CSIRO has released a technology roadmap to underpin growth in Australia’s $90 billion mining equipment, technology and services (METS) sector, urging companies to take action to unlock five key opportunities.
The roadmap highlights the vital role that the METS sector will play in the nation’s innovation to drive change to meet future global mining challenges and metal supplies.
“METS is an important Australian sector and a global leader, but it can’t rely on past successes in a rapidly changing global landscape,” says CSIRO Chief Executive Dr Larry Marshall.
“The sector must continue to innovate and take advantage of enabling technologies and new business models which are causing disruption across industries.”
The roadmap, developed in collaboration with the METS Ignited Industry Growth Centre, as well as government, industry and researchers, identified five key growth opportunities to support the continued success of the METS sector:
- Data driven mining decisions
- Social and environmental sustainability
- Exploration under cover
- Advanced extraction
- Mining automation and robotics.
Underpinning the success of each of these opportunities is a raft of new technology developments, as well as critical changes to people, skills, culture, collaboration, processes and business models.
CSIRO is working with mining companies, METS Ignited and Austmine to develop and accelerate the commercialisation of new advanced technologies, and CSIRO Mineral Resources Director Jonathan Law said collaboration would be crucial to success.
“Mining productivity is increasingly dependent on integrating specialist technologies such as real-time sensors, mineral analysers and complex data, and the METS sector is vital in shaping mining’s future,” Mr Law said.
“Innovation is providing METS companies with competitive export opportunities, while delivering benefits to Australia’s mining industry and the nation’s economy.”
The publication is the third in a series of CSIRO Futures roadmaps which are aligned to Federal Government Industry Growth Centres. CSIRO has also collaborated with METS Ignited on the METS Sector Competitiveness Plan, a complementary piece of work that outlines the strategic foundations for success over the next decade.
“This roadmap is a great example of Strategy 2020’s Customer First work, which aligns our science to Australia’s needs,” Dr Marshall said. “In a sense we use science to anticipate the future and help us navigate to a better outcome.”