NORCAT investments pay off for training mine: mining vendors testing their products underground.

AuthorMigneault, Jonathan
PositionMINING

Over the last six months mining supply and services companies around the world have come knocking at NORCAT's door to take advantage of its underground training and testing mine in Onaping.

"Over the last year and a half we've made pretty significant investments to enhance the infrastructure of the operating mine," said Don Duval, CEO of the Northern Centre I for Advanced Technology Inc. (NORCAT). The fully functional mine is the only facility of its kind in the world to be operated by a non-profit innovation centre.

NORCAT uses the mine for its training program--to give hands-on experience in a safe learning environment--and allows start-ups and more established companies to test their new products underground.

Duval said recent investments to improve the mine's ventilation and lighting systems, and expand its surface operations, have made it a more attractive choice for mining vendors.

More recently, NORCAT partnered with telecommunications giant Cisco Systems to install a Wi-Fi network in the mine.

With those investments in place companies like Sudbury-based Spectrum Telecom Group have tested their own handheld communications devices in the mine.

NORCAT employees and trainees will use the devices and give Spectrum Group regular feedback so they can make incremental improvements to their product line.

Duval said once the company is ready to reach out to potential customers, their experience in NORCAT's mine will be a strong selling point. "They can actually point to an implementation and say, 'Hey it's working, and here's an example,'" he said.

Other companies to jump on board and test their products in the mine include Equipment World, Fuller...

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