2 E&MJ; • FEBRUARY 2018
FROM THE EDITOR
The Fourth Industrial Revolution is knocking on the min-
ing industry's door. Today's engineers are laying the foun-
dation for delivering tomorrow's natural resources. It's an
incredible responsibility that affects many people and it
must be managed professionally and ethically. The com-
panies that are prepared will prosper fi nancially and they
will be rewarded with respect and social acceptance.
World leaders gathered in Davos, Switzerland, during
January for the World Economic Forum. Aside from the
political propaganda, several sessions discussed global-
ization, the increasing use of technology and the connected world. While it's
obvious few of these economists have ever set foot in a mine, their concerns
could easily be applied to our industry. One of the refrains, globalization and
technology advances have failed the working class, can explain much of the
political tumult today. Those who despise this globally connected economy see
multinational companies as villains sourcing the lowest-cost resources, taking
advantage of labor, and plundering with little regard for the environment.
The engineers embracing technology as exceptionally effi cient see it differ-
ently. They see autonomous production systems that operate more safely with
lower costs. The companies that benefi t from these advances in technology need
to continuously retool and retrain their workforce to maintain their edge. Un-
derground operators witnessed this transformation when mines began running
LHDs remotely 20 years ago, and now open-pit mines are operating entire fl eets
of haul trucks without drivers. Rather than losing that talent pool as this transi-
tion evolves, the workforce should be retrained and redeployed. Miners can learn
and adapt quickly.
Too many companies fail to explain their long-term goals. The mines and
mills that are commissioned today may operate for generations. They are most
likely situated in a remote location with a limited amount of human resources.
It's incumbent upon mining companies to create employment opportunities and
train their workforce to be the miners of the future. This should be a transparent
process and they should promote it. Otherwise, a company risks being branded
socially as uncompassionate.
A company's brand and its message are incredibly important. Innovation
will attract investment, which will allow further implementation of technology.
This in turn will attract young, clever minds as well as experienced leaders,
sustaining the company's ability to prepare for the next wave, such as artifi cial
intelligence and augmented reality, or whatever the future may hold.
All of this works together. For workers to believe that technology will play a
positive role in their future, they need to be included in discussions surrounding
the Internet of Things, Big Data and autonomy. It takes time and effort to build
a brand. When problems occur, the mining company will not only be judged
by how it reacted, but how well its supporters defend it. People can overthrow
governments and they can certainly make or break a mining company.
Building for the Future
The Fourth Industrial Revolution is knocking on the min-
ing industry's door. Today's engineers are laying the foun-
dation for delivering tomorrow's natural resources. It's an
incredible responsibility that affects many people and it
must be managed professionally and ethically. The com-
panies that are prepared will prosper fi nancially and they
will be rewarded with respect and social acceptance.
World leaders gathered in Davos, Switzerland, during
Steve Fiscor
Publisher & Editor-in-Chief
Steve Fiscor, Publisher & Editor-in-Chief
sfi scor@mining-media.com
Mining Media International, Inc.
11655 Central Parkway, Suite 306; Jacksonville, Florida 32224 USA
Phone: +1.904.721.2925 / Fax: +1.904.721.2930
Editorial
Publisher & Editor-In-Chief—Steve Fiscor, sfi scor@mining-media.com
Associate Editor—Jennifer Jensen, jjensen@mining-media.com
Technical Writer—Jesse Morton, jmorton@mining-media.com
Contributing Editor—Russ Carter, rcarter@mining-media.com
European Editor—Simon Walker, simon.emj@btinternet.com
Latin American Editor—Oscar Martinez, omartinez@mining-media.com
South African Editor—Gavin du Venage, gavinduvenage@gmail.com
Graphic Designer—Tad Seabrook, tseabrook@mining-media.com
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info@strasmann-media.de
Japan Sales—Masao Ishiguro, ma.ishiguro@w9.dion.ne.jp
Production Manager—Dan Fitts, dfi tts@mining-media.com
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