South Africa's mining industry expert's opinion on technology implementation steps

Abstract

SA's mining industry is moving towards implementing Industry 4.0 technology. As a developing country, circumstances surrounding the implementation of this technology need to account for the unique circumstances of developing countries. While also learning relevant lessons from developed countries. Considerations required for developing countries are how the move to Industry 4.0 technology will affect people, including addressing workers' concerns and the broad communities the mines affect. Concerns include job security, worker safety and the environmental impact of mining. This study used a survey to solicit responses from SA's mining industry experts on a technology implementation roadmap. SA's mining industry was the basis for the roadmap development. The survey measured the experts' satisfaction levels with the roadmap. Results reinforced inclusions on the roadmap that experts agree with. While also shedding light on topics the experts disagreed with. Experts also provided additional areas the roadmap needed to cover.