Automation brings empowerment: in quarries, mines and process plants automation technologies can help to improve competitiveness and reduce personnel risk. Kyran Casteel reports.(Mining)

African Review of Business and Technology,  September, 2005  by Casteel, Kyran

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WITH THE PRESENT focus on social aid, debt relief and, possibly, improvements in African countries' terms of trade, automation is most likely not the technical development that first comes to mind in relation to mining. Arguably it has taken a significant part of the African mining industry more than 40 years to fully exploit the benefits of mechanisation, to some extent because of poor political logic but mainly for economic reasons.

And quite possibly it will take less capitalised mining companies a long time to progress through the automation process as well. But the managers of ...

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