Wynand has over 30 years’ experience in heavy industry process control and automation.

He started his career in the early days of standalone control systems, migrating them to networked solutions and now fully integrated architectures, including IT/OT and cloud-based applications.

He is the Principle Specialist Pocess Control at Gold Fields.

Presentation Title

AI & Data Visualisation in Processing Plants

The processing industry is being flooded with AI tools, dashboards, digital twins and “smart” analytics, all promising better recovery, higher throughput and faster decisions. But separating genuine value from noise is becoming harder, not easier. This practical, operations-focused panel discussion will explore the real world application of AI and data visualisation in mineral processing plants, with a focus on flotation, gold recovery, comminution and plant optimisation.  

Bringing together operators, metallurgists, technology vendors, OT and data specialists, the session will examine what actually works on site, what doesn’t, and why. Topics will include implementation pitfalls, operator adoption, data governance, trust in AI recommendations, and the gap between proof of concept and sustainable operational value. The 1 hour session will feature brief presentations from each panellist, followed by an extended 45 minute moderated discussion and audience Q&A. Deliberately centred on plant level reality and metallurgical decision-making rather than theory, exploration or corporate reporting, the session aims to provide practical insights for processing professionals navigating the rapidly evolving digital landscape.