Technology company 3M says the challenges in the mining industry are issues that should be dealt with by all the stakeholders involved – from those in top-level management to the employees at grassroots level.

“As 3M, we have a vested [interest] in mining, as a supplier to the industry – that is, from the safety, electrical and various other solutions perspectives. With the products and technology that we offer, we will continue to assist the industry through its challenges as best we can,” says 3M business leader: Middle East and Africa safety and graphics group Len Moult.

He adds that the technology offered by 3M assists in solving challenges that are unique to South Africa, such as mining depths’ safety, productivity and energy implications. 3M has devised solutions that help deal with these challenges to create a sustainable and safer working environment in the mining industry.

“The company is able to draw on expertise from the 5 Business structure, which enables 3M to provide comprehensive solutions to meet the needs of the mining industry,” says 3M country technical manager Gunter Halfar.

With a particular focus on improving working conditions and safety, 3M has embarked on a project that aims to assist the mining industry in solving various challenges and in coming up with innovative ideas and technology solutions that can help improve safety and work conditions.

“As 3M, we needed a platform that would allow us to interact with our customers and to showcase the various types of technology that we have at 3M.

“We decided to open a customer innovation centre, which comprises 950 m2 and is currently about 80% complete. The centre is located at the 3M head office in Woodmead, Gauteng. We expect to have it fully operational by July 2013,” says Halfar.

Given that

46 technology platforms are housed at 3M and there are about
55 000 products on offer, he says that it is a daunting task to fully explain all the products, and the best way to deal with this challenge was to introduce the innovation centre and focus on key technology platforms.

“What is great about the centre is that the technology is not confined to a specific discipline – it can be used in other areas. All technology is cross-linked and the innovation centre enables us to create awareness across all spheres of the various technologies that are housed at 3M,” he explains.