CIM 2021 is going virtual, and the CIM-Caterpillar Celebration of Excellence award program started the virtual conference on April 29 at 7:00 p.m. EDT, through the support of sponsors Caterpillar, Finning Cat and Toromont Cat.

A long-standing CIM tradition, the highly anticipated program recognizes outstanding contributions made by the industry's finest in several different categories, including safety, exploration, sustainability and career excellence. Included in the delegate's registration, program attendees will be entertained by Colin Cloud, aka the "forensic mind reader," of America's Got Talent fame.

"We are honored, once again, to be associated with this special program that acknowledges those in the industry whose dedication and talents advance the positive impact mining plays in society," said Marc Cameron, vice president, Resource Industries, Caterpillar. "We also look forward to contributing to the plenary discussion and technical programs and are excited to show delegates how working together, we are mining better."

Program Contributions

From the opening day plenary highlighting automation and digitization to the field trip showing autonomous truck operation at Kearl Oil Sands, Caterpillar team members will share their vast field expertise with CIMVTL21 delegates. The sessions include:

• Denise Johnson, group president of Caterpillar, will participate as a panelist in the conference's opening Plenary Session at 10:00 a.m. on May 3. The panel explores the topic of adaptation — from accelerating automation and digitization to ensuring workforce health, wellbeing and safety — and gives perspectives on how we adapt to not only survive but thrive.
• Automation Field Trip — May 4, 2:30 p.m. Bill Dears and Clayton Aupperle examine how the technology behind Cat Command for Hauling for autonomous truck operation easily handles the challenging and changing conditions at Kearl Oil Sands in Alberta.
• Digital Transformation — Technology in Operations I — presented by Bob Riggle and Jason LaForest on May 4, 3:30-4:00 p.m. With haulage costs approaching 45 percent of overall mining costs, this session explores how technology in loaders helps achieve target truck payload.
• How Autonomous Solutions Improve Safety and Production — presented by Marc Cameron on May 5, 1:00-1:30 p.m. Exploring the history of Caterpillar's autonomy journey, this session highlights field results that show a step-change in safety and an upward to 30 percent improvement in productivity.

Mining Better Together

Designed around the guiding principle of "Together, We're Mining Better," the Caterpillar Mining CIMVTL21 virtual exhibit is cohosted with Toromont Cat and Finning Cat representatives. The site features graphics, videos, articles and product information that tell the story of how Caterpillar and customers mine better together through the combination of people, equipment, technology, services and solutions.

For more information, visit www.cat.com/mining.

This story also appears on Aggregate Equipment Guide.

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