Company welcomes mining companies, contractors, and consultants to underground Research & Training Facility in Sudbury
[Collingwood, 20 April 2022] – Today marks the first time that MacLean has staged an open house at its Research & Training Facility in Sudbury, Ontario, since acquiring the underground R&D lab in 2018. The company welcomed industry VIPs to tour its facility and get behind-the-scenes access to the range of MacLean product development spanning mobile equipment electrification, automation, and digitalization.
Guests had the chance tour the ‘Ducky Decline’ to get demonstrations of MacLean ground support installation robotics, as well as video remote control for the secondary reduction application in the underground mining cycle. In addition, the open house also provided the chance for visitors to get up close with a battery electric version of the company’s latest model of shotcrete sprayer – the SS5 with Quickscan thickness imaging and Chemsave accelerant savings technologies – as well as the latest addition to the MacLean Utility Vehicle product line – the GR5 Grader – purpose-designed for the rigours of the underground environment.
“The pandemic didn’t set us back in terms of pushing forward with product development, but it did force us to delay being able to show the mining world just how much of an innovation engine this underground facility truly is for us,” notes MacLean President, Kevin MacLean. “I was thrilled to be there with Don this week to welcome everybody and deliver the message in person: MacLean is committed to investing in paradigm-changing mining vehicle innovation that helps make the industry safer and more productive.”
“Our Research & Training Facility is also an active collaboration space with the broader industry, through our existing training partnership with Cambrian College’s Centre for Smart Mining and the great work we’re doing training the next generation of mine worker,” adds Stella Holloway, MacLean Vice President of Northern Ontario Operations. “Now that we have the ability to open our doors and show, not just tell industry colleagues what we’re doing as a mining innovators, it feels great – I look forward to this type of in-person dialogue getting reinstated and ramping up in the months and years to come.”
“We know that there are hurdles to broader adoption of electrification, automation, and digitalization across the global mining industry, but the upside benefits are massive, so the effort is well worth it,” remarks Maarten van Koppen, MacLean Vice President of Product Management. “That’s why having this facility is so critical to our ability to deliver mobile equipment solutions that not only solve today’s problems, but also create the foundation for the next generations of mine design and operations around the underground mining globe.”
“The company as a whole persevered through the pandemic to get rigs designed, built, shipped, and commissioned, which wasn’t always straightforward,” states David Jacques, MacLean VP of Engineering. “It’s why they call it ‘innovation’ – not just continually improving the way things are currently done, but also asking, is there a different way to tackle this problem that will deliver paradigm-changing safety and productivity dividends? This is how we think at MacLean, and the Research & Training Facility allows us to put that philosophy into action.”
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For more information:
Stuart Lister
VP Marketing & Communications
MacLean Engineering
Collingwood ON
slister@macleanengineering.com
705.241.3247 (c)
MacLean designs, manufactures, and supports engineered solutions across the mining, municipal, and waste management sectors. The company’s mining division builds a comprehensive line of mobile equipment in the ground support, ore flow, and utility vehicle product categories. Founded in 1973, MacLean remains based in the southern Georgian Bay region of Ontario with service and support branches across Canada as well as a global network of manufacturing facilities and branches in the United States, Mexico, Peru, South Africa, and Australia. www.macleanengineering.com
