EVENT PROMOTION
A major focus of this year ’ s IMARC agenda is how the METS sector is enabling one of the world ’ s most essential industries to meet the increasing expectations for safer , more efficient and sustainable mining and exploration
IMARC 2022 explores METS challenges and opportunities in a rapidly changing world
“ IMARC ’ s vision is to have a meaningful impact on the role of the mining and resources industry , to help drive our goal of a smarter , more productive industry of the future ”
Agreener future will require more mining than ever before , with collaboration and the adoption of new technologies across the industry ’ s entire value chain no longer an option , but a necessity .
This will be among the key challenges being addressed by industry leaders and innovators at the International Mining and Resources Conference ( IMARC ) in Sydney , Australia , this November .
According to key players in the mining equipment , technology and services ( METS ) sector , who will be speaking at the forum , there ’ s an urgent need for the industry to dramatically increase their uptake of sustainable technologies .
Paul Berkovic , Chief Commercial Officer at I4 Mining by Rayven , says initially some technologies are hard to adopt but will eventually have an extremely significant impact on productivity , safety and in meeting demand for critical minerals vital to future energy solutions , including solar panels and wind farms .
“ Competitively , it will be unavoidable , but there will also be huge environmental benefits to the adoption of this technology which consumers should understand because mining is not going anywhere ,” Berkovic said . “ It ’ s a really important part of our economy , but how do we make it a more friendly part of the economy than it currently is perceived as ?”
Ethically-conscious consumers are one of the major driving forces behind the mining sector ’ s transition according to METS Ignited General Manager , Kylah Morrison , who says they are more influential on the industry than ever before thanks to the pressure they put on end-user manufacturers .
“ You ’ re seeing a lot of those end users , which maybe had two or three steps before the raw materials got to them , starting to have to take responsibility for what those interim steps are and make them more secure , so we ’ re seeing miners have a more direct relationships with end users ,” Morrison said .
“ You ’ ve got your investors saying ‘ we need transparency on this ’ and ‘ we ’ re not going to invest unless you can show us that ’, and , fortunately for the future of mining , it ’ s not just the investors but the customers who are going to demand that you are meeting your goals in terms of decarbonisation but also ESG .”
She added : “ Fortunately , with data and computing power we can offer that transparency . Apple , for example , could say to the consumer – who ’ s purchasing the iPhone , the iPad , etc – ‘ we know for sure that we ’ re providing a carbon neutral or low carbon product ’.”
With community influence in mind , it ’ s also the responsibility of mining companies around the world to ensure they are engaging these technologies in a thoughtful way , rather than making reactionary decisions in an effort to engage in short-term solutions that may not be manageable in the future .
“ The mining space has been at the vanguard of technology to a certain extent ,” Berkovic said . “ It ’ s had self-driving vehicles and all sorts for 20-30 years now , but what is happening now is a whole lot of these new novel technologies
are coming out but they ’ re being adopted in a sort of ‘ point and shoot ’ manner .”
A major focus of this year ’ s IMARC agenda is how the METS sector is enabling one of the world ’ s most essential industries to meet the increasing expectations for safer , more efficient and sustainable mining and exploration .
IMARC Conference Director , Sherene Asnasyous , says with such a diverse cross section of the mining and resources industry attending , the event is a unique opportunity for collaboration to share crucial knowledge and address evolving challenges such as this .
“ Unlike many mining and resource events , IMARC is more than a closed shop for miners ,” Asnasyous says . “ It is a place to do business and for mining leaders and operators to drive the conversations around a prosperous future .
“ IMARC will shine a spotlight on the role the METS sector is taking in driving the global energy transition , how it is bringing innovation to the exploration and development of new future-facing resources , and how it is helping balance the needs of the developed and the developing world , as well as local communities and environments , in the resource transition . “ IMARC ’ s vision is to have a meaningful impact on the role of the mining and resources industry , to help drive our goal of a smarter , more productive industry of the future .”
This year ’ s program at a glance :
With innovation at the heart of the global METS sector , IMARC 2022 will be more ambitious than ever , with six concurrent conferences covering the entire mining value chain .
This year , IMARC takes a deeper focus on accelerating the energy transition with a brandnew three-day conference where discussions will take place on climate resilience and decarbonisation strategies , critical minerals and the role of fossil fuels in the energy transition .
The global conference program features a variety of presentations from experts on everything from climate change to cultural heritage , to renewable energy , gender and diversity , technology , safety and more .
At its core , IMARC creates a global conversation and is all about the business of mining and resources , providing extensive opportunities for collaboration , knowledge sharing , cross-sector engagement and investment .
For more information , please visit imarcglobal . com
OCTOBER 2022 | International Mining 57