Some of the greatest minds in metals processing from around the world will converge in Sudbury to pool their knowledge at the 48th annual Conference of Metallurgists (COM), to be held at Laurentian University from Aug. 23-26.
Organized by the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum, COM 2009 is being touted as an opportunity for industry representatives to get together, share ideas on efficiencies, new technologies, management and other common concerns.
"These are problems that every mining company in the world are worried about, and we'll have unparalleled expertise on hand," says Nathan Stubina, conference chair.
"We're at a time where every dollar you can save is important, so having these chances to network are really key."
Stubina would know, serving as the head of research and development for process development at Barrick Gold. The company started this new in-house, Toronto-based research team three years ago, which has since led to millions of dollars' worth of efficiencies.
It's this understanding of available improvements Stubina hopes will permeate the conference. Plant operators, design engineers, and human resources personnel are expected to attend..
While the event is typically held in larger cities such as Montreal, Vancouver and Toronto, Sudbury has traditionally been an incredibly strong draw for attendees, Stubina says. When the event was last held in Sudbury in 1997, more than 800 attendees showed, making it the largest turnout organizers would see "for many years to come."
The economic downturn is softening expectations for COM 2009's potential numbers, however. Stubina anticipates the city will likely host anywhere from 400 to 500 people from more than 25 countries.
Included among that figure is a slate of no less than 200 speakers, drawn from any number of fields and countries. These talks are spread across a variety of 12 concurrent technical sessions relating to such topics as hydrometallurgy, pyrometallurgy, process control and green technologies.
A materials course will allow the world to access the local wealth of experience with sulfur and acid capture plants, featuring a roundtable with representatives from the Vale Inco, Xstrata Nickel and Xstrata Copper smelters, among others.
Five short courses will also be on offer, ranging from mineral processing to geometallurgy.
Less technically-focused attendees will also find something of interest in the plenary sessions. These will feature John Redstone, an analyst with Desjardins Securities, as well as Sam Marcuson, vice-president of business improvement with Vale Inco.
Stephen Lewis, veteran Canadian diplomat and influential commentator on social affairs and human rights, will also be on hand to speak about "the myths of globalization."
The event includes a 20-booth Metals 2009 Trade Show, which will be located at Laurentian and will run from Monday, August 24 and Tuesday, August 25.
Attendees will be able to embark upon several industrial tours, including a visit to local refineries and smelters at Vale Inco and Xstrata Nickel.
Stubina says he hopes the lineup of quality speakers and events will help convince companies far and wide that COM 2009 is the one event they should attend this year.
"This is not just your normal conference. Given the economy, a company might not be able to send 10 people, but they can send two people, and if they can only go to a single conference, then this should be the one."
