The Association of British Mining Equipment Companies hosted its 7th Annual Conference with record numbers at the Tankersley Manor near Barnsley on 16 November 2017.

Over 160 high profile delegates, representing company directors, mine managers, engineers, analysts other interested parties - not only from the UK but also from Bosnia, Germany, Ireland, Mongolia and Serbia – were given 13 diverse, yet equally interesting and informative presentations.

The conference opened with an upbeat Chris Hinde (S&P Global) reporting that, for first time in several years, the mining industry was on an upward trend.

Jeremy Wrathall (Cornish Lithium) and Owen Mihalop (Strongbow Exploration Inc) highlighted the progress their respective companies were making in reviving a bright future for the mining industry in Cornwall.

David Cant (Albion Overseas) used his three decades of experience to describe the best ways of making a success of business in Russia and Robert Austin (Austin International Mining) put forward the mining opportunities available in Afghanistan, despite the undoubted difficulties of working in that country.

Inspiring presentations were received from Darryn Quayle and David Beasley (both DIT), Paul Wright (UKEF), David North (British Gypsum), Deborah Stead (BSI Group), Chris Maguire (BusinessCloud), David Curran (Edson Tiger) and Stephen Spittle (Satellite Applications Catapult).

The prestigious evening dinner allowed 130 attendees a further chance to exchange knowledge and conversation, all helped by the generosity of the sponsors (Ampcontrol, Baldwin & Francis, DMT and Komatsu).