The Sherp all-terrain vehicle was a big draw at the show.

The 2018 SME annual conference and expo and 91st Annual Meeting of the SME-MN Section was held Feb. 25 to 28 in Minneapolis, Minn.

Two major powerhouse organizations joined for four days in Minneapolis to provide the maximum amount of technology and resources for today's mining professionals. The SME Annual Conference & Expo provided excellent opportunities for sharing your passion for the industry, connecting with seasoned professionals, young leaders, educators, government and NGO representatives from around the world. The SME MN Section highlighted state-of-the-art production, innovation and development techniques for the local iron ore and taconite industry.

Formed out of Atlas Copco, Epiroc is a new global brand dedicated to the mining, infrastructure and natural resources industries, and the company's equipment was featured at this year's expo. The company offers a wide range of products for mining and exploration applications, including many battery-operated models. Products featured at SME included:

• The Boomer S2 Battery, a compact two-boom face drilling rig that offers comparable flexibility and power to a diesel machine, along with intuitive controls and the option to add smart automation.
• The Scooptram ST7 Battery, a fully electric loader that can match or surpass the performance of diesel loaders with zero underground emissions, cleaner air, less noise and less heat.
• The Pit Viper series of surface blasthole drills that offers Rig Control System (RCS) with automation capabilities as standard. Customers have the ability to operate their Pit Vipers manually with automated assistance or to utilize the platform for fully autonomous operation experienced today at several mines around the world.
• The SmartROC series of drills that offer automation features along with intelligent functions that maximize consistency, save fuel and extend component life.
• The Mobilaris mining intelligence position-based support system that increases personnel productivity and safety by tracking equipment, vehicles and personnel in real-time 3D.
• T35 and T38 Powerbits for tophammer surface drilling, part of a bit line that can improve service life by up to 75 percent at significantly higher penetration rates.

CEG

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