The relationship between human factors and technology adoption at Sishen Mine

Abstract

Mining of raw materials and minerals started centuries ago in South Africa. Mining methods, then, were very primitive and labour-intensive with the use of slaves in some instances. With industrial revolution came the development of other industries and supply chain process between industries which gave rise to human civilization and improvement of people’s livelihoods. The mining industry progressed as an adopter of technology with operations moving from mechanisation to digitisation. People however remained an integral part of the industry and in the case of South Africa, that is going to be the case for the foreseeable future. South Africa has a high unemployment rate and the mining industry employs approximately half a million people and Sishen Mine employs about 10 000 people. Given the role of mining in the country, it is important that adoption of technology and digital revolution take into consideration human factors in order to be successful. Some of the challenges the mining industry is faced with that requires the adoption of technology, include safety of employees, depleting orebodies and declining commodity qualities, rising input costs, supply chain constraints and macro-economic factors such as competitive commodity markets. To address some of these challenges, the mining industry is adopting technology and there has been significant benefits realised in the safety of mines. Sishen Mine strives towards zero harm and achievement of hundred percent overall equipment efficiency in order to remain sustainable. With technology, there has been some progress in reducing fatalities but there are still significant safety incidents taking place even in areas where technology was implemented to prevent such incidents. The aim of this research was to investigate the impact of human factors on the adoption of technology at Sishen Mine. The objectives of the research were to identify benefits and challenges to adoption of technology and investigate factors that support and/or hinder technology adoption. Another objective was to establish the gaps in the implementation of technology in consideration of the impact human factors have on adoption of technology. Literature studies on mining technology, human factors and how they affect adoption of technology was conducted and found that human factors play a crucial role in the success of technology adoption. Several technologies employed at Sishen Mine were studied and their OEMs interviewed to share the benefits of these technologies and how they performed at Sishen Mine. Mine employees were also interviewed to share their personal experiences of technology in their work. It was found that human factors do have an impact on technology adoption. Key findings were that the benefits of technology were fairly understood and some of the challenges to adoption of technology at Sishen Mine related to human factors. The results showed that there were gaps in the capability of the technologies under study and the benefits realised in Sishen Mine. Some of the gaps included lack of understanding of how the technology worked and inadequate buy-in from end-users due to fear of job losses and inadequate engagement of all stakeholders. It is recommended that human factors are considered during technology implementation for successful technology adoption. This must be supported by adopting the design thinking approach to problem-solving wherein all stakeholders will be engaged on the technology solution before it is implemented. This will drive buy-in and address the human factors that may hinder the adoption of technology. Another recommendation is that a thorough management of change process be employed to cover technology implementation and adoption from the start of the process to the support provided by OEMs post installation, in order to ensure full adoption and integration into the operating model.