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Manufacturing IT solutions for mining and industrial operations

Arke Technologies provides manufacturing IT solutions for mines, plants and industrial sites across South Africa, from Johannesburg. We run the business IT, secure the boundary between office networks and operational technology (OT), connect remote sites, and build the ISO, safety and ESG reporting systems that operations and compliance teams depend on.

Request an IT assessmentSee how we secure OT

IT in mining and manufacturing: what makes it different

IT in mining and in manufacturing is not office IT on a bigger scale. A plant or mine runs two networks: business IT (email, ERP, finance, HR) and operational technology, the controllers, SCADA systems and HMI screens that run conveyors, pumps, kilns and packing lines. An outage in the first stops paperwork. An outage in the second stops production, and can create a safety incident.

The on-site reality shapes everything we design:

  • Remote and dispersed sites. Shafts, pits, plants and depots far from fibre routes, linked by fibre where it exists and fixed LTE where it does not.
  • Harsh rooms. Dust, heat and vibration shorten the life of hardware in a site server room unless power, cooling and cabinets are specified for it.
  • Power. Load-shedding and dips on long rural lines, so servers, switches and radios need UPS runtime sized to the site.
  • Shifts. Shared computers in control rooms and workshops, used by three shifts, with sign-in and permissions to match.
  • Long equipment lives. Control systems stay in service for many years, so engineering workstations often run old versions of Windows that the automation vendor still supports and that nobody may patch casually.

IT for manufacturing companies and mines therefore needs change control that respects production windows, and security that assumes the plant cannot simply be rebooted.

A plant operator in a hairnet works at a control computer on the factory floor.

Manufacturing IT solutions we deliver

Engineers in hard hats and hi-vis vests review drawings around a table.

IT and OT: where our work starts and stops

Plant floors run on control platforms such as Siemens' Totally Integrated Automation (TIA) portfolio, in which controllers, HMIs, drives and plant networks are engineered in one environment, and on equivalent platforms from other automation vendors. That control engineering belongs to your automation engineers and to the vendor or integrator who built the system. Our work sits around it, and we are explicit about the line.

LayerWhat it includesOur role
Business ITEmail, Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, ERP, finance, HR, laptopsWe run it under the SLA
Site ITSite servers, Wi-Fi, cabling, control-room PCs on the business networkWe design, install, document and support it
IT/OT boundaryFirewalls, a demilitarised zone (DMZ) for shared data, vendor remote accessWe design and manage it with your engineers
Control systemsPLCs, SCADA, DCS, HMIs, safety systemsYour engineers and the automation vendor own it; we secure the network around it and never change control logic

SCADA system integration and PLC integration, meaning the control logic itself, therefore stay with control engineering. What we add is getting production data out safely: a historian or SCADA export feeding a reporting database through a one-way path, so a dashboard can read from the plant but nothing on the business network can write back to it. That one-way flow is the practical core of IT/OT infrastructure design, and the safe starting point for any Industry 4.0 transformation.

OT cyber security: securing the plant boundary

Cyber security for OT differs from office security in one priority: availability and safety come before confidentiality. A laptop can be isolated and rebuilt; a kiln controller cannot. Ransomware that starts in an email and crosses a flat network into the plant is the scenario industrial security management exists to prevent.

Our industrial cybersecurity services cover:

  • An asset inventory. What is connected on the plant side, who can reach it and from where, drawn up with your engineers.
  • Segmentation. Firewalls between business IT and OT, with deny-by-default rules and a documented list of what may cross. See firewalls and network security.
  • Controlled remote access. One approved, logged route in for equipment vendors and engineers, instead of modems and remote-desktop tools installed on plant PCs.
  • Patching with discipline. Normal patching on the business side; vendor-approved updates on control-system workstations, scheduled into shutdown windows.
  • Monitoring and backups. Checks on every managed computer every 15 minutes, with faults logged as tickets automatically, and tested backups of servers and engineering files.
  • Testing within limits. Penetration testing that we scope, perform and retest on the business network and the boundary; anything that touches live control networks is agreed with your engineers first.
  • Incident response. A plan that says who may sever the IT/OT link, how, and when production is told. See incident response.

We work to the NIST Cybersecurity Framework and MITRE ATT&CK, which includes a matrix for industrial control systems. NIST also publishes a dedicated guide to OT security, SP 800-82, a useful shared reference when IT and plant engineers agree the rules at the boundary.

Software for safety, quality and ESG reporting

Mines and manufacturers answer to auditors for quality, safety and environmental performance as much as for finance. Our team has built systems for exactly this:

  • ISOcore, an ISO management system platform covering ISO 9001, 14001 and 45001 documentation, non-conformance management, corrective actions and audit scheduling. ISOcore ISO management platform
  • ESGnet, a platform for collecting ESG performance data and reporting aligned to GRI and SASB, built for ESG officers and investor-facing sustainability reports. ESGnet ESG reporting platform

Computer-integrated manufacturing rarely arrives as one purchase. Most plants connect what they already run (the ERP, maintenance, quality, weighbridge and production records) through APIs, one integration at a time, which keeps a digital manufacturing transformation free of a risky big-bang replacement; see systems integration. Mining logistics software, for moving ore, product and spares, follows the same patterns as logistics software for distribution.

An operator watches process screens in an industrial control room.

Governance, compliance and procurement

Boards, operations executives and procurement teams receive:

  • An SLA set to your operation. Scope, exclusions, on-site policy, price per seat and term, with incidents prioritised P1 (critical outage) to P4 (low-impact request) and response and resolution targets matched to the impact of downtime and agreed with you.
  • Change control that respects production. Changes that touch site infrastructure are scheduled into agreed windows, documented and reversible.
  • A monthly service review and report covering tickets, security status, backups, licences and recommended next steps, with defined escalation paths.
  • Compliance. POPIA, including employee records and any biometric data from clocking or access control, which POPIA treats as special personal information; King IV Principle 12 for technology and information governance; controls aligned with ISO/IEC 27001 and the NIST Cybersecurity Framework (alignment, not certification).
  • Procurement. Level 1 B-BBEE contributor, giving 135% procurement recognition on your B-BBEE scorecard (sworn affidavit available on request). Company documents, a bank confirmation letter, our CSD supplier number and SARS tax compliance status on request; SBD forms when a bid requires them. See company facts.
  • Continuity. You own your data, admin credentials, network diagrams and documentation. Adding a shaft, plant or depot stays under the same contract; if you leave, we hand over consoles, credentials and documentation in an orderly way.

State-owned industrial operators follow PFMA disciplines as well; see IT for state-owned entities.

What manufacturing and mining IT costs

Last reviewed: September 2026.

Cost lineHow it is pricedWhat drives the price
Managed IT and supportPer user (seat) per month, set after an assessmentUsers and devices, number of sites, distance, on-site policy, shift cover
OT boundary and security workQuoted per project, then managedSites and plant networks, vendor access routes, testing scope
Network and cablingQuoted per project after a site surveyDistances, fibre runs, cabinets, protection from dust and heat
HardwareItemised Server Hub quote in rand, VAT includedSpecification, quantity, warranty, installation
Software and integrationQuoted per project after scopingSystems involved, data volumes, offline needs

Published South African managed IT rates run from about R180 to R400 per user per month (matnet.co.za, September 2026), with some providers listing R450 (MiBOT, September 2026); published hourly rates for IT project work run from about R550 to R750 ex VAT (matnet.co.za, September 2026). For an industrial site, distance, shift cover and the boundary work above move the price most. We set a per-seat price after an assessment and quote each project against a written scope; see managed IT pricing.

How we deliver

  1. Discovery

    We walk the sites with your IT and plant engineers, map both networks and list what connects to what. You receive a written report of findings and risks.

  2. Baseline

    We agree the standards: segmentation rules, remote-access policy, backup schedule, change windows and documentation.

  3. Management

    We run day-to-day operations under the SLA, remote-first on our own remote-access platform and Johannesburg servers, with every remote session approved and logged.

  4. Optimisation

    Each month we review incidents, security and performance with you and agree the next improvements, from a new site link to a production dashboard.

One contract with Arke Technologies covers the work, and one accountable team performs it on our SLA clock; everyone with access to your systems is bound by confidentiality and our security controls. Mining and industrial sits beside agriculture and distribution and the public sector among the industries we serve.

Frequently asked questions

What IT solutions does a manufacturing company need? Show answer

A manufacturing company needs reliable business IT (email, ERP, finance and a service desk), a site network built for the plant environment, security that separates office IT from operational technology, tested backups, and reporting that turns production data into decisions. Manufacturing IT solutions must also respect production: changes scheduled into agreed windows, and nothing that can stop a line without warning.

What is OT cyber security? Show answer

OT cyber security protects operational technology: the controllers, SCADA systems and HMIs that run physical processes. Unlike office IT, it puts safety and availability first, because a controller cannot simply be isolated and rebuilt. The core controls are an asset inventory, segmentation between IT and OT, controlled vendor access, careful patching and a tested incident plan.

What is Totally Integrated Automation? Show answer

Totally Integrated Automation (TIA) is Siemens' approach to industrial automation, in which controllers, HMIs, drives and plant networks are engineered together in one environment, the TIA Portal. We do not program TIA or any control platform; your automation engineers and the vendor own that. We secure and connect the IT around it and bring its data safely into reporting.

Do you do SCADA system integration and PLC programming? Show answer

No. Control logic on PLCs and SCADA stays with your control engineers and the automation vendor. We handle the IT side: the network the SCADA servers sit on, the firewall between plant and office, controlled remote access, backups, and one-way data feeds from a historian or SCADA export into reporting. Being clear about that line is part of keeping a plant safe.

How is IT in mining different from office IT? Show answer

IT in mining has to work at remote shafts and plants, through load-shedding, dust and heat, on shared computers used across shifts. It also sits beside operational technology that cannot be rebooted at will. That means site connectivity by fibre or fixed LTE, UPS runtime sized to the site, hardened server rooms, strict change control and security that keeps office threats out of the plant.

Is crypto mining worth it on company hardware? Show answer

No, and whether crypto mining is worth it as an investment is a question we do not advise on. The IT risk is cryptojacking: attackers or insiders running mining software on company servers and cloud accounts, which raises power and cloud bills and signals a security gap. Unexplained, sustained processor load on a server should be treated as a security event and investigated.

How much do managed IT services for manufacturing cost? Show answer

Managed IT for a manufacturer or mine is priced per user per month, set after an assessment of your sites. Published South African rates run from about R180 to R400 per user per month (matnet.co.za, September 2026), with some providers listing R450 (MiBOT, September 2026). The price depends on users, devices, sites, distance, on-site needs, shift cover and security scope; projects are quoted separately.

Secure the plant boundary and run site IT under one SLA

Start with an assessment of your sites, your networks and the boundary between office IT and the plant. You receive a written report and a plan your operations and finance teams can approve. Or talk to us about your operation first.

Request an IT assessment