Shalendra Bindha

Background

About Shalendra Bindha

With over 20 years of experience in industrial automation, process control, and large-scale operational optimization, I have successfully delivered complex projects for industry leaders like Rio Tinto, Richards Bay Minerals, and Sohar Aluminium. My combination of technical expertise, academic distinction (including a Cum Laude Honours in Computing), and hands-on problem-solving equips me to drive efficiency, safety, and innovation in operations.Proven Impact in Heavy Industry: At Richards Bay Minerals (Rio Tinto), I led 50+ Continuous Improvement Projects, two of which won company awards for safety and energy efficiency. For example: Feed Preparation HMC Transfer Optimization: Stabilized conveyor feed to a slurry box by fine-tuning PID settings and VSD speed references, reducing choke points and improving throughput. Isolation Test Start Verification: Developed a zeroenergy verification system (awarded Best Safety CIP 2016), ensuring compliance and preventing hazardous restarts. Designed fault-finding SCADA tools that reduced downtime by 30% and enabled real-time collaboration between operators and field teams.Large-Scale Project Leadership: Delivered plant-wide automation upgrades (e.g, migrating legacy PLCs to ControlLogix, converting HMIs to PanelView Plus) for smelters, mining ponds, and global exploration sites.Commissioned 7 PanelView applications in Madagascar (QMM) and designed a rectifier control simulator for Ras Al Khair Smelter, showcasing adaptability across geographies.Bridging IT/OT & Data Integration: Unified disparate systems (Cimplicity, Wonderware, and OSI PI) into centralized dashboards for metallurgy teams, enabling data-driven decision-making. Managed Azure-based device administration, satellite communications, and IT infrastructure for Rio Tinto’s Africa/Europe operations, ensuring seamless remote support.Academic Excellence & Continuous Learning: Honours in Computing (Cum Laude) – Top performer at UNISA (2021). Certifications: ITIL 4, Six Sigma (Yellow Belt), Azure Data Fundamentals, CCST Networking. Passion for upskilling: Completed 30+ LinkedIn courses in project management, data analytics, and Agile methodologies