April 19, 2019 - Mining Innovation – The Next Horizon, the world’s leading mining innovation conference, is set to be staged in Australia at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre from May 21–23.

The ‘Next Horizon’ for the industry will see fundamental shifts in mining technology which will alter the entire value chain, placing an emphasis on current planning decisions to ensure optimal future outcomes.

The program for Austmine 2019 has been developed specifically for those who are driven by innovation and working within mining companies, mining equipment, technology and services (METS) companies, as well as relevant academia and government. Over 800 attendees are expected at the bi-annual event.

The three-day program contains over 40 presentations featuring more than 50 experts drawn from six continents, as well as hands-on workshops, panel discussions, and networking opportunities, held in conjunction with the sold-out exhibition, featuring over 90 of the industry’s foremost companies.

“This is now the leading mining innovation conference in the world; there are a lot of conferences out there, but nobody is as sharply focussed on innovation as we are,” Austmine chief executive officer Christine Gibbs Stewart said.

“We have brought together the premiere thought leaders around innovation, which is quite exciting for us; the fact that we have so many international speakers and attendees is a credit to our previous conferences.

“It demonstrates that overseas miners are interested in what is happening in Australia, and they see Australia leading the way with some of the new innovations and technologies that are entering the market.”

Currently confirmed speakers include Rag Udd (vice president, global transformation, BHP), Natascha Viljoen (global head of processing operations, Anglo American), Marco Orellana (chief intelligence officer, Codelco), Rob Labbé (director of information security, Teck Resources), Rafael Estrada (CIO and manager of information systems, telecommunications and process control, Antamina Mining), John Welborn (managing director and CEO, Resolute Mining), and Frans Knox (head of production, BMA Coal, BHP), to name a few.

The conference themes range from new machinery technology and techniques, including automation and AI, as well as the human element of mining, the use of analytics and big data, digital connectivity in mining, and finally sustainability for the industry, encompassing renewable resources and resource management.

The event features the Austmine Industry Leaders’ Dinner and Awards on May 22, which will also celebrate the association’s 30 years of advocacy for the Australian METS sector.

Following sold out dinners in 2015 and 2017, the prestigious Austmine Awards recognizes and celebrates the most innovative and successful METS and miners of the year.

For further information and online bookings, visit www.austmineconference.com.au.