Edge computing is helping Newcrest Mining improve throughput and reduce downtime in Australia's largest underground block cave mine, the Cadia Valley gold mine in New South Wales. Newcrest Mining won the best Primary Industry Project in our 2019 IoT Awards for the project, which uses machine learning to optimise the level of crushed ore in bins, preventing downtime. Now Microsoft and its partner Insight Enterprises have released details about the solution and its benefits. The solution is improving productivity, reducing downtime and increasing throughput, Newcrest Mining CIO Gavin Wood stated in a press release. And the company has seen a return on investment within three months of starting to use the solution.

Newcrest Mining has deployed Microsoft cloud, AI and IoT technologies at Australia's largest underground, block cave mine to monitor and manage crushed ore bin levels. The soft sensor delivered a return in investment within the first three months of operation. The technology, developed by Newcrest in association with Microsoft and its partner Insight Enterprises, has been rolled out at Newcrest's Cadia Valley gold mine in NSW. The challenge facing Newcrest at Cadia was managing the levels in the underground crushed ore bins. If the bins overfill, they have to be manually emptied introducing lengthy and expensive production delays.