Automation key to Mackay Resource Centre of Excellence expansion plans
The jobs of the future for Mackay Isaac and Whitsunday will be the focus of stages two and three of the Resources Centre of Excellence.
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Plans are under way to expand Mackay's successful Resources Centre of Excellence into stages two and three, with automation to be at the heart of its future development.
Stage one of RCOE opened in July last year and features Australia's largest underground mine simulator, an administration building, offices, a workshop and laboratory.
RCOE general manager Steven Boxall said future stages would involve the duplication of the current centre to create an "excellence precinct" over the next 18 months to two years.
"Our second and third stages are looking like being projects in the mineral processing space and also advanced manufacturing," Mr Boxall said.
"What we're ultimately looking to achieve is some sort of vertically integrated business model.
"In a small pilot scale, we could actually be refining minerals on site."
He said those minerals could be produced into a material to be used in advanced manufacturing.
"What we've seen with COVID is that there's been a failure in terms of onshore manufacturing and we've been so reliant on particularly electric and computer components from overseas," Mr Boxall said.
"For us, the key things that will deliver is ongoing investment to the region, it's going to bring new technology to the region and it's going to bring partnership with other universities into our region."
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The RCOE precinct would be "highly sophisticated" and heavily focused on automation.
Mr Boxall said this could involve autonomous, remote operation.
"It could be that stage one will house the control rooms to run the future stages, but those stages could be located anywhere," he said.
"In a post-COVID world, location and geography is no longer the challenge that it used to be.
"It doesn't matter whether you're in Los Angeles, Mackay or London - you've got the same opportunities to reach markets locally, nationally and internationally.
"For our region, if we can make the right decisions in terms of future industries, we can really be at the centre of the universe."
Last month, the RCOE was fully booked out most weeks, held 20 events and hosted 500 visitors from around Australia.
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Originally published as Automation key to Mackay Resource Centre of Excellence expansion plans
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