IT aids mining sector's revival battle against slowdown

The IT sector, which had once brought the Indian economy on a rapid growth path, has come to the aid of the domestic mining sector in tackling the current industrial downturn by offering 'smart solutions' to cut cost.

"Information technology can make mining an economical proposition. There are different (software) products for different stages of mining," global mining solutions provider Gemcom India (Head of IT) Ajay Reddy said.
    
Gemcom is a Canada-based firm with clients like Rio Tinto, Tata Steel, and Coal India. MineMap and Gibbs Associates are other leading solutions providers in this area.
  
Among others, innovative IT solutions can help miners reduce the time and cost of mineral mapping and mining operations. Globally information technology has helped the mining sector achieve a year-on-year reduction in mining and mapping cost and time by better mine optimisation and mine planning," said Ernst & Young Partner Naveen Vohra.
   
Bringing out a contrast, independent consultant A S Firoz said the scope of IT solutions in the process of actual mining is limited as specialised equipment is required to dig minerals. "The scope of IT in the process of actual digging is limited. However, it plays an important role during exploration and mapping reserves," Firoz said.