Operational technology software provider AVEVA continuously strives to advance its technologies in the mining sector as both the local and global mining sectors evolve.

AVEVA Select partner, Industry Software Solutions and Support (a business unit of Digital Industries) distribute and support the top mining companies across the Southern Africa region with AVEVA technology.

This was highlighted during a webinar held in January 2023, hosted by value chain and enhancement technology provider Rifle-Shot Performance Holdings, where speakers from across the mining technology field were invited to discuss technologies, trends and challenges facing the sector.

During the webinar, event host Rifle-Shot marketing coordinator Caroline Carter said the reason the webinar series was created was because the mining landscape has changed dramatically over the past few years.

There are multiple challenges and trends such as complexity, significant efficiency and productivity losses, and environmental and safety challenges.

“However, there are also opportunities to revaluate our methodologies, through employing automation, digitalisation and using new technologies to enable better visibility,” she added.

During the webinar, AVEVA and IS3 highlighted how the AVEVA Value Chain Optimisation software platform can address key issues in the mining sector, with respect to planning, scheduling, production accounting, downtime management and overall collaborative decision-making through short interval control. The platform is being used by the top mining companies worldwide.

“This is why we have joined up with global industrial and mining software developer AVEVA and have been the official sole distributor to South Africa, and the East and West Africa regions, since March,” said end-to-end operational technology services provider Digital Industries CEO and software distributor IS³ MD Dion Govender, in a press release distributed in March.

“With one platform for all your value chain activities, you can enhance your value chain business processes and create new workflows that cross traditional tool boundaries.”

The management tool collectively manages aspects such as feedstock data management, trading, plant planning, network and multiplant enhancement, plant scheduling and performance monitoring.

“When your entire business has access to the same information, you can focus on discovering new ways to drive profitability,” he enthused.

Govender added that the AVEVA Select partnership enabled Digital Industries to deliver AVEVA’s full portfolio of modern industrial software solutions to customers that would help them become more sustainable and profitable.

The AVEVA Select agreement has set out its specific strategic intent to support customers’ requirements for improving operational efficiency, driving better returns and increasing the sustainability of their businesses.

A people-based ecosystem driving digital transformation is the key enabler to achieving these strategic objectives on the African continent.

Digital Industries will expand its ecosystem of customers and partners who want to adopt technologies to enable their digital transformation.

From One Coast to the Next

In East Africa, the regional footprint will be led in Kenya by AVEVA Select East Africa, while in Nigeria, the representative offices of AVEVA Select West Africa will take on a similar role in West Africa.

Both these operations are investing heavily in establishing training and demonstration centres to build these skills pools and equip system integrators, partner companies and end-users with skills to enable them to increase the use of the technology and customise the service offerings available.

The AVEVA Select Partner designation enables distributors to help customers simplify design, enhance production and increase performance.

By leveraging the breadth of the AVEVA software portfolio, AVEVA Select Programme partners can take advantage of programmes designed to suit every product and solution specialisation in the engineering and industrial segments.

The AVEVA Select partnership has accelerated the value that Digital Industries can provide, empowering their customers and partners to enhance engineering, operations and asset performance.

Digital Muscle

Digital Industries can also empower customers and partners to balance operating expenses and risk to improve performance using AVEVA Asset Performance Management software suite.

“Digital Industries’ customers and partners will continue to get the same dedicated local support, now with the added value of wider access to AVEVA’s complete portfolio of solutions,” said AVEVA global partners head Kerry Grimes, in the release.

He added that this access would allow for a new level of performance intelligence using technologies such as artificial intelligence, Industrial Internet of Things, Big Data and cloud-based solutions.

Additionally, the AVEVA Select programme helps distributors to deliver more value and support clients’ digital transformation initiatives.

“We are pleased to extend Digital Industries’ coverage as an AVEVA Select partner and look forward to developing and capitalising on mutually beneficial growth strategies,” said Grimes.

Govender pointed out, during the webinar, that the industrial sector in Africa is the “final frontier” for at-scale digital transformation.

Large role-players in industry are adopting strategies for digital transformation across the continent, and the market for industrial software and services is increasing exponentially, with growth being driven by customer value creation.

“As an AVEVA Select partner, we are on a journey to create sustainable digital champions, and look forward to industrial organisations joining us,” Govender concluded in the release.