Despite the severe disruption of the global movement of goods during the early stages of COVID-19, most countries and companies were able to introduce mechanisms to allow for activity to resume, notes independent consulting firm of engineers and scientists SRK Consulting principal consultant Lisl Pullinger.
"Among the lessons learnt was to more fully harness the communication and data technologies that were already used in daily operations. Certainly, for consulting companies, virtual engagement with clients became the norm. We learnt that we could accomplish a great deal over the traditional and new communication platforms – and indeed rapidly returned to a ‘new normal’ level of productivity," comments SRK director and principal consultant Andrew van Zyl.
Nevertheless, many procurement risks were highlighted by the pandemic, and as a result, there could be more interest in supply chain integration among mines – especially between those that operate on adjacent licences or relatively close to one another, notes Pullinger.
"Rather than procuring purely for themselves, a procurement hub could enable mines to share deliveries of the same products for greater efficiency. Technology now allows for the mapping of supply chains, as well as the closer tracking of where products are produced. Applying these systems in a transparent way could enable a cluster of mines to source more collaboratively," she adds.
