A total of 70 leading industry representatives – managing directors, sales directors, association representatives and representatives of IGBCE and the NRW mining authority – met on 26th September 2019 at the former Zeche Zollern (colliery) in Dortmund/Germany for the fifth annual conference of the Mining Industry Network of the EnergieAgentur.NRW, Düsseldorf/Germany (Figure 1).
It was also an opportunity to examine current target markets as 97 % of services, machines and systems are exported. The raw materials industry around the world faces diverse and demanding challenges. Sustainable market and sales visions are sought and visionaries to promote them. What is important and what will become important? The network coordinated and moderated the event on behalf of the Ministry of Economic Affairs of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia. The contributions showed the whole spectrum of the industry activities and market developments through to the high level of innovation of the supplier industry in North Rhine-Westphalia in the raw materials segment. After the end of coal mining the know-how and expertise established here and appreciated worldwide continue to be promoted on international markets such as Chile, China, Russia, Turkey or Africa. Apart from the classic use, it is necessary to show applications in the hard rock mining sector, ore mines, salt and rare earth fields, as well as in tunnel construction, around the world for the companies. Complex technical solutions and the high degree of specialisation, specially in the areas of digitisation, occupational safety, accident prevention and environment protection, offer opportunities, which are seized and supported also with the help of the EnergieAgentur.NRW. Harmonisation, coordination and moderation are effected in many cases in close collaboration with VDMA Mining, the Technical University Georg Agricola (THGA), institutes of the RWTH Aachen University, the DMT GmbH & Co. KG or other partners from Germany or abroad. Many regions in the world rich in raw materials benefit from this sustainable approach of the NRW experts and their knowledge. Because one thing is clear: The know-how and expertise of the specialist companies in North Rhine-Westphalia are at a superior international level and without mining there is no energy revolution or electric mobility. (EnergieAgentur.NRW/Si.)
