New Research

Summary

This IDC Perspective is the first research article in a publication series related to current discussions on sustainability and explains the ins and outs of the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) and the current decarbonizing progress. It explores the role of technologies in tackling climate change and how it can empower oil and gas, utilities, manufacturing, and the metals and mining industries to thrive in the tectonic shift.

Summary

IDC's latest Quarterly Mining Innovation Update continues to explore the latest developments in the mining industry and covers technology developments, examples of excellence, mergers/acquisitions/partnerships of note, and sustainability initiatives.

"This IDC quarterly update covers major developments and partnerships as mining companies look to adopt new technology innovations, sustainable solutions, drive operational excellence through technologically advanced digital transformation projects and more," says Rakesh Patni, associate research director, IDC's Energy Insights.

Summary

Mining companies face challenges, such as outdated infrastructure, data management, cybersecurity, and lack of digital skills, that require careful planning, investment, and collaboration with stakeholders to overcome. The mining industry is turning to digital transformation technologies to achieve their net-zero targets. Investing in sensor technologies and operational data management platforms can enable companies to collect and analyze real-time data from their assets and processes, leading to better decision making, optimized processes, and reduced costs.

Summary

This IDC study evaluates the capabilities and strategies of IT and professional services firms providing services to mining companies across their worldwide operations. The assessment includes information collected during interviews with services provider and customer reference calls conducted in 2022. This research comprises a quantitative and qualitative assessment of 8 services providers based on a comprehensive framework that considers parameters that offer insight into the probability of success of delivering value to mining organizations in the short and long term.

"Mining companies are keen to invest in and leverage digital technologies, IT, and data-related services to optimize the operational value chain and mining processes. Mining companies have prioritized safety, sustainability, and security as part of their core business strategy, and these require new technologies and digital transformation programs so they can transition to intelligent mining operations. To deliver on these priorities, they need to seek partnerships with experienced service providers that can help them on the journey, selecting the right use cases and implementing the technology strategy and road map that will deliver the greatest value creation and return on investment. Through these partnerships, mining companies can improve their operational efficiency, support the continued integration of IT and operational technology (OT) systems, and transform their operational processes to create digitally enabled, integrated, and automated value chains," says Rakesh Patni, associate research director, IDC Energy Insights.

Summary

IDC's latest Quarterly Mining Innovation Update continues to explore the latest developments in the mining industry and covers technology developments, examples of excellence, mergers/acquisitions/partnerships of note, and sustainability initiatives.

"This IDC quarterly update covers major developments and partnerships as mining companies look to deploy new innovations, sustainable solutions, operational excellence through technologically advanced digital transformation projects and more," says Rakesh Patni, associate research director, IDC's Energy Insights.

Summary

This IDC Survey Spotlight investigates which carbon reduction strategies are mining companies currently using and what benefits are expected. Mining companies are undertaking carbon reduction plans that are driven by the need for compliance with regulations and better financial returns. They are implementing numerous carbon reduction techniques, including using renewable energy sources and enhancing energy efficiency. It shines a spotlight on this topic based on the mining results from IDC's 2022 Energy Transition Survey.

Summary

This IDC Survey Spotlight investigates mining companies' plan to achieve net-zero emissions and the primary drivers for their sustainability efforts and carbon reduction plans. Mining companies are undertaking carbon dioxide reduction plans driven by compliance with regulations, improved customer retention, and better financial returns. This document is based on the mining results from IDC's 2022 Energy Transition Survey.

Summary

This IDC Tech Buyer Presentation discusses the top 10 predictions and key drivers for the IT industry in the areas of sustainability and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) for the next five years in Asia/Pacific (excluding Japan) (APEJ). It highlights the midterm and long-term challenges that enterprises will face as they align the IT investment to be more sustainable and with ESG initiatives becoming increasingly part of every senior executive's strategic radar.

"Sustainability is moving from being a 'me-too' add-on to corporate branding to becoming front and center for many large and midsize enterprises in the region. Big pronouncements need to be justified with real data and significant operational investments if CEOs are not to run the risk of damaging their personal credibility with their employees and their corporate reputation with investors, lenders, suppliers, and, of course, customers. The stakes are enormous, and leaders are those who will go ahead of the curve to incorporate sustainability into their larger business strategy," says Dr. Chris Marshall, Vice President, IDC Asia/Pacific.

Summary

This IDC latest Quarterly Mining Innovation Update continues to explore the latest developments in the mining industry and covers technology developments, examples of excellence, mergers/acquisitions/partnerships of note, and sustainability initiatives.

"This quarterly update covers developments and partnerships as mining companies look to produce green steel, deploy sustainable mobile equipment, produce critical minerals, and much more," says Rakesh Patni, associate research director, Worldwide Mining, IDC Energy Insights.

Summary

This IDC study provides a stage-by-stage framework that aims to guide mining organizations through the process of becoming data-driven. The study explores five stages of the data-driven journey, from ad hoc through to optimized. For each step of the data-driven process, the typical organizational characteristics and progress benchmarks have been elaborated on across the dimensions of data, people and process, and technology. The maturity of a mining organization's data-driven operations capability is limited by the weakness of any individual dimension.

"Data-driven mining is both the goal and process," says Ben Kirkwood, senior research manager, IDC Energy Insights, WW Mining. "This IDC MaturityScape is designed to provide miners, regardless of where they are in their journey, with a guide for the future. Using this, they will be able to map their own path toward data-driven mining."

Summary

This IDC study contains the outlook of IDC Energy Insights' analyst team for the worldwide mining industry for 2023–2028. The outlook is presented through the lens of the 10 predictions that make up, in IDC Energy Insights' view, the framework for technology-related initiatives in the year ahead for IT and line-of-business (LOB) decision makers and influencers.

"Next year, 2023 will continue the adaptation to the new normal. Organizations will utilize their newly upgraded communications networks and roll out technologically advanced operational tools. They will remain resilient in an ever-changing world and implement new tactics around talent management, ensuring the greatest value can be generated from their DX activities," says Dr. Christopher Holmes, managing director, IDC Insights Worldwide Mining.

Summary

This IDC Survey Spotlight investigates the barriers to sustainability while also identifying those that rely on positive sustainability outcomes as part of their renumeration. It shines a spotlight on the mining results from IDC's Energy Transition Survey, 2022.

Summary

This IDC Tech Buyer Presentation explores the technology adoption maturity level of mining organizations while assessing the requirements and challenges experienced by the industry. The report does this while utilizing the results of IDC's 2022 Worldwide Mining Decision Maker Survey.

"Tackling the increasing variability in mining supply chains requires companies to increasingly look at digitally transformative strategies. These digital initiatives are enabling miners to not only remain agile but also optimize their operations for productivity, safety, and sustainability. IDC's results highlight the path that miners are taking as they strive for safe, sustainable, and efficient operations," says Ben Kirkwood, senior research manager, Worldwide Mining, IDC Energy Insights.

Summary

IDC's latest Quarterly Mining Innovation Update continues to explore the latest developments in the mining industry and covers technology developments, examples of excellence, mergers/acquisitions/partnerships of note, and sustainability initiatives.

"This IDC quarterly update covers developments in major developments and partnerships as mining companies look to deploy sustainable mobile equipment, technologically advanced mining operations, and much more," says Ben Kirkwood, senior research manager, Worldwide Mining, IDC's Energy Insights.

Summary

This IDC Perspective draws upon results from IDC's Worldwide Mining Decision Maker Survey, 2022, to identify trends and initiatives that mining organizations are taking to improve their environmental, social, and governance (ESG) credentials.

"Mining has traditionally been seen as a dirty, slow-moving industry that fails to address concerns held by the general public in the areas of ESG," says Ben Kirkwood, senior research manager, IDC Energy Insights – WW Mining. "This is despite the many transformative initiatives being put in place to operate more sustainably. With an increasing amount of mining organizations prioritizing sustainability, this public assessment has to and will change for the better."

Summary

IDC has created a use case taxonomy for DX for multiple industry segments. The taxonomy follows a hierarchical structure that begins with the digital mission of that industry, strategic priorities that support that mission, programmes that will be initiated to satisfy the priorities, and the funded projects or use cases that will be implemented under these programmes. The taxonomy not only forms the basis of our market forecasts but also provides the framework for the digital journey maps that will assist our clients in understanding the full scope of enterprise efforts.

"Miners looking to optimise their operations and organisations using innovative ways to extract and refine their resources should look to this IDC Taxonomy. The report identifies the use cases available to help miners create the competitive advantage required to stay successful," says Ben Kirkwood, senior research manager, IDC Worldwide Energy Insights — Mining.

Summary

This IDC Market Glance provides a glimpse of the current minerals processing optimization ecosystem. The report identifies participating vendors and depicts the segments and structure of the market. The optimization of the minerals processing component of the mining value chain is crucial in ensuring mining operations remain competitive.

Summary

This IDC Market Glance provides a glimpse of the current mining operational optimization ecosystem. The report identifies participating vendors and depicts the segments and structure of the market. The optimization of the physical mining component of the mining value chain is crucial in ensuring mining operations remain competitive.

Summary

This IDC Survey Spotlight investigates the changing attitudes of mining organizations as they strive to reduce their carbon footprint. It shines a spotlight on results from IDC’s Worldwide Mining Decision Maker Survey, 2022. The survey results indicated what alternative energy sources will power mobile equipment and what the rate of transition will be.

Summary

This IDC study, IDC's latest Quarterly Mining Innovation Update, continues to explore the latest developments in the mining industry and covers technology developments, examples of excellence, mergers/acquisitions/partnerships of note, and sustainability initiatives.

"This quarterly update covers developments in minerals processing digital twins, tools to improve the happiness in workers, the planned conversion of a mine to a pumped hydro battery, and much more," says Ben Kirkwood, senior research manager, Worldwide Mining, IDC's Energy Insights.

Summary

This IDC Tech Buyer Presentation explores the existing capabilities of wearable tools in the mining industry while exploring the trends as identified in IDC's 2021 Worldwide Mining Decision Maker Survey.

"Wearable tools come in many different forms and are critical for the implementation and success of many mining digital transformation (DX) use cases, including both that are currently being deployed and forward looking. Although they deliver value to operations, they also have the ability to vastly improve the health and safety of the organization's personnel," says Ben Kirkwood, senior research manager, worldwide mining, IDC Energy Insights.

Summary

This IDC PeerScape explores four key practices that mining organisations worldwide should cover when developing their DX strategies.

"This IDC PeerScape identifies the ways in which to overcome the challenges associated with developing clear DX strategies for mining companies," says Ben Kirkwood, senior research manager, Worldwide Mining, IDC Energy Insights. "Learning from others' success is critical in building a robust and agile strategy, which will enable continuous improvement to a mining company's operations and the organisation as a whole."

Summary

This IDC MarketScape, part of the IDC Mine Planning and Scheduling MarketScape series, assess the capabilities and strategies of life of mine (LoM)/long-term mine planning software vendors utilised in the mining industry to ensure mining operations are planned to achieve the optimum net present value (NPV). The tools take geological block models and mine designs developed for the entire mine over the LoM/long-term as feeds when developing the plans. The software can utilise artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud for optimisation and rapid processing capabilities.

"There is a vast number of variables to be considered when developing an optimum LoM/long-term mine plan. Despite this, LoM/long-term mine planning tools often develop plans from a holistic perspective and do not account for potential variances in the predicted ore reserve and commodity prices," says Ben Kirkwood Senior Research Manager, Worldwide Mining, IDC Energy Insights. "Increasingly, these tools are being developed while accounting for these variances and drawing upon cloud capabilities for increased computational power, delivering more realistic plans faster," says Kirkwood.

Summary

This IDC MarketScape, part of the IDC Mine Planning and Scheduling MarketScape series, assesses the capabilities and strategies of midterm/short-term mine planning and scheduling software vendors utilized in the mining industry to ensure mining operations are adhering to their life of mine plans and optimizing their planned output. The tools utilize geological block models and equipment-specific characteristics to design plans and schedules to optimally mine the recoverable ore while maximizing profits with the operational equipment on hand. The software can utilize Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), and cloud for optimization and rapid processing capabilities.

"Developing midterm/short-term mine plans and schedules is critical to ensure your mining activities are aligned with your maintenance plans and production expectations. Similarly, the plans ensure you remain on track to meet your life of mine organizational objectives," says Ben Kirkwood, senior research manager, Worldwide Mining, IDC Energy Insights. "Utilizing tools that optimize for multiple parameters will ensure that your operation will remain competitive throughout its life," adds Kirkwood.

Summary

This IDC MarketScape, as part of IDC's mine planning and scheduling MarketScape series, assesses the capabilities and strategies of short interval control (SIC) mine scheduling software vendors utilized in the mining industry to enable mining operations. These mining industry players are optimizing their mobile assets and personnel while adhering to targets set by long-term mine plans and schedules. The tools optimize the schedule based on maintenance requirements, staffing changes, and equipment available at the time of schedule release. The software can utilize Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), and cloud for optimization and data sharing.

"Ensuring your mining operational assets, including your mobile equipment and personnel that is being utilized optimally at all times, can drastically improve your operational and safety performance," says Ben Kirkwood, senior research manager, worldwide mining, IDC Energy Insights. "Ingesting data from training systems, maintenance systems, and human resource (HR) systems allows you to know what assets are available and when can they be utilized. Combining this information with real-time data enables you to navigate interruptions as they occur and provides you with the insight to be able to make operational changes where and when required to adhere with production targets," he adds.

Summary

This IDC study contains the outlook of the IDC Energy Insights analyst team for the worldwide mining industry for 2022–2027.

"Next year 2022 will see the world accept and build upon what is now the new normal. Consolidating the learnings from rapidly deploying remote working technologies will provide the foundations to further develop the talent required to implement and maintain other remote tools, such as remote-operated and automated machinery. Miners have embraced DX to maintain production in astounding numbers, and they have come a long way in a short time. This will have a positive influence on the industry over the next five years," says Ben Kirkwood, senior research manager, IDC Energy Insights Worldwide Mining.

Summary

This IDC PlanScape presents a digital transformation (DX) framework that enables mining companies to extract the greatest value possible from their enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems. This document identifies a range of adjacent systems across the mining value chain, which should be integrated to share data with each other. This will ultimately provide mining operations with the holistic insights required for optimal decision making.

"Integrating the insights gleaned from the wide range of operational platforms used throughout a mining operation with the organisation's ERP is critical when looking to create the greatest value. This is due to the improved ability to interpret and utilise knowledge from across the mining value chain to create the greatest impact," says Ben Kirkwood, senior research manager, worldwide mining, IDC Energy Insights.

Summary

IDC Innovators are emerging vendors with revenue lower than US$100 million that have demonstrated either a groundbreaking business model or an innovative new technology or both. This IDC Innovators study profiles Ada Platform, Fingermark, and GlassTerra in the developing area of mining visualisation and motion monitoring systems.

"The automatic monitoring of different aspects of a mining operation is critical in optimising the future mine," says Ben Kirkwood, senior research manager, Worldwide Mining, IDC Energy Insights. "It improves the safety of all workers onsite while ensuring operations maintain compliance to plan on a continuous basis," he adds.

Summary

This IDC PeerScape explores four key practices that mining organizations worldwide should address when developing policies for the governance of operational data. Four best practices for mining companies undertaking a governance of operational data review are:

• Practice 1: Manage data visibility and data ownership.
• Practice 2: Integrate cross-platform data to enhance data management.
• Practice 3: Maintain data integrity to ensure trust in data.
• Practice 4: Implement OT security systems to minimize breach impact.

"This IDC PeerScape identifies the challenges associated with the governance of operational data," says Ben Kirkwood, senior research manager, Worldwide Mining, IDC Energy Insights. "Developing data governance practices based upon other's learnings is key to ensure data is properly shared and utilized throughout mining operations and is essential when creating value from insight."

Summary

This IDC MarketScape assess the capabilities and strategies of APM software vendors utilised in the mining industry to optimise the operation of assets across the entire mining value chain. The software does this by recording and analysing operational data and predicting what and when componentry of assets will fail while providing an optimised maintenance plan for maximum run time. The software utilises AI, cloud and a host of other technologies to create operational platforms designed to monitor the health of all assets on site.

“The level of data being collected around assets is rapidly increasing as the cost reduction in sensors is enabling the increased data capture. This is leading mining companies to look to optimise the operation of assets in a bid to reduce operational costs through the use of asset performance management (APM) software,” says Ben Kirkwood, senior research manager, Worldwide Mining, IDC Energy Insights. “This is a relatively new market which is seeing rapid development as existing asset management software vendors look to enhance their offerings through advanced analytics. This provides mining organisations the ability to optimise their operations across the mining value chain,” says Kirkwood.

Summary

This IDC study provides IDC's top 10 predictions for the future of operations for 2021 and beyond.

"The future of operations is the transformation of an organization's operations from a strictly efficiency-based operation to a market- and customer-focused operation. It entails the development of a resilient decision-making framework that can drive rapid and effective decision making," said Kevin Prouty, group vice president of IDC's Manufacturing and Energy Insights.

Prouty goes on to say, "Our predictions are based on operations transforming through digital ecosystems, autonomous operations, digital engineering, and resilient decision making."

Summary

This IDC study presents IDC's analysis of key drivers relating to the convergence and integration of information technology (IT) with operational technology (OT) and how these drivers are likely to shape the development of IT/OT convergence strategies and initiatives in the planning horizon of 2021–2025.

"For industrial enterprises of all sizes, the pandemic has been a moment of reckoning when it comes to digital maturity and transformation. Leaders have seized the opportunity to leverage new market share, and laggards have fast-tracked investments in technologies that support remote and resilient operations, or they have failed," says Jonathan Lang, research manager, Worldwide IT/OT Convergence Strategies research program at IDC. "The systemic shortcomings of cultural change resistance, of pilot purgatory, and of the digital skills gap in operations have been laid bare by COVID-19. 2021 and beyond is the time for industrial enterprises to get back to the basics and establish the digital foundation necessary to build back better."

Summary

This IDC study contains the IDC Energy Insights analyst team's outlook for the worldwide mining industry for 2021–2026. This outlook is presented through 10 predictions that make up, in IDC Energy Insights' view, the framework for IT and line-of-business (LOB) decision makers and influencers' technology-related initiatives for 2021.

"2021 will see cobwebs blown off mines in terms of care and maintenance, particularly as mining organizations recover from the COVID-19 pandemic's effects. Although the future is uncertain, particularly given the world's current circumstances, mining companies pivoting their digital road maps toward developing resilience in their processes, equipment, operations, and personnel will position themselves well to weather all challenges," says Ben Kirkwood, senior research manager, Worldwide Mining, IDC Energy Insights.

Summary

This IDC MarketScape assesses the capabilities and strategies of professional service vendors that work alongside their mining customers to optimise operational processes across the entire mining value chain by crossing siloes and creating organisational value. Vendors do this by assisting in the development of strategic technology road maps and implementation of data-driven technologies, such as automation, artificial intelligence, streamlined operational processes, cloud, and analytics platforms.

"As digital transformation becomes an increasingly important focus for mining companies, particularly the integration of IT and operational technology (OT) systems, mining companies are seeking the support of IT and digital-led IT services and professional services companies in the optimisation and transformation of their operational processes," says Emilie Ditton, associate VP, IDC Energy and Manufacturing Insights. "This market has developed significantly in the two years since IDC last completed this IDC MarketScape, and it will continue to do so as mining companies become more able to take advantage of IT, digital, and data-related services applied within operational value chains and processes," says Ditton.