'Self-reliance In Major Minerals Is Our Goal'

Sunil Duggal, CEO, Hindustan Zinc, has a personal and corporate vision for his company. His personal goals include mining with maximised productivity, and zero harm through the use of technology. At one of the mines, the aim is to develop end-to-end solution for complete automation. At a corporate level, he wishes to take the company to a sustainable 1.5 mt metal and 1,000 mt silver in the near future. The country has to become self-reliant in the case of major minerals and metals through a quantum jump in the mining contribution to overall GDP, growth, and development. In terms of CSR, he hopes to create a better future for children. The corporate philosophy and vision are in sync with modern slavery acts with the fundamental belief that people everywhere deserve to live and work in safety and with dignity.

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Can you share the details of the digital mining prototype at Sindesar Khurd?

We have recently partnered with Sandvik to develop an end-to-end solution for complete automation of SK Mine. This includes real-time tracking, fleet management and machine health analytics for quick interventions to maximise productivity and realise our goal of zero harm. This was made possible through a Wi-Fi underground network. We have installed in-motion weigh-bridges (first time in India) to monitor the performance of each mine truck, which has resulted into increased truck fill factor of at least 15% along with automated digitised reporting as well. We are also building a centralised control room at SK mine that integrates more than nine individual control rooms involving our mines, crushers, mills and paste-fill plants.

Nand Ghar is a prominent CSR activity. How does the company work with the government and local communities?

Nand Ghar programme is an important part of our larger commitment for supporting efforts that help create a better future for children. In fact, in FY 17-18, 36% of our CSR spend was on education, for children spanning 0-18 years.

It re-imagines the Anganwadi Centre (AWC) space into state-of-the art centres that are built on sustainable principles. Through the Nand Ghar concept, we are taking the AWC space to a new paradigm.

Can you flesh out the challenges you faced in the transition from open cast mining to fully underground mining?