As cities grow and the manufacture of high-tech goods and infrastructure increases apace, the fundamentals of mining and metals remains strong, despite the challenges of the COVID pandemic. Demand for commodities has never been higher, and yet miners the world over, from blue-chip heavyweights to mid-tier and junior producers, are under increasing pressure as they find themselves squeezed by a number of short and long-term challenges. Commodity price volatility hampers cash flow and declining ore-body-replacement rates are amongst the main challenges facing the industry. Historically conservative and change-averse, the sector has increasingly turned to adopting new mining techniques and technologies to gain the edge – driven mainly from the top down. Decision making is now big data driven, meaning that there is greater accuracy in assessing ore body characteristics and making accurate geological measurements; drones are widely used to monitor and maintain facilities and mine sites safely and remotely from control rooms. The utilisation of automated machinery has simultaneously improved productivity and cut costs. The integration of automated systems and cutting-edge tech by agile, forward thinking miners is the number one competitive differentiator, but only if such technology is effectively integrated. And therein lies the dilemma. “Many mines have embarked on large capital projects to put in massive technology solutions because they know they need the benefits that technology can provide, but a significant number of these technology deployments fail to deliver the true value proposition that technology offers.” Explained Mike Jackson, CEO and Founder of Ramjack Technology Solutions. He continued: “A lot of these technology deployments are very large, requiring huge capital investments, and they invariably run into problems. The complications of a technology deployment increase exponentially as the size of the project grows – simply put, the bigger the technology deployment, the more challenging it is to get it right.” “That’s where we come in. As a mining focussed systems integrator, we emphasise helping mines improve their productivity and safety – the two key elements of a successful mining operation – through the use of technology. Our business is unique in the sense that we are a technology company that doesn’t build any technology. Instead, we build technology roadmaps and assist mines in executing them. We do this by sitting down with a mine and asking ‘what are your most immediate challenges? What can we do to address those now? Where can technology be applied most effectively?’ Our approach is very pragmatic. We're only there to solve problems. If our clients require a service, we create the service. If they require a product, we find the right product or the most appropriate technology. As industry practitioners, we work closely with the key stakeholders at the mine to uncover the most critical areas where technology can help. And then we walk the path of getting the most out of that technology together with the mine” Technology, despite the huge advances that have been made, has delivered but a fraction of its potential to the mining industry. Ramjack’s raison d'etre is simple: to help mines realise the full value from their technology investments by ensuring mine operations have the right solutions, the right integrations and the right support systems in place to monitor, manage and optimise their operations. And what’s more, Ramjack achieves results efficiently and measurably, focusing on the things that matter most: “We approach client challenges with an evolutionary approach where we focus on manageable technology projects that guarantee a return on investment within one budget cycle. We stack those on top of each other over time to solve the key burning issues at the mine. And we do it more quickly and more effectively than the complex – likely to fail – large projects that are the norm. Ultimately, if you make a 1% improvement every day, that's a 365% improvement over the course of the year. This pragmatic approach has served our customers well.” Since Mike founded the company in 2013, Ramjack has built a reputation for integrity and excellence as technology management practitioners using their pragmatic system integration approach to production and safety technologies for mining. Headquartered in Johannesburg, Ramjack has grown its operations to encompass four continents, with employees stationed in strategic locations across Africa, Europe, the Middle East and Latin America. Over the years, Ramjack has cultivated longstanding technology partnerships to include Original Technology Manufacturers with decades of experience as well as niche technology innovators with unique product offerings. As a result, the company’s technology portfolio is considerable, allowing Ramjack to provide a vast range of products and services that reach across the entire mining value chain enabling its team to provide tailored solutions to the operational challenges facing clients operating both open-pit and underground mines. Elaborating further on this, Mike said: “A lot of what we do is very bespoke. In fact, most of the technology deployments we do use more than one technology, manufactured by more than one technology provider – tailor made for the customer's specific challenge. And then we embark on ensuring that all of the long-term customer support, all of the long-term interoperability and all the long-term effectiveness and sustainability of that technology are guaranteed for the customer. That makes us quite a bit different than most technology providers who prefer to grow through acquisition or through in-house development, effectively handcuffing themselves to those technologies going forward. By embracing a more holistic, agile approach, we’re able to incorporate the technologies that are needed by mines today and long into the future, no matter what those technologies may be.” In light of the COVID outbreak, it has been a tough year in South Africa for the mining sector, which was effectively on ice for a substantial period as mines went into care and maintenance, grinding supply chains to a halt. Ramjack’s cross-continental footprint somewhat insulated the business from the worst of the regional specific lockdowns. Projects in Eastern Europe and West Africa, as well as Ramjack’s entry into Latin America proved extremely helpful, but 2020 was not without its challenges for Ramjack. Difficulty also presents opportunity, however, and for Ramjack this year’s ‘Great Pause’ provided time and space for Mike and his team to step back and focus on improving from within. “As soon as the lockdown hit, we launched a number of internal improvement projects and efficiency initiatives. Every department in our business spearheaded a new internal project in their area of expertise. We actually called them our “COVID-19 internal improvement projects”. We did things like improve the quality of our technology onboarding and introduce a new software package to improve our finance and accounting practices; we've hired new staff to fill key positions in the Company and initiated the build of a new AI Lab. We also expanded our employee wellness programme to includes things like Work Out Wednesday, where we have a trainer come in and provide company-wide physical training, and Mental Health days where, we do yoga and meditation. We focused in on how to make ourselves better. And how to improve our company culture.” With the New Year upon us and the worst seemingly behind us, there is optimism for 2021 as the world economy increasingly comes to terms with the new normal. For Mike and the Ramjack team, business is thriving and Ramjack is continuing to grow – with the exciting things happening in the field of mining technology, Ramjack’s optimism for what the New Year will bring may just be justified.