SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES IN MINING INDUSTRIES: INTRODUCTION OF RECONFIGURABLE AND ADAPTABLE TECHNOLOGIES

摘要

There is a great pressure for mining industries to implement innovative mining machineries designs that will keep them competitive. Making large cuts and managing long term costs requires an introduction of reconfigurable adaptable technologies (RAT). Mining machineries are very vital in the mining industries for the beneficiation and exploitation of mineral particles into different sizes. Breakdown due to unforeseen contingencies has reduced the productivity of these machines thereby reducing the competitiveness, availability and reliability of these machines for the set production target made by the company. Also since human wants are insatiable according to economists, fluctuation in the mineral concentrates demands has been an inevitable scenario thus, reducing the efficiency of the mineral beneficiation industries. During the mineral concentrates demand peak, most of these industries do not have option than to purchase another beneficiation machine in order to meet up with this high demand. A thoroughly investigated solution called RAT mining machines that can cover the loop holes created by machine breakdown, ensure feasibility of company set monthly production target and can meet the quantity and quality of mineral concentrates needed by customers is proposed as a potential solution to address this turbulent conditions that the mining industries are facing. This paper presents possible future directions of reconfigurable mining and beneficiation machine concepts as applicable in mining industry. Different ways in which these potential reconfigurable mining and beneficiation can assist with exploitation and beneficiation of mineral particles were also discussed in this paper. Also, the opportunities, strength, weakness and threats in the mining equipment business were also discussed in order to evaluate the efficiency of producing RAT. In order to boost the development and application of these RAT, adequate capital (funds) should be made available for research and development in these industries and adequate skills and training should be provided to boost the technological competence of engineers designing, utilizing and managing the RAT.