1112 XXXI International Mineral Processing Congress 2024 Proceedings/Washington, DC/Sep 29–Oct 3
During the interviews, a mediation tool has been used
in the form of a digital presentation sharing the framework
described by Wajid and Bhullar (2019) with some exam-
ples of tools used in the project within the framework. This
has been used to elicit reflections and perspectives on data
interoperability within the project.
All interviews were conducted digitally and recorded
and transcribed through Microsoft Teams. The structure
and purpose were explained to each participant, and per-
mission gained before commencing each interview.
Thematic analysis as described by Lochmiller (2021)
was conducted where the transcripts were coded based on
the three research questions in focus for the interviews,
namely understanding of data interoperability, challenges
for the industry, and factors for success. From this, 22
codes were identified as relevant which were grouped into
six categories that fell under two broad themes: human fac-
tors and technology. Only one code had a single data point
which was confidentiality.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The categories identified in the two themes will be dis-
cussed in the following section. An overview of all the codes
and categories within the two themes is shown in Figure 3.
Several of the areas discussed are highly interlinked indi-
cating a strong connection between challenges. Further
research is encouraged to identify root causes for the chal-
lenges discussed in the future.
Human Factors
Many of the main challenges for improving the interoper-
ability between partners and within the aggregates industry
were identified as human factors rather than technological
limitations. The first category identified was related to com-
petence. Many of the partners identified a lack of IT knowl-
edge among the producers as a challenge. This did not mean
that IT knowledge was lacking in the company, however,
and access to this knowledge within the company helped
overcome this hurdle. It should be noted that a majority
of the pilot sites within the project are large enterprises,
and these IT skills may not always be available in SMEs
which still dominate the aggregate industry and should
be considered in future digitalization projects. Related to
the lack of IT knowledge, some of the solution providers
observe a lack of knowledge on the benefits that can be
gained through Industry 4.0 implementations among the
Figure 3. Summary of the thematic analysis results from the in-depth interviews with project partners involved in WP 4 in the
DEQ project
During the interviews, a mediation tool has been used
in the form of a digital presentation sharing the framework
described by Wajid and Bhullar (2019) with some exam-
ples of tools used in the project within the framework. This
has been used to elicit reflections and perspectives on data
interoperability within the project.
All interviews were conducted digitally and recorded
and transcribed through Microsoft Teams. The structure
and purpose were explained to each participant, and per-
mission gained before commencing each interview.
Thematic analysis as described by Lochmiller (2021)
was conducted where the transcripts were coded based on
the three research questions in focus for the interviews,
namely understanding of data interoperability, challenges
for the industry, and factors for success. From this, 22
codes were identified as relevant which were grouped into
six categories that fell under two broad themes: human fac-
tors and technology. Only one code had a single data point
which was confidentiality.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The categories identified in the two themes will be dis-
cussed in the following section. An overview of all the codes
and categories within the two themes is shown in Figure 3.
Several of the areas discussed are highly interlinked indi-
cating a strong connection between challenges. Further
research is encouraged to identify root causes for the chal-
lenges discussed in the future.
Human Factors
Many of the main challenges for improving the interoper-
ability between partners and within the aggregates industry
were identified as human factors rather than technological
limitations. The first category identified was related to com-
petence. Many of the partners identified a lack of IT knowl-
edge among the producers as a challenge. This did not mean
that IT knowledge was lacking in the company, however,
and access to this knowledge within the company helped
overcome this hurdle. It should be noted that a majority
of the pilot sites within the project are large enterprises,
and these IT skills may not always be available in SMEs
which still dominate the aggregate industry and should
be considered in future digitalization projects. Related to
the lack of IT knowledge, some of the solution providers
observe a lack of knowledge on the benefits that can be
gained through Industry 4.0 implementations among the
Figure 3. Summary of the thematic analysis results from the in-depth interviews with project partners involved in WP 4 in the
DEQ project