27 September 2024: As the mining industry faces increasing pressure to enhance efficiency, safety and sustainability, the adoption of advanced digital technologies is no longer optional \u2013 it’s imperative. <\/p>\n
Speaking at the recent SMART Mining Security Conference, held in Johannesburg, Iritron head of department sales and business development Neels van der Walt highlighted that through the adoption of smart mining tools and supply chain digitisation, companies will be able to undertake asset condition monitoring, anomaly detection and failure prediction thus protecting the longevity of assets, and thereby enhancing their efficiency.<\/p>\n
\u201cEnabling real-time asset monitoring is expensive, which has slowed the adoption of these solutions. However, if companies leverage the power of Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) technologies, they can proactively monitor the condition of their valuable assets, even in remote areas,\u201d he noted.<\/p>\n
There are multiple benefits of online condition-based monitoring by leveraging IIOT technology. \u201cIn our experience, we have seen the prediction of equipment failure, which has led to avoiding unplanned breakdowns and downtime.\u201d<\/p>\n
Van der Walt added that this also enables longer service intervals by moving from time-based to usage-based scheduled maintenance, while companies can also save energy by monitoring equipment health, including power consumption and detecting power consumption anomalies.<\/p>\n
One tool that is driving digital supply chain transformation is \u2018Message Queuing Telemetry Transport\u2019 (MQTT), a lightweight, secure messaging protocol that is changing how mining operations manage data and communications across their value chains.<\/p>\n
One of the standout features of MQTT, Van der Walt highlighted, is its ability to handle vast amounts of data efficiently. \u201cMQTT was designed for low-bandwidth and high latency networks allowing a single server to process and transmit one million messages in a second with a millisecond level of latency.\u201d<\/p>\n
At the centre of the solution is an industrial information platform that can receive data from multiple remote edge instances, making it available to multiple applications and users. \u201cThis capability is crucial for mining operations that rely on timely data for monitoring equipment health, optimising processes, and ensuring safety,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n
Expanding on the safety aspects, Van der Walt noted that an MQTT system offers robust security features that protect sensitive operational data. \u201cWe have seen some instances this year where cybersecurity threats have interrupted operations. Sibanye-Stillwater was under pressure in July when a cyberattack impacted its global IT systems, delaying its interim results by two weeks.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnother large outage that caught our attention was the CrowdStrike IT outage, also in July,\u201d he said, adding that MQTT does not have any open inbound ports that are required on the plant side if the requirement is to only publish data.<\/p>\n
Also reducing vulnerability to external attacks, is the fact that MQTT has multiple edge instances connecting to single or multiple brokers allowing for zoning, segregation and secure conduits based on IEC 62443 standards architecture.<\/p>\n
\u201cLastly, all transmitted data is encrypted, with user and password authentication being a requirement. It\u2019s no surprise then that we are seeing more and more software Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) enabling MQTT on their technology, and that the usage is expanding rapidly in the industry.<\/p>\n
\u201cEmbracing technologies like MQTT will be essential for staying competitive in a rapidly evolving landscape,\u201d Van der Walt concluded.<\/p>\n
ENDS<\/p>\n
About Iritron
\nIritron is a Level 2, B-BBEE empowered engineering, integration and manufacturing company providing solutions in the fields of electrical, instrumentation, control systems and decision support systems. We have extensive local and international engineering expertise and a proven track record across various industries.<\/p>\n
Media Contact:
\nCharles Poulter
\nAccount Director | SWM Communications
\nContact: 076 812 8429
\nEmail: charles@swmcommunications.co.za<\/p>\n
Company Contact:
\nNeels Van Der Walt
\nSenior Business Development Manager | Iritron
\nContact: 0833877559
\nEmail: neels.vanderwalt@iritron.co.za<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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