Three Finalists Named to Make Their $1 Million Pitch for Goldcorp's #DisruptMining Live Final

GOLDCORP INC. has announced the three finalists to pitch their innovative technologies at the #DisruptMining 2019 live finale on March 3, 2019 at the Prospectors Development Association of Canada convention in Toronto.

 

Co-hosted by KPMG, the #DisruptMining live finale will take place on Sunday, March 3, 2019 at the Rebel Entertainment Complex in Toronto during the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) convention.  The event is sold out.

 

Each finalist will present a short pitch video followed by a Q&A with the judges, in front of a live audience of nearly 600 people, demonstrating how their concept or technology has the potential to #DisruptMining. Goldcorp has committed the opportunity to negotiate for $1 million* toward a proof of concept or direct investment in the winning technology. 

 

These innovative companies will present their technologies, which include a new drilling approach that can unlock the value in narrow vein deposits; a unique way of training artificial intelligence to autonomously operate a mineral processing facility; and an IoT application that increases the intelligence of belt conveyors used to transport material at mine sites.

 

The three finalists selected to pitch their disruptive ideas and technologies at #DisruptMining are:

 

Anaconda Mining: a revolutionary drilling approach that promises to unlock value for narrow vein deposits.

 

ANDRITZ: training artificial intelligence to autonomously operate a mineral processing facility.

 

 

Voith Turbo: an Internet of Things (IofT) application that increases the intelligence of belt conveyors.

 

 

The finalists will compete for the opportunity to negotiate up to $1million* investment in the winning technologies 

 

"#DisruptMining continues to represent the best of innovation in the mining industry. These finalists demonstrate break-through thinking and help build digital momentum in mining. The industry needs to help accelerate the development of these kinds of technologies," said Todd White, Goldcorp Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President of Operations. "We're thrilled to welcome each of them to the #DisruptMining community and look forward to learning more about each of these applications."

 

After a technical review by a group from the University of British Columbia, shortlisted submissions were reviewed by senior Goldcorp representatives to determine semi-finalists and finalists for #DisruptMining.  

 

Anaconda Mining Inc., a TSX-listed gold mining company operating in Atlantic Canada, has developed an innovative, two-stage drilling method that enables economic mining of narrow-vein deposits. The technology, known as Sustainable Mining by Drilling (SMD), was developed in collaboration with Memorial University of Newfoundland. SMD has the potential to unlock value in existing deposits that were previously thought to be uneconomic to mine using traditional underground or surface mining methods. The developers also expect this technology could extend the life of current operations by allowing safe excavation to occur beyond the limits of current designs.

 

ANDRITZ, a leading supplier of machines and automation solutions worldwide, has developed a unique and continuous way of training artificial intelligence to operate a mineral processing facility using ANDRITZ's digital twin. The AI is trained to respond to a variety of situations, making it capable of adapting to changing inputs and improving upset recovery time. The trained AI's ability to quickly process information and recommend data-driven solutions will allow for the improvement of the operation, such as start-up and shutdown, and assist operators to achieve plant-wide optimization.

 

Voith Turbo, a division of Voith GmbH & Co. KGaA, whose IoT application BeltGenius creates a digital twin of belt conveyors which provides real-time insight into the behavior of the operation. Resulting from a constant learning system, this information is used to identify potential risks and inefficiencies, allowing for greater uptime, more efficient energy use, predictive maintenance and optimization of weight and speed. With BeltGenius, mine sites can operate their belt conveyors with greater control and consistency, increasing their savings on repairs and material transportation costs while reducing the environmental impact of traditional haul trucks.

 

Deciding the fate of the three finalists will be Ian Telfer, Chair of Goldcorp and acclaimed mining industry titan; Katie Valentine, Partner at KPMG Australia and Global Head of Mining Consulting; Sue Paish, CEO of Canada's Digital Technology Supercluster; Jacob Yeung, University of British Columbia student and #DisruptMining UBC Captain; and returning #DisruptMining judge Wal van Lierop, President & CEO, Chrysalix Venture Capital.

 

Approximately 90 submissions were received for #DisruptMining 2019.

 

For more information please visit: www.disruptmining.com