As clean energy initiatives pick up pace worldwide, mining companies are under mounting pressure to meet surging demand for essential minerals.

With maintenance costs consuming 30 to 50% of operational expenses, today’s asset-intensive mining operations have a prime opportunity to optimise processes and flip their approach to upkeep - ultimately enabling more strategic asset management.

Mining operations that continue to rely on outdated reactive maintenance - performing sporadic checks and repairing equipment only after a failure - face soaring costs, avoidable downtime, and safety hazards.

In contrast, top-performing mining companies are driving efficiency gains and lowering risks by pivoting to predictive and prescriptive maintenance strategies.

Using modern technologies, predictive and prescriptive maintenance enable operators to monitor assets and accurately predict – and fix – potential problems before they occur.

This approach supports not only asset reliability, but also reduces risk to personnel safety associated with machine failure. More reliable equipment also means less energy consumption and reduced emissions.

Shifts and opportunities across MENA

Across the MENA region, the mining sector is evolving rapidly as operators adopt cutting-edge technologies to bolster efficiency and reduce downtime.

Even more so for nations striving to diversify their economies through mining and mineral processing

In parallel with accelerated local investments in exploration, production, and advanced manufacturing, Saudi Arabia is extending its strategic reach globally.

Through Manara Minerals — a joint venture between Ma’aden and the Public Investment Fund (PIF) — the Kingdom is investing in international mining stakeholders to secure critical minerals and strengthen supply chain resilience, reinforcing its position as a global energy powerhouse.

Mining Momentum in the Kingdom

Saudi Arabia’s mining sector is undergoing a major transformation, driven by an estimated SAR9.4 trillion (US$2.5 tr) in mineral wealth and US$410bn in new investments.

Recent data from the National Industrial and Mining Information Center shows the number of operating and under-construction factories rose by 10% in 2023 to 11,672, representing combined investments of SAR1.539 trillion (US$410.bn).

As mining operations scale, reliability strategies are shifting from reactive to proactive, driven by technologies like condition monitoring, predictive analytics, and remote diagnostics.

These tools help operators detect early signs of equipment failure, reduce unplanned downtime, and improve safety.

When combined with interoperable systems that unify data across assets, they enable centralised decision-making and pave the way for smarter, more resilient maintenance practices across both new and existing sites.

To support this transformation, leading mining operations are turning to condition-based and prescriptive maintenance models.

While some Saudi projects are embedding these capabilities from the nascent stages, others are upgrading legacy systems through strategic sensor deployment and real-time monitoring.

Emerson has been partnering with mining operators across the world to digitise its condition monitoring systems across two critical sites.

This initiative focused on critical equipment at two of the company's mining sites, addressing long-standing issues related to inefficient manual data collection and frequent maintenance.

At one mine, the lack of monitoring and the reliance on intermittent manual data collection led to suboptimal productivity and safety concerns.

Similarly, another mine faced challenges with inclined conveyors, experiencing considerable downtime and extended maintenance schedules.

To address these issues, Emerson implemented the AMS 6500, an online asset health monitoring system featuring adaptive tracking based on varying load and speed conditions.

This technology provided real-time, high-quality data that was integrated into the company’s existing AMS Machinery Manager software, ensuring a seamless digital transformation.

This article was written by By Abdulrhman Alsanie, Director Strategic Alliances – Saudi Arabia, Emerson. Click here to read the rest of his op-ed. 

AVEVA, a global powerhouse in industrial software, has teamed up with ServiceNow, a leading AI platform for business transformation, to spearhead a new era of industrial innovation, according to a joint announcement.

The partnership aims to accelerate digital transformation and sustainability across industrial enterprises by merging cutting-edge technologies from both companies.

The collaboration will integrate AVEVA’s four decades of industrial software expertise and its CONNECT intelligence platform with ServiceNow’s AI-driven Operational Technology Management solutions.

This synergy promises to unify teams, digital infrastructures, and data across locations and applications, fostering seamless collaboration and driving productivity.

By combining their strengths within the CONNECT platform, the partnership will enable companies to streamline industrial processes, harness AI and automation for efficient workflows, and leverage analytics to optimise operations, reduce downtime, and boost production.

A stronger partnership

“In today’s rapidly evolving industrial landscape, organisations must focus on AI, automation, innovation, and efficiency to remain competitive while tackling key challenges,” states Bry Dillon, SVP Partners and Commercial Strategy, AVEVA. “Maintaining asset reliability, modernising outdated processes, implementing automated workflows, preserving critical industry knowledge, and equipping the next generation of workers is all essential. This must be managed alongside the transition to sustainable practices while still meeting profitability targets. Companies must adapt quickly to these transformative shifts to enhance productivity, minimise waste, and reduce costs. AVEVA and ServiceNow’s partnership empowers organisations to streamline workflows, automate operations, and improve asset performance and operational efficiency to drive sustainable growth across the industrial enterprise.”

The partnership also addresses critical needs in industrial cybersecurity and operational technology (OT) integration with information technology (IT). “Our collaboration with AVEVA represents a critical advancement in industrial cybersecurity and OT-IT convergence,” adds Neelima Rustagi, VP and GM for Technology Workflow Solutions, ServiceNow. “We deliver end-to-end visibility across assets, processes, and threats by integrating AVEVA’s robust industrial data platform with ServiceNow’s secure and intelligent Operational Technology Management workflows. This joint solution enables real-time anomaly detection, root cause analysis with robust compliance management. It empowers organisations to transition from reactive to proactive operations—enhancing resilience, accelerating decision-making, and aligning with modern industrial transformation goals and AI-driven automation.”

AVEVA, headquartered in Cambridge, UK, is a trusted partner to over 90% of leading industrial enterprises, supporting essential sectors like energy, food, pharmaceuticals, and infrastructure.

Its CONNECT platform, enriched with industrial AI, facilitates collaboration across supply chains and drives sustainable value. ServiceNow’s expertise in AI-driven workflows complements AVEVA’s offerings, creating a robust solution for industries navigating rapid technological and environmental shifts.

Thomas McCarthy industry principal- life sciences AVEVA. (Image source: AVEVA)

Connected ecosystems are informed by nature’s penchant for collaboration and adaptation. By optimising for efficiency and sustainability, they pave the way for transformative advancements in the sector, says Thomas McCarthy, industry principal – Life Sciences, AVEVA

Natural ecosystems are one of life’s wonders. They show us how interconnectedness builds resilience and efficiency while spurring growth and innovation. It’s something that should inspire the life sciences industry as it tackles growing challenges around operational efficiency and regulatory compliance.

Individual trees, plants and animals cannot operate in isolation within a forest. Likewise, industrial enterprises cannot afford to have their stakeholders working in silos. Collaborative thinking, by contrast, generates benefits across ecosystems, in this case the life sciences industry.

When license holders, contract manufacturers, equipment vendors, and regulatory agencies partner across company lines, they can drive collective value and support industrial sustainability. Within a connected ecosystem supported by robust data management, standardised formats, and proactive regulatory communication, these organisations can break down barriers, enhance efficiency, and ensure seamless compliance throughout the value chain.

Digitising drug discovery to speed time to market

Taking a data-centric approach to operations enabled Pfizer and its partner, BioNTech, to develop the world’s first MRNA vaccine for Covid-19 in record time. With so much at stake during the pandemic, the global pharmaceutical leader needed to ramp up the complex process of discovering, developing, and manufacturing a new drug—while decreasing time to market. The company used advanced technologies, including a data management system in the cloud, to collect, manage, standardise and contextualise process information from across its worldwide plant network into a single, comprehensive source of truth.

Digitizing the drug discovery process gave Pfizer’s stakeholders information from different areas of the vaccine value chain anytime and anywhere. Not only has the new software made it easier to collaborate remotely, but transferring knowledge and technology between sites is simplified. For example, storage data from freezer farms enables quality checks on cold-chain integrity. Similarly, machine learning analytics can predict mRNA concentrations. And production cycle times are faster with real-time scheduling.

This shared digital ecosystem has improved healthcare outcomes at scale. As of 2022, approximately 79,000 Pfizer colleagues from around the world had come together in 125 countries, with 15 sites and 45 assets connected. More than 1.4 billion patients were treated with Pfizer products, and pandemic-linked vaccine delivery alone increased 5x. The company is now applying the successful new process to 104 research and development projects.

Eliminating silos, elevating data and supporting compliance

Pfizer’s experience shows how Pharma 4.0 technologies such as the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), advanced analytics, artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud computing are transforming the entire pharmaceutical supply chain.

By enabling cooperation between internal and external stakeholders, these sophisticated technologies are helping to create a stronger, more closely connected value chain. As a result of this stronger collaboration, information silos are eliminated, data management becomes more robust, and it is easier to support compliance with evolving regulations.

Life sciences executives report that ecosystem models can provide significant advantages over traditional business approaches. The majority (59%) of all life sciences C-suite executives polled in EY’s 2023 Ecosystem Survey say these models increase efficiency and reducing costs.

Likewise, more than half (54%) said they lead to the creation of new, joint products, while a similar number (55%) said the joined-up approach promotes improvements in creativity and innovation.

Ecosystem oversight on demand for better decisions

A connected ecosystem supports holistic end-to-end visibility of the entire industrial value chain. It pulls together data from different entities and puts it into context, creating a digital source of truth akin to the central nervous system in the human body. Because teams at every connected organisation have oversight of all industrial processes on demand, they can make better and faster decisions supported by empirical data and insights.

Experience from a global manufacturer of biologic medicines shows how such cross-company connectivity helps bring health care to more people around the world. Creating new drugs involves a dizzying and intricate array of equipment, often at different facilities around the world. Each unit must therefore necessarily work in silos, and exchange drug development information in laborious, time-consuming ways.

To speed up research, development and roll-out, the company pulled all this disparate information into a virtual cloud-based model at its laboratory. This solution, known as a digital twin, becomes a single point of truth. Real-time and historical data from across the network can be contextualised and analysed in one place, enabling the company and its partners to model different drug combinations and processes at a fraction of the cost.

Not only did the solution reduce the costs of running experiments at full scale, but efficiency improvements have been measured at up to 70%. In fact, pharmaceutical executives see the innovative process as the basis for a future of “lights out” continuous end-to-end processing, where the cost of production could decrease by a factor of 10 in the next decade.

A golden data thread for transformative benefits

Much like a natural ecosystem where every element works together harmoniously, the flow of data within a connected ecosystem democratises superior decision-making, enhancing collaboration and operational efficiency. Such an integrated industrial ecosystem offers similarly transformative outcomes for life sciences.

With the transparency and accessibility of a single golden data thread, everyone—from license holders to regulatory agencies—comes together on the same page, aligned around common goals. There are fewer errors because everyone works from the same source of accurate information. Processes are streamlined. And the need for rework drops.

With smoother collaboration and decision-making, productivity increases and teams can adhere to project timelines. Consistent and reliable outcomes improve customer satisfaction. And profitability rises as processes become more efficient and fewer resources are used.

Just like in nature, seamless integration leads to faster problem-solving in business, enabling industry-wide partners to tackle future challenges adroitly and confidently.

Emad Fahmy, director of systems engineering at NETSCOUT. (Image source: NETSCOUT)

As energy providers in the Middle East accelerate their digital transformation efforts, the need for a real-time, data-driven approach to network visibility has never been more critical. Utilities are undergoing a fundamental shift, driven by national strategies such as the UAE Energy Strategy 2050, DEWA’s Smart Grid Strategy 2035, and ADNOC’s Digital Transformation Plan.

These initiatives aim to enhance efficiency, improve service reliability, and support the region’s transition toward a more sustainable energy landscape. However, as networks become more interconnected, maintaining operational excellence requires a new level of observability and security.

The integration of IT and OT systems is a fundamental shift for energy providers. Traditionally, OT systems—such as Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) platforms—operated in isolation. Today, they must seamlessly connect with IT infrastructure to support intelligent automation, predictive maintenance, and real-time decision-making.

As seen with ADNOC's Digital Transformation Plan, energy providers are leveraging AI, ML, and big data analytics to improve efficiency. However, the more interconnected these networks become, the greater the need for complete visibility across IT and OT environments.

For modern utilities, achieving full visibility across IT and OT environments is essential for sustaining reliability and performance. By adopting advanced observability solutions, energy providers can:

• Enhance security: With the rising sophistication of cyber threats, protecting critical infrastructure is a top priority. Deep packet inspection and AI-driven analytics can help detect threats early, reducing the risk of major disruptions.

• Prevent service Outages: Predictive monitoring enables providers to identify anomalies before they lead to downtime. DEWA’s Smart Grid Strategy 2035 with an investment of AED 7 billion, is a prime example of how proactive monitoring enhances automation and service reliability.

• Optimise grid performance: Advanced data analytics allow energy companies to streamline operations, reduce waste, and improve efficiency. This aligns with the UAE Energy Strategy 2050, which aims to increase efficiency by 40% and expand clean energy contributions to 50% by 2050.

By leveraging real-time insights, utility providers can improve grid stability and meet the demands of a digital-first energy sector.

Ensuring reliable network performance

The shift to intelligent energy networks depends on secure and uninterrupted data flows. Smart meters, IoT sensors, and connected grid infrastructure generate vast amounts of information that must be processed and analysed in real time. Without the right observability framework, delays in data transmission between substations and control centres can lead to inefficiencies and service disruptions.

This is particularly relevant as ADNOC integrates AI-powered analytics across its operations to optimise asset performance, reduce costs and enhance energy efficiency.

For utilities and energy providers alike, having robust network visibility is essential to maximising the benefits of digital transformation.

As energy infrastructure becomes more interconnected, the risk of cyberattacks grows. Legacy systems running alongside modern digital applications create a complex environment where security gaps can easily be exploited. In recent years, the frequency of (DDoS) attacks on utilities has increased significantly, highlighting the need for enhanced cybersecurity strategies.

A proactive approach is essential. Advanced network monitoring solutions can Help identify potential breaches before they cause damage.

To fully leverage digital transformation, utility providers must bridge the gap between IT, OT, and security teams. Traditionally, these departments have operated in silos, leading to fragmented data insights and delayed response times. A unified observability approach ensures that all teams have access to real-time intelligence, improving collaboration and accelerating issue resolution.

Future-proofing energy infrastructure

As the Middle East continues to push forward with ambitious energy transformation initiatives, end-to-end visibility will be a critical factor in ensuring long-term success. With digitalisation reshaping the industry, maintaining a strong observability strategy is no longer optional—it’s a necessity.

By adopting intelligent monitoring solutions, energy providers can safeguard critical infrastructure, improve service reliability, and enhance cybersecurity resilience. Whether supporting grid modernisation, optimising performance, or mitigating risks, a proactive observability approach ensures that utilities remain agile in an increasingly complex digital landscape.

This piece was penned by Emad Fahmy, director of systems engineering at NETSCOUT. It has been slightly modified for brevity.