MINE THE KNOWLEDGE
Australia’s largest mining event, IMARC, is in its sixth year, and will be held against a background of record gold and iron ore prices, increasing US-China trade tensions, and pressure from environmentalists.
IT’S been a tumultuous year for the mining industry.
Australia’s chief economist reported in June that the nation’s resource and energy exports are set to hit a new record of $285b in 2019–20, the increase in earnings driven by a spike in iron ore prices and a surging gold sector.
Meanwhile, the June quarterly report said thermal coal was facing a tough climate, with prices deteriorating, and predicted that gold would replace it as Australia’s fourth largest export in 2019-20.
It also warned about uncertainties caused by US-China trade tensions.
Against such a backdrop, there has never been a better time to hear from some of the world’s foremost mining experts as they discuss global and Australian opportunities and challenges.
The future of mining will be on display this month when Australia’s largest mining conference, the International Mining and Resources Conference and Expo (IMARC) 2019, scrutinises the key issues facing all miners.
The event will be held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, from October 29-31.
With replacement iron ore mines, a planned LNG expansion and a buoyant gold sector all driving the industry, companies such as Microsoft, BHP, Rio Tinto, Mitsui, Anglo American and South32 will discuss issues, trends and opportunities that are attracting investors across the globe; leadership and trust in the digital age; critical considerations for doing business in 2020; what is affecting the global mining industry; avoiding digital disappointment; and getting the mix right in the mines of the future.
FMG will discuss cyber threats and protecting data; the Minerals Council of Australia will deliver an outlook on battery metals; the skills shortage and skills of the future will be examined; and opportunities in Latin America and Africa will be explored.
This year’s event includes new focus areas on energy, the environment, workforce engagement as well as mine and plant optimisation.
Automation impact
The conference also examines the impact of technology on every aspect from exploration to production.
Resolute’s chief executive officer and managing director John Welborn is claiming substantial benefits from its underground operation at Syama, in Mali, where it runs autonomous drilling, loading, haulage and navigation.
“Ore will literally be drilled, blasted, bogged, loaded and hauled all the way to the surface without ever being manually handled,” Mr Welborn said.
While Mr Welborn, who will be speaking at IMARC 2019, expects automation will have productivity gains in the ballpark of 15 to 20pc at Syama, it will not be at the expense of local jobs and capacity building.
“We now have an all-Mali trained crew. Because these systems are automated, they’re easy to operate,” he said.
“Rather than taking jobs away from the local workforce, it’s allowing us to train, employ, empower and upskill our local workers.”
Figures indicate the scale of the Syama success. The company invested $15m on automation, which delivered a reduction in cost of production of $135 an oz.
With 2.9moz in the ground, the savings amounted to more than $390m.
The Syama experience is the extreme end of the technological revolution being experienced or contemplated in all sectors of mining in Australia and internationally.
Austrade identified in 2017 that Australia is a world leader in mine automation research and development.
It said automation has the potential to provide a mine with technology advances that impact the four big issues of productivity improvement, maximising plant and equipment utilisation, cost reduction and increased mine worker safety.
Accent on Ascent
With Australia leading the way, this year’s IMARC has launched the Ascent Village, a dedicated precinct on the expo floor showcasing companies which have cutting edge technology and innovative products that will improve productivity across the mining value chain.
It will feature 20 start-up and scale-up companies, putting them in front of more than 7000 attendees, including key investors and some of most influential people in mining tech.
In addition, three university student groups will also be selected to showcase their STEM activities as part of IMARC’s Next Gen Program.
As part of the launch, IMARC is sponsoring two companies, providing them with a pod, delegate pass, and access to investor meetings as well as a seat on the pitch stand.
Telling technology
IMARC will also investigate the possibilities for technological advances, which are substantial.
A February 2019 Minerals Council of Australia report examining the economic implications of technology and digital mining quantified the potential benefits across all aspects of mining.
It said there could be a total overall improvement in productivity of between nine and 23pc.
In plant processing alone, it predicted an overall productivity improvement of up to 20pc from technology, including the introduction of renewable energy such as solar and wind, use of drones to scan materials entering the plant, autonomous decision making, machine learning and mineral sensing and sorting technology.
It said the benefits included:
• A 20 to 35pc decrease in asset downtown
• An increase in throughput of 10 to 15pc
• A reduction in processing costs of 10 to 15pc
•A 7 to 15pc improvement in asset productivity
• Improved sustainability.
IMARC will examine all these issues with five technology conferences over three days discussing mine optimisation, mineral processing, the digital plant, digital transformation, innovation and innovative exploration methods.
Microsoft Australia managing director Steven Worrall and Accenture natural resources industry lead Ann Burns are among the line-up of more than 300 speakers who will discuss automation, robotics, and data analytics, and how remote operating centres are transforming mine management through a series of panel discussions and keynote addresses across the three days.
Mining Hub
The conference once again features the popular Mining Hub, a dedicated precinct giving mining and energy companies the opportunity to professionally showcase their projects to prospective investors.
Commodity buyers, traders, and public and private investors will all be actively seeking new investment opportunities, looking to speak directly to senior executives to assess and compare an extensive range of investment opportunities in the mining and energy sectors.
The mining hub gives international and local fund managers, institutional investors, mid-tiers and majors along with global private equity companies the opportunity to compare projects and companies side-by-side to identify their next investment opportunity.
Core Farm
Here visitors can see the latest mineral drill cores close up and hear about emerging global discoveries.
They will have the opportunity to assess the core first hand and talk with the exploration geologists.
The farm will feature drill core samples from projects in diverse countries and settings, representing a broad array of deposit types and project stages.
Each confirmed Core Farm participant will be allocated a 2m x 1.5m deep booth to showcase core samples.
Guru Garden
This new feature will feature the world’s leading experts who will be available for one-on-one consultations.
This is an opportunity for delegates to ask advice in a money-can’t-buy experience.
It will be of immense benefit to mining companies, Next Gen leaders, governments and investors.
Sessions are only available to registered delegates, speakers, sponsors and exhibitors.
International Pavilion
IMARC is a truly international event, with 92 countries attending last year.
At the International Pavilion, delegates can engage with visitors from Latin America, Middle East, China, India and more.
Countries and regions will showcase some of their leading technologies, innovations and latest projects.
Visitors can meet with international visitors and representatives to gain insights into global opportunities with countries who are actively sourcing and providing innovative equipment and services to enhance international relationships and collaboration with Australia.
Mining master classes
The exhibition is free to attend and is one of the most effective ways to meet more than 7000 mining professionals and resource professionals all under the one roof, who will participate in more than 130 hours of content, with five concurrent conferences and four workshops and master classes.
The latest mining discoveries, equipment, innovations and cutting- edge technologies will also be on display across the 1.2ha expo floor, which will host more than 260 exhibiting companies.