Automation and Robotics is what underwrites large parts of the content that I cover for the underground mining sector. Without it, the new OEM rigs that we are seeing come to market would have significantly less point of difference from those released a decade ago. It is an area that has always fascinated me personally, since I witnessed the production line at Toyota’s Burnaston plant in the early 90s in my native UK. The swiveling arms spot welding and painting the latest “Carina-E” models mesmerized the juvenile me!
It is then great to hear of a new cluster formed in the Northern Suburbs of Perth to try and connect, develop and assist those locally in these growing industrial fields. RoboWest launches this month on Tuesday 24th August in Joondalup.
Link to register for the free to attend RoboWest Launch.
RoboWest in their own words:
“RoboWest is the cluster for robotics, automation, AI, cyber security and data science in Western Australia, promoting the growth of the supply chain, developing skills & education and timely regulatory reform to assist businesses develop new and exciting products for our local economy and creating valuable exports.”
For those unsure of what a cluster is (Source: METS Ignited):
“The concept of a cluster is well established in international markets such as Europe and North America. In the EU for example, almost 30% of business is conducted through networks of technology companies, even where these organisations compete in their own right. A successful cluster usually consists of a mapped and growing ecosystem of collaborating companies and related stakeholders.
Considering the future needs of the Mining sector, including having a highly coordinated ecosystem of technology vendors with an orchestrated set of integrated applications, it is key for Australia to embrace the collaboration model that clustering initiatives provide.”
Thanks to Martin Boulton & Paul Lucey for sharing this event with me. It will be a cluster I will aim to attend and contribute to when not on mine site duties.
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