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Autonomous mining the way forward to overcome the challenges poised by the pandemic

The buzzword is that The Coronavirus Is Here to Stay. No one knows for sure how long lockdowns and social distancing will have to last to reduce the spread of the virus to near zero so that the life can be as healthy as it was before the onset of covid 19. The most frequently asked question is, how soon will it all be over. One thing is for sure the world has to learn to live with it.

The mining sector is poised to play a critical role in the revival of the economy and will form the cornerstone of efforts to hit the reset button.

Off late, the mining sector that is seeing consistent growth, before COVID-19 put the world on hold. Despite the adverse situation, the industry has multiple pathways to a resilient outcome. The most likely scenario is that the industry will rapidly move towards autonomous mining; in some ways, the COVID-19 epidemic acts as a catalyst and would further accelerate an automated future in mining that’s already on its way.

Here is where REL is fully geared up to deliver its clients’ automation-ready offerings of Blasthole Drills of 6″, 8″, 10″, 12-1/4″ and 15″ diameter class from its stable, with their potential strategic partner FLANDERS ELECTRIC. The offerings are not only available for big existing intelligent mine, but also for medium size mines and progressive contractors who want to provide a different level of service to their customer, by assisting them in deploying leading-edge technology intelligent system to incorporate autonomous drills into their operation, to deliver step-change in safety and productivity.

Equally important, the REL automation-ready offerings would greatly help in overcoming physical distancing challenges posed by COVID-19 for mines seeking to optimize drill result in a tight labour market, where mine operators and contractors want predictable performance and positive solution to driller turnover.

The automation and remote monitoring functions provide real-time drill result data that can be used to improve the blasting and fragmentation.

The ongoing pandemic will create more stress in the times to come particularly in the mining. Thus, it would be prudent to hasten the automation process.