Editorial Keeping the lid of Tech Transfer

Here’s a curious piece of information.

U.S. mining men, it seems, are more fired up about technology transfer than are Canadian miners.

Six months ago two international mining journals, published in Europe, announced the first ever symposium on mining technology transfer. The international symposium, to be held in London, England, in the summer of 1990, is being organized so that mining people can present “dynamic new ideas intended to improve efficiency, productivity, safety and profitability.” Technological advances in computer-aided-design for mine planning, on-board computer diagnostic systems, underground communications and artificial intelligence in mineral processing will be the likely topics of discussion. Dr Raj K. Singhal, a Canadian mining man known to many throughout the industry, is chairman of the over-all technical program.

He has found a striking contrast in how mining people in various countries have responded to the symposium announcement. While mining men in the United States have responded most enthusiastically, submitting more than 25 suggestions for topics to be presented, Canadians have been less than enthusiastic — almost lethargic. They’ve submitted none.

Have resurging metals prices taken the urgency out of the Canadian mine managers desire to take advantage of new technology? Are Canadian mining technology researchers reluctant to pass their ideas on to competing mines for fear of giving away their technological advantage? Or are Canadians simply bored with yet another symposium?

What ever the reason for the mute response, this seminar meeting of new mining ideas is suffering from a lack of Canadian participation — a situation which saddens Singhal. He would like to propose that the next technology transfer symposium be held in this country. It would be foolish to think the industry has come to the conclusion that there are no more advantages to be had from managing our mines for profit through technological change. So, considering the long lead time necessary to organize such a conference, Canadians who have something to offer (and there are many) should make their proposals now, otherwise organizers will have little grounds for recommending Canada as the host for the next technology transfer symposium to be held sometime early in the 1990s.