The Community Builders Awards of Excellence honours individuals and organizations in eight community categories including Economic Development. The Economic Development award goes to an individual or group that has had an important impact on the economic well-being of the community. They have chaired and led a committee, they have helped bring new business to town, or they are responsible for putting in place infrastructure.

Sudbury Area Mining Supply and Services Association (SAMSSA) has represented mining excellence in Northern Ontario for the past decade. The $6.5-billion mining supply and services sector employs about 23,000 people in Northern Ontario yet, in many ways, until 2004, it was a hidden asset.

“SAMSSA gave the (mining supply and services) sector a brand,” says economist David Robinson. “Because of SAMSSA, Sudbury is no longer a declining mining city looking to diversify away from its mining past. The city is now an international supply centre building on its strength in mining.”

Dick DeStefano, Executive Director of the Sudbury Area Mining Supply and Services Association (SAMSSA)

The idea to establish an organization to represent the sector was hatched in 2003 during a conversation between Dick DeStefano, who had a long history as an economic and planning consultant for government and private industry, and Paul Reid, then the economic development officer for the City of Greater Sudbury.

DeStefano, who became the executive director of the organization, spent a year researching the idea of a mining cluster, gathering input from the mining community through meetings with its key stakeholders.

SAMSSA’s first gathering comprised six people from the industry to whom DeStefano made this pitch: let’s bring together mining intelligence, consolidate it, build a brand around it that is recognized around the globe, and then market it to the rest of the world.

Something clicked, and by 2004, SAMSSA had created a website, founded a board of directors, incorporated, and established a mailing list of more than 400 international, regional and local contacts. DeStefano began sending out daily mining-related emails to contacts on that list, increasing SAMSSA’s reach and that of its members.

(L to R) SAMSSA Founders and Board; Adam Tonnos; Todd Herold; Dick DeStefano; Kirk Petroski; Andre Ruest; Denis Pitre; Mark Weiman, Chamber of Commerce Chair.

Kirk Petroski, president and CEO of Symboticware Inc., is the current president of the SAMSSA board. Other members are Tom Palango, president, WipWare Inc.; Mike Mayhew, director of Stantec’s Global Business Services, Mining; Andre Ruest, general manager, B&D Manufacturing; and Dave Rector, manager of business development and co-operations at Rector Machines.

The association went from four members in 2003 to 120 in 2012.

As industry focus shifted from physical labour to technology and innovation, SAMSSA has shifted its focus as well, keeping abreast of industry trends, and widening its purview to innovation, technology and education.

SAMSSA established an annual Hall of Fame event in 2007 to recognize industry leaders. Last year, it made improvements to its comprehensive website that include a translation service for potential customers in Latin America, Europe and Asia.

“We are really in tune with the changing way people are absorbing and accumulating information and searching,” says DeStefano.

He adds, “Winning a CBA is an honour and a privilege, and the entire organization is committed to continual growth and expansion globally.”

“SAMSSA gave the (mining supply and services) sector a brand,” says economist David Robinson.

“Because of SAMSSA, Sudbury is no longer a declining mining city looking to diversify away from its mining past. The city is now an international supply centre building on its strength in mining.”

The idea to establish an organization to represent the sector was hatched in 2003 during a conversation between Dick DeStefano, who had a long history as an economic and planning consultant for government and private industry, and Paul Reid, then the economic development officer for the City of Greater Sudbury.

DeStefano, who became the executive director of the organization, spent a year researching the idea of a mining cluster, gathering input from the mining community through meetings with its key stakeholders.

SAMSSA’s first gathering comprised six people from the industry to whom DeStefano made this pitch: let’s bring together mining intelligence, consolidate it, build a brand around it that is recognized around the globe, and then market it to the rest of the world.

Something clicked, and by 2004, SAMSSA had created a website, founded a board of directors, incorporated, and established a mailing list of more than 400 international, regional and local contacts. DeStefano began sending out daily mining-related emails to contacts on that list, increasing SAMSSA’s reach and that of its members.

The founding board members, in addition to DeStefano, were Mike Castron, Todd Herold, Marc Couse, Wayne Jeffkins, Adam Tonnos, Bob Squires, Marc Boudreau, Denis Pitre, Mark Andrews, Bart Hurley and Jean-Marc Valade.

Kirk Petroski, president and CEO of Symboticware Inc., is the current president of the SAMSSA board. Other members are Tom Palango, president, WipWare Inc.; Mike Mayhew, Director of Stantec’s Global Business Services, Mining; Andre Ruest, general manager, B&D Manufacturing; and Dave Rector, manager of business development and co-operations at Rector Machines.

The association went from four members in 2003 to 120 in 2012.

As industry focus shifted from physical labour to technology and innovation, SAMSSA has shifted its focus as well, keeping abreast of industry trends, and widening its purview to innovation, technology and education.

SAMSSA established an annual Hall of Fame event in 2007 to recognize industry leaders. Last year, it made improvements to its comprehensive website that include a translation service for potential customers in Latin America, Europe and Asia.

“We are really in tune with the changing way people are absorbing and accumulating information and searching,” says DeStefano.

He adds, “Winning a CBA is an honour and a privilege, and the entire organization is committed to continual growth and expansion globally.”

Sudbury has a century of history as a mining centre and over a dozen mines operating within city limits. Over the past decade, the Northern Ontario city has been subtly shifting its focus from being a producer of metals to a creator of mining know-how and technology. This shift has been marked by the rise of an organized Northern Ontario mining technology cluster focused on underground hardrock mining technologies.

Sudbury is home to a broad range of mining related activities. The operations of large mining majors— Vale and Xstrata—serve as anchors for the cluster along with other mining firms.(38) Around these firms has grown a network of mining supply and technology firms that, together, contributed almost $4 billion to the local economy and employed 13,800 people—around eight per cent of the population of Greater Sudbury.(39)

The city is also home to a concentration of mining education and research. Sudbury is home to the public-private Centre for Excellence in Mining Innovation, the Canadian Mining Industry Research Organization, the Northern Centre for Advanced Technology and Mining and Laurentian University’s School of Mining and its eight mining research centres. In addition, industry associations, like the Sudbury Area Mining Supply and Service Organization, and publications, like the Sudbury Mining Solutions Journal, seek to share information and strengthen the links among the cluster’s participants.

Drawing on this network of expertise, many Sudbury-area firms are producing advanced technology for the mining sector, including robotic processing systems or even space drills (see Canadian Miners in Space (40)). Yet the Sudbury technology cluster has yet to achieve the international success of mining finance in Toronto or exploration in Vancouver.

Half of the firms in the cluster rely on sales to two firms, while 81 per cent of the cluster’s sales occur within Canada. While there is potential for a significant technology group, the small size and scale of many Northern Ontario mining supply firms is a big impediment to further international expansion. For that reason, the cluster’s ability to allow firms to benefit as it if had greater economies of scale could be essential to establishing a truly global industry in the
Sudbury area.(41)

Canadian Technology in Space!

Mining is no longer “men with pick axes,” but a sophisticated enterprise that increasingly relies on technology to extract and process ores at a reasonable cost. Several Northern Ontario fi rms are on the forefront of developing mining technology.

Ionic Engineering specializes in automating copper and nickel refi neries. For example, Ionic’s Kidd Process cathode stripping system is one of the fi rst in the world to use robots in the copper refining process. The fi rm has designed,
built or installed automation systems on every continent.

WipWare is the industry leader in optical granulometry of fragmented material, a system that uses photography and sophisticated software to analyze the size of rocks after blasting. This analysis allows miners to fine-tune blasting to minimize electrical, mechanical, chemical and environmental costs.

For the last 10 years The Northern Centre for Advanced Technology has been using its knowledge of mining technology to explore the final frontier. The not-for-profit organization has been working with NASA to develop drilling units and other equipment to allow for subsurface space exploration. These processes will be essential for future space exploration or
even human settlements on the moon.
38 Dick DeStefano (Founder and Executive Director of the Sudbury Area Mining Supply and Service Association), Interview with Katrina Marsh, August 3 2012.

39 Doyletech Corporation. Northern Ontario Mining Supply and Services Study. The population of Greater Sudbury was estimated at 160,274 in the 2011 census.

40 The examples for this text box was drawn from an interview with Dick DeStefano and a number of additional sources, including the Ionic Engineering website (www.ionic-eng.com/), Thie WipWare Website (www.wipware.com/index.php) and the Northern Centre for Advanced Technology (www.norcat.org/)

41 Dick DeStefano (Founder and Executive Director of the Sudbury Area Mining Supply and Service Association), Interview with Katrina Marsh, August 3 2012.

http://www.vancouversun.com/index.html

Report says lack of skilled employees already causing costly mistakes

OTTAWA — Vancouver, Toronto and Sudbury are to Canada what Hollywood and Silicon Valley are to the U.S. — cities with a cluster of businesses built around a major industry that competes globally.

But the world-class industry in those Canadian cities — mining — needs government help, says a report to be released Wednesday.

According to the Canadian Chamber of Commerce report, world-competitive industries emerge when they attract a large cluster of related companies to a particular area, such as Metro Vancouver, allowing for increased competition, economies of scale and innovation.

But, the report warns, renewed federal government efforts are needed if mining is to continue to attract and maintain the “clusters” of companies it needs — in finance, insurance, manufacturing and more — to Vancouver, Toronto and Sudbury.

The top challenge for governments is to help the industry resolve the skilled worker shortage “crisis” that, according to the report, is increasingly resulting in costly mistakes in mining operations.

“As large mining projects grow increasingly complex, the lack of experienced individuals is causing errors, cost overruns and delays that are hampering the competitiveness of mining firms,” the report said, citing comments from a mining industry insider.

Despite the concerns, the report paints a rosy picture of the sector and its ability to create industrial “clusters” of interrelated companies, industry associations and academic research.

“Toronto is the global capital of mining finance, British Columbia has the largest concentration of mining exploration firms in the world and Sudbury has a century of history as a mining centre and over a dozen mines operating within city limits,” states a summary of the report provided to The Vancouver Sun.

“Canadian mining hubs like Toronto, Vancouver and Sudbury should be counted with Hollywood and Silicon Valley as examples of competitive clusters where the various firms and organizations that compose the sector both cooperate and compete to create formidable competitive advantage.”

B.C., for instance, is home to more than 1,200 mining exploration companies, or a little over half the national total. There are another 2,400 companies in B.C. supplying the mining sector.

For the rest of this article, please go to the Vancouver Sun website: http://www.vancouversun.com/

LU prez promises to meet industry’s needs

By: Heidi Ulrichsen – Sudbury Northern Life Staff

Three years ago, Laurentian University president Dominic Giroux and Sudbury Area Mining Supply and Service Association (SAMSSA) executive director Dick DeStefano sat down for what was to be a fateful drink together.

“(DeStefano) challenged me,” Giroux said, speaking before about 150 SAMSSA members gathered for the organization’s annual general meeting Dec. 4.

“He said, ‘Dominic, you have great programs, but Laurentian University needs to step up its game. You need to create a school of mines. You need to be more active in the cluster, and allow the cluster to be more vibrant.’

“My answer to Dick was ‘For crying out loud, I have a record deficit. Give me a year or two to settle the place, secure a school of architecture, and then we’ll get talking.’”

Since that time, DeStefano has been “very supportive,” he said, but also kept his “feet close to the fire, on occasion.”

Laurentian announced the creation of its school of mines in June.

Then in October, it revealed Dundee Corporation CEO Ned Goodman was lending has name to the school of mines and donating a significant amount of money, although the exact amount has been kept confidential.

Giroux said the university has been working hard to recruit a founding executive director for the Goodman School of Mines, and announcement will likely be forthcoming before Christmas.

He said the local mining cluster was part of the university’s pitch to donors, including Goodman and Stan Bharti, after whom the university’s engineering school was named when he donated $10 million to the department last year.

“From Ned’s perspective, you’ve got an institution with a good track record, and you’ve got a cluster that’s vibrant, that got its act together over the past 10 years.”

Goodman’s goal for the school of mines is none other than to make it the top organization of its kind in the world, Giroux said.

The focus of the Goodman School of Mines is not on research, as there are already regional organizations which focus on this area, including the Centre for Excellence in Mining Innovation, he said.

Following direction given by SAMSSA members, the school of mines will instead focus on education designed to meet industry’s needs, Giroux said.

The school of mines will focus on develop new mining-related programs, creating new executive programs for those already in the industry, networking with other schools of mines, doubling the enrolment in mining-related programs by 2020 and continuing to improve student experience, he said.

SAMSSA has been “a fantastic cheerleader” during the school of mines’ creation, Giroux said.

“We know SAMSSA will be at our side, the same way that Laurentian University and the Goodman School of Mines will be there, supporting your efforts, partnering with you so the cluster can have an even more successful decade ahead of us.”

SAMSSA is 10 years old this year, DeStefano told those gathered at the meeting. “If you look at our history, it began with four members in 2003, and now we’ve got close to 125 or 130.”

He said the organization is trying to establish Greater Sudbury “as a second silicon valley in Canada.” More and more, SAMSSA members are marketing their products around the world.

“The competition is great, but nobody has the concentration of intelligence we have here,” DeStefano said.

He thanked the large number of partners have had over the years such as the university and colleges and government organizations.

DeStefano said he can’t imagine the connections he’s been able to make here on behalf of his members happening anywhere else.

“I couldn’t go the U of T president and say ‘Hi, I’m Dick DeStefano, and I want to go for a beer with you to talk about how much money you’re going to put in.’”

As has become a tradition at SAMSSA’s AGM, the organization inducted two of its members into the SAMSSA Hall of Fame.

This year’s inductees are Bob Morin, general manager of Mobile Parts, and Rick Lemieux Sr., former owner of RDH Mining Equipment.

Morin began working for Mobile Parts in the 1980s, after a diving accident left him unable to work as a mechanic.

“At the time, Mobile Parts was heavily concentrated in the truck parts field, and operated out of a small location on Hwy. 69 North in Val Caron,” Mobile Parts controller Lynne St-George, who introduced Morin, said.

“The gradual diversification into the mining industry helped the business grow substantially, and Bob became the general manager in 1990.

“Bob has certainly seen the ups and downs of the mining industry, and has helped the company grow from about 10 employees to our current staff of over 60.”

Morin helped the company weather the recessions in 1990 and 2008 by tapping into the export market, she said. “He led our sales team and made contacts overseas and obtained new customers in several countries.”

St-George said a 9 to 5 job isn’t in Morin’s vocabulary, as he gets to work early, leaves late, and even phones in during his vacations.

“His hard work and dedication is inspiring, and is an indication of what a small family business can achieve when you have persevering and tenacious people at the helm, such as Bob.”

Morin thanked SAMSSA members for inducting him into the hall of fame. “It’s truly an honour which I am grateful for.”

He also thanked his staff for their hard work, and his family for putting up with the long hours he spends at the office.

Lemieux worked as a heavy equipment mechanic at a John Deere dealership and as a maintenance superintendent for a mining contractor before starting RDH Mining Equipment in 1985.

“I remember the day vividly, as he knew he needed a helper,” Lemieux’s son, Rick Lemieux Jr., said.

“For some reason, without even knowing it myself, apparently I had all the criteria he required in a good employee – I was available, and I worked for cheap.”

Lemieux soon started winning contracts from the mining industry. “They started calling him for services, as he was known as one of the best jumbo drill technicians in the mining industry.”

As the business grew, he started purchasing and refurbishing old mining equipment, adding his own improvements. In 1999, Lemieux put his own jumbo drill design on the market. His son said he wasn’t sure the product would sell.

“Once again, he showed me that determination and hard work that he would succeed,” he said. “He started developing more and more models. His equipment can now be found operating on every continent.”

Before selling the company in March 2011, Lemieux developed his last product — a battery operated mining loader.

“He truly felt he had come up with a product that would offer the mining industry a solution to ventilation challenges and meet the ever-increasing demand for a safer and cleaner mining environment.”

Lemieux said he was honoured that SAMSSA would induct him into the hall of fame.

He said he does miss the mining industry now that he’s retired. “You grow with it. The friends, the mining shows that you go to and the relationships you have with your partners, your competitors. Of course you miss it.”

Sister company J&S Manufacturing produces anfo loaders, boom trucks, transmixers, scissor lifts and personnel carriers

The AFX anfo loader on display at the company’s booth was snapped up by a customer from Mexico and was one of several sales made at the show.

Walden Equipment and sister company J&S Manufacturing hit the jackpot at MINExpo in Las Vegas September 24 to 26, reporting “four to six sales” and between 70 and 100 leads to follow up.

The AFX anfo loader on display at the company’s booth was snapped up by a customer from Mexico and was one of several sales to the company’s growing Latin American customer base, said Walden Equipment general manager Ryan Lougheed.

“MINExpo was really, really good for us. The first day especially was very busy. We brought in all of our sales staff from Ontario and from our offices in Mexico and Argentina. We also had some of our technical people there as well, which certainly made sales easier.”

Walden Equipment is based in Sudbury and specializes in rebuilding mobile underground equipment, including jumbos, bolters, trucks, loaders and utility vehicles.

Sister company J&S Manufacturing is located in Spanish, 115 kilometres west of Sudbury, and specializes in manufacturing new anfo loaders, boom trucks, transmixers, scissor lifts and personnel carriers.

J&S Manufacturing has two lines of utility vehicles – the 5000 Series and a newer 4000 Series for narrow vein applications.

Walden Equipment does approximately 60 rebuilds a year, while J&S Manufacturing delivers between 40 and 60 units annually.

Canada serves as the primary market for both companies, but the Walden Group also has a sales office in Zacatecas, Mexico, another office in Argentina and a distributor in Chile.

In Canada, it has a branch in Timmins and recently acquired a new location for its mine hoist tensioning business in Sudbury, which has experienced tremendous growth in the last few years, according to Lougheed.

“Historically, we just did mine hoist tensioning in the Sudbury area, but now we’re doing jobs across Canada and the U.S. We started off with one tensioning unit and now have four with the capability of doing up to 4-inch cable.”

Hoist tensioning is required whenever there’s an installation of a new wire rope.

“Essentially, what we do is play a game of tug of war against the hoist,” explained Lougheed. Tensioning takes up any slack and ensures that the rope is wound tightly around the drum.

Most mines don’t have their own tensioners because buying the equipment and training their own personnel to do the work wouldn’t make sense based on the number of times hoist ropes are replaced.

The company also works on winches and cranes,and recently installed a cable on one of the biggest cranes in the world at a nuclear power plant in South Carolina.

Lougheed, who served as general manager of Brigus Gold’s Black Fox Mine 65 kilometres east of Timmins before joining the Walden Group about a year and a half ago, remains optimistic about the underground equipment market despite rumblings of a slowdown in the industry.

“We haven’t really experienced a slowdown at all,” he said. “A lot of our narrower vein equipment is used in the gold mines and the price of gold is very, very strong, so we’re still seeing a very good market.”

www.waldenequipment.ca

www.jsmanufacturing.ca

The Rock-Tech team, including Dan Lemiuex, director of sales at far right, in front of the company’s Rhino stationary rockbreaker at MINExpo 2012.

Rock-Tech, a Sudbury-based mining supplier and former distributor of Breaker Technology stationary rockbreakers, has entered the rockbreaking business as a manufacturer.

Growing the company and expanding the market it could serve was the primary reason for the transition, said Dan Lemieux, director of sales.

“As a distributor, we could only sell to a specific territory,” he said.

Now, with its own line of made-in-Sudbury Rhino XD Series stationary rockbreakers, Rock- Tech’s potential customer base has no boundaries.

With several sales and a little more than a year of experience as a manufacturer under its belt, Rock- ech formally introduced its Rhino rockbreaker series to the international mining market at MINExpo in Las Vegas September 24 to 26.

The Rhino stationary rockbreaker is available in three boom sizes for the coverage required and can be fitted with four different hammer configurations depending on the size and hardness of the rock.

“We make sure to review the customer’s application and we look at the mine life too because things change,” said Lemieux. “You could be starting off with lower production, but as the mine evolves and develops, tonnage can increase and rock type can change.

“We try to ensure that we meet and exceed the customer’s needs because a rockbreaker is a long-term investment and you want to make sure you don’t forget anything.”

Having sold and serviced rock breakers for so many years, Rock- Tech designed the Rhino with ease of maintenance and servicing in mind.

Rock-Tech SatStat for fuel storage and dispensing comes in a variety of configurations to address fleet requirements.

Operator comfort was also enhanced by providing for an ergonomic chair and air conditioning in a soundproof cabin.

The Rhino rockbreaker also features improved hose management and access to the pedestal.

“When you’re working on the system, you want to be working with both feet on the ground,” said Lemieux. “You don’t want to have to be climbing all over the unit to access the inside. Also, instead of unbolting everything, it’s hinged so millwrights can quickly and easily access the unit.”

Service

Service is key, said Lemieux.

“The company is owned by five partners and the partners are managing the business. We’re dealing with customers directly. That makes a big difference. We can respond faster and we’re more receptive to customer needs.”

Rock-Tech also manufactures Sat Stat fuel/lubricant storage and handling systems and Titanium utility vehicles.

The company acquired the rights to manufacture SatStat portable storage systems for fuel and lubricants in 2005.

The units, which are portable and highly customizable, replace permanentfuel stations and have been a big hit in the underground mining sector.

According to Lemieux, close to 400 units are currently deployed – most of them in Canada with some sales to Australia, New Zealand, Asia and the U.S.

The units dispense diesel as well as lubricants and are available in several different configurations to accommodate a customer’s fueling and lubricant needs.

The SatStat can contain up to three separate reservoirs with dispensing systems for splash or fast fill requirements, and is available in several sizes ranging from 250 gallons (1,138 litres) all the up to 2,000 gallons (9,100 litres).

Rhino rockbreaker’s operator cabin is available with ergonomic chair and air conditioning.

The pumps can be powered electrically or pneumatically. Each unit is designed to comply with all safety and fire prevention standards and is equipped with dry chemical fire suppression systems, automatic fire doors and thermal shut-off valves.

Rock-Tech also manufactures units designed for oil pail storage and waste oil.

“The product is very versatile,” said Lemieux. “It’s not just fuel and oil storage. It’s everything relating to fuel and oil, from surface to underground. We can set up a shop with all the reels and drops. We can handle everything from the dispensing to the handling of waste oils.”

Last year, Rock-Tech also ventured into the mobile equipment market with a line of utility vehicles for installing mine services.

The Titaniumbranded vehicles are equipped with elevating platforms and implements for cable bolting, and installation of mine services, including ventilation fans and piping.

ISO 9001

The company is ISO9001 registered and uses a state-of-the-art material resource planning system to streamline the manufacturing process.

“It ties in all of our work orders, shop jobs and parts inventory,” said Claude Lemiuex. “It lets you plan all of your resources and tracks lead times on items. The end goal is to be more efficient in our planning. If something is late or missing, it alerts you. It’s a great planning tool.”

Rock-Tech operates out of two buildings in Sudbury’s Walden Industrial Park and has 22 employees. The Canadian market is its primary focus, but it is also interested in targeting South America and other mining regions, and has exhibited at trade shows in Mexico, Chile and Australia.

www.rock-tech.net

Haul truck repair units key to growth.
B&D Manufacturing general manager Andre Ruest is proud of the company’s growth and diversification into repairing heavy haul trucks.

The largest haul trucks in the mining industry are anything but NASCAR race cars. But it doesn’t mean they can’t be treated the same when it comes to servicing and repairing them.

With existing technology and methods, when haul trucks break down, especially tires, maintenance can be a time-consuming process.

This is where B&D Manufacturing’s Super Jack, Multi-Handler and Tire Handler Station come into play to make repairs efficient and safe.

“We’ve developed a trio package of equipment that decreases downtime and increases safety for the workers,” said B&D Manufacturing general manager Andre Ruest. “It’s like a pit stop for big trucks.”

The trio package was born out of necessity eight years ago when the company decided it was time to diversify from a strictly underground mining market to surface operations. The Super Jack came first, followed a few years later by the Multi-handler and Tire Handler Station.

The Super Jack is the only certified two point lift jacking system for 300 and 400-ton haul trucks. It is computer-controlled and hydraulically driven.

It features sensors that monitor weight, tilt and limits.

The Multi-Handler is a remote-controlled machine that can remove and replace wheels, motors, struts, cylinders and spindle brakes. It is certified to hold loads up to 50 tons.

B&D Manufacturing’s WMH-D Multi-Handler is a remote-controlled machine that can remove and replace wheels, motors, struts, cylinders and spindle brakes.

The Tire Handler Station is designed for indoor shop use and tight spaces at only 15-feet deep by 20- eet wide.

It has a crab crawl feature and handles 12.5-foot to 14-foot outside diameter tires.

The trio package makes mechanic work easier and safer, and it is catching on fast in the industry. B&D currently has 50 pieces of equipment across the world in operation helping to maintain working fleets of vehicles.

At a mine site in Chile, the company has done studies on the increased efficiencies the trio package can provide on Komatsu 830Es and 930Es vehicles.

Using conventional means, it takes one hour to jack up a truck. With the Super Jack, it takes two minutes. Overall, the Super Jack has accounted for 815 hours of increased truck utilization.

Truck Utilization

Changing a wheel motor without the Multi-Handler takes 30 hours for a pair, and 20 hours with one. There has been 4,228 hours every 48 months of increased truck utilization.

A front tire change without the Tire Handler Station takes four hours, and only two hours with one.

The station has accounted for 1,376 hours of increased truck utilization.

In the mining industry, repairs and downtime cost big money.

“The industry demanded equipment like this,” Ruest said. “The Multi-handler is our biggest seller because there are more applications for it and it is extremely versatile. We knew this equipment would save mining companies a lot of money.”

Safety

Safety was an important focus for B&D Manufacturing. All three pieces of equipment in one case study reported no worker injuries during any of the repairs made on the machines.

It is something B&D Manufacturing stresses every day and puts into everything it designs and builds. “It has to be safe for the people who use it,” Ruest said. “Everything we do is engineered to be safety- riented.”

Ruest also stresses the company has only begun to scratch the surface when it comes to improving maintenance standards for heavy haul trucks.

The company opens its purse strings every year and spends between $2 and $4 million on research and development of new products.

The future holds many bright prospects.

“This is just a start for us,” Ruest said. “We have a list of things we can do to improve the efficiency of maintaining these haul trucks. We’re always looking for new ways to improve. We can’t stand still. We have to keep designing and improving. This truck product line, we’re going to invest a lot into it.”

B&D Manufacturing won a 2012 Northern Ontario Business Award for Company of the Year in October.

“We have a phenomenal team here. We owe a lot to our employees. It’s a complete team job,” Ruest said.

www.bdmfg.com

The mining equipment industry’s export market has been tough to crack for many startup companies. But even from humble beginnings, determination, hard work,and a little bit of luck can go a long way. Just ask Bob Morin, General Manager for Mobile Parts, Inc., a Sudbury-based company that specializes in servicing mining equipment across the globe.

“Mobile Parts started back when Roger Moore was selling parts out of the back of his cube van,” says Morin.

With the tractor-trailer industry’s economic slowdown in 1982, Mobile Parts made the shift into the heavy-duty mining industry, and hasn’t looked back. After gaining a foothold in the supplier-rich Sudbury Mining Cluster, Mobile Parts then began to focus on growing their market. Trade shows like MinExpo in Las Vegas have become catalysts for small companies like Mobile Parts, offering them exposure to international clients in an intimate setting.

“We now do over fifty per cent of our business in exports,” says Morin.

The international flavour to Mobile’s client base hasn’t gone to the company’s head. It has established roots in Sudbury, Ontario, and prides itself on delivering service with a highly customized, personable approach.

“We deal with each customer individually, and monitor their usage to ensure they have what they need when they need it,” says Mobile Parts Sales Representative Jim Kirkbride.

This hands-on approach to service often leads Mobile into remote locations. Fly-in areas are often the norm for Mobile.

“Since every operation has different requirements, we tailor our services to each customer,” says Kirkbride.

Being located in the centre of the flow of international traffic hasn’t hurt either. The proximity to Sudbury’s Mining Cluster provides companies like Mobile Parts the unique opportunities of being viewed as experts in the field. Half of the marketing battle is won.

“We are seen as experts in the industry. Being from Sudbury adds gravity to your brand,” says Morin.

Four simple words have been used a lot in recent months to describe the future of mining. Simply stated, they are: the future is Symbot. This sentiment has been echoed at MINExpo 2012.
The Symbot was developed by Sudbury-based Symboticware. It acts as a hub on each piece of equipment to standardize real time data for delivery to a central management station.
By adding several connectivity options, the Symbot allows machines to communicate through wireless technologies like wifi and RFID. This networking of equipment gives real time access to above ground reporting stations, resulting in greater efficiencies, better timed maintenance and a safer working environment.
According to Kirk Petroski, President and CEO of Symboticware “the symbot addresses a void in mining equipment, which is the ability to collect real time data so that companies can it use make decisions.”
He continued that historically this information was provided by operator feedback, which can be inaccurate or slow to make it to decision makers. With the Symbot on board, that data is transmitted instantaneously and can thus can be translated into solutions to improve productivity and safety.
Relatively speaking, Symboticware is the new kid on the block. However, the use of this type of technology is quickly becoming commonplace with partners including Cargill, Toromont and Mining Technologies International adopting it.
Petroski anticipates that as a new generation of tech-savvy labourers enter the mining supply field, we will see even more technology integrated into mining processes moving forward.
If the future is Symbot, then the future is now.