CRC ORE and Hatch take an exciting step forward with Grade Engineering® partnership announcement

December 15, 2020

 

DrAdairJanKwak
Dr. Ben Adair (CRC ORE Chief Executive Officer) and Jan Kwak (Hatch Managing Director - Australia and Asia) signing the Grade Engineering commercialization agreement.

Brisbane, Australia—In an exciting move forward for the mining industry, Brisbane-based Cooperative Research Centre for Optimising Resource Extraction (CRC ORE) has announced that Hatch has been awarded an exclusive license to commercialize Grade Engineering® Consulting Services. Developed by CRC ORE, the innovative suite of Australian-developed mining technologies is set to be taken worldwide.

Grade Engineering® makes it possible to more efficiently treat lower-grade ores and wastes to extract valuable minerals, significantly increasing the life of mines and reducing their environmental footprint. When deploying Grade Engineering® at production scale, achievable outcomes for mines include significantly improved return on investment and lower capital intensity. As Hatch adopts Grade Engineering® and extends its reach into the mining industry, the value of such outcomes will increase for operations, clients, and communities globally.

CRC ORE Chief Executive Officer Dr. Ben Adair is delighted that Hatch will be integrating Grade Engineering® into its renowned consultancy business.

“Hatch is a valued long-term participant in CRC ORE and has actively championed Grade Engineering® and its benefits to the industry,” Dr. Adair said. “As a CRC ORE innovation, we are pleased that Grade Engineering® will continue to be delivered by such a capable and engaged team.”

The CRC program supports industry-led collaborations to solve industry-identified problems through outcome-focused collaborative research partnerships between industry entities and research organizations. Australia’s network of CRCs operates across all sectors of Australia’s economy and society.

CRC ORE’s goal has been to develop solutions to the highest possible standard and then ensure these are managed by the most capable practitioners to take them to industry. Under the terms of the commercialization arrangement, Hatch will use Grade Engineering® Intellectual Property for their consulting services.

Hatch Managing Director, Australia and Asia, Jan Kwak, said it is an honor to provide Grade Engineering® consulting services.

“Being able to offer Grade Engineering® as service is an exciting and positive step forward for Hatch and the mining industry,” Mr. Kwak said. “Grade Engineering® enables miners to reduce their energy, water, and waste signatures while enhancing the productivity and profitability of their operations. It also brings us a step closer to our vision for process intensification.”

The Grade Engineering® team at Hatch will be headed by Dr. Sevda Dehkhoda, who has been working closely with CRC ORE since 2019.

“We look forward to continuing the legacy of CRC ORE by enabling the mining industry to intensify operational performance and minimize its environmental footprint of the process by refining less waste,” Dr. Dehkhoda said. “Adopting Grade Engineering® into Hatch’s end-to-end value chain optimization service offering strengthens Hatch’s position and its commitment to making positive change for mining operations and their communities.”

To facilitate the transition, CRC ORE’s Grade Engineering® team will relocate to Hatch’s Brisbane office, supporting Hatch with current and potential users of Grade Engineering®. Hatch will invest its time to further increase the reach and applicability of the technologies throughout the mining industry.

More information on Grade Engineering® can be found at crcore.org.au/gradeengineering.

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For more information, please contact:

Lindsay Janca
Global Director, Public Relations
Tel: +1 905 403 4199
Email: media@hatch.com

About Hatch

Whatever our clients envision, our engineers can design and build. With over six decades of business and technical experience in the mining, energy, and infrastructure sectors, we know your business and understand that your challenges are changing rapidly. We respond quickly with solutions that are smarter, more efficient and innovative. We draw upon our 9,000 staff with experience in over 150 countries to challenge the status quo and create positive change for our clients, our employees, and the communities we serve.

Find out more on www.hatch.com.

About CRC Ore

CRC ORE is a not for profit organization funded by the Australian Federal Government and the global minerals industry. CRC ORE commenced in mid-2010 and after its initial 5-year funding term, was awarded a further 6-years of funding until July 2021. Despite the current difficult business cycle in the minerals sector, CRC ORE has achieved support of over $110m in investment to achieve critical mass and capacity. This includes $34.4m in federal funding, with the remaining investment through Mining, METS and Research participants.

Find out more on crcore.org.au.