Engineering and Mining Journal - Whether the market is copper, gold, nickel, iron ore, lead/zinc, PGM, diamonds or other commodities, E&MJ takes the lead in projecting trends, following development and reporting on the most efficient operating pr
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MAY 2018 • E&MJ; 55 www.e-mj.com SUPPLIERS REPORT struction sector. The volume of business within the sector is expected to grow by 13%, reaching $7.6 billion between 2017 and 2023, the company reported. Strata Partners With RFI on Network Solution Strata Worldwide partnered with RFI Technology Solutions of Australia to launch underground network solution StrataConnect DigitalBRIDGE. Available immediately in North, South and Central America, as well as South Africa through Strata Worldwide distri- bution, StrataConnect DigitalBRIDGE is a patent-pending coaxial cable technol- ogy for high-speed digital data transfer, telemetry and voice-over-IP (VoIP) com- munications in underground environ- ments. The system bridges the gap be- tween existing technologies by providing a simple-to-install, low-cost option for expanding underground networks beyond the reach of fiber without needing to run additional power, Strata reported. The solution provides complete net- work flexibility with the ability to add end-point devices at any point along the cable: Wi-Fi access points, gas sensors, atmospheric monitors, RFID readers, cameras and more, Strata reported. Digi- talBRIDGE cable segments can extend up to 6,500 ft without the need for a repeat- er or dedicated power source. ABB Invests $123 Million in Campus ABB pledged $123 million to build an in- novation and training campus sited near recent acquisition Bernecker and Rainer Industrie-Elektronik GmbH B&R; (B&R;) in Eggelsberg, Upper Austria. The campus will develop technologies for the factory of the future, based on ABB Ability, which will feature smart and cloud-connected machines and robots. The investment empowers ABB to better deliver on its Next Level strategy, which defines innovation as a key driver of prof- itable growth, the company reported. The campus will cover 35,000 m 2 and the site will be one of ABB's largest research and development centers and home to a number of facilities. Alongside research and development (R&D;) labora- tories focusing on automation technolo- gies, from industrial control systems up to machine learning and artificial intel- ligence, will be an automation academy to train and educate customers, partners and employees. The ground-breaking cer- emony is planned for this summer, and the new campus is expected to be opera- tional by 2021. The company invests $1.4 billion in R&D; annually, and has a team of around 30,000 R&D; and application engineers. B&R; has more than 1,000 employees work- ing in R&D; and application development. The new campus represents the larg- est organic investment in industrial auto- mation in ABB's more-than-130-year his- tory, and lays the foundation for around 1,000 new high-tech jobs in Austria, the company reported.