Stakeholder inclusion in the design and development of equipment for the modernising mining sector in South Africa
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17159/Abstract
A people-centric, systematic approach that involves different stakeholders is considered necessary to successfully address changes associated with modernising the South African mining industry. This paper discusses the inclusion of various South African mining industry stakeholders, particularly the employees, in equipment design and development processes. Data were acquired through literature review and inputs received from South African mining industry stakeholders through focus group discussions, interviews, and online survey. Several stakeholders were suggested for inclusion in the equipment design and development process. It was identified that some of the areas that could be improved by the inclusion of employees in the process were design quality, ergonomics, equipment acceptance by the workforce, safety, efficiency, skills, insight into context of use, and early design iterations and problem identification. Among the issues considered to be barriers to inclusion were lack of buy-in, lack of resources, difficulty in manufacturers accessing the mines, difficulties in involving too many people, intellectual property concerns, and availability of mine employees due to their key responsibility areas. Identified critical factors in the equipment design and development process included iterative design, stakeholder participation throughout the process, needs analysis through consultation, and change management. A guideline was developed for worker inclusion in equipment design and development processes that could be used by the South African mining industry. The study identified several economic and social benefits of including stakeholders in the early stages of design and development process. It is recommended that the South African mining industry considers using the developed guideline.
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Copyright (c) 2024 Sibusiso Sizwe Ngobese, Jodi Pelders, Wessel Botha, Fleckson Magweregwede, Schu Schutte
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