Mining services provider BUMA offers comprehensive end-to-end services to its clients throughout Queensland. With a focus on safety and collaboration, the Company has rapidly expanded its use of operational technology in recent years, tailored to meet the unique requirements of each client and project.

Jack Walker leads Operational Technology initiatives across BUMA sites, providing solutions and offering comprehensive support for technology incorporated into the day to day running of a site. "As a mining services provider we partner with our clients over the long term and our commitment is to deliver on their evolving objectives," he says.

BUMA's scope and scale of operations are varied and dynamic, offering tailored mining service solutions to clients. These range from comprehensive full scope services to fulfilling specific client requirements such as integration with a client's fully autonomous fleet, rehabilitation services and asset maintenance.

"We take pride in our ability to adapt our approach and be agile, quickly mobilising to address new requirements or meet changing project demands."

Responsible for examining the latest advancements in technology, Jack collaborates with external stakeholders and internal team members to seek solutions that optimise performance, asset management and rural network connectivity. Collaboration with all the major departments, particularly asset technology, allows the business to work cohesively and deliver well-rounded solutions.

BUMA's journey into operational technology stemmed from a fundamental focus on taking care of its people, company assets including trucks, excavators and dozers, and the mine itself.

"Safety is the number one value at BUMA. We continuously look to integrate industry best practice and utilise technology to create a secure working environment for all staff, both our own and our clients'," Walker adds.

The use of high precision machine guidance for excavators and dozers, coupled with asset management, machine health monitoring, and site networking solutions, combine to enhance the efficiency of the mine and lifespan of the machinery.

"Optimising the safety of our people, as well as the health and performance of our equipment, ultimately leads to improved pit compliance and extraction. That in turn, translates to higher quality outcomes for clients, both in the short- and long-term," he says.

As a growing company, BUMA focuses on downstream technologies that materially deliver strategic mine-planning. Survey, machine guidance and drone technology help to ensure accurate and safe mine designs that enhance overall efficiency. Additionally, BUMA is investing in modern network infrastructure to maintain dataflow and real-time operations.

In choosing a technology provider, Walker explains the requirement for a supplier that aligned with BUMA's agile, tailored approach. After years of successful deployment at Commodore, near Toowoomba west of Brisbane, Aptella (formerly Position Partners), has supported BUMA's expansion of technology across all sites, with rapid deployment within a six-month period.

"We value Aptella's adaptability, aligning with BUMA's commitment to client needs," says Walker. "Aptella's agnostic solutions provide us with a wide range of solutions across various mining functions, enabling us to choose and deploy the best tools for each project."

"We value our collaborative working relationship with the BUMA team tremendously," says Andrew Granger, Mining Business Executive Manager at Aptella. "As a company that lives and breathes its commitments to safety and innovation, it has been a privilege to support their growth by providing end-to-end technology services to meet their evolving needs."

As a multi-solution distributor with offices throughout Australia, Southeast Asia, and New Zealand, Aptella has a strong commitment to providing local service and support capabilities to customers. Like BUMA, the company recognises that every site and client has unique requirements when it comes to both the technology, service and support that will suit them best.

"Our approach is to listen to customer challenges and understand desired outcomes, first and foremost," Granger adds. "We then innovate to source and deploy the best, fit for purpose technology to help deliver those outcomes and support our customers over the long-term."

For BUMA, Aptella's service includes 24/7 asset monitoring and support, through Aptella's remote access platform that enables technicians to access, troubleshoot and resolve issues remotely. This service including training and readily available field technicians provide BUMA with fast, proactive support. This is backed by a local team of technicians for any unplanned maintenance that requires on-site attendance.

"In the dynamic industry that is mining, unplanned maintenance is part of the journey," Walker says. "Having Aptella's readily-deployable resources make a significant difference, enabling us to address any issues quickly, minimising disruption and ensuring smooth operations."