Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaleditions.com/i/122153
miningspecial remotely controlled. An autonomous machine, on the other hand, does everything by itself. For instance, in our NSW underground mines an operator has to remotely load the bucket onto underground loaders because it is quite difficult to automate that process. However, once the bucket is full, they transfer to automation and the loader trams to the dump area and then trams back and waits at the drawpoint for the operator upstairs to load it again. In contrast, our coalmining drill rigs can be completely autonomous. Is the move to automation about reducing the need for more workers on mines? It's more about trying to best utilise our resources instead of putting restraints on the resources we have. home in the same condition they came to work. That applies whether it's our people, our customers' people or any third parties who come into contact with our company or our equipment. Safety is also an issue of cultural change, about moving from a 'have to' attitude to a 'want to' attitude, going from 'tick and flick' to a true safety culture. We are doing a lot of work in that area. Once you keep people safe at work and send them home in the same condition, you have a truly safe work environment. Not only that, but people will want to work for you – indeed, you become an employer of choice. So, from a business point of view, safety is number one on our priority list. You're aiming to deliver innovative products and services to the industry. How are you achieving this? We have a commitment to investing in research and development (R&D) to ensure we constantly upgrade existing equipment lines and develop new products to meet our customers' demands. We will have four or five new products coming out this year, and we have worked closely with our customers in Australia in the development of a number of these. Australia is now our second-largest mining market globally. We have a new range of trucks coming out later this year. As part of the design process we held a mining forum with some of Australia's leading underground miners. As a result of this, each truck design will have a number of new features and benefits that are not only safety-related but also offer increased productivity through higher speeds, longer service intervals and even the ability of the truck to jack itself up to change a tyre … because nine times out of 10, when you get a flat tyre, the truck isn't in the maintenance bay. We also have a new cone crusher coming out, which has the potential to change the way mining people think about mineral processing. A lot of our R&D work is not only based around improving OH&S but also delivering greater cost efficiencies, increasing productivity, reducing fuel consumption and even reducing the carbon footprints of our machines. What differentiates Sandvik Mining from others in the industry? Safety is the cornerstone of our business, and I think it will be a big differentiator in the future, because we will make sure we always send people 66 Above: Mark Clifford in front of a Mount Isa mine site.