What does Expomin represent for mining in Chile?
Expomin has fed the mining activity and mining has fed Expomin. It is an event born in 1990 in a time when there is a transformation of the Chilean mining industry, with the very strong entrance of international capital, generating a grate investment in all stages of exploration and exploitation of mineral deposits. Expomin today is the meeting point for Latin American mining and that represent a direct contribution to our country, in the sense that Chile is recognized as an high level center for the mining production and also because it recognizes Santiago and Chile as a qualified place for such events. Expomin today is ranked as one of the two most important fairs in the world, and the fact that is made it in Santiago show that the city is able to receive events of this magnitude.
What changes have Expomin experimented in its history?
A lot. Expomin has witnessed the evolution of the Chilean mining industry in many fields, in the deposits born during the existence of the fair and all that has involved political change in the fair through the change of presidents, Governments and through certain policies that have been implemented during Expomin. For example, Expomin 2004 was the stage where President Lagos launched the mining royalty, a good situation for some, bad for others, but was an event that hosted Expomin and obviously shows that is consider as an important platform for mining and for the country.
What is the incidence of Expomin in the public and policy world?
Rather than influence ore incidence, we bring a space of analysis and discussion on issues relevant to the industry. Expomin has become a platform to raise and discuss relevant topics. This platform is not only used by government authorities like Minister of Mining, but also by the various groups that support and give life to this event such as the SONAMI, the Mining Council, APRIMIN and foreign delegations and suppliers.
What's new in Expomin 2010?
The essence and meaning of Expomin is innovation. It is an event which takes place every two years, so the companies use this period of time to show the innovation they are offering to the industry, so each of the exhibiting companies will show new products in all areas. Expomin is a general fair for mining, is not an exclusive exhibition of mining suppliers. We have industrial clothing, services of information technology, so the innovation and the incorporation of technology in mining will be oriented for all its sectors and all its inner activities, not only in the mining or in metallurgical processes.
We have a conferences program that we designed according to the actual scene, incorporating issues related to product recycling in metal mining processes, a topic that is very important today, because the mining laws are falling. So is attractive to recover residual material, and these are the issues incorporated in this conference.
We are also incorporating technology for underground mining, which is a very important issue in Chile due to development plans that have some mining companies like Chuquicamata, Codelco Norte, Teniente. The investment in the field of underground mining is important and we have incorporated these issues in Expomin 2010.
We are also bringing in renowned international experts such as Alvin Toffler, who is going to be an exhibitor at the International Conference on the second day, trying to make a space for high standard executives, with a open view, not a look of miners for miners, but a look of a thinker, a futuristic about what to expect in terms of development in the exploitation of these commodities and how a developing country can exploit these resources to take the final step to enter into a technologic productive phase, the great challenge of Chile today. |
