Automation is not new to mining, but it is generally more basic in mines than in other industries and is often limited to simple control of motors, equipment or certain parts of processes. Further, mines tend to have a large number of independent pieces of equipment and systems from different suppliers. Each of these “islands of automation” can have own data, formats and interfaces, and operators must scrutinize a multitude of conceptually disconnected screens in order to coordinate different parts of the process. The electrical systems that provide the power for industrial processes have also tended to exist in their own world.
These days, it’s recognized that mines and processing plants need integrated process control systems that can improve plant-wide efficiency and productivity. No matter how important the electrical side is, it’s still just another factor in the production process, and optimization algorithms can handle it along with all the other raw materials so as to get the most output from the least input.
Whether you are building a greenfield plant, extending or modernizing an existing plant, ABB provides tailored automation solutions that use real-time data – enabling constant monitoring and analysis of your processes combined with improved asset availability.
ABB is uniquely positioned to bring together industrial enterprise software spanning process control, production management, operational planning and optimization, work and asset management and backoffice corporate functions – from the most remote locations to corporate headquarters.