Canada Nickel Company has chosen Komatsu and dealer SMS Equipment to supply the primary load-and-haul fleet for the Crawford nickel project in Ontario, following competitive proposals from four OEMs. The agreement lays the foundation for an autonomous, battery-electric truck and shovel fleet, integrating Komatsu’s AHS-ready haul trucks with SMS’s Canada-wide support network. For mine planners and engineers, the decision signals early commitment to high-automation, low-emission fleet design, influencing pit layout, power distribution, and maintenance infrastructure from the feasibility stage.

SME and the SME Foundation are offering approximately $1.6 million in scholarships for the 2026–2027 academic year to SME student members pursuing mining and minerals careers. The application window runs through 15 October, targeting undergraduates and postgraduates in mining engineering, metallurgy and related disciplines. For operators and consultants, the programme signals a continued pipeline of formally trained graduates at a time of tightening labour markets and increasing technical demands around automation, geometallurgy and ESG reporting.

NRW Holdings’ subsidiary Primero Group has secured the EPC contract for Ramelius Resources’ Mount Magnet Expansion Project in Western Australia, covering a major upgrade of the gold processing plant. The works will reconfigure processing infrastructure to integrate multiple ore sources into a single production hub, shifting Mt Magnet towards a centralised treatment model. For plant and process engineers, the project signals upcoming brownfield tie-ins, debottlenecking of existing circuits and potential changes to comminution and leach residence times to handle more variable feed.