operating changes that may affect the results. A change in a metric alone does not establish that digitalisation caused it.

Source:
GCCA, Cement and Concrete Industry Net Zero Action and Progress Report 2025/26
Cantini et al. (2021), “Technological Energy Efficiency Improvements in Cement Industries”, Sustainability, 13(7), 3810