14 AUGUST 2024
Innovation and finding new ways to employ technology play an important role in helping to make our operations safer, more productive and delivering value for South32.
Through Innovate32, our strategy-aligned, value-creating approach to better enable innovation at South32, our Cerro Matoso (CMSA) operation in Colombia has developed a new artificial intelligence advisory system. The Advanced Process Control (APC) advisory system helps to reduce energy consumption at two electric furnaces during ferronickel ore processing.
Historically, there has been a lack of predictability when estimating how much energy will be needed during the ore processing at CMSA, leading to an inability to forecast and optimise energy usage. The APC advisory system uses analytics and machine learning to make near real-time recommendations to the furnace operator, who can implement them to optimise energy usage and reduce costs.
Over time we will work on refining the advisory system, which will become ‘smarter’ by capturing learnings and operator feedback.
Using the learnings from CMSA, we are actively assessing and progressing similar value-adding opportunities for artificial intelligence across our business.
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