This account traces how one mining company confronts the technical and organizational hurdles of adopting digital technologies below ground. Rajesh Dutta, who took on the role of Head of IT at JMS Mining seven months ago, brings experience from manufacturing and consulting to an industry still navigating early-stage technological modernization. His perspective reveals both the obstacles and genuine opportunities that shape digital adoption in underground operations.

The State of Technology in Mining

Mining lags behind many other industries in technology implementation, yet this gap simultaneously creates substantial room for advancement. The sector’s unique characteristics—heavy, expensive machinery operating far below the surface, unpredictable geological conditions, and stringent regulatory frameworks—create a distinct operating environment. Equipment functions in depths where communication is unreliable, and government agencies maintain strict oversight of deployable technologies. These factors combine to make technology adoption simultaneously challenging and critically important for operational success.

The transition at JMS Mining toward direct mine operations and coal excavation has intensified the need for structured processes and improved productivity measures. This shift underscores how technological solutions become increasingly vital as companies move beyond contracting models to integrated operations managing both equipment and personnel.

Safety and Surveillance as Initial Focus

JMS Mining’s initial digitalization efforts concentrated on safety and surveillance infrastructure. The installation of CCTV systems across mining sites has established a foundation for more sophisticated capabilities. Building upon this base, the organization is implementing video analytics and artificial intelligence components specifically designed to enhance mine safety and security. Given that safety represents a paramount concern throughout the mining industry, technology deployment offers measurable risk reduction potential.

The Human Element in Transformation

Successful digital transformation extends beyond technological implementation. The process fundamentally involves three interconnected dimensions: people, processes, and technology itself. Mining operations remain inherently hands-on and practical in nature, with many personnel lacking extensive IT background or familiarity. Engaging this workforce represents one of the most substantial obstacles to transformation initiatives. To address workforce engagement challenges, JMS Mining is simultaneously investing in human resources automation systems designed to improve collaboration, transparency, and employee engagement.

Evolution of Enterprise Technology

Over the past decade, enterprise information technology has progressed through distinct phases. Organizations initially transitioned from on-premise infrastructure to large-scale cloud adoption, a shift that accelerated dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic. Subsequently, data emerged as the primary focus area, with organizations building data lakes and analytics capabilities to extract actionable insights. Artificial intelligence now represents the next evolutionary phase, though it functions as far more than contemporary terminology—it reflects fundamental changes in how organizations can operate.

Currently, many organizations maintain AI initiatives primarily in proof-of-concept phases. The central challenge involves advancing from experimental projects to production-scale deployment while ensuring proper data governance and measurable business outcomes. Investment decisions become complicated by uncertain returns on proof-of-concept projects. At JMS Mining, a three-month AI initiative produced results that initially fell short of management expectations, yet leadership conviction about long-term necessity ultimately sustained the initiative, reflecting the understanding that transformation rarely delivers immediate returns.

Digital Twins as Operational Framework

Manufacturing practices offer valuable concepts for mining adaptation, particularly digital twins—virtual representations of physical operations. In mining contexts, uncertainty about subsurface conditions once excavation begins creates particular value for digital representation technology. Digital twins can capture equipment behavior, conveyor movement, environmental conditions, and machine health status. Such virtual replicas enable prediction of equipment failures, production optimization, and critically, safety improvements through scenario simulation before ground-level execution.

However, all advanced mining applications fundamentally depend on reliable connectivity. Without consistent data transmission from underground operations to surface locations, digital twin technology remains theoretical rather than operational. This dependency makes connectivity the foundational element of the entire digital roadmap.

International mining operations demonstrate feasibility; mines in Australia and South Africa are remotely controlled from command centers, effectively operating digital twin simulations in real-time decision-making environments. JMS Mining is developing similar aspirations, envisioning a centralized command center enabling mining operation monitoring and control, with digital twins facilitating scenario simulation before actual ground implementation.

Solving Connectivity Infrastructure

Establishing reliable underground connectivity represents the most significant technical challenge. JMS Mining is testing multiple approaches including 5G technology, alternative wireless solutions, and physical cabling installations to transmit data from underground operations to surface facilities. Multiple proof-of-concept projects are simultaneously underway, with successful connectivity solutions enabling numerous advanced applications.

Asset and inventory management also represents an area with immediate potential for improvement. Managing spare parts for expensive equipment across multiple sites presents ongoing operational concerns. JMS Mining is addressing this through SAP system implementation, with early-stage exploration of AI-driven inventory optimization applications.

Dutta emphasizes avoiding indiscriminate pursuit of emerging technology trends, maintaining instead a grounded approach focused on extracting genuine value before advancing to subsequent innovations. Within India specifically, artificial intelligence retains substantial untapped potential across multiple industries, including mining operations.

Connectivity Hurdles and Digital Twins Shape JMS Mining’s Underground Transformation

Seven months after joining JMS Mining as head of information technology, Rajesh Dutta is spearheading a digital overhaul of the company’s underground coal operations across India, contending with spotty network signals hundreds of metres below ground while laying the groundwork for virtual “digital twins” that promise safer and more efficient production.

Early pilot projects launched in 2023 reveal both the scale of the opportunity and the stubborn infrastructure gaps that still keep much of the mining sector several steps behind other heavy industries.

Moving quickly from contractor to operator, JMS Mining must modernise equipment monitoring, worker safety and inventory management in order to meet tighter productivity targets and stricter regulatory oversight. That means integrating cameras, sensors and analytics in shafts where heat, dust and rock faces can play havoc with electronic devices—and where even a momentary loss of connectivity can derail autonomous or remotely assisted machinery.

Dutta told Express Computer that “connectivity is the biggest bottleneck in digitising mines,” a constraint he called foundational because every subsequent layer of technology—whether cloud dashboards, AI-driven optimisation or full-scale digital-twin simulations—depends on a reliable data link between the pit bottom and a command centre on the surface Express Computer.

Underground networks lag other industries

Mining has traditionally adopted new technology more slowly than manufacturing or logistics. Heavy machines operate deep underground in shifting geological conditions monitored by strict government agencies, creating a unique operating environment. JMS Mining’s current transition to direct mine ownership has intensified the need for precise operational data: the company now bears full responsibility for equipment health, production targets and worker safety rather than simply meeting contractual excavation volumes.

Safety systems came first. Over the past year, CCTV cameras were installed across multiple sites, giving supervisors a live view of haulage roads, conveyor belts and restricted zones. Those feeds are now being connected to video-analytics software that can automatically flag anomalies such as unauthorised entry, missing protective gear or smoke. The approach demonstrates the company’s step-by-step philosophy: start with a basic layer that delivers immediate value and expand only once that foundation is stable.

The price of a dropped packet

All of these initiatives rely on a continuous trickle of data from the mine face. But electromagnetic interference, rock strata and complex tunnel geometry can scramble signals. JMS is therefore testing a mix of underground 5G, ruggedised Wi-Fi, leaky-feeder cables and fibre lines to find a combination that can survive blasting vibrations and high humidity. Multiple proofs of concept are running in parallel, Dutta said, because different ore bodies and tunnel layouts demand different network topologies.

Without that lifeline, higher-level applications are impossible. “Digital twins can fundamentally change how mining operations are planned and executed,” Dutta noted in the same interview, pointing to their potential to model equipment loads, airflow and geological stress before ground teams move in Express Computer. But a twin is only as accurate as its input data: if a vibration sensor drops offline for an hour, predictive-maintenance algorithms revert to guesswork and operators lose the lead time needed to pull crews back or reroute traffic.

Borrowing lessons from factories

Digital-twin concepts were forged in aviation and discrete manufacturing, where every valve and robot arm can be mirrored on a screen miles away. Adapting that to an environment in which the ground itself changes daily is more complex. In an underground setting, the virtual replica must ingest readings from drill bits, conveyor motors, belt scales and environmental gauges, then feed simulation results back to shift supervisors in real time. The goal is not simply to visualise; it is to rehearse: if a planned blast appears likely to trigger a roof collapse in the model, crews can reinforce supports before explosives are wired up.

International benchmarks encourage Dutta’s team. Mines in Australia and South Africa are now partially run from urban control rooms that stitch together sensor data, high-resolution 3D maps and live camera streams. JMS hopes to build a comparable command centre, but only after testing proves the underground network can support high-bandwidth telemetry without dangerous latency spikes.

People and processes still count

Technology alone will not deliver a safer or more productive mine. Many underground workers have limited exposure to IT systems, and Dutta has placed equal emphasis on human-resources automation to improve collaboration and transparency. The company is introducing mobile apps that let electricians log faults on the spot and maintenance planners assign tasks instantly, closing a communication loop that previously relied on paper logbooks.

To avoid pursuing trends without substance, the IT team conducts value-realisation workshops before green-lighting any new tool. A recent three-month AI pilot did not meet early expectations, yet management decided to extend the programme because the long-term gains—reduced downtime and energy savings—outweigh the learning curve. The experience underscores a broader industry truth: transformation in capital-intensive sectors seldom pays off within a single quarter.

Managing the spare-parts maze

Alongside connectivity, inventory is another pain point. A single continuous miner can cost tens of millions of rupees, and an unexpected failure in a hard-to-reach gearbox can idle an entire panel. JMS is rolling out SAP modules to catalogue parts across multiple depots, aiming to link them later with predictive-maintenance alerts from the digital twin. Once the data pipeline is solid, AI models could balance stocking levels against criticality and lead time, cutting carrying costs without compromising availability.

Regulators push, investors watch

Government agencies that oversee coal mining attach special significance to safety statistics, making demonstrable improvements a licensing advantage. Investors, for their part, increasingly scrutinise environmental, social and governance metrics, another catalyst for granular reporting. A unified digital backbone—from underground sensors to surface analytics—allows management to publish near-real-time dashboards on energy use, emissions and incident rates.

Analysis: The road to autonomous mining in India

Industry observers note that India’s underground segment trails global peers not just in technology but also in mechanisation rates and training budgets. JMS Mining’s phased approach—securing connectivity first, layering safety systems next, then moving toward digital twins—mirrors the pattern followed in resource-rich regions with harsher regulatory environments. If the company succeeds in stabilising a 5G-enabled tunnel network, the door opens to semi-autonomous loaders, drone-based inspections and eventually operator-less extraction rooms.

Yet the 80/20 rule applies here as well: roughly 80 percent of the value will likely come from a handful of use cases that address today’s pain points—preventing equipment failures, tracking personnel in emergencies and improving ventilation efficiency. Full autonomy may be years away, but incremental wins on safety and cost already justify the investment.

In the long run, wider adoption of underground connectivity could benefit the entire Indian coal sector, enabling smaller operators to plug in modular sensor suites and analytics packages without rebuilding their IT stack from scratch. With coal expected to remain a mainstay of the national energy mix for the foreseeable future, improvements in extraction efficiency translate directly into national growth and, potentially, lower environmental impact per tonne mined.

For now, though, the next blast still hinges on a signal bar deep below the surface. Until that stabilises, even the most sophisticated algorithms will wait their turn.

Sources

• https://www.expresscomputer.in/exclusives/connectivity-is-the-biggest-bottleneck-in-digitising-mines-rajesh-dutta-head-it-jms-mining/131238/