Deloitte national mining and metals leader Nicki Ivory says operational discipline, digital capability and sustainable strategy are the keys to success as Australian miners adapt to unprecedented change – a thesis likely to get a lot of airtime at IMARC 2026.
Ivory, who will speak at the event at ICC Sydney from October 27-29, sees an industry that has been adept in the past at adjusting to cycles, booms and busts, facing a different era of fast-paced external change.
“Climate transition, technological disruption, workforce evolution and geopolitical shifts are driving a fundamental necessity for reinvention,” she co-wrote in an op-ed with another Deloitte partner, Ian Skelton.
“Success will depend not only on cost-effective extraction, but on the ability to adapt, innovate and invest in long-term value creation. The winners will be those best equipped to navigate inevitable change.”
More than ever before, new technology is seen as a fundamental driver of sustainable change in mining. IMARC 2026 is set to welcome more than 500 solution providers from around the world, and they will be among the significant attractions to the many operators attending this year’s event.
Ivory said autonomy, AI and remote operating centres were “reshaping mining”.
“Digitalisation is no longer an aspirational concept. It is becoming the foundation of operational competitiveness,” she said.
“One of the biggest challenges is the need to produce more from existing operations while simultaneously improving asset availability, controlling costs and reducing energy intensity,” said a spokesperson for MOVUS, winner of last year’s inaugural Mining Beacon Breakthrough Innovation Award at IMARC.
“Mining companies have invested significantly in automation, sensors, condition monitoring and data platforms. In many operations, the challenge is no longer a lack of data; it is making sense of that information quickly enough to influence an operational outcome.
“Energy is becoming another important part of this challenge. Mines generally understand their overall site or process energy consumption, but visibility can reduce significantly at individual asset level. With hundreds or thousands of motors driving pumps, conveyors, crushers, mills and other equipment, understanding where energy is being consumed, whether that consumption is productive and where opportunities for improvement exist will become increasingly important.
“The opportunity is therefore to reduce complexity and help people focus on the assets and actions that will genuinely improve reliability, production and energy productivity.”
A spokesperson for SAP, another tech heavyweight on IMARC’s exhibition floor, said digital transformation was enabling mining companies to achieve unprecedented levels of efficiency and integration.
“Through digital platforms, companies can streamline operations, optimise human resources management and create interconnected, intelligent supply chains. This shift not only reduces costs and inefficiencies but also improves agility and responsiveness to market changes.
“At IMARC, SAP aims to engage with industry leaders, technology innovators and partners across the mining ecosystem … to discuss how digital technologies can drive transformation and sustainability in mining operations.”
Operators who take advantage of IMARC’s free Mining Guest Pass get access to the entire conference program. Including, for the first time this year, Maintenance of Competence (MOC) workshops delivered with Mines Rescue, the event’s Mining Operators & Capability Program and the Hosted Buyer Program.
