AS the mining industry navigates geopolitical uncertainty, supply chain vulnerabilities and rising costs, the need to improve productivity and resilience has become increasingly urgent.
Digitalisation, automation and artificial intelligence are creating new opportunities to optimise operations, strengthen resilience and improve performance.
BME, an Omnia Holdings company, recently hosted its 2026 Technical Summit where delegates explored these opportunities under the theme Connected Mining: Turning Intelligence into Impact.
Omnia Holdings is investing in both supply-chain resilience and the technology that underpins connected mining. Its infrastructure investments, international partnerships and diversified operational footprint are built to protect access to critical mining inputs and strengthen supply flexibility, while its investment in BME’s research, digital, automation and AI capabilities, enables BME to develop the solutions showcased at the summit. The event examined how resilience, technology and collaboration can deliver measurable business value, safely and sustainably.
Resilience starts with the supply chain
Seelan Gobalsamy, Group CEO of Omnia Holdings, highlighted how geopolitical uncertainty, volatile input costs and disruptions to critical inputs such as ammonia can threaten mining operations.
“Building our strategic optionality for the benefit of customers means diversifying supply sources, investing capital with discipline and strengthening redundancy in infrastructure,” he said. “These measures provide alternative routes and help protect operational continuity.”
Safety and environmental responsibility are equally important. “Supply-chain flexibility, technological innovation and operational adaptability must never compromise the protection of people,” he noted. Reducing carbon emissions and improving water efficiency also require innovation and collaboration. “Ultimately, the mining industry’s long-term viability is inseparable from the environmental conditions in which it operates,” he said.
Technology must deliver business value
Omnia’s investment in BME’s technology capabilities positions the business to respond to these pressures. Ralf Hennecke, Managing Director of BME, said challenging operating conditions are shaping mining investment and productivity priorities. “Technology must therefore address real operational challenges and deliver results,” he noted.
Innovation must also remain commercially viable and fit for purpose. “More sophisticated technology does not automatically deliver greater value,” he said. “Solutions must respond to customer requirements, operating conditions and cost constraints while supporting the industry's productivity and safety objectives.”
BME’s VIPERTRON® detonator, developed with the support of Omnia’s investment in innovation, is an example of this approach. “It offers a simplified, lower-cost option for customers facing barriers to adopting electronic detonators while retaining the required timing accuracy,” he said.
Valter Adão, CEO and Digital Leader at Cadena Growth Partners, urged executives to look beyond technology adoption. “AI and automation are enablers, not business outcomes,” he said. “Investment must start with strategic objectives, supported by clear business cases, measurable targets and the organisational changes needed to realise returns.”
Connecting decisions across the mine
Nishen Hariparsad, General Manager for Technology and Marketing at BME, and Ravi Sahu, CEO at Strayos, examined how connected data can improve decisions across the production chain.
Hariparsad argued that fragmentation alone cannot measure a blast’s value. “Its value depends on how it affects loading, haulage, crushing, energy consumption and recovery,” he said. “Measuring these downstream effects allows teams to use operational results to inform subsequent blast designs and drive continuous improvement.”
Sahu highlighted the potential of connecting geological models, drilling data, machine vision and plant performance through innovations such as BME’s XPLOSMART®. “AI and predictive modelling can support better decisions, provided the underlying data is reliable and the models reflect actual operating conditions,” he said.
Breaking down mining silos
A panel moderated by Tom Dermody, Global Technical Services Manager at BME, featured Dr Alan Tordoir, Technical Director of Mining3, Junior Keyser, Director of GB Keyser Mining Consultants, and Bob McClure, President of R.A. McClure.
The discussion identified incompatible technologies, inconsistent data and conflicting departmental priorities as barriers to integration.
Connecting systems is only the first step towards improving integration across the mining value chain. Mining companies must establish common performance measures, verify data quality and translate operational data into measurable improvements.
The panellists also stressed the need for fit-for-purpose technology, collaboration with providers, workforce training and implementation support.
“For BME, backed by Omnia’s continued investment in technology, automation and AI, that support forms part of a broader commitment to helping customers turn connected mining into measurable impact,” concluded Hennecke