IMARC 2025 turns up the innovation spotlight

Digital, automation, sensing and other technologies are driving improved efficiency and safety outcomes in mining. They are also increasingly influencing mine design and the industry’s recruitment and training focus. Nowhere will these trends be more apparent than at this year’s International Mining and Resources Conference + Expo (IMARC) at ICC Sydney from 21–23 October.

The major event will bring mine owners, operators and contractors together with a line-up of the industry’s leading technology and equipment suppliers, including fast-growing startups from around the world.

Eddy Zhang, a mining engineer and Business Development Manager at Evolution Mining — who will be speaking at IMARC 2025 — says underground operations, where he has spent his career, are going deeper and becoming increasingly complex.

“These growing challenges demand smarter, more adaptive mine designs as the decisions we make today will shape our operations for decades to come,” he said. “IMARC brings together a diverse mix of industry leaders, innovators and decision-makers. It’s a unique opportunity to learn from peers, challenge assumptions and collaborate across disciplines — exactly what we need to drive meaningful progress in mine design.”

From technology- and innovation-themed conference streams to an exhibitor floor featuring mining’s major brands — FLS, Sandvik, Epiroc, IMDEX, Hexagon, BP, Schneider Electric, Thiess, Continental and Wabtec among them — IMARC will offer attendees access to leaders and experts at the centre of technology deployments across the industry, as well as the mining and contracting professionals steering vital workflow, process and cultural change.

“I truly think the future is not only about machines and technology but also how we train our people to be open-minded, with more creative thinking and with energy to solve problems in new ways,” said first-time IMARC speaker Barbara Santana, a Brazil-based innovation leader at Vale.

Josh Savit, Principal Advisor Safety at mining automation and software leader Hexagon, said: “The industry is growing massively. We have a massive opportunity, but we also have a massive duty to work — not just as technology providers, not just as engineers, but as people — to be there for our people who are in the mines to make sure that they come home on a daily basis.”

Heavyweight miners such as BHP, Glencore, Rio Tinto, Newmont, Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt, Vale, South32, Evolution and PLS will share the innovation spotlight with leading suppliers and service companies at IMARC 2025.

BHP Group Procurement Officer Rashpal Bhatti, a keynote speaker, said his company is working closely with technology frontrunners to advance towards its decarbonisation, sustainability and safety goals.

“We are seeking solutions to help shape a more productive and more sustainable resources industry of the future,” he said.

Showcasing technology at the centre of mining’s future, IMARC’s Innovation & Investment Alley is a dedicated zone showcasing innovators, startups, research teams and technology developers. It is expected to be a prime meeting point for investors, miners, venture capital providers and industry leaders at this year’s show.

Readers can register for IMARC 2025 at imarcglobal.com.