NORCAT has announced their plans for the growth and expansion of the NORCAT Underground Centre in Sudbury.
The planned expansion will enable NORCAT to respond to the forecasted demand of the global innovation ecosystem and demonstrates NORCAT’s commitment to continuing their position as the world’s “one-stop shop” for all that is the future of mining technology and innovation, said a press release.
NORCAT is the only innovation centre in the world that owns and operates an underground mine designed to enable start-ups, small/medium enterprises, and international companies to develop, test, and demonstrate innovative technologies in an operating mine environment.
With this unique facility, NORCAT has become the global destination for mining companies to “see and touch” emerging technologies that are poised to transform the industry.
“Over the last three years, we have seen significant growth in NORCAT’s portfolio of mining technology companies using our state-of-the-art operating mine as an ‘active laboratory,’ creating an ecosystem like no other in the world,” said Don Duval, NORCAT CEO.
“By expanding the NORCAT Underground Centre, we continue our proud role anchoring one of the world’s leading mining technology and innovation clusters, while concurrently supporting the commercialization and adoption of leading-edge technologies that will make the global mining industry safer, more efficient, and more productive.”
To coincide with investments into the NORCAT Underground Centre, NORCAT has also developed an array of training, technology, and innovative service offerings to meet the growing and diverse skilled labour training and development needs of global mining and mining technology companies focused on competitiveness, shareholder and stakeholder value, productivity and health and safety.
“The global mining industry has continued to build momentum and prepare for a remarkable transformation, and the continued investment in and deployment of new technologies are redefining what it means to have a career in mining,” said Jason Bubba, NORCAT’s director of training and development.
“By continuing to develop state of the art technologies for a 'new world of training' for a 'new world of work,' NORCAT remains at the forefront of innovation as a market leader in skilled labour training and development for the global mining industry.”
NORCAT will be debuting new learning technologies at the NORCAT experiential booth in the Northern Ontario Pavilion at PDAC 2019 in Toronto. The live demonstration will include the latest in mine skills training including AR, VR, interactive multiplayer avatar-based training, incident re-creation and digital safety systems.
